Cosmocurse Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Hello, About a month ago I purchased 93 Subary Legacy automatic with 170k miles on it. The previous owner had been in a car accident and I had mechanic friend look at it and give it at the time a green light. It was only $400 so it was a killer deal I thought. Yesterday though something went wrong and we do not know what it is. Due to funds I have been working as fast as I can to bring this car up to speed. Yesterday I was taking my mechanic friend on an errand to the post office. The car was running fine until I got to a stop light. All of a sudden the car wasn't accelerating at all, and if it was the top speed was only 20 mph, but usally 10 mph since the revs were getting so high. The car basically just wasn't going anywhere. It will reverse fine, but once put in drive, no go. A couple weeks I did notice the engine having trouble switching from 2nd gear into 3rd gear by watching the revs. We tried cycling through the whole shift lever and no change at all. Luckily we were only about 2 miles away from my house so we limped it back home. We have not yet tried, but we think it most likely could be the transmission filter and fluid needing changed and replaced. Another mechanic friend is thinking it most likely the torque converter. Before I started though I just wanted to see if anyone else may have had any similar experiences, etc. It is my first Subaru and I have enjoyed it much. Luckily I can still get to my job via bus if worse came to worse but I do private security work thus I will need a car operational asap. Thank you much to anyone that responds and feel free to send questions. Subary Legacy 93 Auto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted July 21, 2010 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Could be low transmission fluid. Check the fluid level. Other than that, a flush couldn't hurt at this point. Make sure there are no leaks. Don't forget to check the transmission coolant lines. It could also be the pump inside the transmission. Usually when the pump dies, the transmission has troubles shifting into higher gears, or sometimes shifting at all. The fact that the car will still go into reverse at all is the only reason why I'm leaning away from the pump. It takes a lot of pressure for a transmission to shift into reverse. Usually when the pump is on its way out 3rd, 4th, and reverse gear don't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqc151 Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 from what im reading ur trans is shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nadracer Posted July 22, 2010 Share Posted July 22, 2010 I'd have a trans specialist look at it first rather than just have random services performed here. Even if you rebuild the tranny (avg $1600) with an initial $400 investment you can still come out ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmocurse Posted July 23, 2010 Author Share Posted July 23, 2010 Well we drained the fluid and changed that along with the filter. So far it seems to be doing much better. The shifting and vibration from earlier is all but gone. After some acceleration and checking fluids it seems to be running again, but we won't fully know till I get a new battery since the test one we were using went out and was expected to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqc151 Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 by changing the fluid and filter, it will last for now but get worse over time. before it dies start searching around for another trans to swap in. a good used one can be had in the 200 range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 True. I had a 91 Sentra with similar issues. My car wouldn't shift into 3rd, 4th, or reverse, and from 1st to 2nd it felt like there were no clutch packs left. Even a tired engine running on 3 cylinders (Bad rings) would do a second gear chirp because the shifts were so harsh into second. A fluid/filter swap bought me an extra 300-500 miles before the problem came back, but it will eventually come back. The good news is that these transmissions are fairly easy to find since they were used so often. If you're going to swap the transmission yourself you're looking at about $400-800 in parts. Before you replace the transmission, make sure the shift linkage is alright. An accident could have bent something. However, if the transmission is just sluggish to shift, or doesn't feel like shifting randomly it's probably something internal rather than the linkage. Still, the cheap stuff is always easier to check than the expensive stuff. The good news it that these engines are very, very durable. You know those Toyota advertisements where they say there cars are durable, long lasting, reliable, and whatnot.... Well the engine in your car is what Toyota has been shooting for the last 20 years. Its easy to get an EJ22 past 300,000 miles, so long as you do cheap, basic maintenance when you're supposed to. Too bad Subaru doesn't make the EJ22 engine anymore. If they did, Toyota would need a new slogan. Then again, they already do since "Toyota Quality" has been an urban legend since 1985 anyway... The point is, if you find out whats wrong, or you decide to fix this car, you're not gonna need a new one for a long time. You might have to spend $100 to fix the exhaust, or $150-200 for 4 new sets of brakes, or maybe new tires, or maybe some Bondo to patch some rust, but if you add it all up you'll spend WAY less money to keep this car on the road than you would making payments on a new/decent used car. I know, I did the math. Nevermind the insurance/taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mguthert Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 When I bought my 93 legacy a year ago the first thing I did was take it to the dealership to have the transmission serviced. The cost was $35. Not too bad. Since you are driving an almost-20-year-old car, I assume you are not in a position to spend $1600 on a rebuild transmission. I would recommend a used transmission. Just be sure to replace the seals, filter, and fluid before installing it. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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