Subaru Q&A

2003 Subaru Outback Question: Shift Gear Tight

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Loganwai, 3.0L 6 Cylinder, Danbury, CT, April 09, 2009, 18:17

Rookie

My car is an automatic shift. After I started my engine, I found shifting from Park to Reverse is very tight. It gets better if I straighten my steering wheel. I don't seem to have this problem if I park my car by driving straight forward instead of making a turn into the parking space or garage. What makes the shifting tight? I did have a mechanic oiled my brake lever, but the problem did not go away.

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Answer #1

patrick mannion from Greg Solow's Engine Room, April 09, 2009, 21:14

Master

Do you mean it is hard to take the shift lever out of park and pull it back toward Reverse or once you have the shift lever moved from park to reverse and start to accelerate with the wheels locked or slightly locked the car seems a little labored to move with the wheels turned and just slightly accelerating (like moving out of a parking space)? There is no link between the effort required to move the shift lever out of park and the position of the wheels locked or in a straight line.
It does make sense that on slight acceleration with the wheels turned that it may seem a little labored to move the car as the car is four wheel drive and to move it with the wheels locked you are not doing damage but the drive train loads up being four wheel drive.

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Loganwai, April 10, 2009, 03:18

Rookie

Yes, it is hard to pull the shift lever from park and pull it back toward reverse. This is before the car can be moved.

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patrick mannion, April 10, 2009, 08:44

Master

OK so the car is not even moving yet so it hasn't "loaded" the drive train yet.
Something is binding in the linkage. I haven't seen this on a Subaru but on other customers car's I have seen everything from coins dropped down the center console, coffee and soft drinks accidentally spilled ect.
It will require dis assembly of the center console to figure out what is binding.

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