[highrider]

My forester is a 2007 4EAT.

i often use the 'tiptronic mode' ie. the +/- to change gears, employ engine braking to slow down into corners etc.

a few months ago the gearshift got jammed in tip mode and wouldn't budge.....the 'power light' would flash on/off continuously......the car wouldn't move coz i was not 'in gear' i guess..........

in frustration i yanked it real hard back to D a few times and suddenly it worked and i could switch it back to tip mode and that worked too without issues. the 'power light' remained flashing........and would not go off till i turned the engine off. the next time i cranked the engine........no flashing light.

i read from some posts on the internet with regards to legacys and auto wrx that this was an indication that a solenoid was faulty........but in their scenarios the gears were 'stuck'. mine after the hard yank freed up and operated normally.

since then it's happened again about 5 times.

is there some plastic gearshift component that i need to grease or something so that it won't get stuck when shifting between D and tip mode?

is the flashing power light a definite indicator that a solenoid is faulty or even the TCU?

on all these occasions there are no CELs thrown.......

i have a large atf cooler installed with attached high speed panasonic fan......so far even on the track the atf overheating indicator has never been lit.......

my mileage is only 47,000km so far........

too many bad jams everyday for me to consider moving to a stick shift........:icon_frown:

 

[good dog]

Not really an answer but have you had the transmission fluids changed (?) Could some check valve or solenoid be hanging up because of dirty fluids. I know Subaru says checking is only necessary, but running it at a track even though you might not get a temp control light, eventually the oil breaks down and becomes contaminated through the heat/cool cycle.

Can you post a picture of your transmission console so we can see any differences (?)
The JDM models seem to unique, I think you'll most likely get a response here, but also post something similar in you regional forum for extra measure.

Hopefully forcing it has not broken any of the plastic components. Any chance of taking apart the console surrounding the shifter, clean any electrical contacts of any of the controls and see if there are any traces of lubricant/grease that you might want to check/add to if comfortable doing so.

Keep us posted.

 

[highrider]

Not really an answer but have you had the transmission fluids changed (?) Could some check valve or solenoid be hanging up because of dirty fluids. I know Subaru says checking is only necessary, but running it at a track even though you might not get a temp control light, eventually the oil breaks down and becomes contaminated through the heat/cool cycle.

Can you post a picture of your transmission console so we can see any differences (?)
The JDM models seem to unique, I think you'll most likely get a response here, but also post something similar in you regional forum for extra measure.

Hopefully forcing it has not broken any of the plastic components. Any chance of taking apart the console surrounding the shifter, clean any electrical contacts of any of the controls and see if there are any traces of lubricant/grease that you might want to check/add to if comfortable doing so.

Keep us posted.

thanks for the advice. my car's EDM (euro domestic) not JDM.

i'll probably attempt removing parts of the gearshift and take some pictures......including the console for comparison.

i did a atf flush just before the track day and filled it with redline racing atf.......thing is the problem surfaced in Oct last year, before my track day in Dec.......yet on the track there were no issues..........switching constantly between tip and D mode.......

i'll try to get the dealership to do a TCU scan.......i think they have a seperate piece of eqpt that does that.........apart from the SSM tool they use.

i was planning a level 10 or IPT torque converter upgrade but figured i'd better sort this problem out first.......:icon_confused:

 

[Trinidoc]

I also have Tiptronic but hardly use it (JDM). I've been using Redline D4 ATF for about 2 years now with no issues of sticking and have an external tranny cooler also but no fan on mine. I notice that Redline do not name Subaru on their bottles when listing cars which can use their transmission fluid. I had emailed them in the past and they assured me it was fine.

 

[guroove]

thanks for the advice. my car's EDM (euro domestic) not JDM.

i'll probably attempt removing parts of the gearshift and take some pictures......including the console for comparison.

i did a atf flush just before the track day and filled it with redline racing atf.......thing is the problem surfaced in Oct last year, before my track day in Dec.......yet on the track there were no issues..........switching constantly between tip and D mode.......

i'll try to get the dealership to do a TCU scan.......i think they have a seperate piece of eqpt that does that.........apart from the SSM tool they use.

i was planning a level 10 or IPT torque converter upgrade but figured i'd better sort this problem out first.......:icon_confused:

Slightly off topic, but the Redline racing ATF is a Type F fluid, meaning it doesn't have the friction modifiers that are in Dex III fluid, so it's not the right spec. It might reduce slippage, but it's not the right fluid to use.

I would also advise against the torque converters unless your car spends most of its time at the drag strip. The stock TC is very well suited to the 2.5L turbo engines.

Sorry, I have nothing helpful to add about the sticking shift lever.

 

[highrider]

Slightly off topic, but the Redline racing ATF is a Type F fluid, meaning it doesn't have the friction modifiers that are in Dex III fluid, so it's not the right spec. It might reduce slippage, but it's not the right fluid to use.

I would also advise against the torque converters unless your car spends most of its time at the drag strip. The stock TC is very well suited to the 2.5L turbo engines.

Sorry, I have nothing helpful to add about the sticking shift lever.

Thanks for your comments anyway. I'll change out the ATF fluid to one with the right specs soon. as for the TC I was a skeptic until 2 of my buddies went down that road and it's worked out well. just driving slowly in the car park the other day i could feel the lower gears 'bite' better than stock.