Did this on a 2014 outback @ 150k, fluid was very dark. Dropped the pan also to make sure no damage was laying in it. The magnet in the pan had the normal break-in metal on it, not excessive so I cleaned it an left the filter alone. Sealed the pan back up with The Right Stuff gasket maker and measured the amount I got out. Got 6 quarts out. Ran 1/2 x 5/8 clear tubing down from the master cylinder area into the fill hole and put 4 quarts in. Started it and ran through the gears and let run till cooling fans came on. It took 2 more quarts till it started to run out. Job done. I used Amalie Universal CVT Synthetic Fluid. Still running fine after 4 months. Simple job.
This video is, without a doubt, the best one out there on this topic. I followed it to the letter on my 2012 Subaru Impreza with 80K miles on the odometer. With the vehicle completely level and with a sat for a day cold engine, I was able to fill with a transfer pump precisely 5.5 qt. using a graduated pitcher for measurement and at the correct transmission temperature. Interestingly, precisely 6.5 qt. was drained at the begininning of the process. Following the procedure, with all factors pre and post exactly the same, including ambient temperature, fuel manufacturer type and volume, tire PSI, cargo weight, roads driven...well, you get the picture, the vehicle is noticeably more responsive and fuel economy has increased by an averagae of 0.8 MPG. In 2012 the claim was that this was a lifetime fluid. The transmission has a 100K mile warranty. I'm speculating that the CVT was intentionally overfilled at the factory by precisely 1 qt. in order to provide greater dilutional volume to insure it would make it past the warranty period before it started to show problems.
Hi.. Greeting from Malaysia.. Same happen to my 2017 wrx S4(mine is TR690-replaced with high torque cvt fluid).. Lacking about 0.5-0.7L of fluid when I do drain and refill... How is your transmission doing currently? Is there any issue?
Engineers say fluid lasts life of the transmission so I’ll not care if they want Subaru fluid they don’t make. I run amsoil in my suburu transmissions with no issues whatsoever up to 247,000 miles. Your jackstand advice is what all people should be taught when young.
Thank you so much for sharing this video. I followed to do this procedure to a 2013 Subaru Impreza 142K miles, and doing a full flush as instructed in another video. Very much appreciated, particularly the insights as to which plugs are the correct ones, the torques, and protocols.
Just completed this service on my 2013 Impreza. Fluid was dark but not burned at 62k. Needed a 3 ft pipe to get fill plug out. Drained about 6 quarts and only got back in about 4 3/4. Overfilled like a champ from the factory as this was the first time it’s been touched. Shifts smooth as butter. Excellent write up sir!
A slight correction. This morning I ran the car for about 10 minutes then was able to add another quart. Still was overfilled from the factory but not as much as originally thought.
So this and you other vid answered so many questions I had about this "lifetime fluid". I refuse to pay a dealership when I have the skill to do this myself now that you have shown me the way. Subbed just because I want to see what you will teach me next.
Brendan Casey Check out his other videos about it. I personally don’t plan to change mine under warranty, so thinking around 105k and then every 60k after.
@@theofficialwizard2753 I looked at my owner's manual, and it said you have to replace it depending on uncontrolled variables, like environmental severe conditions and driving style. Factually, when two CVT Fluid samples were compared, one at 60,000 miles versus a fresh one, concluded the additional presence of iron, aluminum and silicon, contaminant elements resulting of a normal mechanical tear and wear. The oil specs did not change that much, except a bit of the reduction of the Boron element, the metal healing factor. So, preventive maintenance when done right is a great thing, cause we are replacing the CVTF strainer which cought some of the contaminants and replaced a good percentage of the CVTF getting rid of the contaminants that are kept free and loose thanks to the presence of Calcium in the CVTF. I would add that it is important to replace with the CVTF recommended by OEM, cause of the oil viscosity, and the special secret additives which covers the required needed Friction balanced with the oil detergent and antioxidant elements.
When you pull the pan what your seeing is a screen, not a filter. The filter is actually internal and requires removal and breaking open the tranny. Subaru screwed the pooch on this.
I just did this on my 2013 Crosstrek Limited! I forgot your hint, about only cracking the fill plug loose and not removing before I removed the drain plug. I freaked out 😳 when fluid came gushing out the fill plug. I thought I opened the wrong plug completely by mistake until I rewatched your video and realized where I went wrong!
@@codys4552 Fill will come out in a gush if it's on a cold engine. Don't forget at the fill hole only accepts near 4 quarts even though 5.5 quarts came out. Then you turn on the engine to let it circulate and it'll accept more when engine running.
