Suibaru Impreza 2002 Automatic Transmission hesitation

- G
- Greta
  
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posted
16 years ago

Wed, Aug 8, 2007 3:06 AM

Per online research learned that my problem of transmission hesitation seems prevalent in Subarus. It is intensified by use of A/C but happens some without its use. There seems to be several possible reasons and diagnosis is not easy and repair if it is the ECM can be quite costly - so they say. A mechanic told me I should not go to my Subaru dealer but rather a transmission shop for a correct diagnosis. I am not under warranty - bought the car used (had been a leased vehicle) - its record of service from "Carfax" showed a "shift linkage repair" by my dealer just before I purchased it. In September 2006 I complained about the problem and they did a tune up - sparks - wire - coils. It was OK throughout the winter - seems worse in this CT hot humid weather. Where would you go - dealer or transmission shop for an accurate diagnosis? Thank you. Greta

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- James
  
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posted
16 years ago

Wed, Aug 8, 2007 9:39 AM

Take it to an auto trans specialist, they would be able to diagnose it for you. There are numerous possible causes such as low line pressure, which could be caused by a valve body problem, degraded ATF, blocked filter in the valve body, faulty ATF temp sensor etc, faulty throttle position sensor (unlikely though as it would cause other problems). It's very unlikely the TCU would be the root cause of the problem as they are pretty good at diagnosing themselves and would flag an error. Auto transmissions are usually beyond the capabilities of most mechanics, so go to somone that repairs them all the time :).

James

- S
- Stoneman
  
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posted
16 years ago

Wed, Aug 8, 2007 8:21 PM

Having the A/C on does put an extra load on your engine, so you can expect some hesitation. With my manual transmission, if you rev up the engine to around 1200 RPM there is little to no hesitation.This does put extra wear on the clutch, so I don't do this often (only when climbing hills from a dead stop).

/Stoneman/

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