Subaru - Outback :: 2.5 CVT - Transmission Stay In Lower Gears When Ambient Temps Are Very Cold
Dec 18, 2014
2015 Outlook 2.5 CVT - Regardless of engine temp/or oil temp, transmission will stay in low gears (relative - its a CVT) such that the car is always doing approx. 2100 RPMs. When it occurs, 35mph is 2100 RPMs; when problem is not present, same speed would be approx 1200 RPMs. Same for higher speed. 45mph would be 2100 verses approx 1400rpm. Gear indicator does indicate a '4' or '5' when it would normally be '6'.
Outside temps in excess of 30 degress - no evidence of problem. Below 30, may or may not happen. No check engine light and it does affect MPG significantly.
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I have a 2013 Outback that has since new chugged and has had a feeling of not going smoothly through the gears up to around 30 mph (mainly around 20-25 mph). Since it occurs intermittently the first two times into the dealer to fix it they found nothing wrong but on the third time back in they found that Subaru sent it out from the factory with 1/2 quart too much tranny fluid. Dealer drained to the proper level but I am still noticing the same symptoms only not as bad as before. Took it back for fourth time and after they drove it for a total of 10 miles and hooked it up to the computer they said they could find nothing wrong. My question is driving it 10,000 miles with 1/2 qt too much tranny fluid going to have caused damage or possible future damage to seals, etc. When I asked the Service Manager that he responded that I had plenty of warranty left.
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My 2000 Subaru Outback (75,000 miles) runs well almost all of the time. Every so often, especially when the weather is cold and I have been making many short trips, the transmission will refuse to engage into any of the forward gears (Auto-Trans). It will do reverse, no trouble, but not the forward ones. It does not do this with any sort of regularity or consistency. I have had it checked by my mechanic and he said that although it did this it sounded fine and was not shifting roughly. Thinking it might be a fluid pressure problem, he put in fluid additive to soften the seals and this worked for about a week, then back to square one. I saw enough notes posted on other forums by other Subaru owners to know that this might be an issue with this year's model--maybe some sort of quirk that I hope can be fixed without a new trans.
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I can do all the basic car maintenance but this has me perplexed and a little frightened ...
My dependable 2001 Subaru outback has been dying after I start it up for the last couple of days. The build up to this was that the headlights have been flickering ever since I changed the fan belt a few weeks ago.
Whats strange is that the car will turn on and run fine until I turn the radio or air conditioner on. A few minutes after doing so I'll hear the weird ambient droning moaning sound start to build up in the speakers of the car - then the odometer starts to go haywire and the car will die if idling.
When I try to start it up again afterward the battery comes on fine but it wont turn over. I don't notice a clicking sound like a starter would indicate but rather an electric-ish sounding hiss. The next day it will start up again. And for what its worth the headlights no longer flicker.
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I have a 2004 Subaru Outback. This fall I started having intermittent problems starting the car. It would run like a champ, no problems. Then every once in a while when I would try to start it, typically happens after it has sat all night, it would turn over just fine, motor would catch, then the motor would quit running (almost immediately upon start). It is kind of like the old days when your carburetor was not adjusted quite right and you would have to keep one foot on the brake the other on the gas while stopped at a stop light to keep the motor running.
The first time it happened we added "heat" as we thought it might be water in the gas line somewhere. It started, then ran just fine. This winter the problem started recurring more frequently. We added injector cleaner, it seemed to work a bit, but did not solve problem. We took it to the shop, and they could not figure out what was going on as nothing is registering on the computer and the car would start just fine for them. Brought the car home it worked OK for a week or so, then started up again.
The motor would catch then would quit running almost immediately. We were able to get it running good enough to get it to the shop (kept one foot on gas at stop lights, etc so would not kill). My car has been at the shop for two weeks now. It finally misbehaved on their watch, and they replaced a sensor, but they are not sure it fixed anything. They are keeping it so see if they can get a better diagnosis.
