"AT OIL TEMP" light... bad?
Gabriel Weinstock
I recently (1 week ago) purchased a 1999 Subaru Legacy L-series
sedan from a reputable vendor. On my way home from work two days ago,
the "AT OIL TEMP" light in the dash began blinking. I immediately
pulled over and checked the manual. The automatic transmission fluid
is running hot, apparently. I had no choice but to drive the car the
rest of the way home, and since then, the light has not turned on
again. My drive home is hilly, it was an 80 degree day, and I was
doing about 80, but I would not think the car should do this despite
all that; I wasn't pushing the envelope or anything.
All the subaru dealers (all three of them) I have talked to say this
is nothing to worry about, and is in all likelihood the computer
giving a "false code." Further, I can't get it in to a dealer for
another two weeks. So I'm forced to drive it.
What do you folks think? Big trouble or computer glitch? Like I
said, the light has not turned on since, but still... also, I can't
find the AT oil dipstick; any tips on finding it and how to check the
level? (car running or not, color of fluid, etc.)
tnx,
gabe.
S.Lewis
"Gabriel Weinstock" <gabriel....@dnamerican.com> wrote in message
news:e00a90a2.0110...@posting.google.com...
As one of the least technical posters of the group, my initial gut reaction
is to ask if you have any factory/other warranty left.
I would be at least moderately concerned, and would probably avoid driving
it IF I had a choice, or babying it until I could get it in to the dealer
for service.
Some Legacys <like mine> had to have a transmission fluid cooler added at
the dealer due to a recall way back when.
Others will have more and better information.
Stew
'90 Legacy LS Wagon / 160k / 2.2l - AT
Henry
>
> What do you folks think? Big trouble or computer glitch?
Transmission fluid temperature is the most common killer of the soft
parts in the system - it's potential big trouble. There should be stored
codes that will tell you if anything else is going on, and there should
be a manual way to extract those codes (gear sequence and blinking
lights on my SVX).
Good luck!
For email, subtract the cube root of 10648.
Joel Shortlidge
also in described in the front of the manual. Don't shut it off if it
happens again, just slow down or stop with the engine running like the
manual says that keeps pumping it through the system to cool the ATF.
Subaru's slip the toque converter as a kind of 4/5 gear, it lets the
logic use this as a kind of gear. If you were hauling at 80 mph, on a
80 degree day up hill that is ALLOT of friction! I would just replace
the ATF and slow down on the up grades if the idiot light goes again.
Jon Schmidt
Module (TCM) has stored a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC), not that the AT
fluid is too hot.
Joel Shortlidge
manual say about the idiot light blinking vs. constant on??
Gabriel Weinstock
warranty, so I will bring it into the shop. However, they can't
schedule me for another two weeks. So I have two questions. One, this
flashing light thing, is it that the computer has stored a code? And
what does that imply? And two, I can't avoid driving it until it goes
into the shop. Is this safe.
Gabe
Joel Shortlidge <shor...@expert.cc.purdue.edu> wrote in message news:<3BBDEC96...@expert.cc.purdue.edu>...
Hallraker
"later". However if the light is flashing, that's something you may have to
worry about! :(
-Matt
"Gabriel Weinstock" <gabriel....@dnamerican.com> wrote in message
news:e00a90a2.01100...@posting.google.com...
Brian E. Hannon
schedule me for two weeks! Good service is how I pick a dealer - for
sales you'll only be there for an hour, maybe two, but you may be in for
several man-days over the life of the car in the service dept. What
happens if, say, your alternator dies and they can't get you in for two
weeks then? Do you have a nice bicycle? I dunno about your short term
solution, but I'd suggest finding a better service dept in the long run.
Subaru of America keeps stats on customer satisfaction with their service
departments and they'll grudgingly inform you if you ask nicely. I last
owned a Mercury Mystique V6 which I still think is a great car, but I
replaced it with a Subaru because the two Merc dealers near me were both
in Ford's lowest quartile for service satisfaction.
Bri
In article <e00a90a2.01100...@posting.google.com>,
gabriel....@dnamerican.com (Gabriel Weinstock) wrote:
=====================================================================
Brian E. Hannon University of Pennsylvania
2822D Ogden St. Department of Bioengineering
Philadelphia, PA 19130 and Orthopaedic Research
(215)235-9852 bha...@seas.upenn.edu
Gabriel Weinstock
car from a reputable dealer in upstate NY. However, in West Virginia I
have to rely on the local dealers, and I think they don't give a sh*t
since I didn't buy the car from them. But yeah, I am kind of freaking
out. For all I know, I could be doing permament damage to the engine.
