FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 So a few days ago I put ATF into my front diff, adding it to the gear oil and not to the transmission. I drove around with -3qt ATF and a whole bunch of extra crap in my front diff. I am going to drain the diff tomorrow and add the ATF now back into the transmission. Thankfully I was at autozone when the transmission stopped shifting and I was getting CEL codes from the tranny solenoids. They are still working ( Not malfunction just stuck [Tranny code "A"]) among 2 other codes not sure what those were. I am worried about all the extra fluid in the diff most of all. What should I be wary of now that this happened? very stupid. One person assured me it was the same fluid (lol) and another told me it was the diff dipstick where u add the ATF - The guy i bought it from. I looked on forums because I was not convinced but I couldnt find exact info so I just did it. I have an 05 LGT. Please help and reassure me that my components will work properly after they receive the kind treatment I am about to give them.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 So my plan is to fill it back up in the correct place with ATF and drain a whole extra bottle of gear oil through the differential tomorrow to get the ATF out of there. Can someone please tell me what Torx size i need again for the differential and how much gear oil ? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 You need to take your car to a service center than can FLUSH the tranny and diff housing. Not a drain and fill, a full flush. This will have to be a larger facility that has a machine that does this. You should also have the car towed there. You should also stop servicing your own car and listening to whomever you did. You got mixed instructions for a 5MT and 5EAT. My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Ok. I heard a flush on an automatic transmission can cause issues because it can break loose deposits and in turn they can damage the transmission. The transmission was only low on ATF. I can fill it back to normal, I am now. I am more worried about the Differential being super full of the ATF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 I still need the Torx size to at least get some of it out before I take it in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 So i really just need to get the Differential flushed, correct ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I use a Torx T70 for the front diff. It looks like the 5EAT uses a T70 too. It looks like the 5EAT uses 1.4-1.6qt's of gear oil in the front diff, according to the 2009 service manual. I'm not sure if this is the same for your 2005 It does sound like you just need to add ATF fluid to your transmission, and yes I think it would be a good idea to maybe flush the diff. I would go to walmart, buy some supertech 75w-90 and run that for a few days or so, drain it out and refill with whatever you would like to use. To be honest, I actually run the supertech 75w-90 in my 5MT transmission/front diff all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Alright, what if i run a bunch through the diff in attempt to get most of the ATF out and drive it to get flushed ? how bad of an idea is this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 I dont really wanna tow it again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWSPECB Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Listen to mwiener if you want to do it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 k ty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NWSPECB Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Look at it this way. A tow is much cheaper than the potential repair bill you could incur by driving it or not fixing your mistake correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apexi Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Alright, what if i run a bunch through the diff in attempt to get most of the ATF out and drive it to get flushed ? how bad of an idea is this I would say top off your atf to the proper level first, drive around the block a few times, check the level again, and ensure the ATF level is correct. Then once the ATF has been squared away, fill the front diff with new fluid and drive around for a a day or two, drain front diff fluid, and refill with whatever fluid you want to use. I don't know much about the 5EAT, but I don't understand why he has to flush his automatic transmission fluid? Is it so that the proper fluid level is immediately introduced back into the transmission without driving? He didn't add any fluid to the automatic transmission, he mistakenly added ATF to the front diff. Aren't they two completely separate areas? Not like the MT where the front diff and MT gearbox share fluid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Seperate, only need flush Diff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 3qts low on atf and driving around bad. You're not sure what you did. Get it all flushed. My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeleodee Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 ^I'd err on the side of caution and agree with this guy. And please, when they tow it, make sure it's on a flatbed. SPECIFY that when calling for a tow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiener2 Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 dollies are ok to tow with My Mods List (Updated 8/22/17) 2005 Outback FMT Running on Electrons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 If the dolly can lift all 4 wheels off the ground, sure... But I don't think there are many like that out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMonkey Posted February 17, 2013 Author Share Posted February 17, 2013 Actually A guy came in a regular tow truck and I was pissed but he had a dolly that worked just fine. Most of you are wrong in this thread actually. 