questions about 4EAT operations

[belladonna]

okay, this is going to be an involved post...

first off...in cold weather, my car (equipped with the 4EAT) will not shift into 3rd gear until the temperature reaches a certain point. from there on it will shift into 4th fine. i've bounced around the idea that the tranny temp sensor just might be messing up, but i'm not getting any CEL. do the 1st gen. legs have a separate control module for the transmission? and if so, does it talk to the main ECU?
problem number two...when i'm cruising up on the highway at a constant speed, the torque converter won't go into lockup to reduce the rpms. it's done this ever since i've gotten in the car and i must say that i've only noticed this problem in the colder weather and not in the summer. once the temp gauge has been reading normal operating temperature for about 10 minutes into my highway drive, it will finally lockup.
i know that these are basically two problems that need to be solved individually, but i thought i would explain everything at once and hope that you guys could either help me with one problem or both.

[Huffer]

the 4EAT is pretty sensitive to temps... I find on my car (even though it is later gen) at cold temps the tranny doesn't want to shift from 2 to 3.
I believe there is a safeguard in to prevent premature shifting before the ATF has circulated properly. This does mean though, that people will over-rev the engine...

You might want to try changing the fluid for something more resistant to cold temps - I added Lubegard to cure my torque bind problem and I have found that this winter my tranny shifts better in the cold (than it did last year). This might be a by-product of curing the torque bind.

Stick to OEM spec fluid, and thrown in a bottle of Lubegard ATF Protectant?

[belladonna]

thanks, i'll try that

[belladonna]

i'm bumping this because i still haven't gotten all my answers...

[Huffer]

Because both problems go away once the car is warmed up, it's fluid related.

ATF takes longer to warm up than engine oil.

Seriously, try flushing the AT and using quality ATF.

[belladonna]

yes, i understand all that and it's getting done very soon. thanks for your help in that manner...

i was wondering about how the electronics of the tranny work as well though...

[Huffer]

I'm pretty sure the electronics are restricted by the internal temp sensor.

I don't know to be honest. Someone on bbs.legacycentral.org (like Legacy777) would probably know a lot of technical detail.

[Wiscon_Mark]

yeah, pop over to LCO :)

[belladonna]

okay, i'll just pop over to LCO then

thanks guys

[badbasser98]

well, this may not help as to why... However, both leggy's i have owned with 4EAT's have done the same thing... except it wouldn't shift to fourth untill it got to temp.

-BB98

[belladonna]

thanks matt. i've heard quite a few people tell me they've had this kind of problem with 4eat :?

[strat81]

found something for ya...

My auto transmission is acting funny in the cold
The Subaru automatic transmission is programmed for minimum emissions. This includes the odd behavior of NOT locking the torque converter until the transmission and engine temps exceed a set level. The upshot of this is that when it's *very* cold out, it may be a while before your transmission appears to shift into top gear. It's actually already in overdrive, but there's an additional fuel-saving measure called a "lockup torque converter" that, while in overdrive, actually locks together the input and output shafts of the transmission so that it almost acts like a manual clutch. You can see this behavior by watching the tach while cruising. A medium press on the accelerator will cause what feels like a downshift, but the tach will only jump a few hundred RPM. Let up on the gas, and it drops back down. When in any other gear but overdrive, lightly pressing the accelerator will cause the RPM's to jump up, and letting off the gas completely will cause them to drop almost to idle. When the transmission is locked, the RPM's will stay at cruising level when you get off the gas. This has the added benefit of making power instantly available instead of having to wait for the transmission to catch up to the engine again.

In *extreme* cold (-30 F), your transmission may not even shift into 4th gear until warm.

found info here (http://www.toad.net/~rrubel/outbackfaq.html#Anchor2)

[BAC5.2]

Yea, there isn't anything "wrong" with your transmission. It was designed to act that way. Just like all cars have a cold-start program, most automatic transmissions have the same.

The 1st gen does have a Transmission Control Unit.

Flush the tranny and maybe add some of that Lubeguard if it's not snake-oil. Otherwise, your car is acting exactly as it was designed to.

[Huffer]

^ that's what I've been trying to say all along.

BACS - Lubegard definitely isn't snake oil. I swear by it now. I even sent 2 bottles to Shooter in the UK on his request.

[belladonna]

i know you've been saying that all along. i'm not that worried about it anymore. i'm sure that putting new fluid and some additive in it will help.

spencer - i read that awhile ago...you were sitting right there...but thank you

[Huffer]

PS. Cool avatar. Where'd you find it?

[BAC5.2]

^ that's what I've been trying to say all along.

BACS - Lubegard definitely isn't snake oil. I swear by it now. I even sent 2 bottles to Shooter in the UK on his request.

Good to know, I'll remember you said that when I hear problems with AT shifting.

I'm sure you feel about that stuff, as I feel about Redline's Lightweight Shockproof gear oil for manual transmissions. That stuff is gold for manual transmissions.

[Huffer]

Redline is great stuff...I have friends who autox and do blended mix with very durable results considering the launches they do.

[Perdue]

I believe your legacy should have a TCU and ECU, which do communicate. I know you can swap your tranny into my car and vice versa, so I'd assume that it would have to have one.

[belladonna]

thanks, i was wondering about a second control unit...