After having changed the oil in my 04 Forester multiple times, I must have lost my mind and drained the transmission fluid. I realized this when I started it back up and it wouldn't move. Clearly I put an oil filter on with engine oil around the seal. Should I do a tranny flush or can I just replace filter (with correct one) and fill with tranny fluid?
View 16 RepliesA significant amount of engine oil was added to my automatic transmission line. I drove the car (2010 subaru forester) for about 10,000 miles. I noticed the transmission slipping. I brought it to the dealer. They found the engine oil in the transmission, flushed and replaced the fluid. The question is How badly is my transmission damage. The warrenty is now voided and I am afraid that I will need a new transmission fairly soon.
View 4 RepliesSometimes the Subaru standard transmission just does not want to go into reverse. I don't see a pattern here, but when it happens I have to double clutch it, or hold the clutch peddle down and move from first to reverse.
View 3 RepliesI have a 09 Subaru Forester (automatic) with 56,300 miles on it. Within the last 100 miles, the transmission has started 'hiccuping' as it changes gears. Also, when the car is cold and first started up, as I drive the rpms rise to around 3k when switching gears; sometimes holding there for anywhere from 3 seconds to 12 seconds before finally changing gears. As the car warms up, this problem disappears, but the 'hiccuping' continues. I took it to the dealer and they flushed out the transmission fluid, but problem still persists. I called the dealership asking for a new transmission because it is still under warranty, but they refused. They are going to check pan for metal shavings, and if they're present then they'll replace trans. If not, then they will replace other parts until problem is fixed.
Also, another important question: If I had the transmission fluid replaced, would it be possible that they may have cleaned out any metal shavings, and when they check 100 miles later, there wouldn't be any? I'm worried that I'm going to get screwed because they eliminated any metal shavings and when they go to look again none will be there because there hasn't been enough mileage put on the car to make them appear again. I do not know enough about cars to know if this is even a possibility. They refuse to honor the warranty until they go through a checklist of possible repairs, and I'm nervous that list will run out when I hit 61,000 miles and warranty runs out.
A gather that the recommended interval for a transmission fluid change is 3 years or 30k miles? And that is drain, change the filter if any, and refill, not ask because the users manual says nothing. Does this apply to a CVT transmission? What about differentials?
(2015 Forester, non-turbo, CVT)
Is it necessary to check (or change) the fluid levels in the CVT and the differentials?
The manual has the following confusing statement for those:
Continuously variable transmission fluid. It is not necessary to check the transmission fluid level. Check that there are no cracks, damage or leakage. However, the fluid inspection should be performed according to the maintenance schedule in the “Warranty and Maintenance Booklet”.
The Maintenance Booklet list inspection every 30k miles for : Transmission gear oil, CVT fluid, front and rear differential gear oil.
Another question, how is the Transmission gear oil different from the CVT fluid? And should there not be a third differential, or is that part of the transmission?
When my 06 Forester was still under warrantee I brought it to the dealer to diagnose a "stutter" in the transmission after I had slowed down to about 10mph to turn onto a street and started to accelerate. They could not find anything wrong and so I have lived with it until recently when I decided to try the local tranny shop that has a good reputation. They could not find any problem although at first they thought it might be engine related (mass air flow sensor), but that was ok.
View 2 RepliesI have a 09 Subaru Forester with 66k miles that vibrates like it is going over rumble strips when it up shifts from 3rd to 4th gear. It occurs under normal (not brisk) acceleration. I had the trans fluid changed at both the 30k and 60k services. I have owned this since new. It began before the 60k service. Also, sometimes the tach will increase revs during this as well. I don't know if this next thing is related but when I once need to merge quickly into interstate traffic I gave it a good amount of throttle and the tach revs increased but the trans did not follow with an immediate down shift.
View 4 RepliesI just drained and filled my transmission fluid and replaced the filter. My first time doing it myself. I measured the amount of fluid that came out and it came to just under 6 quarts. I started refilling it and so far I've put a little over 5 quarts in. I figured I'd check the dipstick as i got close to the amount and add more little by little until it's at the full line. The dipstick is showing fluid well above the full line (about 2 inches above). Is that normal when it's just been filled? Should I run it for a few minutes and check it again?
View 3 RepliesI purchased a 2012 Subaru Forester 2.5X Premium (automatic transmission) in November 2011 with 4 miles on it. Since the get-go it has had issues, but we thought that some of them might work themselves out as we broke the car in (which we were religious about). At the first oil change, we told the dealership about the issues we were experiencing and got the expected "the computer doesn't say anything is wrong" and "we couldn't replicate the problems" excuses. We were told to bring it back if the problems continued. Well, they've gotten worse. Here are what we are experiencing:
- Erratic shifting. I commute from the mountains to the city every day, so I need power from the car. Sometimes, when I'm heading down a hill and I tap the gas slightly to give myself a little boost, the car will suddenly downshift, even though it was sitting at 2500 RPM and didn't need to get any extra power beyond more fuel. Going up the hill is worse, as if you are not actively accelerating (including if you are trying to maintain a constant speed), it will upshift on you and you lose all power, so it will need to downshift to make up for this. It does this constantly for the entire drive home. Everyone who has driven this car in the mountains has experienced this.
- Jerky transmission. When the car shifts, it is super harsh and tends to throw you forward or back. Even when on flat ground it shifts roughly.
- Sluggish acceleration. If I give the car any more gas than I usually do, it hesitates before going anywhere. One day I needed to get over on the highway fast and floored it - it took the car about 2 seconds to respond. Then, yesterday, we were turning on to a highway from a side road and I tried to accelerate (gas about 1/2 way to the floor) and it didn't respond at all for about 5 seconds and the "Check Engine" and the traction control lights started flashing at me. We were on a paved road with no gravel, water, ice, etc and the traction control light began flashing on the straight, not while we were turning. There are also days when it feels like there is an anchor tied to the car and it just doesn't want to give me any umph at all.
