bakerman1 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 One of my friends has an early 90's subaru impreza with an automatic transmission and on the freeway it will down shift on its own. I think the tranny is going and gonna be gone soon :-\ What is a reasonable price for someone to pull and rebuild and then put back in? I just want to get a ball park so we know that they are not ripping us off. Thanks for the help. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I would look at changing the fluid a few times first. It could also be a bad TPS sensor or speed sensor. This car FWD or AWD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerman1 Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Its and awd...do you think she can be saved? Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Explain exactly what it is doing. DOwnshifintg on its own?? If the engine RPM is not flairing as the car upshifts, mechanically the transmission is fine. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Cheaper to get a used tranny if it really is toast. You would be looking at probably near $1000 to rebuild an AWD 4EAT - they are fairly high complexity and the labor is expensive. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Cheaper to get a used tranny if it really is toast. You would be looking at probably near $1000 to rebuild an AWD 4EAT - they are fairly high complexity and the labor is expensive. GD i was going to guess 1500-1800. 1000.00 is almost a bargin. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Plus transmission shops There's no guarantee the thing will work right after the 'rebuild' or what other problems you might have afterward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 This can actually be done very inexpensively and you could follow some logical steps to make sure it's taken care of properly. First make sure it is the transmission. Other things can make it do strange things. Check for codes - does the POWER or AT light blink 16 times right after the car is started? If it does then that means the TCU has a code stored in it that may help figure out what exactly is wrong. Pull this code and let us know what it is if this is the case. Has the fluid ever been changed. If not it should be changed a few times or flushed. Are all the tires matching in size and wear? If it's an AWD transmission, i've seen them start shifting strangely if the tires are not evenly warn. The ones i've seen would shift strange at very low speeds actually so i don't think this will be his issue, but why not check it as it takes 15 seconds. If it does come to needing a new transmission, a rebuild is not the solution. The 4EAT transmission in this vehicle is very reliable and there's no shortage of good used units out there for cheap. I bought one for $150 with 100,000 miles on it last fall. You'd have to pay someone to install probably so you may be able to get it done for $500 or more depending on your local transmission sources and mechanic prices. Rebuilds are very costly and depend on what all they actually fix. In this case I would think it would be a rather extensive rebuild since it's not something simple like a delay from going into drive from park. That can run about $1,000 and it's fairly "simple" for a trans rebuild. I'd expect this to run significantly more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerman1 Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 Just talked with my friend and she said that the front tires are about half tread of what the rear are. She said that the shifting problem was happening at lower speeds at first. She bought all four tires new a year ago, matching. She has records of the tranny fluid being changed about 10k miles ago. also, there are no flashing lights on the dash. so, what should we do(grossgary)? Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 If it really is a transmission going bad, on an older impreza, used is a better choice. Get one from a junkyard. Most of them will give you a 30 day warranty. It shouldn't be more than a few hundred. Shop for one on http://www.car-part.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 sounds like the tires being mismatched probably ruined the transmission. if it's not too late there may be hope - read and follow through immediately. the front tires are about half tread of what the rear are She said that the shifting problem was happening at lower speeds at first. well that sounds oddly like what i mentioned, doesn't it? unfortunately she needs a set of matching tires. and of course she'd hate to spend that kind of money without knowing whether it will fix it or not for sure. so first thing to do - put it in FWD mode. inside the engine bay is a fuse holder that should have a lid that says "FWD" on it (it should be by the passengers side strut tower, in the back corner of the engine bay). tell her to put a fuse in this holder, it's essentially a switch that will force the trans into FWD mode. her owners manual should have instructions and location of that, but it's REALLY - simple, literally pop the lid and stick a fuse in it. we need to know what happens next - does the FWD light come on in the dash? and does it help the shifting characteristics at all? this might alleviate some issues. if it doesn't we'll move on from there, that at least tells us some things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 i'm not sure quite what the problem is. What doesnt sound like torquebind. (does sound like a wheel alignment). nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerman1 Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Giving the FWD mode a shot today and I will report back. Thanks, I love this board and you guys as resources. Thanks again Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerman1 Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Have looked under the hood trying to find the FWD box to put the fuse in it but am having trouble finding it. This is 94 impreza with the 1.8l motor. Any ideas? Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subaru360 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 It's on the passenger side of the engine compartment towards the rear. It's not in a fuse bluck, it's just a single fuse holder, it will say "FWD" on the cover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 sometimes the FWD cover is warn/dirty and not readable or even broken off. but it's right where he said and he makes the good point that it's very small, just a small black square big enough for one fuse - unmistakable once you see it. i've seen some not bolted up either....like just dangling, but it'll be adjacent to the passengers side strut tower no matter what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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