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2.5i 5MT Front Differential Fluid Change Tutorial

GEE-OTTO

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GEE-OTTO Grand Master

GEE-OTTO

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Based on what? Unscientific opinions? Mobil1 75w-90 exeeds the GL-5 performance requirements.

 

Run Mobile 1 It is your car. I just stated that several Subbie owners complain about Mobile 1. Ive never ran that fluid to each his/her own :)

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Jimaa66 Contributor

Jimaa66

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I sort of have to agree with Shriner,as I too would love to read the reports stating Mobil 1 as being a bad product.

Not picking a fight. Not going one way or the other.

But I have had Mobil 1 5w-30 lab tested after 8000 kilometers in my chev v-8, and the report came back stating "no visible breakdown".

So please, if anyone can help me find the studies that show their products as being of a poor quality- please send a link. I think many would like the info.

BTW- many great tips in here for us N/A folks.

Gee...and all the rest...thanks for the efforts.

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GEE-OTTO Grand Master

GEE-OTTO

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I dont have a problem with M1 I never have used the stuff however several people complain about i. You can use piss if you like I simply stated a common gripe around all subbie boards. :) Do a search ask the people that complain, I made this thread for diff fluid change not "why do ppl complain about brand X fluid and why"
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  • 3 weeks later...
Rickbubello Apprentice

Rickbubello

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If someone doesnt mind- HI by the way and I am new here just purchased my 08 2.5I elite yesterday,

 

I need a write up with pictures for changing all three fluids for my 08 auto. front, rear and transmission fluid. I am also going to be changing my plugs and wires tomorrow. I have 43 k miles on it and bought my car for 14k, not bad for a black on black with leather. It drives great but i figured might as well do this stuff before i have issues, I miss my old wrx ( had one before my civic i just traded in) and will never own anything besides a subaru ever again.

 

Hopefully someone can provide pictures and links so i can do this either today or tomorrow, thanks so much guys

 

Rickbubello@gmail.com

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Chupula Apprentice

Chupula

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If someone doesnt mind- HI by the way and I am new here just purchased my 08 2.5I elite yesterday,

 

I need a write up with pictures for changing all three fluids for my 08 auto. front, rear and transmission fluid. I am also going to be changing my plugs and wires tomorrow. I have 43 k miles on it and bought my car for 14k, not bad for a black on black with leather. It drives great but i figured might as well do this stuff before i have issues, I miss my old wrx ( had one before my civic i just traded in) and will never own anything besides a subaru ever again.

 

Hopefully someone can provide pictures and links so i can do this either today or tomorrow, thanks so much guys

 

Rickbubello@gmail.com

 

Congrats... I'll do my best to explain.

 

I did the following to my '07 Legacy 2.5i Limited with the 4EAT within the last month or so:

 

  1. Spark Plugs
  2. Air Cleaner
  3. Front differential fluid change
  4. Rear differential fluid change
  5. 5EAT Fluid change
  6. Brake system flush / bleed
  7. Front brake pads replaced
  8. Front rotors turned

 

 

  1. Regarding the spark plugs, there is an excellent tutorial here on the forums that I followed (here:http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2-5i-spark-plug-tutorial-117769.html?t=117769&highlight=spark+plugs). I used NGK G-Power plugs... plenty adequate for my daily driving needs. The only changes I would make to the tutorial would be 1.) you only need to remove the battery and airbox to gain access to all four plugs (no need to mess with the fuse panel) and 2.) take note when reinstalling the plug wire cap onto the spark plugs, that there are two audible "clicks" when pressing down... make sure you press hard enough to hear the second, as this is the metal cap within the plug wire seating with the spark plug itself. The first click is only the rubber boot making contact. BTW, you shouldn't need new plug wires unless you think your old ones are damaged.
  2. Air Cleaner - easy swap with the airbox out of the car when changing the plugs. Take note of the direction of the air filter when pulling the old one out.
  3. Front Differential fluid - you will need to remove the plastic "skid plate" panel underneath your car (assuming the "Elite" is the same as the "Limited" here in the US). You will also need the T70 Torx bit, which can be purchase at an auto parts store. You may need a rather long "breaker bar" to free the drain plug. Once drained, replace the drain bolt (no crush washer needed) get one of the filler hoses seen in the beginning of this thread to screw to the bottle as the diff needs to be filled through the dipstick hole (sorry, no pics of this). Check your owners manual for location of the filler and oil capacity.
  4. Rear Differential fluid. Make sure you loosen the top filler bolt first! Otherwise, you may end up draining from the lower bolt with no way to refill. With that said, these are a B!TCH to get off... especially the top because there is not enough room to fit a socket. With that said, I did have a moment of genius (rare for me) and devised a way to get them off easily (I did take pics of this). What I did was take a box wrench (17MM) positioned it on the drain, and took my floor jack and gently raised the end of the wrench until it broke the bolt free. Do this at your own risk and if you do, make sure you use a high quality wrench, do no let the wrench slip off the bolt (i.e., raise slowly) and mind your face in case the wrench decides to slip off the jack. Once empty, replace the lower screw (no crush washer needed) and fill from the top until oil starts flowing out. Again, get a filler hose that attaches to the top of your bottle.
  5. 5EAT fluid. Consult your manual for drain bolt location, filler tube location and capacity. Make sure you get a crush washer to replace the washer on the drain bolt (I think they are Subaru-only items). I lift the car up on the one side to help drain a little more out of the pan and replaced 4 quarts of Subaru ATF fluid. Per my parts guys, there is no need to repeat unless of severe use... plus it was around $7 per quart of ATF as well.

