IdiotSavant Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 Hey guys, I've started to have issues with my automatic transmission in the ole 99 Legacy GT. The car only has 90 000 km and has been regularly serviced at the dealership for all scheduled maintenance. The drive gear does not engage anymore. Reverse works fine but none of the forward gears engage. I'm about to take it in to the dealership for a diagnosis but I was hoping to get other suggestions from some of the knowledgeable folks here. I've searched the forum and the general consensus is that I'll need a remanufactured transmission. Can it be just as simple as changing a part in the transmission? Between this and head gaskets, this car is becoming very costly to maintain. Thanks for your suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 56,000 miles and the tranny is KaPoot??? I'm sure you checked the fluid level. Does it smell burnt? Flush and pray. Nipper should chime in soon about the possibility of the front pump being bad, but since reverse and second use the same gearing, 2nd should work also. Headgaskets already?? I know they can go at any mileage but 56 k?? LE Mon comes to mind. Sorry for all your troubles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 I'm familiar with this problem. Internal seals have failed in the transmission, and it needs to be replaced. Sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted February 22, 2007 Author Share Posted February 22, 2007 I hope it's not kapoot and that it's just a simple fix. It does seem odd that this would happen at such low mileage. The fluid level is fine and it doesn't smell burnt. Would the burnt smell be apparent after the car is warmed up for a bit or would I smell it when it's cold too? I tried all the the forward gears and none of them engaged. The engine just revs as it if were in neutral. Headgaskets haven't gone yet thankfully. Though, I am anticipating that eventually. I love this car and hope to get it up and running again while there is still some snow to have fun in. I'm familiar with this problem. Internal seals have failed in the transmission, and it needs to be replaced. Sorry. Ouch. The seals themselves can't be replaced? I guess that would require a rebuild. Anyone have experiences with buying used transmissions on eBay? Any place that sells them online? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 it's going to be hard for you to believe and swallow this, but it is sort of good news. better than "get a rebuilt". subaru auto trans are extremely reliable. i would not hesitate to install used auto transmission, particularly something as new as your vehicle. i've owned many Subaru 4EAT auto trans, some now around 20 years old and problems are few and far between. low mileage used transmissions can be had for not much money in the states, not sure the about the canadian market though. if you're close to the states it might be worth trying to source one here and going and getting it? they will fit in the trunk of any sedan just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 22, 2007 Share Posted February 22, 2007 If this car was in the U.S. i would say put up a stink and get subaru to help you out. I really don't know how your consumer system and warrenty fights work in the north. I know in europe once the warrenty is done, thats it, and no lemon protection. Yes the car either has a bad front pump or the seals are shot. A Front pump can be replaced, and aside from the labor, would not have an effect on any of the other parts in the tranny. They will know more once they put pressure gauges on the car. Luckily it is a very easy thing to diagnose. Stand your ground and see what you can get out of subaru. there is no reason for this tranny to fail, and it sounds like a mfg fluke. I did a search and there is no one anywhere complaing about a pattern of failed trannies. Subaru trannies are really robust, more so then i have seen on any other 4 cylinder car. Stuff happens sometimes. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Any place that sells them online? try car-part.com , and sort your search by distance. pick a major city near you. this will bring up the used trans that are near / in canada ans eliminate the shipping / customs thing. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 I finally brought my car in to the dealership. Before even looking at the car, the service rep suggested that I need a new transmission. Apparently, Subaru introduced a new transmission for this car in 1999 and while they are generally reliable, failures can happen, even at a mere 90 000 km. I asked him to check the front pump and suggested that maybe replacing that would be sufficient. He said they don't have the equipment to take apart automatic transmissions but that I could take it to a transmission shop for a rebuild. The dealership happens to have a used replacement transmission in stock which will cost me $1000, plus labour. I told them not to do anything until I explore other options, and maybe hunt down a used transmission on my own. I think I might ask them to only change the tranny fluid, then bring my car to another Subaru dealership for a second opinion. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 What kind of warrenty are they giving with the tranny? Why do they have the tranny to begin with? How many miles on the tranny? Dealerships arent set up to rebuild trannies beyond the AWD unit or clutch, and they dont like doing that kind of repair, thats why i tell people to go to them first. It's twisted logic but it works. