[lvkeith]

just wondering if anyone has had the same problem. I changed the front diff with mobile 1 synthethic 75w-90 and did a drain and refill on the transmission for my 05 xt using subaru atf. Car seems to shift fine and drive fine but just makes this strange rattle between shifts.

Had a difficult time getting the fluid right in the trans, started checking it cold to get a better baseline. At this point I'm wondering if the noise is actually coming from the front diff. the rattling sounds like gears trying to find each other?? and is only noticeable when driving lightly at low speeds as the transmission shifts.
car has 160XXX

 

[nathan]

What do you mean checking it cold? Where is the fluid level when the car is up to operating temp, running, and in park?

 

[Blue Fox]

Does it sound like a slight "crunch" or "grind" when it shifts from 2nd to 3rd, and you're driving lightly? If so, my Foz has been doing that since I bought it, and there are numerous threads on this as well describing the same sound. From what I read and hear, it's normal (and mine did it before and after my fluid changes).

 

[lvkeith]

When the fluid is hot the reading is high, drained and tried again and got slipping, obviously not right. Began the next morning with it cold after running it for a minute or two and began adding half a quart at a time and will continue until it begins to read cold before I do anymore driving.

The noise. The more I think about it the more it sounds like the front diff. Sounds almost like a bike chain rubbing against something for just a second before it goes into gear, smoothly. Outside of the noise it seems to drive fine... So strange.

 

[funkymonkey1002]

When the fluid is hot the reading is high, drained and tried again and got slipping, obviously not right. Began the next morning with it cold after running it for a minute or two and began adding half a quart at a time and will continue until it begins to read cold before I do anymore driving.

The noise. The more I think about it the more it sounds like the front diff. Sounds almost like a bike chain rubbing against something for just a second before it goes into gear, smoothly. Outside of the noise it seems to drive fine... So strange.

Sounds like heatshield rattle.

You have to check the fluid level after the car is up to temp and you row it through the gears and put it back in park, with the car running! Its such a pain with the trans dipstick tucked back there, wish it was as accessible as the front diff dipstick!

 

[lvkeith]

I'll remove the heatshield and take it for a spin. Thanks for the idea

 

[lvkeith]

Sounds like heatshield rattle.

You have to check the fluid level after the car is up to temp and you row it through the gears and put it back in park, with the car running! Its such a pain with the trans dipstick tucked back there, wish it was as accessible as the front diff dipstick!

Haha problem solved!!
Go ahead and have fun with this one. It was an open end 10mm wrench jammed in between the rack and the bottom of the exhaust just infront of the crossmember. It got worse after I hit a speed bump a little hard and decided to take better :huh:look. Thanks for the help everyone

 

[zzyzzx]

Haha problem solved!!
Go ahead and have fun with this one. It was an open end 10mm wrench jammed in between the rack and the bottom of the exhaust just infront of the crossmember. It got worse after I hit a speed bump a little hard and decided to take better :huh:look. Thanks for the help everyone

Any idea how that happened?

 

[lvkeith]

Not sure how it happened, probably dropped down there by someone working on it. Funny though there's a different type of noise that's happening between shifts now but gets better after the fluid heats still shifts abruptly when cold car has been driven this way for 1400 miles now in this strange condition sooo... Is this just normal for this transmission to be so odd? The shifting obviously.