- Rough starts. This is the really weird one as there is no rhyme or reason as to when it happens. Some times it takes the car several revolutions to turn over. Oddly, it's never on the really cold (under 20 degrees F) days, but it has happened when it is ~35 degrees and a couple of times when I have started it in the middle of the day to grab lunch and it is ~65 degrees out.
- Running rough. This usually happens after a rough start, but can also happen at other times. It just idles very rough and won't calm down. These are the days I have the worst time with the shifting issues.
I had a 2001 Forester that threw a rod, which forced me to get this car. Everyone who has driven both agrees that the 2001 was quicker, easier to drive, and had more gumption than the 2012. It also had less problems even though I purchased it used in 2005 (until the whole rod-throwing thing, of course). I really want to love my 2012 Forester, but I am so upset that, for the first time in my life I have a new car, and it runs terribly.
I have a 2006 Subaru Forester with a little over 119,000 miles.
For the past several weeks, maybe a month, it has been making a weird noise... it comes from the 'engine' area... my husband thinks it might be a belt or something. Sometimes there is a burning smell, especially if we're on a long trip, going uphill... but the smell isn't always.
The sound sounds like... a remote control car that you push with your hands, instead of using the remote control. So it's kind of like a winding/whining sound... the sound happens when it is in park, and drive, whether I'm driving or at a stop.
Engine light came on two weeks ago. Had the code read at Advance Auto Parts. Code = P0420. The only performance issue was that it stalled when I started it the other day for the first time since I bought it last fall. Are there any other clues to tell what it could mean (catalytic converter vs. 02 sensor vs. anything else)? Is it really worth trying some kind of catalytic converter cleaner product?
View 1 RepliesI have a 2007 Subaru Forester, bought from a dealer with 7,000 miles on it in 2007. I religiously had the oil changed every 5,000 miles and had other recommended work done. At 90,000 miles I did not have the work done immediately, but waited until 92,000 miles. My car then ran out of oil, with no smoking, no oil in the driveway, no warning light, so I believe the dealers didn't fill the oil at 85,000 miles. But that's not why I'm writing. I had a remanufactured short block assembly installed and the other work done at the dealer to the tune of over $6000.
Now that I have my car back it hesitates at least once a day, sometimes several times, sometimes several times in a row. It hesitates at about 20 miles per hour, when the gears are changing. Of course, it didn't hesitate when they checked it and their computer says "nothing's wrong". In addition, there was a tapping sound in the engine. Again "nothing's wrong". When I had my car smogged, the smog tech said "OMG, you have a problem with your valves." I took it to the dealer and they then admitted I had a problem with my valves (or lifters) and they fixed it. The hesitation continues. What could be causing the hesitation? They're not smart enough nor do they care enough to figure out what it is.
With a cold engine in my 2010 Forester (29,000 miles), the coolant level has dropped from "full" to "low" in the overflow reservoir over the last 8 months or so. The level was down at that time (8 mos. back) and I topped it off. There is no obvious coolant puddle on the driveway. There is a gurgling sound at tailpipes and the exhaust is very wet. I'm worried there is a cooling system leak into the engine. Overall I have not been happy with the service dept. at my dealer (bought the car used from him) and wondering if this is the type of diagnosis and repair that an independent shop could handle.
View 17 RepliesI've 2005 Subaru Forester automatic with 2.5L engine. It ran fine since I purchased it in 2005. However for the last 3 months it is behaving strangely. When it sits in the garage for 2 days or longer, it starts up very rough. It feels like the engine is misfiring. If I let it run for 10 to 15 minutes, it is back to normal!! The car has 80,000 miles. It was tuned up at 61,000 miles. I recently had a diagnostic check done. It showed no problems.
View 1 RepliesAfter smelling a bit of a "hot oil smell" on and off for several weeks and culminating in a getting smoke from the engine at the end of a mountain road, we took our 2004 Subaru Forrester (147,500) to the trusted mechanic. We were told that it needs head gaskets in both banks.
View 7 RepliesMy son has a 2001 Forester that's engine will from time to time suddenly rev up while driving on the highway as if the clutch was suddenly disengaged. The clutch only has about 20,000 miles on it and there is no burned clutch smell. What else could this be?
View 7 RepliesAs I was changing my oil last week I noticed that there was a thick, dark green fluid near my front left shock and on the automatic transmission filter. The fluid appeared to be sprayed on the underbody of the car. I am unable to notice any change in automatic shifting or in the front left shock. The photo shows the filter (?transmission filter) on the top, the shock is at the bottom right. This is slightly behind the left front tire. This was not anywhere else under the car and did not appear to be road grime.
View 4 RepliesThe check engine light on my 2006 Subaru Forester with 92,000 miles came on recently. A scan revealed the engine was running lean. After three more trips the mechanic determined the rear O2 sensor was bad and replaced it. This was the only part replaced. Now the computer is sending code P2097; Post Catalyst Fuel Trim System Too Rich Bank 1. I have read it could be anything from the catalytic converter needs replacing to "resetting the adaptation values."
View 2 RepliesI have a 2002 Forester I have take it to 4 shops and each shop tells me something different. First 2 say to take it to the dealer and have them flash the computer. The dealer says that it is a faulty drain valve and the fourth states he has never heard of a drain valve. Hook up to a scanner and can not clear light. Unhooked battery for 30 minutes light was off for a minute but came back on. Getting extremely frustrated!
View 11 RepliesI have a 2001 forester. it had a misfire which has been fixed but I can't get the "check engine" light to turn off.
View 3 Replies