After engine R&R car jerks and makes noise especially when turning steering wheel to left or right

[Lrcorr]

Hello folks I'm new to the site and hope to get some help from any experienced folks on here.  I purchased a used 2002 Outback Automatic AWD a few months back.  It ran well but was leaking oil pretty bad.  I thought it appeared to be coming from around the oil filter as there were drops of oil coming off of it.  I changed the oil and filter and figured I had hit the nail on the head as the filter that I removed was slightly different from the new one.  Later it was noted oil was still leaking and further inspection revealed it appeared to be coming from rear of engine.  Reading several blogs I saw that there is an access plate on the rear of the engine that was plastic on some of the vehicles and would deform and leak over time.  I also noted antifreeze leaking form the head gasket.  Decided to pull engine and check rear of engine for leak and also replace headgaskets.  All went well with this though I had some issue getting engine to mate back up to transaxle.  Found that torque converter was not lined up and seated into transmission properly.  After all was reinstalled cranked car and she fired right up a ran smooth.  Ran for a bit to check for any leaks.  All ok there.  Went to back out of the drive and noted clunking and jerking as I backed up like a wheel was locking up.  In pulling the engine I did jack the transmission/transaxle up pretty high with a floor jack while jacking the engine up with my engine hoist to facilitate clearing the motor mount holes.  Wondering if I either did some kind of damage to transaxle while trying to mate the engine with the torque converter not fully aligned and seated or if I may have broke one of the sensors supposedly mounted on the transaxle which controls the lock up and such of the transaxle.  Any ideas folks?

[montana tom]

wow, thats a tough one. Did you get to drive it at all or just pull back where it was and shut it off?  The sensor you are thinking of is the duty c and it is all the way at the rear of the tranny, so not that. If I were to take a wild guess here I would say you did damage to front pump on the transmission or the torque converter when trying to mount it to the engine. One question , did you unbolt the torque converter from the flywheel first ? I know it sounds like a dumb question but recently, I was called out to a neighbor's house to help him get his motor back in and there it was (looked so stupid) a torque converter bolted to a flywheel with a foot of shaft hanging out there, and he was trying to slide it in the tranny with the motor. I don't know how he even got it out. Luckily for him he gave up early and called for help. We unbolted the torque and slid it in the tranny making sure it was engaging the pump, dropped in the motor and all was well. 

Edited June 20, 2016 by montana tom

[1 Lucky Texan]

2 most likely points of failure would be; A. you dented the pan and broke something inside the trans - very easy to do. , B. you failed to COMPLETELY seat the torque conv. and when you used the bolts to mate it up in the last 1/4 inch or so, the pump was damaged.

[Lrcorr]

Just a little more info.  I did drive the car down the road a ways.  It drove ok in a straight line and the trans shifted properly.  Only when making slow turns and primarily when backing up and turning does it make the noise and act as though one or the other wheels is grabbing.  I thought at first there was something jammed around my wheels but didn't know how that could be with the fact the car had been immobile.  I would think that if I had damaged the pump installing the torque converter that there would be shifting and straight line driveability issues.  Still investigating.  

[AdventureSubaru]

If it's driving and shifting then that would indicate the pump is okay.

 

Is the trans light blinking on startup? Flashing AT temp is indicative of an electrical problem. I did it once when I creased the trans pan jacking it up. It clipped a wire in there and the trans was goofy. I got a good used pan and spliced the wire back together and all was fine.

 

Look underneath and see if the trans pan is crimped or buckled anywhere from jacking it up. It's thin metal and doesn't take much to pinch a wire. Another possibility would be that the external wiring got pinched between the unibody and transmission.

 

What you're describing does sound like torque bind or similar. Goofy ABS can come and go too. To check if it's an AWD issue, pull the rear half of the drive shaft and drive in FWD. If the problem goes away in FWD then there is a bind issue to chase.

 

Doesn't happen often, but certainly possible that you are looking at another issue not related to the motor R&R.

[1 Lucky Texan]

do tight circles in a dry-paved, parking lot, then use the FWD fuse and test again.

 

seems like torque bind. (maybe a wire or harness was pinched?)

 

EDIT, ugh, slow typing but yeah, sounds like the tran's pump is OK.

 

no change to the tires? all the same?

