FIXED!! Trany delayed forward engagement

[1 Lucky Texan]

just wondering, on a hill, does Park (with no P brake set) hold the car?

[Subie_2000]

Park will always hold the car in park, on a hill or otherwise.  That's not been an issue.  However, while in Drive, on a hill, the car will drift backwards if foot off brake the last 6 months or so.  Never used to do that.

I've been tied up a few days, but today drove the car a little.  I noticed now in 2WD mode, whether reverse or drive gear, the first 5 seconds are that jittery vibrations to engage fully in gear, fore/aft choppiness.  Then it gets better and goes away.  Today though noticed in 1st drive getting started, same really as reverse getting started.  All in 2WD mode.  It is driveable in 2wd mode, for now at least.  Paul

[1 Lucky Texan]

I dunno, some people with troublesome 4EATs have had luck with an additive like Trans-X helping with engagement issues. I guess it cleans valve bodies or swells shrunken seals or something.....

[idosubaru]

Check inner axle joints.  I’ve seen aftermarket new axles blow to pieces in 100 miles, 1 mile....their ability to fail doesn’t surprise me.

drain fluid and check condition, for debris, etc.  

check for codes  

should start your own thread for diagnosis. Clutters up a specific topic to put it here. 

[jay in oregon]

Rooster, how many miles now? Same trans? My daughter's Subaru is getting another treatment,  I had to look up the thread, couldn't remember which bottle to buy, (the blue one) thanks again!  She's put about 100,000 miles on that thing with one treatment now she needs to replace the timing belt! 

[Rooster2]

I first postedFIXED!! Trany delayed forward engagement back in 2008. Gee that is 11 years ago. I am still driving the same 99 OBW with same tranny. I prolly have put 75K miles on the car during that time. I have to reapply Trans X about once per year, as the delayed engagement returns. Each time Trans X fixes the problem for another year. Car now has 253K on the odo, and running strong. Subies run for a long time. I always use the 15 oz bottle, don't remember color of the bottle.

[Subie_2000]

Hi guys, so its been a couple months since posting here and I wanted to share my experience after problems using the TransX.  My 2000 outback is behaving very differently NOW than it did before.  I did NOTHING more to it except added about 1500 miles over 2 months.  I had added the whole quart of TransX at once with one fluid change, then had bad choppy vibrations like wheel hop but it wasn't, when first getting moving in either forward or reverse.  The gear delay engagement was fixed after that but the new problem was terrible.    I had asked here if adding the whole quart at once was a bad thing and should I drain and start over.  I was suspecting that the TransX was causing a clutch issue when first engaging, as the trans fluid 1/3rd change doesn't mix much or fast with the other 2/3rd of trans fluid and that's too much TransX, too little trans fluid, for that clutch to work right.  No one answered me or agreed.  Well after 1500 miles, now all of that TransX HAS mixed well with the other 2/3rds trans oil and NOW the initial chop chop chop engagement in either 1st or reverse has GONE AWAY.  This is a key finding for this thread and using TransX in general, which is why I'm sharing.  The shift delays are now gone and so is the choppyness.  TransX is GREAT BUT do NOT ever put in the whole quart at once!!!!!!!!!!  Do no more than 1/3rd quart with a trans fluid change.  Drive 400 miles, do another 1/3rd quart fluid change.  Drive 400 miles, do last 1/3rd quart fluid change.  This allows all the torque converter oil to drain to pan and mix.  It mixes really really slowly.  For me it got very slowly better over weeks of driving a bit each day or two and very inconsistent until then.  One day terrible choppiness, two days later, not much, two more terrible choppiness, etc.  I can't emphasize the above enough as best practice.

Now having said all that, my trans has some wear issues in it I'm thinking.  I have one problem left.  It has bad wheel, steering wheel vibrations starting right at 60 mph and gets worse from there.  Driving 70 all but impossible.  Driving at 55 is like a nearly new car.  I'm suspecting this is gearbox stuff from wear but don't know for sure.  The car has had new wheel bearings, halfshafts just 30k miles back and it fixed a similar but more severe vibration problem at high speed then but with wheel bearing noise too.  And it had the VERY SAME wheel bearings and halfshaft change at 30kmiles before that.  So two complete sets replaced on the car now.  Also had one main shaft from front to rear axle replaced once to be sure.  That didn't change anything.  Thoughts on this would be appreciated.  Is it the trans gearbox?  New trans needed to fix it?  For now. i'm driving it local around town only at 55 mph or less only.  At 205k miles now, 4eat, 2000 2.5l engine outback.  What years 4eat trans can go in the 2000 4eat as perfect swap?  Thanks much, Paul

[heartless]

7 hours ago, Subie_2000 said:

Now having said all that, my trans has some wear issues in it I'm thinking.  I have one problem left.  It has bad wheel, steering wheel vibrations starting right at 60 mph and gets worse from there.  Driving 70 all but impossible.  Driving at 55 is like a nearly new car.  I'm suspecting this is gearbox stuff from wear but don't know for sure.  The car has had new wheel bearings, halfshafts just 30k miles back and it fixed a similar but more severe vibration problem at high speed then but with wheel bearing noise too.  And it had the VERY SAME wheel bearings and halfshaft change at 30kmiles before that.  So two complete sets replaced on the car now.  Also had one main shaft from front to rear axle replaced once to be sure.  That didn't change anything.  Thoughts on this would be appreciated.  Is it the trans gearbox?  New trans needed to fix it?  For now. i'm driving it local around town only at 55 mph or less only.  At 205k miles now, 4eat, 2000 2.5l engine outback.  What years 4eat trans can go in the 2000 4eat as perfect swap?  Thanks much, Paul

have you had the tires balanced lately? from your description, it sounds very much like a tire out of balance.. get them checked out if they have not been done recently.

[Rooster2]

Loose rim lug nuts can cause vibration problem, as well as the tires out of balance.

[Rooster2]

Suggest you go to https://www.carparts.com

They have a call in assist land line, and also a chat service. Someone there will be able to tell you what years of inter-changeability 4 eat trans will fit your car.

[1197sts]

Resurrecting an old thread. Another success using Trans X, I have a beater 2000 OB with about 280K miles, it had been running pretty well then started with the delayed engagement pattern, it was bad enough I wondered if I was going to have to get a new transmission. I added one 15oz bottle of K&W Trans X and it is vastly improved. BTW I am not a person who trusts snake oil, magic in a bottle, etc but this stuff works.