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 hey nipper, They are offering a 3 month/5000 km warranty on the tranny. It has a little over 100 000 km on it. I didn't ask, but I find it quite sketchy that they happen to have this particular tranny in stock. Then again, I'm the skeptical type. I feel as though they are going to do something menial, like change the tranny fluid and tell me the whole transmission was replaced. Too many negative past experiences with post-warranty dealership service. Heh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Any chance the problem is just a TCU problem or maybe a shifter cable problem? Transmissions just don't fail at this low mileage. Have the transmission trouble codes pulled at least before replacing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Any chance the problem is just a TCU problem or maybe a shifter cable problem? Transmissions just don't fail at this low mileage. Have the transmission trouble codes pulled at least before replacing it. I've heard of one or two, its very rare but it does happen. Manually shifting into any gear overrides the TCU control. SO the car should move in low or 2nd gear at the very least. I'm sort of surprised that it moves in reverse. It has happepend enough that there is a endwrench peice on it http://www.endwrench.com/pdf/drivetrain/4EATMovementInfoS01.pdf nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 There is something else I just realized that I didn't mention earlier. When the car is cold, the Drive gear will engage. Once it warms up, it seems to let go. I first encountered this problem after a long drive (250 km). I stopped for gas and when I put the car back in Drive, it revved up to 2000 rpm before the gear engaged. The second occurence was during normal city driving after about 20 minutes. I was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, my car didn't want to advance. It just revved as if it were in neutral. So I was forced to have it towed home. I was still able to Reverse with no problem though. The day I had the car towed to the dealership, it started up fine and the drive gear engaged without hesitation. I had it towed regardless as I didn't want the transmission to crap out on me half way to the dealership. Does the fact that the Drive gear engages when the car is cold mean anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 There is something else I just realized that I didn't mention earlier. When the car is cold, the Drive gear will engage. Once it warms up, it seems to let go. I first encountered this problem after a long drive (250 km). I stopped for gas and when I put the car back in Drive, it revved up to 2000 rpm before the gear engaged. The second occurence was during normal city driving after about 20 minutes. I was stopped at a red light. When the light turned green, my car didn't want to advance. It just revved as if it were in neutral. So I was forced to have it towed home. I was still able to Reverse with no problem though. The day I had the car towed to the dealership, it started up fine and the drive gear engaged without hesitation. I had it towed regardless as I didn't want the transmission to crap out on me half way to the dealership. Does the fact that the Drive gear engages when the car is cold mean anything? Yes it means that the front pump is shot. Now it makes more sense. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 I called a few tranny shops this morning and described the symptoms.. Some of them suggested that maybe my torque converter was shot. It appears that a rebuilding my tranny costs almost as much as replacing it. I'm considering going the rebuild route since it only has 90 000 km and I've taken care of my car very well. Who knows what the used replacement tranny went through. So I'm taking it in to a very reputable tranny shop at the end of the week and will report back on this thread. These car towing fees are killing me. Does it make sense that it could be a torque converter issue as well as the front pump? Anyone have any luck getting partial compensation from Subaru for something like this? I'm thinking of writing them a letter. What the heck, I have nothing to lose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 obviously rebuilding is not going to be cheap, but replacing with a good used can be cheaper if you just look around. at least look while waiting for your appointment. the shop you are going to may be abled to quote a price for used intalled. you could save maybe as much as 1000$. they get the trans from a reputable parts supplier and install it. they service it, change the fluid, check it out and usually givre you a 90 day waranty. ask. I called a few tranny shops this morning and described the symptoms.. Some of them suggested that maybe my torque converter was shot. It appears that a rebuilding my tranny costs almost as much as replacing it. I'm considering going the rebuild route since it only has 90 000 km and I've taken care of my car very well. Who knows what the used replacement tranny went through. So I'm taking it in to a very reputable tranny shop at the end of the week and will report back on this thread. These car towing fees are killing me. Does it make sense that it could be a torque converter issue as well as the front pump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 I called a dozen scrap yards this morning. Only one had a used transmission for my car. $850, 111 000 km and 6 month warranty. I'm still weary about buying a transmission from a scrap yard though. The tranny shop