Okay.. So.. Um, what exactly happens when the 4EAT bites it? I got stuck today with little to no drive in any gears, starting with reverse. It'd been fine all day, infact, superb, as I've never gotten the wheels to spin while taking hard rights or lefts at speed.
So, my question to you:
What happens?
I can provide specific details of what mine did tonight, but it's long, pointless, and if any of you know what can go wrong, then I might be able to just have an answer, instead of Q/A/Q/A/Q/A.
Long story short, I only paid $14 for a tow back to my house, in the pouring rain.. I think Hemingway owned a Subaru.
*sigh* and I was just looking at external tranny coolers today
Any help, guys?
Okay, since my baby is broken, and I can't sleep, I'm gonna tell y'all 'bout it...
Drove this thing all day. Fine, no problems. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that recently it seems as though the PS robs the tranny power under cornering. It'd been doing that for awhile now, and I chalked it up to not having the fluid changed yet.
Also, after putting in the new alt, things were LOTS better, but they went back to normal a couple of days ago. The belt is at the right tension, I'm sure, but I'll try adjusting it later tomorrow.
Driving my ladyfriend back to school, I notice some severe slippage. Give it gas. Nothing. Floor it, to make it downshift.. nada. It kicks in intermittantly, but not with much gusto. I pull over, open the hood, and check things out: Fluid level is okay, nothing seems too hot, there's no smell of burning ATF, wtf, mate? I close it back up again, after re-starting, and pull back into traffic. It drives okay for about 3/4 mile, then slips more.. I get it just about to a freeway onramp, which is good, cause if I got to the freeway, there wouldn't have been places to get off, let alone call a tow.
So I pull into the nearest gas station. Now i get to really inspect things. Nothing appears abnormal, but there is no movement in ANY gear.. it just rolls back, as it's on an incline.
Now, if the belt (the alt/PS belt) were to be slipping, would there be any instance where it wouldn't make a squeal? If the belt were getting old, wouldn't it make a sound of some kind?
I really don't want to replace the tranny this soon; it's not time! But all signs are starting to point to it..
Recently, I'd been thinking its all some kind of electrical problem, as the gauges have been dimming when i hit the brakes, the radio cuts out/fades when i accelerate, and then comes back under hard braking, and when again, under braking, the headlights and gauges dim. I know this isn't normal..
The battery is an Optima Red Top, which provides plenty of power under any circumstances, right?
Also, this morning was the first real Freeze.. could that have anything to do with a tranny failure??
Okay, i think that's everything.
Swap it out! That’s almost exactly what happened to mine when it went, accept I lost R in the driveway, then it came back, and I lost each gear successively until 2 was all that was left. It didn’t have anything to do with the band, I probably checked that about 30 times. When I got it back in the driveway, if I mashed it to 4500 in R, it would grab and launch me backwards, and then stop. It all happened over the course of a day or so, with only a few signs before hand (not like the MTs that put in their 2 weeks notice well in advance). It’s done, in my opinion, I wouldn’t waste my time with another automatic either. I don’t give a damn what anyone says, automatics are simply weakfish; if you romp on it, it is going to let go on you… inevitably. All that electrical business sounds like an alternator on its way out to me. Keep us posted.
well, i get no alt lights now, with that different alternator i put in.. seems that the charging system is okay, but all my cars seem to have electrical problems.. just comes with the territory i guess..
Well, I'll have that thing looked at, in the meantime, and then maybe check out what it takes to get a swap done.. The only 5MT i have is for my FWD 91..which, i don't think will work, even if i take the pedal box.
Eh, here's just more time...
Thanks, morgan.
Anyone else wanna ring in, or is he right on the ball?
yeah? after reading the 5MT swap writeup in the library here, i'm gonna go with a rebuilt auto.. i like it anyhow.. so i gotta find someone to rebuild mine, or trade my old one, plus some cash..
That swap is not only time consuming, but like its been written, it's expensive, and that's $scrill i don't have..
oi..
Well, you may find you think differently after you find out how much a rebuild is going to run you. The cheapest quote I found was 1200... I said, fuck that. I did the 5MT swap in a solid weekend, start to finish, and it cost me around 400 (but the essentials were only 300). It seems like alot of work, but not really... its actually, refreshingly simple. But, I am NA, so I didnt need to screw around with the clutch cyl or any of that sillyness (actually, if I had a turbo, that goddam hydrolic piece of shit would be the first thing I'd rip out, I hate those things). Let me know if you need parts, I've got allot, and I can get allot.
Or just swap in an auto from the junkyard, but they are a little hard to find... everyone blows them, so the yards dont keep them for long (at least, it seems that way around here, lots more MTs than autos).
okay.. well..
I've been told by a number of sources that perhaps changing and/or adding more fluid may help my situation. I've still gotta pull the codes this afternoon, which, i'll let you guys know what's up, and then we'll go from there. Start my way at the front with the alt/PS assembly, and move back toward the tranny.. which, incidentally makes it go from >$ to <<$!!! hahah!
hmm... okay, well, the codes indicate that there's nothing wrong.. its supposed to flash like the CEL does, right?
I went thru all the sequences, and got it to flash, but its a steady flash. What's funny, is that afterward, i got it to pull forward in D, but i still have no reverse..
Anyone have any ideas? I'mma be working on it this weekend, changing the fluids and whatnot, see if that helps at all. Plus, looking down in towards the tranny, I did notice a pair of wires that weren't exactly connected, and certainly a set that I'm sure were connected at one point or another, so we'll see what they're for. Meanwhile, all I can do is pray.
I hate to bring dead threads back, but..
I'm putting in another AT, as I have no choice now --I need a ride!
But, I wanted to put in a new TC with it, but I need to know where to pick up a good one, and what it's actually called..do some folks cal it the Drive Plate?
I know we've been saying that there's things you can do to increase the longevity of the ATs, which include brake band and dropping resistor mods, but I need to know whether or not there's a better TC I can put in, or just stick with stock..
