firechicken Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 hi everyone, glad to be on the forum. this is my first post but i have been using this forum for help since i got my car a couple months ago. I bought my 98 legacy gt 2.5 auto for $200 from a friend of mine after he cracked up the bumpers and fenders up on a wire guardrail. I did a little body work and have been using it as my daily for the last month or so. I love the car but the transmission is making me crazy. so a little info about the problem. for starters, the previous owner beat the absolute hell out of the car after he wrecked it just for shits and gigs. it has just shy of 200k and it is all stock and has probably never had the tranny fluid changed. CEL is on due to bad O2 sensor but the motor seems to run strong. The problem is the transmission doesn't shift like it should when warm, i would describe the way its acting as sluggish, i have to floor it to get it to downshift, if i dont it will try to climb a hill at 2k rpms at 18mph lol. It has more trouble downshifting than upshifting. at cruising speed it shifts often between the high gears like it doesn't know what gear to be in. the kicker is the problem is only bad when the car warms up, when its cold it shifts pretty good, it still has the hard 1-2 shift like any high miles legacy but it is totally drivable. when it warms up driving it is an art. I have been too scared to mess with it because it is my only transportation besides my motorcycle. I figure my only option is to flush the tranny lines and replace the filter and fluid but im not optimistic. anyone know why it would be worse when warm? does anyone have a particular fluid and/or additive that they have had good results with? thanks so much in advance for any help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Donated broknindarkagain Posted July 12, 2012 I Donated Share Posted July 12, 2012 normal DexIII fluid will work. You can also use Dex6. Start with a few drain and fills. That cures transmission problems sometimes. Change your filter on the third drain and fill. The fluid changes as it warms up, this probably explains it only messing up when warm. Hot fluid acts different then cold fluid -broknindarkagain My Current Project - Click Here COME AND TAKE IT "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gergeek Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 you could also try the "power mode" mod. it alters the shift pattern to be more aggressive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted July 12, 2012 Share Posted July 12, 2012 there could be more than one cel, if you have not had them read i would do that. some cels will effect the trans operation as well. i have read other post about the trans ''hunting'' for a gear, but i don't remember. if the ccar has not been maintained at 200k you could probably benefit from a knock sensor. if bad or slow it will kill your power curve and make the trans sluggish. ebay , $16 shipped. i would try and get everything back to ''normal'' before you start modifying the systems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firechicken Posted July 14, 2012 Author Share Posted July 14, 2012 thanks for the replies, i plan on flushing the fluid a couple times and changing the filter, i have never done it before but i'm sure i can handle it. as far as the codes i have had them read and one is the cat or 02 sensor and the other is a misfire on cylinder 3 which i attribute to old plugs. I looked up the power mode mod and it looks like a good idea but oi will probably nly do it if i cant correct the transmission problems. and i'm going to go ahead and get a knock sensor, if its cheap and could help i might as well try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted July 14, 2012 Share Posted July 14, 2012 no filter on the trans to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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