One word of advice, get the Mac tools rbrt 8mm hex socket. I started with a traditional hex socket, which ended up stripping out the hex on the fill plug. The fill plug was very tight, if I had used the rbrt, it would not have happened. Ended up using a bolt extractor to remove the stupid fill plug and got a new fill plug from Subaru. I did the dif fluid at the same time, that fill plug was just plain stupid tight. I used the rbrt hex for that, and it didn’t strip out. If you look very closely at the video, he uses and rbrt hex socket.
Thank you, nice video. I appreciate how you used jack stands rather than a lift as a shop might use. Seeing as many who do this DIY will not have a lift!
This was incredibly helpful! Thank you for not skipping over anything and going over common issues that might occur. Your camera angles were awesome and we really could see everything, it definitely inspired confidence. Good luck with everything!
By the way, you are incredible in the way you explain each detail. On how to proceed on the project and what cautions to take. You have outstanding videos that I love and you are One A Top notch guy and mechanic that we are blessed to have! Stay Safe and keep them coming.
If you have a 2022 Outback, there is an exhaust pipe right in your way. I had a suction gun with a tube that I was using to fill it. I figured out that with enough extensions, you can get the plug out from the driver's side wheel well. If you cut the handle off a golf club, you can attach it to the tube and fill it from there too. Made it way easier since I am hoistless.
Thanks for the video. I am not a Subaru mechanic, however as a former boat mechanic, I would use a boat gear case filler to fill transmissions, transfer cases, differential, etc. that are in a difficult location to fill. You can pick up a small gear case filler at a boatyard or marine supplier. They fit into a quart bottle and have a pump and hose to reach tight places. Hopefully this is helpful info. Have a great day and be safe.
From what I've seen on RU-vid and discussed with the transmission service that replaced my CVT build, it's just a matter of dropping the pan to replace the filte once its been drained.
Just did this on my 2014 Forester. Thanks for the video and information. Got 6.2 out and 5.5 back in, temp was within range. Felt more responsive when driving, hopefully not the placebo effect
Wanted to share/consolidate a few findings for people looking to do this on newer Crosstreks… I was considering tackling this on my high miles 2021 but have decided to take a breath: 1) At some point in recent years it appears Subaru re-routed the exhaust to the other side of the car such that it’s now directly in the way of the fill plug. Seems you’ll have to unbolt some stuff to make space. Some have mentioned plugs on the other side of the transmission but I haven’t seen any confirmation those are for the same purpose or something else. 2) As of 2020 the Crosstrek calls for Subaru CVTF-III fluid, not CVTF-II. From what I can tell that is only currently available from Subaru in 5 gallon buckets. There are a handful of places selling it by the quart online, presumably repackaging it themselves, but it’s like $35/quart. 😮 Sooooo….
Great directions! They worked very well for a 2013 impreza since it is almost the same vehicle. Because I only had one weekend to do this and there was no Subaru dealer within 2 hours of me, plus the car was high mileage, I used Red Line Non-slip CVT fluid which I was able to buy on Amazon and have it there in time. I have 6,000 miles on it since then and I really like it. I smile every time I drive it because it is so much better. More power, less slip, and cruises at a slightly lower rpm. This Red Line says it is for metal-belt CVT transmissions and it lists the TR580 and most other Subaru cvt's. It appears what you want to avoid is CVT fluid that says it is for both rubber and metal belts. Don't know if this is true but I get the feeling the Subaru fluid is great for slowing wear, but if you already have a worn trans then maybe the Non-Slip fluid is a better choice?
Great vid, but I would like to add that there are 2 filters in this transmission. One is internal like mentioned, but there is a pan filter that is easily changed and accumulates most of the metal debris created by the transmission. There is also a pan magnet that should be cleaned as well. The best way for people to think about this is when you change your oil, you change your filter. So why would your transmission be any different. Side note: Make sure the o-ring is on the new filter when you install it, and make sure to lubricate the o-ring before installation.
Thanks a lot for all of that, i just did my tr580 in my '13 outback, I got 6.5-7 qts out but it only took 5.75 or so in, doubt it was overfilled (maybe it was?) from the factory so I'm waiting for it to cool down to the low range to try and see if it'll take more... **update- yeah weird at 105 degrees and 90000 miles my fluid was in pretty good shape except for the darkened color, only took about 5.75 qts to fill, going to run it a few hundred miles and do it again. I used a Quickjack to lift the vehicle and with the left front wheel off I had plenty of room to use bottles direct in there with a Supertech trans fill tube from wally world, it has a valve to open and close it, one of the best $5 tools ever; total cost of job with 2 drain/fills and new gaskets $175 with very little waste/mess** recommendation-fill at the low range of the temperature, so it'll take more fluid, if you fill it at the high end of the range, it will take slightly less, aka, 'you gotta be quicker than that' haha! I'm a big fan of by-the-book info, but also take educated variance, I used a thermal laser to check temps at the bottom of the pan and feel like it is accurate enough. Thanks again from NC!
