Ztherrien1881 Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 Hi everyone, I just picked up a 2006 Legacy GT with a 5eat. I got a really good deal since it needed a little work. I have everything pretty much sorted out and the car is running great, however when shifting from 1st to 2nd it will lurch. It gets much worse at lower rpms. Doesn't matter if it's hot or cold. If I take off slowly with little throttle it will take a long time to shift from 1st, it will rev all the way to sometimes 3200 and then lurch forward into 2nd. On the other hand if I take off with more throttle, it will shift very smoothly. This is ok when driving around town but when in parking lots when I'm driving slowly, it sucks. Sometimes it shifts so hard it scares me. First thing I did was drain the pan and add about 4 qts of Subaru ATF HP. Level is correct, but this didn't help. Then I hooked the car up to my laptop and reset the Tcm using FreeSSM. After that I drove it around for a while and higher gears seemed to shift smoother but 1st to 2nd still had this lurch. This week I will drain more of the old ATF and add more new stuff. Maybe even throw on a new filter. I don't really know where to go next, I don't want to flush the tranny cause it's got 165k. I was thinking of replacing the tps because it's weird how it shifts into 2nd at such high rpms even if I'm barely on the throttle, but figured out I'd have to replace the whole throttle body. Anyone have any input?? I'd greatly appreciate it, maybe I will start looking around for a used tranny or a rebuild kit. Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback2.5XT-05 Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 Take.it with a grain of salt but IME that's REALLY common 5eat behavior. I'm on my 2nd obxt 5eat, both serviced impeccably, and the best suggestion I can give you is to use manual mode in this instance. Subbed for a better solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ztherrien1881 Posted April 1, 2018 Author Share Posted April 1, 2018 Hey thanks for the reply! I've never owned a 5eat and I'm glad to hear it's not uncommon. Manual mode actual doesn't help in my car. If I use manual mode when I tell it to shift to second it takes over a second to respond and usually lurches. It's worse than in auto mode. I will still try more new fluid and a new filter and see if that does anything. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ztherrien1881 Posted April 4, 2018 Author Share Posted April 4, 2018 Today I drained more of the old ATF and replaced it with more Subaru ATF HP. I also put on a new external filter. Shifts are pretty much all smooth now except for the 1st to 2nd gear which still lurches at low rpm. It didn't seem to change at all. I can't seem to find a pattern in when it shifts rough vs when it is smooth. It seems to be completely random. This morning when I left my house I didn't let it warm up at all just to see how it shifted cold. The first shift into 2nd was rough. The second was very smooth. Then rough again. The only pattern is it shifts rough at low room and smoother if I rev it a bit higher. Manual mode almost always results in a rough shifts no matter when I tell it to shift. Anyone have any more ideas? I might add a bottle of Lucas trans fix next time I drain it to add more new ATF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mini_tach Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Check the fluid level with the car at operating temp. I had the same issue and found that the trans was almost a quart low when it warmed up. The level looked fine under "cold" not running conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robburns201 Posted April 6, 2018 Share Posted April 6, 2018 NO Lucas! That stuff might be good for American cars but not SUBARU...IMO...Maybe you have a HEXMOD valve body....Or are you driving in sport mode? i know when i drive in sport it shifts way later... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ztherrien1881 Posted April 6, 2018 Author Share Posted April 6, 2018 Mini_tach, I have always checked the fluid level after it's warmed up, and it seems to be right on. Also I've heard of people having good luck with the Lucas stuff in these, but if you say I shouldn't do it then I won't. Also I doubt this car has a modified valve body. The car is completely stock so I doubt the previous owner did a valve body. I don't drive in sport mode either as that makes the 1st to 2nd shift even worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robburns201 Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Mini_tach, I have always checked the fluid level after it's warmed up, and it seems to be right on. Also I've heard of people having good luck with the Lucas stuff in these, but if you say I shouldn't do it then I won't. Also I doubt this car has a modified valve body. The car is completely stock so I doubt the previous owner did a valve body. I don't drive in sport mode either as that makes the 1st to 2nd shift even worse.What about slightly letting if gas when you think it should shift? If others are having good luck with Lucas then I just haven't herd from them...Mr.Hexmod would be the man to ask about that Lucas stuff....Maybe a fluid change or flush is in order? IDK but I'm subbed for outcome Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ztherrien1881 Posted April 8, 2018 Author Share Posted April 8, 2018 Ya when I'm going real slow I'll let off before it shifts just to keep it in 1st until I can get going a little faster where I know it will shift smoothly. I can live with it but will continue to look for a solution. As for a fluid change, I have drained and refilled it twice now. The new fluid hasnt done a whole lot, maybe it helped smoother shifts in higher gears but that's it. Im not going to flush it cause it has 165k on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robburns201 Posted April 9, 2018 Share Posted April 9, 2018 How about the filters? Behind the battery and in the tranny pan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ztherrien1881 Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 I drove the car 800 miles to and back from Virginia this weekend. Before I left I drained and refilled the pan again. By now most of the fluid should be clean new stuff. It did good, I've gotten used to driving in a way I can pretty much always avoid that first hard shift. This week if it warms up I will look into replacing the filter in the pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ztherrien1881 Posted April 21, 2018 Author Share Posted April 21, 2018 Robburns201 mentioned maybe a modified valve body. I did some research and it seems I have all the exact symptoms from a modded valve body. Im gonna post a video soon of some shifting and acceleration. Maybe someone with a stock valve body can just eyeball compare see if mine acts different, maybe faster. I doubt its modified but the symptoms are oddly spot on. Also I scored two working 5eats off craigslist for $100, so if this one starts to go bad(what these symptoms would point to if it wasnt modified.) then Ill have to rebuild one with a transgo kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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