I have the appointment with only rebuilds the transmissions, but from what I've read, they do great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnwolftrack Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I just went through this process on my '98 OBW. I did not hesitate to get a used transmission. Salvage yards can get a bad rap, but they are like any other business and do not want to get a bad reputation. I bought my transmission, shipped to my door in 2 days, for $575 with only 53k from a car that had a light hit in the rear. My car is much happier now! I installed it myself, but I was very paranoid about the installed (and needlessly so). I have been wrenching for years and didn't have any trouble with it. If you are not capable of doing it, I was able to find local shops willing to do the install for me if I provided them with a transmission. Typical rates were $75/hour for 4.5 hours of book time, or $337.50 for labor rate. Fluids and any gaskets would be a little bit more. I found my transmission using http://www.car-part.com (an online database salvage yards can use to list their inventory). Some of these places even showed pictures of the car you'd be buying parts from (one place that comes to mind is named Rich's, in Kansas or somewhere in the midwest). There were numerous transmissions out there under $500. My recommendation is to find someone that is closer, because the shipping (via truck) will be less. I could have purchased several $300 transmissions, but they were too far away and would have cost me just as much in the end because of shipping. I had no luck calling local yards. They either didn't have anything, or wanted stupid amounts of money. Most of them wanted the old transmission back too or would charge a several hundred dollar core charge. Car-part.com prices/availability spanks the local guys. My OBW had the same problem, a bad front pump. However, my car shifted flawlessly. The only indication of a problem was a noise/whine. If you do a search on "front pump" you should find my threads from a month ago or so. The old ATF also had a slight amount of metal bits in it, but not very much. Shops that specialize in rebuilding transmissions have their own reputation for being blood suckers. They will try to convince you that you need a ridiculous amount of work done. I tried that route initially too, but they were giving me quotes from $1800 to $3500!!!!! no thanks! Do not call a transmission shop to see if they will install a used transmission you bought on your own. They will want nothing to do with that. The replacement is pretty straight forward, and I wouldn't be too concerned about finding a shop that only specializes in subarus. A general repair shop ought to be able to do it. For what it's worth, people on this board do NOT like AMMCO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I called a few tranny shops this morning and described the symptoms.. Some of them suggested that maybe my torque converter was shot. http://www.leeric.lsu.edu/bgbb/7/ecep/auto/f/f.htm not a torque converter. And on a subaru i would never even suspect a bad TC. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdiotSavant Posted March 12, 2007 Author Share Posted March 12, 2007 mnwolftrack, thanks for sharing that. It puts my mind at ease a little about installing a used tranny. nipper, after reading that link, I agree that the TC is not the problem. I must not have explained the problem clearly to the gentleman on the phone. I used car-part.com but couldn't find any good deals within a reasonable distance. I'm in Canada so having it shipped from the US could cost me a lot in shipping and customs fees. The tranny shop I looked into is highly recommended by fellow car enthusiasts and they quoted me between $1000-$1500 but need to see the car in order to give a more accurate estimate. They also offer a replacement vehicule, whereas my Suby dealership does not. I called my Suby dealership to let them know I found a cheaper transmission elsewhere. All of a sudden, the labour went from 3-4 hours to install their transmission to 6-7 hours to install the one I found elsewhere. [insert profanity here] I didn't bother arguing with them about that as they are still in possession of my car. What a headache this has become. I appreciate all your input and suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 The tranny shop I looked into is highly recommended by fellow car enthusiasts and they quoted me between $1000-$1500 but need to see the car in order to give a more accurate estimate. They also offer a replacement vehicule, whereas my Suby dealership does not. that's a hellofa good price for a rebuild, but my guees would be that the price goes up after you have the car towed in. ask about the worst case senario so you know going in what the high side will be. but if they can do it for that price, jump on it. good used installed id going to start at 800$ and go up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2X2KOB Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 So I'm taking it in to a very reputable tranny shop at the end of the week and will report back on this thread. These car towing fees are killing me. Towing fees? Just drive it backwards, no problem! Seriously, good luck, keep us posted. When this happened to me I had an independent shop install a factory rebuilt unit. Not the least expensive route. If I had to do it again I'd find a junkyard unit and put it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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