Yeah I agree fill in early around 75 degrees and then do a check at 95 degree. The first time I did it. I got in 5.5 then let it stream out out and 0.5 came out from stream (So in all 5 quarts_, but then when I check the temp it was at 125 since my scan tool disconnected from my phone( This time put the ActiveOBD in OBDlink Mx+ mode and not bluetooth. This time it did not disconnect. So had to wait til next morning to do the fill and check. This time filled it til 5.3-5.4 and then a few drips and checked it at 95 degrees the first time when plugged hole it was at 113 degrees. Keep track of how much came out from the stream til it drips.
That's close to what another Subaru tech recommended as well. He said after 60k/90k whenever your warranty ends, then trans drain and fill every 30k after that because of the amount that we can't get to that's still in there that dirties up the new stuff. I think that's a great rule of thumb you posted considering a new transmission is over $7k now.
Just did my ‘14 Impreza the other night. Would highly recommend doing it inside unless the weather is warm, takes forever to get the fluid warm from 46 degrees.... The oil drain plug crush washer works just fine on the CVT drain plug per my local dealer parts manager.
Now that I have my own Crosstrek 2014 it's so dam tough to find a mechanic that knows how to do things properly. Don't get me wrong, if I did find one I don't mind paying but now to know that not even a Subaru service technician won't have enough patients to do a simple trans fluid maintenance. I'm bummed. Guess I gatta start investing into some more tools. Like they say if you want something done right, you gatta do it yourself. Thanks for this great video my crosstrek is due for this service. Its at 105k. Might just change the trans filter and replace the pan gasket!
So the plot thickens: took the car in for a CVT fluid flush. Service rep called back that there is a hose that connects the transmission to the radiator and its leaking, thus mixing the CVT fluid into the coolant. Added Radiator flush and core flush/clean to the job. getting the 450 Dollar CVT flush estimate to $1300. I approved it but it makes me wonder how a hose leak is causing the mix. I asked the sales rep the same thing, to which he said its a line inside the radiator. So I am thinking that co called line sitting surrounded by coolant and leaking cvt fluid into the coolant is this even possible ? I need to find a good mechanic for consults and take my car there. TR580 Guys where are you
@@aarshmathur2909 The fluid is pumped through the radiator to warm it up. My co-worker had one bust on his honda and it over-flowed his coolant reservoir. Fortunatley it happened as he was pulling in his drive way.
It's funny, I keep coming back to your videos long after you've made them. My 2014 XV Crosstrek only has 150,000 km which is just under 100,000 miles. I think that the car is now due for CVT fluid and diff fluid changes with my next oil change. I'm guessing that six litres/quarts of CVT fluid and 3 litres/quarts of 75W90 differential oil.
I'm broke so I'm always looking for ways to save money, you mentioned that Idemitsu fluid, its literally 60% of the price of the Subaru stuff. For folks looking to save money, Idemitsu CVT Transmission Fluid Type SB2 is the one you want (To directly replace CVTF II, check your model, some take III and some take a weird one(hybrids and newer models))
@@kristalsify idemitsu is the only thing that is exactly the same, i have no idea how other manufactuers will work in the long term. I just got 5 quarts on amazon for $65 to arrive tomorrow. Seems about $30-40 cheaper than from Subaru directly
thank's for your video, very helpfull. Also I like to share that I replace my TR580 on my subaru forester 2.0 2013, with Amalie CVT syntethic fluid and worked very good. I write this after 6000 miles using Amalie CVT. My car had 65.000 miles aprox when I changed. thanks again for your video. help a lot specially to get the right full oil level.
I just replaced the front axles on a friends 2010 Outback with new axles from NAPA. Now the car has shimmy when accelerating and turning. I’ve done dozens and dozens of front axles shafts on front wheel drive cars and Subarus are the only vehicles that I have experienced this problem with.
I wonder is there a way to do a complete flush on driveway as well, as these hold 12 quarts and there still remains 7 quarts of the old and used up oil in there, surely that cannot be considered a good result, maybe you could do an updated version if there is a way, thank you......Javi G.
