Couple of annoying things I'm trying to diagnose...

[rlax31]

My Legacy (97 GT) has been acting up.

First off, sometimes the shifts between gear (automatic) are pretty jerky. I can usually control it with the gas pedal, but any tips on getting a smoother shift?

Secondly, when I put the car into park it sometime will jerk a good bit.

Lastly, when I shut the car off, it tends to roll back a little bit.

Are these all realted problems with the trans? Anything that can be replaced (like torque converter or something) to fix these problems other then the trans if they are transmission problems?

Car has 154k miles on it

Also the rear suspension is a little squeky, usually on the driver's side. Are the springs on these car notorious for being squeaky? Maybe they are squeaking on their mounts?

[bakergtt]

you try replacing your fluid in your trans? Put somehting good in it like Redline.

Also to stop the roll back set your park brake

[Huffer]

My Legacy (97 GT) has been acting up.

First off, sometimes the shifts between gear (automatic) are pretty jerky. I can usually control it with the gas pedal, but any tips on getting a smoother shift?

Secondly, when I put the car into park it sometime will jerk a good bit.

Lastly, when I shut the car off, it tends to roll back a little bit.

Are these all realted problems with the trans? Anything that can be replaced (like torque converter or something) to fix these problems other then the trans if they are transmission problems?

Also the rear suspension is a little squeky, usually on the driver's side. Are the springs on these car notorious for being squeaky? Maybe they are squeaking on their mounts?

1. Jerky shifting is symptomatic of an older transmission. Mechanically, stuff just wears out. New fluid should help a lot, and an ECU reset might not be a bad idea if the car has learnt bad shift patterns.

2. Putting car into park before the tach has settled will cause shudder/jerk motion - likewise old or lack of fluid.

3. Do you take your foot off the brake when in park, or when you step out of the car? Putting the car in park will not engage all the brakes - only enough to stop it from rolling. Using the handbrake will prevent rollback.

4. One of the easiest fixes for auto trans problems in a Subaru is draining most of the old fluid (or doing 2 drains in a week, replacing with good fluid) and adding a bottle of Lubegard ATF Protectant (red bottle). That little bottle, along with 2 AT fluid changes has protected and rescued my car from "torque bind" and irregular shifting and gear hunting.

5. Squeaks are normal if the car is in park and the handbrake is not on - especially on one that has many miles. The suspension could be wearing out. Check all the endlinks, swaybar mounts/bushing and also the condition of the shocks/springs.

[Wiscon_Mark]

/thread

[jmgtp]

Have you considered worn engine and/or transmission mounts?

A few things of note in your description:
-car jerks when shifting
-jerks when put into/out of park
-rolls back once in park

Think about this... if the engine/transmision mounts are worn or broken then the whole driveline can wiggle around under the different torque loads (like shifting, going into gear and park). All the 'wiggle' would result in what feels like slop in the driveline and hence the jerking. If you're going under the car to service the transmission anyway no harm is checking out the trans/engine mounts.

I had a broken engine mount in a FWD car and it had nearly identical symptoms to what you have described, most notably horrible unsmooth jerky shifts. Replaced the mount and all was well again.

[scottzg]

second hand info:
there's a band in the transmission for the 1-2 shift that gets loose over time and creates the jerky shift, very common. I think you have to pop the case open to adjust it though, im not really sure.

[Huffer]

^^^ that does make sense - 1,2 is the most common shift.

[rlax31]

I didn't think of trans fluid, I'll try that.

While I'm down there I'll check the trans mount, honestly that's what I was leaning towards anyway.

Thanks for the info, I'll let you know how it goes