I'm wondering what I should tell these guys when I bring it in. It's
under warranty, so I'm thinking I'll tell them about the light, and
then say, "oh yeah, and check the entire car, because it took you 2
f*cking weeks to get me in and I've been commuting 40 miles a day for
two weeks without having the light looked into."
gabe
bha...@seas.upenn.edu (Brian E. Hannon) wrote in message news:<bhannon-0910...@192.168.0.2>...
Jon [in CT]
module, and then calling the dealer, tell him the code you found and ask
whether it's OK to drive or whether you should get some kind of "emergency"
service.
Here's the procedure for interrogating the TCM for the 2002 Impreza (all
variants). It's one of those secret handshake procedures reminiscent of the
pre-OBD ECU days. I swear I'm not making this up.
1) Warm up the engine
2) Turn the ignition switch OFF
3) Turn the ignition switch ON
4) Start the engine
5) Drive the vehicle at speeds greater than 12 MPH
6) Stop the vehicle
7) Depress the brake pedal and move the gear selector to "1"
8) Turn the ignition switch to OFF
9) Turn the ignition switch to ON
10) Move the gear selector to "2"
11) Move the gear selector to "1"
12) Move the gear selector to "2"
13) Move the gear selector to "3"
14) Move the gear selector to "D"
Now examine the AT Oil Temp light again:
If the light's blinking 4 times a second, then the problem is most likely a
power supply or ground problem.
If the light's blinking 2 times a second, then the TCM believes all is
normal.
If the light's on solid or not on at all, then there's a problem with the
light's circuit.
If the light's blinking with one or more long (1.2 sec) pulses, followed by
one or more short (.2 sec) pulses followed by a 1.5 sec pause, then you're
seeing a TCM diagnostic trouble code (DTC). The long pulses indicate "tens"
and the short ones indicate "ones" so you add up the number of long pulses
to get the left digit of the DTC and you add up the number of short pulses
to get the right digit of the DTC. DTCs are two digits long (e.g. 23, 36,
etc.). The end of the "ones" is indicated by a 1.5 second pause. Then, if
that is the only DTC stored, it begins repeating that DTC with the "tens"
again. However, there may be more than just one DTC stored, in which case
they are spit out sequentially with 1.5 sec pauses between them, until the
whole sequence repeats again.
Gabriel Weinstock
where would I find the sequence for my model? this is exactly the type
of thing I'm looking for. Beyond its usefulness, it's also really
cool.
thanks,
gabe
"Jon [in CT]" <Jon.A.Sch...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message news:<fhIz7.144447$W8.35...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>...
Joel Shortlidge
and I am in OWE!!! Where did you get this holy grail of info??
legacy...@gmail.com
mrew...@gmail.com
John Varela
> On Friday, October 5, 2001 at 7:53:58 AM UTC-4, Gabriel Weinstock wrote:
ago?
John Varela
sh...@opitsourcebook.com
Frank
> On Fri, 3 Jul 2015 21:34:22 UTC, mrew...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> On Friday, October 5, 2001 at 7:53:58 AM UTC-4, Gabriel Weinstock wrote:
>
> Were you aware you were responding to a message from over 13 years
> ago?
>
John Varela
--
John Varela
Frank
dsi1
you'd be able to retrieve messages back that far. Mostly, you'd have to
check Google Groups to find messages from dead people.
Frank
true age. Interesting to know. Thanks.
dsi1
Frank
still alive.
John Varela
original, annotated:
<copy>
On 7/3/2015 8:02 PM, John Varela wrote:
> On Fri, 3 Jul 2015 21:34:22 UTC, mrew...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> On Friday, * October 5, 2001 * at 7:53:58 AM UTC-4, Gabriel
*******************
Weinstock wrote:
>
> Were you aware you were responding to a message from over 13 years
> ago?
>
My browser says only a year and a half.
In my folloow-up to this, I did err in saying "headers" when the
date was actually in the text.
But so what? Even so you were responding to mine from last July,
which is old enough.
--
John Varela
