ive got a 98 legacy gt awd and it really grabs second gear and breaks my neck, especially when im going slow in a parking lot. all the rest of the shifts are pretty good. any help would be appreciated, my poor passengers are complaining of whiplash!

 

Your engine and/or transmission mounts may be getting bad.

 

slip the clutch more

 

AT, it would be fine if i were shifting!

 

Oh, well, that's a whole different story. Check the fluid levels and the last time you had it changed. How many miles are on it?

 

Are you getting any check engine lights? I know in other cars, if certain solenoids go out, it can increase the stiffness of some shifts. But if thats the case, it usually thows a check engine light.

 

100k miles, no check engine light. into 3rd gear it sometime hesitates then accelerates normally. replacing the whole ignition system helps that but it still happens a little bit. maybe its time to just take it to the dealer

 

As a 98, it should avoid some of the problems that older models had. The dealer may be able to help you out, but that 3rd gear hesitation isn't a good sign.

 

95 legacy 2.2 at here... The shift from 1st into 2nd is really hard.. when it is cold and you are going slow it will be a hard shift. After it warms up it should get much softer. It's been doing that since 50K and we have 130K+ now. Fluid changed every 15K since 50K.. From what i've heard its a normal thing for the tranny. The slip isn't a good sign though..

 

Just recently purchased a '96 Legacy wagon (AT with 211k on the clock) that has the same problem. Shifts hard into second gear. All other gears seem fine. The slower I accelerate the harder the shift into second. The faster I accelerate the smoother it shifts into second. Took it into a tranny shop and they said there were metal bits in the pan and it needs to be rebuilt to the tune of about $2k. Though by the time I got there they had buttoned it back up, so I never did get to see the metal bits...

I also have an illuminated check engine light that the PO says the dealer was never able to solve...

Any advice?

MW

 

damn that sounds bad, maybe ill change out my tranny fluid and look at it. i think you should do yours yourself so you know whats going on in there for yourself