Outback Manual Transmission, filling?

[Turgidson]

We have 145,000 miles on our 99 outback, and have been hearing a hum/whine like truck gears coming from the tranny. I desparately want to see what kind of metal is stuck to the plug.

 

We don't like our dealers, so we took the car to one of those oil-change in a box places. The guy had said he could change the transmission oil, but when he got down to it, he said he couldn't identify a place to fill the case, so there was no way he would drain it. The service manual indicated a location where there should have been a dip-stick. Looking with a flashlight, we could see some sort of electronic sending unit plugged into a hole that looked suspisciously like a fill hole. Can anyone tell us what we are looking at? Is this something that just unscrews easily, or does it casue great problems if you don't have a box full of replacements nearby?

 

Thanks

 

Turgidson

[mjb240z]

I dont have the exact same car, but I do have a 2001 & believe its the same trans you have. Here is what you SHOULD be looking at on the passenger side of the car right under the air box. Look for the dip stick. According to the Subaru manual this is where you put the gear oil in. What you "might" be looking at where a sensor is "could" be the back-up light switch. I hope you can use any of this. Good luck !!!

 

[Turgidson]

Thanks. I'll look for the dipstick when I get home. From your description, it sounds like the the air-box conceals it. Is it easier to see if you remove the air-box? That would facilitate taking it back to the instant oil-change place, making life easier and cheaper.

 

Thanks

 

Turgidson

[Turgidson]

Any clues about the gear noise? Last time I heard noise like that (an old SAAB 99 and the noise was louder), it was prudent to get rid of the car.

 

Thanks again

 

Turgidson

[subie94]

mine's in the same place an mine's a 94.as far as the hum(gear noise) if it's the same thing as i have then it's your input shaft bearing.i've been told it's not a something that has to be taken care of right away.it was a friend of mine that told me that and he has been working on subies as long as i've known him(going on 7yrs now)he's had one of his cars do it for yrs.even though i was told that it's no big deal,i'm gonna be taken care of it soon.

[mjb240z]

Any clues about the gear noise? Last time I heard noise like that (an old SAAB 99 and the noise was louder), it was prudent to get rid of the car.

 

Thanks again

 

Turgidson

 

Hard to say, does it make noise while idling & go away when you push in the clutch? If this is what happens then the good news is that its just the throwout bearing & you can replace it while replacing the clutch at the same time (recommended). 145k sounds about right when these can start to burn out. They are "cheap" but the labor isn't unless you can turn a wrench yourself.

[Turgidson]

Nope. The whine occurs whenever the wheels are in motion, whether under power, or coasting with the clutch in. We don't hear it when the car is stationary. I think it must also be occurring when coasting out of gear, since I never heard it drop off while shifting.

 

Turgidson

 

 

Hard to say, does it make noise while idling & go away when you push in the clutch? If this is what happens then the good news is that its just the throwout bearing & you can replace it while replacing the clutch at the same time (recommended). 145k sounds about right when these can start to burn out. They are "cheap" but the labor isn't unless you can turn a wrench yourself.

[Turgidson]

I wanted to thank everyone who responded to my query. We would never have found the dipstick if not for you... It is no longer "Yellow." As a result, we changed the transmission oil at the instant oil change place for $30, and can now cancel our $90 appointment with the dealer.

 

As for the truck-transmission-like whine while rolling ... the transmission plug showed only the usual amount of junk on it, nothing shiny, chunky, or fresh. We still have no idea, except that we did establish that the whine doesn't skip a beat when you shift into neutral and coast. Clutch in, clutch out, no difference.

 

Thanks again.

 

Turgidson

[jcase321]

See the picture from the posting below you. He is right. The little dipstick is the place to put in the gear oil. I changed mine on my 2001 outback a few months ago. Just note that since this may be your first time or it has been a while since you touched it, there is probably so much grease and dirt on the dipstick that it blends in. It took me 20 min to find the dipstick the day I went to change mine gear oil too..

 

We have 145,000 miles on our 99 outback, and have been hearing a hum/whine like truck gears coming from the tranny. I desparately want to see what kind of metal is stuck to the plug.

 

We don't like our dealers, so we took the car to one of those oil-change in a box places. The guy had said he could change the transmission oil, but when he got down to it, he said he couldn't identify a place to fill the case, so there was no way he would drain it. The service manual indicated a location where there should have been a dip-stick. Looking with a flashlight, we could see some sort of electronic sending unit plugged into a hole that looked suspisciously like a fill hole. Can anyone tell us what we are looking at? Is this something that just unscrews easily, or does it casue great problems if you don't have a box full of replacements nearby?

 

Thanks

 

Turgidson

[nipper]

I wanted to thank everyone who responded to my query. We would never have found the dipstick if not for you... It is no longer "Yellow." As a result, we changed the transmission oil at the instant oil change place for $30, and can now cancel our $90 appointment with the dealer.

 

As for the truck-transmission-like whine while rolling ... the transmission plug showed only the usual amount of junk on it, nothing shiny, chunky, or fresh. We still have no idea, except that we did establish that the whine doesn't skip a beat when you shift into neutral and coast. Clutch in, clutch out, no difference.

 

Thanks again.

 

Turgidson

 

 

If the whine gets louder with speed, its your ring gear on your differntial. This is one of those things you can keep driving untill it gets unbarable. i have heard them pass by me at 50' away and be incredibly loud but still work.

Once you hear the noise, the damage has already been done. Unless its really bothering you, you can drive it this way for a while. Me i would fix it.

Next time you get an noise like this have the oil put through a paint strainer and see what is suspended in the oil. It would have slowed down the oil change, but i bet you would have seen alot moe shiney things then you would at the plug.

 

nipper