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08LGT5EAT

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  1. Signed up to add my recent experience in case it helps anyone. I have an 08 GT Limited 5EAT with about 115k miles. A bit more than a year ago, after I pulled out of the driveway and shifted into drive, the car made a completely unexpected and violent series of upshifts. It felt like someone had dumped the clutch or I had driven over a brutal pothole. I was worried about permanent transmission damage. This started a process of intermittent issues that always disappeared when the car was anywhere near a mechanic. I took it to six (!) different places -- including two Subaru dealerships, two transmission specialists, and an auto electrician. One Subaru dealership said the transmission fluid was varnished and overfilled; the last part was strange because I hadn't serviced it since 60k miles and the car tends to leak fluid, not gain it. The other dealership kept the car for two weeks and said they experienced the problem once. But they didn't know what caused it and (nonsensically) wanted to replace the mass airflow sensor. A couple of places picked up some random error codes, but the car's electrical has always been buggy and the shifting issue never seemed to coincide with warning lights. Cut to a few weeks ago, when the problem was becoming much more frequent. On a short drive (the only kind I trusted the car to make), I smelled an unfamiliar burning. My dash turned full Christmas-tree mode and I noticed a new light: AT oil temp. I limped the short distance home and had the car towed to a transmission shop confident that the transmission problem would finally be sorted. The first word I got from the shop was that my radiator was cracked and coolant was "just pouring out." Fine. Not what I cared about, but cars need radiators, so I told them to fix it. After that fix, the mechanic once again said he didn't notice a problem. He kept the car two weeks, driving back and forth trying to figure it out to no avail. When I took it back I fully expected the eventual relapse. But (knock on wood) it's driving as engineered again. What gives? I can't say for sure and I may live to regret posting this as if it's solved. But I found a youtube video that's super intriguing. The video discusses a linkage between a bad radiator and harsh shifting. It specifically discusses upscale Volvos from 1993 to 2000, which obviously isn't a match. But everything else is a perfect description of my experience. In short: In some cars, the radiator cools the engine and the transmission. The Legacy is one of those cars. Sometimes, radiators will fail and leak internally before any external signs of damage appear Because the coolant and the transmission fluid circulate at different pressures, a failing radiator can force fluid into the wrong system The problem usually develops gradually The signs that a radiator is forcing coolant into the transmission are harsh shifts and transmission fluid that is overfilled and discolored The problem itself is very hard to detect until the radiator starts failing externally, and the main symptoms manifest misleadingly in a separate system. But when I saw how many similarities the video had with my own car, I took it back to the transmission shop and had them flush the AT oil. Hopefully, after 14 months of purgatory, the car can settle back into normal life again. I'd have loved to have this information a while ago, so I thought I'd offer it up in case anyone finds it useful.
  2. Signed up to add my recent experience in case it helps anyone. I have an 08 GT Limited 5EAT with about 115k miles. A bit more than a year ago, after I pulled out of the driveway and shifted into drive, the car made a completely unexpected and violent series of upshifts. It felt like someone had dumped the clutch or I had driven over a brutal pothole. I was worried about permanent transmission damage. This started a process of intermittent issues that always disappeared when the car was anywhere near a mechanic. I took it to six (!) different places -- including two Subaru dealerships, two transmission specialists, and an auto electrician. One Subaru dealership said the transmission fluid was varnished and overfilled; the last part was strange because I hadn't serviced it since 60k miles and the car tends to leak fluid, not gain it. The other dealership kept the car for two weeks and said they experienced the problem once. But they didn't know what caused it and (nonsensically) wanted to replace the mass airflow sensor. A couple of places picked up some random error codes, but the car's electrical has always been buggy and the shifting issue never seemed to coincide with warning lights. Cut to a few weeks ago, when the problem was becoming much more frequent. On a short drive (the only kind I trusted the car to make), I smelled an unfamiliar burning. My dash turned full Christmas-tree mode and I noticed a new light: AT oil temp. I limped the short distance home and had the car towed to a transmission shop confident that the transmission problem would finally be sorted. The first word I got from the shop was that my radiator was cracked and coolant was "just pouring out." Fine. Not what I cared about, but cars need radiators, so I told them to fix it. After that fix, the mechanic once again said he didn't notice a problem. He kept the car two weeks, driving back and forth trying to figure it out to no avail. When I took it back I fully expected the eventual relapse. But (knock on wood) it's driving as engineered again. What gives? I can't say for sure and I may live to regret posting this as if it's solved. But I found a youtube video that's super intriguing. The video discusses a linkage between a bad radiator and harsh shifting. It specifically discusses upscale Volvos from 1993 to 2000, which obviously isn't a match. But everything else is a perfect description of my experience. In short: In some cars, the radiator cools the engine and the transmission. The Legacy is one of those cars. Sometimes, radiators will fail and leak internally before any external signs of damage appear Because the coolant and the transmission fluid circulate at different pressures, a failing radiator can force fluid into the wrong system The problem usually develops gradually The signs that a radiator is forcing coolant into the transmission are harsh shifts and transmission fluid that is overfilled and discolored The problem itself is very hard to detect until the radiator starts failing externally, and the main symptoms manifest misleadingly in a separate system. But when I saw how many similarities the video had with my own car, I took it back to the transmission shop and had them flush the AT oil. Hopefully, after 14 months of purgatory, the car can settle back into normal life again. I'd have loved to have this information a while ago, so I thought I'd offer it up in case anyone finds it useful.
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