TZ1B_____ transmission replacement?

[jarl]

Hello people,

 

I asked this on another subaru-oriented site but so far I've had no answers, and I need an answer soon.

 

The transmission on my '05 OBW is going belly up. When cold (specially if the car has been sitting for a while, e.g. for a weekend) it takes a while for the forward gears to engage, and then shifts like crap until it warms up somewhat. The tranny was overfilled, and when I removed the extra ATF (about 2 Qts) the fluid that came out looked all but "bright red". There were also some friction material bits on it (not too many, but still).

 

In any case, I think this transmission will fail this winter, and I'd like to be ready when that happens. I've been trying to find information about compatible transmissions (specially from Foresters, as there seem to be way more of them than Outbacks on the junkyards around here) but so far no luck.

 

Is there any way to "decipher" the transmission code (mine is TZ1B7lCACA) to see which transmissions would be compatible? I googled that code and didn't get anything significant. The only search that gives something is for "TZ1B", so I assume that's the most relevant part of the code. But which cars have compatible transmissions?

 

Thanks!

[Fairtax4me]

Outback and Forester have the same final drive ratio, which is the most important part of the replacement. Final drive needs to match the rear differential or you end up with major problems.

 

Year is another consideration because of changes in the electronics and such that run the transmission. Also with a vehicle that new, you need to make sure you end up with the correct number of gears, 4 speed vs 5 speed automagic.

Check car-part.com for places near you that may have a compatible trans. Generally you can search within about a three year span and still be compatible. For yours 04-06 should work fine. Prior to 04 there were some major differences which prevent earlier years from being a simple drop-in replacement.

 

The trans number doesn't tell you much other than its an automatic (TZxxx vs TYxxx for manual), the rest is much more difficult to decipher. Search by year make and model. If you have questions about a specific year trans, make a post about it and someone may be able to tell you definitivley yes or no.

 

 

Something you may try on yours in the meantime is drain and refill a couple times with fresh ATF. Pretty sure DexIII was still being used in the 05 4EAT trans. The multi vehicle mixes available at parts stores work fine for that, and tend to cost the least. I've bought it by the gallon at Walmart for under $15.

[jarl]

Hi Fairtax,

 

Thank you for replying. There are a couple of cars on craigslist being parted out and I wanted to be sure if the transmissions will work (one of them is an Outback Sport), but asking the sellers for the transmission code is already a tall order, so I doubt they would know if the transmission fits a specific car. I'll check car-part anyway.

 

I think I'll do what you say and replace the ATF. I'm going to replace the filter as well and see what happens. Thanks!