My first thought was the gas pump, but they said they had never seen a subaru gas pump fail and usually when a pump goes out, it goes out. They thought it could be electrical, but not sure as the problem is so intermittent. I would like to get my car fixed and back home. It's a great car; when it is running it runs great. The shop we work with is very good, and they are reluctant to start just replacing parts if it is not going to fix the problem.
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On a 1998 F150 2 wheel drive 4.6 250k, the front brakes will drag under a specific set of circumstances; only in prolonged stop and go traffic with hot ambient temps. Rotors, calipers, rear shoes, drums, fluid, bearings, seals have all been replaced. This occurs only a couple of times a year, otherwise the brakes work perfectly. It starts out as a slight shimmy that worsens until you can smell the pads cooking and the wheels are hotter than hell. The truck will hardly move at times. The rears are normal. After the truck cools for hours, no symptoms.
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Keeps coming on when car is cold.
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My 2003 Subaru outback has a gas smell when i first start it on very cold mornings. I live in New England. It goes away after the engine is warm. Also, it never happens in warm weather.
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My transmission seems to stay in lower gear than needed on highway. Tach speeds are 2500 @ 55 and closer to 3000 @60-65. Is this normal?
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My 2007 has been having this issue for the last couple of years and has gotten pretty consistent lately. When it's below about 60 and the engine has cooled to ambient temps, it will crank all day and not start. Once ambient temps are about 60, it will fire up and runs like a champ. You'd never know it had an issue. It's got a #4 glow plug fault. Other than that, everything is reading within parameters. FICM, GPCM, or what?
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Lately I have noticed that the transmission is not shifting smoothly in the lower gears. I have 114K on there. Spoke to my service manager and he mentioned that it may need calibration. Doesn't sound right after all the miles?
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I have a 2012 Sierra 1500 SLE with a 5.3 liter engine, 6 speed transmission and about 7700 miles. I have noticed that at times the truck does not seem to be performing efficiently and will not seem as smooth and transmission shifting is sometimes not so smooth in the lower gears. I have noticed that when I let the truck warm up for about a minute before putting it in gear, that all seems to go much more smoothly, but if I crank up cold and take off right away, then it tends to run not as smooth. I have even heard a slight "slap" type noise that I think is the transmission shifting when slowing down to make a turn at about 15-20 MPH. When I go to accelerate after the turn, it will sometimes slap as if it is hunting for the right gear. Obviously, I now let it warm up for a minute before I drive it. I have not talked to the dealer, but I probably will when I take it in for its 10K checkup.
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New to the R, and recently the transmission seems to be making some noise throughout lower gears at low speeds, when the clutch is engaged the noise goes away, I figured it was the throwout bearing, but now my transmission now refuses to let me into 2nd gear and also reverse.
I changed the transmission fluid hoping it would eliminate the noise a bit, and saw very small metal shavings in the old fluid. I'm now worried I have a serious transmission issue... Are these signs of major transmission issues or should I be checking linkage? Any common transmission problems with the R I might be experiencing?
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For the past 3 yrs only in the winter when its around 30 outside where my car is parked after i start the car and put it in reverse to back up i have no brakes, the pedal is hard, i have to put direct pressure and hold it down til it softens to the floor after about 5 to 10 seconds then i have brakes for the rest of the day. But this winter and its still cold out it has been happening intermittently during the daytime going front or back i have to try and pump the brakes til the peddle softens or i just press the peddle hard and hold til it softens and then it works takes about 3 to 4 seconds in the middle of the day. Only happens when i first start up the car. I have replaced the pads, rotors, master cylinder, flushed the whole system and the latest money drop was replacing the booster.
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I just took my 2002 Subaru into the dealer to have them fix a fuel line leak that I was hoping was on recall (it wasn't). I don't take my car to them regularly but they had to be the ones to diagnose it in case it was a recalled part. They called today and said that the fuel line was leaking onto my engine, that there was no recall, and that because they heard a ticking sound coming from my engine they were predicting my cam bearing was giving out and it would be $3000 to fix it. I asked how they diagnosed it and they said they have a guy there who knows the sound well and can hear it and predict it accurately, but they didn't actually take the engine apart or anything to check.