1 - I filled my tranny to full and the CELs are gone, 2 - http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f88/atf-fluid-front-differential-what-now-90457/ dumped the ATF out and added gear oil. I ran an extra quart through to get more of it out and now im going to change it again tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Oh I see. He lifted your front end up and had a dolly under the rear, so none of the wheels were on the ground, got it. edit: Or did he? *scratches head* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doccrowley Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Actually A guy came in a regular tow truck and I was pissed but he had a dolly that worked just fine. Most of you are wrong in this thread actually. 1 - I filled my tranny to full and the CELs are gone, 2 - http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f88/atf-fluid-front-differential-what-now-90457/ dumped the ATF out and added gear oil. I ran an extra quart through to get more of it out and now im going to change it again tomorrow. Good thing most of the guys in this thread are wrong and you are willing to listen to the only mechanic who posted in your thread, Mweiner2. Seriously, asking for advice and then not taking it. Just because you added fluid to the tranny and it feels fine may only be a temporary bandaid to buy you some time. A tranny flush, in addition to a diff flush are in your best interest, and unfortunately, you may already have wounded your car. You've proven your inability to research on the Legacy, who cares what you found on the Forester forum, you should not just guess on your car. Speaking from experience, I'm on my third 5EAT tranny, let alone the rest of the mechanicals I've had on my car. I truly hope your tranny is ok, and that your diff is ok, and that you've learned a simple lesson about what the 5EAT needs compared to the MT. Hopefully you're in the clear. My first tranny issue was at 58K, stage 1 modded car. Tranny failed at 87K for the first time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 I am worried about all the extra fluid in the diff most of all.Assuming you were just driving around and not thrashing the vehicle, running a day or two with ATF in the differential isn't going to hurt it. The transmission is what you need to worry about. Not sure why folks are recommending a flush without seeing if the fluid is burnt or anything, indicating the transmission was having a heat issue or something. Some manufacturers, such as Honda, strongly recommend against flushing the transmission ever, even if you ran it low on fluid. Sounds like you already towed it, etc., so you are probably all set now. I would have recommending draining and refilling the differential with a GL5 rated gear oil (a little bit of ATF left over isn't going to hurt you, but you can change it out, drive a bit, then change it out again if you are concerned) - for the transmission, I would have recommended draining it again without adding (to get out as much of the potentially overworked fluid as possible) then filling it up with the ATF it needed (your first post sounded like you were going to drain from the differential and put that in the transmission, which would be a bad idea) driving a bit, then repeating the process a few times, then on the final change, if there is a filter, replace it. Since you are changing 3qts each time you drain (not sure of the exact amount - the service manual says replace whatever quantity drains out, and you mentioned 3qts), you can do a serial dilution (after the first time, you have 30% new, 70% old, assuming a 10qt capacity and 3qts replaced, then after the second time, you have 49% old, then after the third time, 34% old, then after the 4th, 24%, and so on) - if you drained it before adding anything and got another 3qts out, you would have had to add 6, but would be starting out at 40% old fluid, instead of 70%. The concern which Honda has with a flush is that it doesn't get everything out, and can cause problems by lodging things in where they aren't supposed to go, actually hurting the transmission, rather than helping it. For the front diff, make sure you are adding enough - it takes more than 1qt! I wouldn't think you did a whole lot of damage to the transmission, but your observation that it stopped shifting is a little disconcerting... was it making a lot of noise, as well? What did the fluid look like when you drained it - dark with particulate? brown and burnt, but otherwise clear? like normal transmission fluid? What came out will give you an idea as to how much harm you might have caused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doccrowley Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 ^^ another post by somebody without a 5EAT and comparing Honda information. That was helpful. Good luck with this. I hope your tranny and diff are ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doccrowley Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 In addition, swapping out the tranny filter is dang near impossible to do. Dealer says it is a lifetime filter. The gorilla at the factory that put it on in the first place dang near insures that it is a lifetime filter! Mine was swapped out by taking the entire assembly out of the car and using a vice to hold the filter assembly it took 2 of us on some very impressive channel locks, crushing the filter before it finally cracked loose and spun off the housing. Wasn't worth the effort to swap it out with 2 hours involved for a spin-on filter swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrD123 Posted February 18, 2013 Share Posted February 18, 2013 ^^ another post by somebody without a 5EAT and comparing Honda information. That was helpful.So he's supposed to listen to someone who is admittedly on their third transmission on the same car? One might look at a track record like that and think "whatever I do, I'm not listening to that guy"... just sayin' maybe the op should just sit there and go because clearly, by your account, his transmission is irreparably damaged... and you would know, having already gone through 2 of them... all that without having a clue as to how the car was driven, what the transmission fluid looked like, etc. - your intuitive powers are simply staggering! I forget how the cutting edge 5AT Subaru transmissions are so much different than any other automatic transmission out there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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