jpunzel Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi, I'm new. I went to look at a used Legacy today with Miles Fox. It ran great, but there's a slight problem we noticed: The AT fluid didn't seem right when we checked it. The color was kind of orangy and there were tiny bubbles on the dipstick. It didn't seem like the normal "burned red" transmission fluid. The smell wasn't right, either. Miles thought he noticed a piney smell. However, the car seemed to drive fine, and I didn't notice any kicks or delays when shifting into drive. If I hadn't checked the AT fluid, I would've bought the car on the spot. But I'd appreciate some advice before I do so. The differential fluid also seemed to be low. Is this anything to be concerned about? Is this Legacy worth $1100? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi, I'm new.Welcome to the forum. [...]The AT fluid didn't seem right when we checked it. The color was kind of orangy and there were tiny bubbles on the dipstick. It didn't seem like the normal "burned" transmission fluid. The smell wasn't right, either. Miles thought he noticed a piney smell.[...]ATF that's seen enough use will often turn brownish-orange, even if it doesn't smell "burned". Foaming of the fluid is never a good thing; it can be caused by either under-/over-filling, or perhaps due to an additive (which may also explain the strange smell). Did you check the fluid level? I can't say whether the car is otherwise worth the asking price, but I suspect the trans may have issues, even if things seemed normal during the test drive. Was the car cold when you started it, or was it warm from having been run earlier? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 piney? Maybe someone poured pine-sol in there, like they read it was good as an auto trans flush. If you buy it I'd change out the ATF with fresh good quality ASAP. Also make sure it has the external aux filter installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpunzel Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 I'm not sure what the fluid level was. Perhaps Miles can answer that question later tonight. I'm not sure whether the car was started cold or not. It was snowing, but the car wasn't covered in snow, so the owner might have taken it for a drive before I arrived to look at it. If the car had been driven for a while, would that explain the fluid bubbles? Would an AT fluid flush be enough to keep the car running well? Or might there be some other reason that normal red fluid would become that way? A leak from somewhere else maybe? Are there any tests to see if the auto transmission is functioning normally? How might I stress it during a test drive to check things out? Thanks for your fast responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpunzel Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 I really hope it's not pine sol. I don't want to buy a car whose past owner was dumb enough to put pine sol in the transmission... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 hehe, right on, and . If it seems to be shifting fine etc I'd just change out the fluid after you buy it and make sure the external filter is installed (it should be in the LH/driver wheel well area); here's the kit: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nug Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 I would not have a problem if fluid turns orange. I would if it was dark or cloudy. If it shifts fine, then I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'd change it after I bought it, to be sure. You're Jared, arent you? I met you on the Babe Rally. I was in the flamingo subaru. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 [...]I'm not sure whether the car was started cold or not. It was snowing, but the car wasn't covered in snow, so the owner might have taken it for a drive before I arrived to look at it. If the car had been driven for a while, would that explain the fluid bubbles?[...] There are some auto trans (and engine starting/running) problems that only show when it's cold. If the car was already warm, they may not be obvious or show at all. If you're seriously considering the car, try to test-drive it again from a cold start. As I said before, a significant number of bubbles in the fluid isn't a good situation. The fluid level has to be checked with the engine running. Although it's difficult to get a good reading when cold, do look for bubbles as soon as the car is started, and get an idea of the level. Drive the car and then check the fluid level when hot, car parked on a level surface. In order to get an accurate reading, pull the dipstick, wipe it, and leave it out for a minute or more so any fluid in the tube can return to the pan. Then reinsert the dipstick, pull it again, and look at both sides; the one with the lower indication is the one to go by. If the indicated level is low or even okay, but there are bubbles, the actual amount of ATF is probably low, and the fluid is somewhat aerated. Especially if it was low when cold, it may just need more fluid. Additives get depleted with usage, the fluid gets oxidized, etc., so if the car seems okay when cold and hot, it might be that a fluid change will be sufficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 did Miles check for torque bind? or was there too much snow on the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 welcome aboard, miles sent you to a good place if he sent you here! tell him we said hello! in an of itself the "orange-ish" color doesn't scare me. but that certainly does not mean there isn't a problem. if it operated fine through all ranges...speeds, gears, reverse, temps, etc...i would expect it's fine. did you ask the owner if it's ever been changed? did it look like there's any fluid running down the side of the dipstick hole (as it has to be filled here as well), it's usually hard to keep fluid from running down the dipstick hole when you're adding fluid and people don't clean that up on a 15 year old legacy. as for the price, in general $1,000 for a good running vehicle is not bad. but there's lots of things that dictate price.....a pristine 40,000 mile Legacy in perfect shape, excellent paint, all the maintenance records...that would be a steal. if it's 250,000 miles, rusty and has 8 previous owners....then you're getting hosed. in that price range i'd try to get something in the 100k-150k range as opposed to the 200k-250k range. i'm looking for some people right now as well and i'm seeing that is possible. of course your market may be different there, Subaru's are easy to find around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 i went with jared to go look at this legacy. jared didnt know what driveline it was until the day we went to go look at it. aside from the front fender rusted away where the marker light goes, and the driver seat belt not retracting, the car runs just fine, about 175,000 miles it has a *slight* wheel ebaring whirr but not loud and not enought to throw off the handling. the steering wheel is a degree off and the car pulls slightly to the rignt, but not enough you go in the ditch if you let off the wheel. there is some minot collision damage to the hood and radiator support and the ac system has been removed(probably because of this) there is random duct tape on the injector wires and one on the oil sender wire, and some oil on tip of the motor from where it leaks past the sensor aside from the aesthetic problems, this is what i noticed: first of all i showed the owner there are 2 dipsticks, wheich he almost filled the wrong ones on his other legacy. i mentioned to him that it is possible for fluids to leak across the diff to the trans or vice versa. he did not think of that. the diff fluid was at the tip of the dipstick, and the regular ATF was all over the dipstick with tiny bbubbles. the car shifted just fine.presume the me i siuggested changing the fluids and see if one changes color or goes down in level and the other rises. i presume the bubbles were from incorrect fuel levels the car would have been ok for 800 bucks but wasnt worth more than that. as it was, if it were a 5 spd 4wd it would have been worht more the asking price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nug Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Typically, ATF will foam if its overfilled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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