98 subaru outback transmission filter change?

Only you can answer that. We don't know your skills and intelligence.

My '99 has a filter on the outside, looks like a small oil filter. It's on the driver's side of the tranny, just about directly under the firewall, on top. I replaced it with the car jacked up a couple inches, no tools needed.

-John O

Thanks for telling that, but my filter is inside the pan...i can't open it w/ the sealed pan

I didn't think mine had an external filter, but it turns out I was mistaken. Maybe mine was the first model year for that.

-John O

Everything that I have read is to not drop the pan to replace the internal filter. That filter is nothing more then a screen. The problem is that it can be very difficult to reseal the pan without it leaking. I have been told that starting in '98, Subaru added a spin on filter. I haven't seen it, but it looks like an oil filter. That should be easy to replace. Filter is prolly down very low on a frame rail under the car. Follow the fluid lines back from the radiator cooler to find the spin on filter.

Suggest changing the ATF by removing the drain plug on the bottom of the trany. That will drain about 5 quarts out of about 10 quart system capacity. You can also take your car to a quick change oil shop, many of those have a machine that will remove all the old fluid from the trany. Cost at my local Jiffy Lube was $175 for the job.

You can also take your car to a quick change oil shop, many

Sheesh. My local Goodyear/Gemini shop quoted $130.

The power flush is a *good thing*. Just draining the fluid leaves a large quantity of old that never gets replaced. If you're going to go to the trouble of a change, the best way is the power flush.

My local Pennzoil quick lube place said they will not do a flush on a vehicle with over 100,000 miles and I have 114,000. I will keep doing a plug & refill every 25-30,000 miles.