2000 Forester S - clunk during 1st=>2nd shift

[AWD]

Hi all ... my first post.

 

Just helped my fiance get a 2000 Forester S w/ an auto trans.

 

After a few days of driving she noticed that the trany clunks very badly at times when shifting from 1st to 2nd ... mostly when you're just gliding along in grid-lock at about 15-20 mph and you're not really on the gas nor really on the brake, and then you slightly start to accelerate. When you lift your foot off the gas (no braking) the trany seems to "disnegage" and then the whole drive-trane just "clunks".

 

It also, in my humble yet experienced opinion, shifts quite abruptly between all gears. Kinda lurching, IYKWIM.

 

I'm wondering if this is a "Soob trait" or something indigenous to this particular vehicle.

 

Anyone experience this kind of behavior from this same or other Soob model?

 

AWD

[BigC]

Our '01 has some wierd quirks regarding shifting as well from 1st to 2nd. If your rolling, let off then hit the gas it takes a deep breath and bangs the downshift. It doesn't happen all the time..

 

I would recommend checking the fluid to see if it's low. How many miles are on it? Changing the tranny fluid may be in order too. If you received maintenance records from the previous owner, great. If not, sometimes its best to go through it completely with fresh fluids and then you know what you've got...

 

The tranny fluids easier to change than the oil actually. You'll need a crush ring though, for the drain plug. They're about $2 from a dealer... The tranny plug and the oil pan plug take the same crush ring.

 

BTW... make sure that there isn't an outstanding recall on it either. The '99-'02's required an additive to the coolant to prevent a head gasket failure. You should have seen that show up on a carfax though if you ran one. If you change the coolant or have someone else do it, you need to get that additive from the dealer. Here's a linky:

 

http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2993.html

[Bmm001]

My '95 Legacy and my dad's '97 Impreza do this too. Subaru automatics aren't known for their impeccable smoothness. If the fluid is in good shape and at the proper level, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless it's really severe. This phenomenon usually lessens in severity once the fluid is up to operating temperature, at least in my experience. I have brand new fluid in mine and it still does it sometimes.

 

Brian

[outback_97]

Welcome to the board!

 

My 97's 4EAT is similar, abrupt shifts 1>2 and generally not the smoothest auto tranny. Autos in other cars I've driven always seem smoother, but sometimes seem really vague. Mine's always been kinda like that, is improved somewhat by changing the fluid though. Not unique to your vehicle, fortunately, and probably not a cause for concern. It's a bit of a Subie trait. Although our '03 seems much smoother, granted it's got 1/6 the miles

 

Here's a relevant thread:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=11628

 

And another one:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28409

 

Steve

[brus brother]

There is a TSB on delayed engagement at the NHTSA site. When you shift from reverse to drive, there is a noticeable delay in engagement, with a clunk. There may also be something about hard shifts on that site. Is the car still covered under the 5 year 60K warranty or did you get some sort of warranty from the seller? I had the transmiision on my 2000 Legacy GT AT replaced under warranty... twice! Good luck.

[Muppit]

Talking more smoothness in AT shifts, i replaced the radiator in my 92 Legacy (auto) with a radiator from a manual of the same car, which required me to install the trans cooler as the autos share this with the radiator, and the manuals have them separately. The dude at the wreckers told me he'd done the same with noticable improvement, and he was right. Heaps smoother in shifts on all stages.

 

Im not sure what kind of setup forresters or any suB in the later years for that matter have, but thats my $.02 worth.

[brus brother]

That's a noteworthy observation. I wonder if one of the tech gearheads can explain the whys and hows. I assume we are talking about regular operating temperatures and all other things being equal?

Talking more smoothness in AT shifts, i replaced the radiator in my 92 Legacy (auto) with a radiator from a manual of the same car, which required me to install the trans cooler as the autos share this with the radiator, and the manuals have them separately. The dude at the wreckers told me he'd done the same with noticable improvement, and he was right. Heaps smoother in shifts on all stages.

 

Im not sure what kind of setup forresters or any suB in the later years for that matter have, but thats my $.02 worth.

[stevetone]

Since this may be a "quirk" with Subes that your fiance will have to live with (although I would certainly try to remedy the situation if possible), one way to workaround the issue may be to manually shift the transmission into D1 or D2 while in slow, stop-and-go traffic.

[Commuter]

You can see my comments in the second link given above. 97 OB, similar behaviour. It is probably less noticable on my car as it is heavier and my engine would have a bit less power at the lower revs than your 2000 Forester. Subarus of this era have a slightly more aggressive response than is typical in the accelerator, both applying, and lifting off.

 

One thing your fiance can do is simply try to modulate the gas less. That is, don't do the sudden lift offs which cause the tranny to upshift harshly. In order to do that, you can't get on the gas quite as much either. I know, I know, one shouldn't have to learn different driving techniques, but after a while, you get to know the conditions that trigger it and you can minimize it considerably. I rarely notice it happening anymore for me.

 

I don't think you need to be concerned about the tranny itself. I'm at 449,000 km now, and the tranny shifts the same as when I got the car with 66,000 km on it.

 

What's that instruction... about pretending there is an egg between your foot and the accelerator pedal?

 

Commuter