Buenas tardes sr. Subaru.. muy agradecido con tu video de cambio de aceite, me ayudo hacer servicio a mi legacy 2014. muchas gracias por compartir tus conocimientos
Awesome video! Im currently looking at getting my wife a 2018 outback from carmax so i am looking into all the needed maintenance and problems with the vehicles
I use Aisin Subaru spec CVTFii fluid from rockauto. $9 a quart. Im going to be performing this this service every 30-36k/3yrs along with the diffs. Dont wanna go broke doing it.
Awesome video! Tip for those doing it on un-level driveway like mine. Front of car on jack stands, floor jack at rear to raise back and I used a 6" bubble level on bottom of transmission to check for being level.
Thanks for the video I just bought a 2014 and the guy never touched the transmission so I'm going to attempt to change the fluid. Nice thorough video thanks again.
Just thought I'd share that I saw a 92' legacy turbo the other day it was completely bone stock and actually had no intercooler the turbo would take in air pretty much directly from the hood scoop and throw it straight into the throttle body intake really cool EJ22 as well
Love your videos. I feel you and Diesel Tech Ron have the best videos on car repair on RU-vid. Wish Ron was still with us. I have searched your videos for diagnostic of a Subaru Impreza (2015) with the TR580. Started shifting strange from 1st to 2nd (after warmed up). holds RPM until about 3k then drops rpm to 1,500 while shifting, which makes for a rough transition from 1st to 2nd. last time I dis a flush and fill on the CVT was 50k ago. valve body was replaced by dealer at 60k. Car has 170k on it now. If you've done a video around this issue I'd love to watch it. Thanks Again.
FYI, the temperature should be between 95F-113F or 35C-45C IAW the Factory service manual when you're doing the final fill after shifting through the gears.
@@MrSubaru1387 Sorry I missed that some how. All I heard was 115F and then you mentioned that 99F was in the temperature for properly checking the level. I don't remember actually hearing the range mentioned. I'll re-watch to hear the range. Again, sorry I missed that.
you given me an excellent understanding about Subaru's in general and specifically to each model. their maintenance and care. I bought a 2024 Outback Wilderness and cannot find the answer as to which CVT transmission are in them, so I thought I'd ask an expert. TR580, 690 or neither of them. thanks for all the information you've provided for your viewers
Is there any benefit to dropping the pan and cleaning it and replacing the filter inside it? What about fully extracting the fluid in the CVT and torque converter? I believe you've only got about half out here. Is there anything that needs to be done to the transmission control module after this? ( Reset, reprogram?).
I saw another video where the pan was dropped, magnet cleaned and strainer replaced. The magnet was coated in fine metal dust so it seems worthwhile from that perspective. I don't know if the strainer has a filter medium that can clog. I'll be doing the full pan-off service this week on my TR580.
Replacing the strainer, is like replacing the oil pickup tube in the engine, when resealing the oil pan.. It's a pickup. Has a mesh, metal, screen, it is not a filter.
Just did the cvt service on my 2013 outback (101,000 mi ) for the 1st time, drained out 6 1/2 quarts but could only get a bit more than 5 1/2 back in, followed the steps as explained, car level, 4 1/2 q in cold, ran through the gears 2x , let the car idle for about 13 min, refilled another q, started to follow out, replaced the fill plug. Ran through the gears again, still would not take any more fluid. I did not have a scan tool to ck temp, seemed most reached temp at 10- 15 min. Is it possible the unit was over filled at the factory ? is this common ?
Any suggestions on compatible CVT fluids? Apparently most types say "does not fit" for my Subaru (2012 Impreza). Your videos have helped me a ton. Thank you for your time providing this for free.
If the capacity of the transmission is 11-12 quarts, you basically removed half of the old fluid and the other half is still in there? Am I interpreting this right?
Those mityvacs work great. It's still a pain in the butt to fill a CVT, but I haven't seen a better way to do it unless you have a drum and pump setup at a shop.
Thanks for a great video about CVT fluid changes. Here's an interesting rabbit hole question: I'm curious to know if you've ever found the equivalent Subaru CVT II fluid sold under Idemitsu's brand name. Yes, Idemitsu makes the CVT II fluid for Subaru, as you show on the back of the bottle. But as far as I can tell, Subaru keeps that formulation proprietary. So if you look at CTV fluid product lines under Idemitsu's website, they only have types for other car makers, like Nissan, Toyota/Lexus, etc, but not Subaru. Seems like they are the OEM supplier to those other makes and sell directly to the consumer, but not the Subaru version. I don't think we can assume that any ol' Idemitsu CVT fluid will also work in the Sube. Buying straight from Idemitsu is like buying "factory direct" without the middle man. It's a shame we can't do that for Subaru CVT II fluid...unless you know otherwise. [edited for clarity]
@@jasonwolfe8334 That's great news! Thanks for the update on this topic. I don't think this was there when I last looked through their product line, but I'm glad they finally released this option to the public.