Edited June 20, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan

[AdventureSubaru]

Did the 2002s have a FWD fuse? I don't think there was one in my 2000 outback

[1 Lucky Texan]

non-VDC should, might look like this;

 

[Lrcorr]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm assuming the fwd fuse disables the rwd?? I'm thinking I may have crimped a wire also. I had the trans jacked up pretty far up into the tranny tunnel. Any I'm taking a day or two off from the Subi.

[Lrcorr]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm assuming the fwd fuse disables the rwd?? I'm thinking I may have crimped a wire also. I had the trans jacked up pretty far up into the tranny tunnel. Any I'm taking a day or two off from the Subi.

[CNY_Dave]

Yes, makes it front-wheel-drive only.

[Lrcorr]

I looked at the fuse box and the is a spot for the FWD fuse but nothing is in it.  Do I install a fuse to make it FWD only?

[Lrcorr]

I did find the info stating to put a fuse in to enable FWD only.  Again thanks.

[Lrcorr]

OK guys here's the good, the bad, and the ugly from todays checks.  Jacked the car up and inspected all of drive train.  Did notice where the heat shield between the exhaust and the drive shaft may have been a little close to the drive shaft right where a balance weight was attached and it appeared some contact may have been occurring there possibly explaining the clunking or clanging I heard when backing up.  It was happening at a set frequency like that of the shaft rotating around and the weight hitting the shield.  So there the noise may have been explained.  That is the good.  Also I put in the FWD fuse and when backing out it appeared to back smoothly.  So that tells me I have some kind of torque binding going on.  Not sure exactly what causes that so if anyone has a little more explanation on this I would appreciate it.  This was the bad.  Now for the ugly.  I drove the car up and down the road several times and it seemed to be driving fine then the AT overtemp light came on and it seem to start shifting erratically.  When I pulled back to the garage there was some smoke coming from down around the bell housing/ transfer case area.  Smelled quite hot but when I pulled the dip stick to the trans the oil didn't feel that hot but this may not be an accurate indication.  Kind of back to being concerned some type damage in trans.  I'll keep plugging away.  Any good info appreciated.

[1 Lucky Texan]

seeing as how the car is new to you, perhaps some fluids are low or even incorrect (happens more often with these cars than you'd think) so, double check all fluids - trans is the only one checked while idling. fluid or CV joint grease on exhaust will smell bad.

 

torque bind is caused by multiple issues but, it manifests itself as a stress that builds-up in the drivetrain due to the AWD system being fooled into engaging as if the car were on wet or icy roads or on gravel/dirt. If it WERE on a low traction surface, binding would not be felt and the drive train would have an opportunity to relieve/prevent any stress. Dry pavement affords no such opportunity so, the stress build until something slips - this can destroy some parts of the drivetrain - either immediately or over some time.

 

running different size tires, swapping mismatched transmission/rear differential, failing duty c solenoid, grooved/worn wet clutch pack 'basket', etc.  are some possibilities.

 

confirm your tires are the same size, try a fluid change, easiest for DIY is 3 drain.fill/ drive cycles - that gets over 80% new fluid. valvoline maxlife is good. Sneak-up on the fill line - those marks are only a pint or so different, not a quart like engine oil.

Edited June 22, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan

[Lrcorr]

Just to update my repair saga I drained the trans fluid and pulled the pan. Fluid did not seem burnt and pan was extremely clean with no particulates in it. The pan had been removed before as it was sealed with a pink colored form a gasket that was about impossible to get separated. But all looked good otherwise. I changed the filter also. I checked the tires and found I had 2 different manufacturers on the front but both correct size but inflation was not correct. Tires on rear were same brand but different from either front ones. One was also inflated incorrectly. Inflated tires to correct pressure. Thought for sure this was my torque bind issue. Took car for test drive, no torque bind at first but noted irratic shifting right off and in very short distance the A/T over temp light came on. Upon returning to park noticed torque bind back with a vengeance. I'm back to thinking I damaged the oil pump reinstalling the engine. I'm going to put a short piece of clear hose between cooling lines at radiator and see if there is flow. If not definitely pulling transmission. Yay me. Anybody had one of these rebuilt? What cost?

[AdventureSubaru]

Does the AT temp light flash or stay on? I'm still going with a crunched wire. Follow the wiring down the side of the trans to see what may have been pinched. If the pump busted your car would not move.

 

If it comes to a new trans you'll pay what the car is worth for a rebuild. Usually best to find a good used one for a few hundred bucks and swap it in.

