I've done something really stupid to my transmission

[Guest]

I'm a little embarrassed here so be gentle with me.

My 2000 Legacy Wagon auto fluid seems to have dropped a bit so I thought I'd put a bit more in.

Now, here's the bad bit, I grabbed my recently purchased 1ltr of fluid and started pouring it in through the dipstick tube. It took me a couple of seconds to realise it didn't look right and I had grabbed the wrong bottle and it was actually 2-stroke oil !!!!

I have put in about 100ml (certainly no more) so my question is .... how bad is this?

My main reason of concern is I have got a lot of important stuff this week that requires my car and I don't have the time fix this colossal balls-up !

A very red faced thanks for any advise.

[WRXONP]

100ml? if your seriously worried - drain it before u start it (the 2 stroke oil will have only went into the pan and not around all the clutch packs - brake bands -servos - torque convertor) and refill with clean un contaminated atf

one question - did u check the fluid with it running or off? your suppose to check it with it running so the torque convertor is full as when u turn it off it will drain out and back into the pan

i could see the oil wearing the clutchs and brake bands faster than they should - so does dirty fluid

[Guest]

Thanks for the swift reply

Unfortunately, dumb ass here has already turned the engine over and driven it briefly (turned around and backed into garage).

I guess my ultimate question is, how much damage would I do if I drove it for a week, then took it to a professional to flush out or whatever can be done. I have a week of seriously important work and just can't see me getting anything done before then.

[WRXONP]

i dont want to make a call on that for u to go off so wait to see what someone else says - the oil should mix in - such a small ammount shouldnt effect it too badly - but it could do - if anything it would make the brake bands and clutch packs slip a little - which would cause wear after a fair few kms - i personally dont see it hurting it too badly in 1 week - it could just slightly wear the friction material - could cause some flare during gear changes ( flare is similar to the feeling clutch slip has on a manual )

dont take my word as i personally havent dealt with a auto with some 2 stroke oil mixed in - maybe wait to hear a few more peoples thoughts

when going from neutral to drive is it fairly instant to lock up and have drive force? as it use to be?

are u getting flare when you take off from a stand still (like a clutch slipping on a manual)

is it changing gears ok as per usual?

was the auto in perfect order prior to this?

[DRFVDR]

I would also suggest that IF it was only 100ml ( am guessing the auto takes 5 + litres ) it should not make much if any difference,

I would drain the oil out now and replace it SHOULD be fine, if you are really worried about it run a trans flush thru after oil change and then refill again..

[Guest]

Thank you very much for all your advice.

The auto has not been in perfect order for awhile - and has had a bit of that "flare" you mention. All good once moving forward.

The power light started flashing continuously yesterday which I understand means a transmission issue. That is why I checked the level and thought it was down a bit.

Sounds like my auto is not very healthy any which way I look at it !

[readosnr]

the auto trans holds about 9 litres in the complete system, so 100 ml is 1.1%.

i would say it shouldnt be enough to cause an issue

ive seen a rally competitor use power steer fluid and brake fluid in his engine to top it up as it had an oil leak.....

[Guest]

An interesting end to all this is that gearbox is driving much better this morning. No slipping/flare ... perhaps a small dose of 2-stroke is the answer? (joke) I did add some more proper fluid as well.

I'm feeling confident that I'll see out he week easily enough.

BTW - can anyone confirm what the constant flashing "POWER" light truly means - it's gone off today.

cheers

[DRFVDR]

the POWER light flashing is like the Check engine light flashing,The trans ECU picked up something abnormal so has logged a code, it may be as simple as low oil=low pressure so u may have solved it

[webup]

I would avoid getting a transmission flush like my life depended on it.

Internets is full of horror stories of trannys going not long after these helpful flushes.

[webup]

 readosnr said:

ive seen a rally competitor use power steer fluid and brake fluid in his engine to top it up as it had an oil leak.....

Doesnt matter when you pulling the engine apart as often as they do.

Same reason they run crazy advanced timing, the cars are not daily drivers but pulled down race engines.

[WRXONP]

the flare could be caused from low fluid level - not enough pressure to lock clutchs fast enough - the light could well be from low oil level - or pressure - if the flaring has stopped after topping up i would be 99 percent sure that the flaring was from low level -

did u check it with it running in neutral? the proper way is to go through every gear on the stick and allow all servos to be filled with fluid then go to neutral and then check -

u should get it scanned for codes and see what code comes up - i would reccomend draining the fluid and replacing with new fluid anyway as it could be well due for it anyway

[log1call]

Not sure if this will be the same, but worth a look into, and let us know if it works... it's off an american site.

Reading the tcu code on the outback sport is the same as the legacy except instead of grounding pin 5 on the "diagnosis plug" you ground out pin 4. If you look under the dash by the steering column you'll find a black plug with 6 pins. Its close to the two green plugs, and if you follow the wires back you will find two black wires looped around and the ends taped up. Untape those wires.

Run your car to normal temp by driving it around. Stop the car and put it in nuetral and turn it off. Put one of the black wires you just untaped in to pin 4 of the 6 pin plug. The plug has 2 pins on top and 4 pins on the bottom, so pin 4 is second from the left on the bottom when you're looking at the plug. Then turn the ignition on but dont start the car. Put it in drive then 3, then 2, then 1 and then depress the gas pedal part way. The AT light will then blink your code with the standard blink sequence.

[Pappu1]

If u in Auckland I can run it on my scanner and see what code the tcu is giving

I didnt know what the black plugs were for till now lol

Seen them a fair few times