Thanks for the video. They are great. What are your thoughts on removing the cvt pan and cleaning the magnet inside? Also what about flushing out additional trans fluid?
Thanks for the video mate. I've been binge watching your videos, i'm interested in getting a Subaru and i want to know what i'm getting myself into. LoL
Great video! Thank you so much. I do have two questions. Is there a technique for a complete refill for the transmission? I'm also wondering what model Snap-On torque wrench you were using? Thanks, Mr. Subaru.
I'd hope that when you pay for a service of this nature that a tech can do the job correctly. When I called the stealership and asked about the CVT transmission service they quoted me over $1000. I would be pissed if they shorted me 3/4 of a quart.
is that speed sensor that you showed in the video The “output shaft speed sensor”? I’m with a Subaru Outback 04 with this fault and I’m not sure which one is the output shaft speed sensor… Congratulations about this video! Pretty good explanation! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
My wife has the 2019 WRX so it must be the 690. I'll have to make this decision weather to change fluid or not in regards to the warranty in the next year or so. I'm happy to see this CVT has gone a lot of miles.... maybe there's hope!! I suppose that Subaru can tell if it's been serviced?
Thank you for the video. I’ve got a ‘19 Outback, would the steps for my car be pretty similar or the same for the trans maintenance? Appreciate the video. Mine does have the fluid drain plug and fill
4:43 what method do you use to level the Subaru to perform the drain and fill CVT transmission fluid maintenance? Do you just put a magnetic level on the bottom of the transmission pan? Or do you level the frame of the vehicle?
Question, If I'm changing the transmission fluid and a TR580 body, can I drain and measure the fluid, then remove the valve body and fill the fluid from the top (valve body cavity)? I would think it would be a lot easier to do it that way. Thanks
I am working on valvebody replacement. I will change the fluid as well, but the problem is I only have 2 ramps. So its gona look like one of those squatted truck and it wouldnt be level. So, i wonder if its okay to pour fluid from the top since i have valve body remove?????
@@MrSubaru1387 thank you. I just want to double check. For the leveling, the solution is taking to shop for inspection which shall be free I guess. Thank you so much for the free lecture of DIY. This video will never get old.
Great video, thanks for putting it together! I need to do this on my 2014 Impreza. My scan tool won't give me transmission fluid temp so I was wondering if you think it would work to use a temperature probe to go in through the fill hole and measure the temp that way?
@@davidd166 I ended up buying the BAFX Bluetooth OBDII reader and used the Active OBD for Subaru app and it worked perfect to accurately read the trans temp. After having done the fluid change, I'm glad that I got the BAFX reader rather than trying the temperature probe. I found that you have to work fairly quickly while the trans is within the temperature range to get the fluid level adjusted properly so trying to use a probe would have been too cumbersome. I also figured that for the little bit of money that the reader cost it was well worth it to know I had an accurate reading.
@@DPShopTalk cool, thank you. I'm still a few thousand miles away from doing this, but I like to get my ducks (HA) in a row before I get started. I have a Vgate that seems to be useless now, and looking around it seems that being able to monitor ATF/CTV fluid temps is not that easy. When you say active OBD for subaru, i'm only seeing Active OBD, is there an add on? i'm also on android. Thanks again !
@@davidd166 yeah sorry I thought it was Active OBD for Subaru but it's just called Active OBD. It worked seamlessly for me when I used the BAFX reader. I also have the Bluedriver which is a great Bluetooth scan tool but it won't read trans temp on Subarus. Even if I only ever use the BAFX for the trans fluid changes it was worth the investment to know I have an accurate temp reading.
Did this service on a friend's 2016 WRX. It's basically the same procedure although I did use a small 12v dc pump. I primed the pump and let it do the work. I can't remember the transmission model type on the WRX but that fluid is a redish-orangish colour. Apparently it's a special "high-torque" fluid.
@MRSubaru - what would be your suggestion about Subaru diagnostic tools? What would be the best tool for Subaru owner (cars 2005-2018) to do some basid diagnostic, check some control blocksfor errors, clear codes, see live data streams ?