[1 Lucky Texan]

same listed size but different brand is not good enough. Mother Subie wants same CIRCUMFERENCE within 1/4" . Now, many people feel the actual tolerance is a little greater than that but.....it just isn't worth testing the theory . get the tires right. Certainly do not expose any new trans to the same mixed tire set.

[Lrcorr]

@ Adventure Subaru, the light is flashing which I have learned indicates a fault set in the transmission on board diagnostics.  Downloaded a free diagnostic tool and am currently waiting for pc to OBD2 connector interface cable.  I did see that there were several complete transmissions for sale on ebay for around $575.  Actually has a 10000 mile warranty.  The write up states these transmissions come from the Japanese domestic market.  I'm assuming this means they come from scrap yards in Japan and shipped to the US.  Anybody had any experience with these?

[AdventureSubaru]

If you're getting an electrical code, I wouldn't worry about a used trans. You should be able to fix this one.

 

Get back to basics - the trans shifted fine before the motor was pulled? Check. The trans still shifts which means the pump is not broken? Check.

The trans is giving an electrical error signal? Check.

 

What wires could have been exposed to damage? There are only a few on the outside of the trans. Check, double check and triple check every sensor and wire and connector on the outside of the trans.

 

When you pulled the pan did you check the steel hoses and wires to make sure nothing was crimped, cut or crushed? Did the trans pan get dented from jacking it up?

 

I'm fairly certain this will be a simple fix once you find it. When I crinkled the pan doing the same thing on a 97 legacy it was extremely goofy and gave the flashing light. A white wire inside the trans had been cut. Once I spliced it back together everything was normal again,

[Fairtax4me]

Pump is fine if the car moves at all. If the pump were damaged you wouldn't make it out of the driveway.

 

Its common for oil and fluids to burn off of the exhaust system after major engine or trans work. I've have cars smoke for days after a repair. Double check and make sure you don't have any NEW oil leaks, and as long as nothing is dripping under the car then it's either oil leftover from previous leaks or from doing the work. It should go away in a few days.

 

You may have damage to some wiring for the trans where it runs over the top of the trans. If the trans was jacked up all the way to the firewall some wires could have been pinched. The AT temp light on means there is a code stored in the Trans control unit. There's a method to read the codes yourself, no special scanner required. Try googling Subaru TCU codes. Getting the trans codes will point you in the right direction.

[Lrcorr]

Thanks guys.  I had made the same assumption re: the oil pump being good seeing as to how that is the heart of the transmission.  As far as the over temp light, knowing that it flashing is an indication of a fault helps a lot too.  The scan program I downloaded was free and the interface cable only $8.00 so I'm not really out anything by getting it so no big deal there.  When I pulled the pan on the transmission it was in perfect shape and all was very clean in it.  Checked all of the connections to the various solenoids, all were on good.  I'm going to try and get it on a lift so I can check it closer.  Working laying on your back under a jacked up car sucks.  Getting ready to have me a building put up and am definitely going to get a 2 post lift.  Going to do some car tinkering when I retire, maybe flip a few as in fix up and sell not literally flip over.  These Subaru's seem fairly easy to work on once I learn all of their quirks.  Might specialize on them. 

Edited July 5, 2016 by Lrcorr

[Lrcorr]

Well folks it's been a bit since I even looked at the Subi.  Had downloaded a transmission code reader and ordered a OBDII to usb interface cable which actually came in a week or so back.  Finally got out today and connected pc to read trans code.  It was error 45 pressure switch which I found out was actually the intake manifold pressure switch (don't know why this was a transmission code).  Let me throw in a little something else that was happening.  I was also setting a check engine code for the throttle position sensor.  I could look at it with my code reader and see it change with the throttle position so it seemed to be functioning ok.  Anyway went to check connection to the pressure sensor which is located just under and to the right of the coil pack.  Pulled and reseated the connector and was just rechecking some of my connections and low and behold the big ground cable connected to the intake manifold was only finger tight.  Evidently I forgot to wrench it down.  Tightened it up and cranked car up.  No A/T Temp flashing, I had cleared the check engine so it was out, but I don't think it's coming back.  Also I had thought the gas gauge had read a little less than half tank when I started working on the car but after starting car and having all of these issues noted it was showing almost empty.  After starting up had almost half tank reading.  All of this from a loose ground??? Really.  Oh also test drive revealed no noticeable torque binding.  My guess is that ground goes to control module.  Keeping my fingers crossed.