I'm feeling a bit confused. I will have my mechanic look at it and ask him what he thinks but he did my brakes not too long ago and did not mention any concern about the clicking. I change my oil like a responsible car owner and take care of it, but it does have 200,000 miles on it. I need to drive a long distance in a couple of weeks and am wondering if my engine is about to give out....
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I have a 2005 Subaru Outback XT with turbo. I have had a strange problem the last two winters and have stumped two mechanics, so far.
At this time of year, it is necessary to warm my car up for a few minutes in the morning. Last winter, when I warmed my car up, I would smell gasoline outside of the car and in the cab. It only happened when it is about 25 degrees or less outside. After about 10-15 minutes, once the car was warm, the smell would go away. I figured smelling gasoline was bad news, so, I took it to my mechanic who said he found a loose clamp in the engine. He tightened it and it fixed the problem. I didn't have any other issues that winter or through the next year.
But, this winter, the problem is back. I have moved, so, I took the car to a new mechanic (recommended by friends) and told him the issue. He said that he found a loose clamp between the engine and the turbo and tightened it. He said other than that, he can't think of anything. Well, that worked for a few days. But, now, the problem is back and with a vengeance. The smell is a bit different. Still like gasoline, but kind of like exhaust, too. And it is strong. I have to open the windows for a few minutes to air the car out before I can drive it. I took it back to the mechanic, but he is stumped and not sure what to do next.
I think my next step is to take it to a Subaru dealer, but with a 10 year old car, I'm hesitant to go that route. Though, I love my car and want it to last AND be safe to drive. What is going on?
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About 2 months ago, I noticed a high pitched whine on my 2005 Subaru Outback. It honestly sounds like a siren and is very noticeable. It occurs more often when the car is cold (1st thing in the morning) and around 20 mph. It sounds like it is coming from the rear of my car. It occurs whether or not I am pressing on the gas pedal. Once I get above about 30-40 mph, I don't notice it anymore (don't know if this is because other engine noises are drowning it out or what). It does not change or get worse when I turn. It seems to subside once my car is warm. Other people have heard it and some describe it like an airplane taking off.
I took it to the Subaru dealership and they said it was my alternator. Lo and behold a few hundred dollars later, it was still making the noise. A few days later, my CAM sensor went bad and I was back in the shop. Of course, I tried to get my car to make the noise for the mechanic, but it wouldn't cooperate. They didn't see anything wrong, but it is still making the noise. I have taken it to the dealership and they couldn't get it to make the noise. My rear wheel bearings were going bad and so I replaced those - under warranty, but it still makes the noise. I keep up with all my oil changes, services, etc. I just had the fluids checked and the power steering fluid is normal. The power steering pump has also been checked and it is normal. What this might be?
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I'm getting a gas smell when I start the car in the morning-especially if its cold. I typically blow the defroster which only makes it worse. It seems to be worse when its colder out and does not happen as the day goes on. My mechanic has checked for leaks-none. I thought it might be an oxygen sensor(?), he does not think so.
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For a few years now, in cold weather, when starting my 2000 Honda Odyssey the TCS light will stay on and the transmission will not shift out of low gears. I can drive in reverse just fine, but when I try shifting to drive, the "D" drive indicator does not light up and it will only drive in what seems to be first gear. However, when sufficiently warmed up, I can restart the engine, the TCS light goes out, and everything's normal. The warm up time varies from 5 to 10 mins or more, and is unpredictably annoying. I went to a dealer last year and they didn't seem to have a clue. Is it just a matter of a bad sensor?
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My 2001 subaru outback wagon when put in park doesn't shift out of that position unless I access the little hole for releasing the shift module and put it into gear. What is the problem? The fuse for the transmission is good. outside fuse box.
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My outback started giving me intermittent extended crank starting problems on cold engine starts a few months ago. I brought it in first to repair shop and then dealership. Battery replaced, all systems checked out, computer update, camshaft sensor shim, and still I have the problem. What this could be?
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