The remaining things I can cover if anybody cares, but onto the rear differential pics:

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4088/5026050413_077c5f543e_m.jpg

 

 

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5026053775_0e8bfdc2a2_m.jpg

 

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4083/5026673134_95f614e434_m.jpg

 

 

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/5026058625_b6415f09b6_m.jpg

 

 

I can't seem to include URL for larger pics, so the url for my photostream is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55357202@N00/with/5026050413/

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tocinoman25 Experienced

tocinoman25

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i think i will be doing my trans gear oil change this wed

with 40k miles it should be time...a lil break with school

and i can finally show my car some love...maybe thats why

its acting up on me lol...spark plugs, cabin air filter, gear lube

and maybe clear or black out the headlamps if there is time

 

love the DIY write ups, definitely will save some $$$

i must say it will not be as fast as my mitsubishi or gs-r

 

but the AWD is definitely worth the hassle...

Follow me on IG @chefodiycarguy

and @chefo.soriano

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sulk Community Regular

sulk

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I did the following to my '07 Legacy 2.5i Limited with the 5EAT within the last month or so

 

Sorry to threadjack a littlebit, but is that just a spelling mistake? I never knew ANY 2.5i from the legacies came with 5EAT.

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Chupula Apprentice

Chupula

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Sorry to threadjack a littlebit, but is that just a spelling mistake? I never knew ANY 2.5i from the legacies came with 5EAT.

 

No threadjack at all... yes, it was a typo. Should be 4EAT. I'm getting my cars confused now. Sure sign of having too damn many cars. :spin:

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sulk Community Regular

sulk

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You could swap for a 5EAT but if your swapping...........5MT or 6MT :)

 

I thought that the ECU controlled the transmission in automatic cars? And the fact that no 2.5i ecu has a 5EAT, it wouldnt work? Or would it just require a lot of tuning?

 

As much as I want a MT(and looked hard for a manual wagon) its my DD, and I drive a LOT for work. Automatic is really nice when youre driving home at 2am and your brain is just mush. Also my car doesn't have a sunroof..if I was going to do a swap, I'd want to keep my car, and the fact that the wagon sunroof is so amazing, I'd be annoyed that I didn't have it in my car and done so much with it..

 

But yea, I thought it wasn't possible to get a 5EAT on the 2.5i because of ecu issues?

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ShrinerMonkey Mentor

ShrinerMonkey

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Just perfomed this service yesterday on my 2.5i 4EAT. Couple of tips. I drove the front of the car up on ramps and then raised the rear via the differential and used 2 jack stands. This is easier than trying to jack up the front of the car IMHO. Remember you have to have the car fairly level to properly drain and fill the rear diff.

 

Using the jack on a box wrench to losen the rear diff drain and fill bolts was a necessity. The jack was actually starting to lift the car a little it was so stuck. Filling is not easy and I used a cheap fluid pump from the auto parts store. It works well but doesn't screw to the top of the M1 bottles I was using and couldn't reach all of the fluid. I used 2 bottles and tipped them to get enough fluid into the diff.

 

The front diff is not much harder than an oil change other than needing the star socket and a funnel with a long tube. I happen to guess exactly right on the fill and didn't need to keep checking and re-adding fluid.

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  • 7 months later...
soloz2 Mentor

soloz2

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I too got mine from Autozone. I normally buy Craftsman, but didn't get a chance to make it to Sears before I changed the fluid.

Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT

Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon

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  • 3 months later...
legacyshawn Community Regular

legacyshawn

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how would someone go about draining and filling the torque converter? I can't find any pictures, tutorials, or walkthroughs for that one. I have 4eat 2.5i but just can't figure out which line to pull and then what to do. I'm getting mixed answers of how to let it drain or how to fill it back up. Any ideas?
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ShrinerMonkey Mentor

ShrinerMonkey

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how would someone go about draining and filling the torque converter? I can't find any pictures, tutorials, or walkthroughs for that one. I have 4eat 2.5i but just can't figure out which line to pull and then what to do. I'm getting mixed answers of how to let it drain or how to fill it back up. Any ideas?

You can't.

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Chupula Apprentice

Chupula

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how would someone go about draining and filling the torque converter? I can't find any pictures, tutorials, or walkthroughs for that one. I have 4eat 2.5i but just can't figure out which line to pull and then what to do. I'm getting mixed answers of how to let it drain or how to fill it back up. Any ideas?

 

I'm not sure you can either... however when I did fluid changes on my 2007 2.5i with the 4eat, I seem to recall only changing the rear differential fluid and the ATF, which is shared between the tranny and the front differential. Aside from that, the only other fluids that were changed were brake fluid, coolant and oil. I don't recall it needing to change anything else. :confused:

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GEE-OTTO Grand Master

GEE-OTTO

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how would someone go about draining and filling the torque converter? I can't find any pictures, tutorials, or walkthroughs for that one. I have 4eat 2.5i but just can't figure out which line to pull and then what to do. I'm getting mixed answers of how to let it drain or how to fill it back up. Any ideas?

 

 

Well you can actually but it is a process where you have to set up a catch tank and use a LOT of fluid. In essence you cycle the AT with fresh fluid until youve purged all the old fluid. This can be tricky if your old fluid isnt that bad to start with b/c you look for the differences in color in the catch tank to know when you are done. Here is the link it was done on a 4EAT Impreza but that is the same 4EAT that is in your Legacy 2.5i:

http://www.rs25.com/forums/f105/t99571-diy-4eat-automatic-transmission-flush.html

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