Getting out of 4th Gear
I have a bad habit, when I drive, i keep my right hand on the gear shift. But lately and maybe I imagining things, I noticed that while i am driving, the gear just pops out of 4th gear, and i find myself in neutral, with a nice rev
Does this happen to you?
I have a 265 as well, HB version though. Ya I have experienced the same problem. If I had to “nit pick” the car the shifting is sub par with the rest of the car. Stock shifting has a signifigant amount of play and if you are applying even light pressure by leaving you hand on the shifter as you drive you can push it out of gear and hit neutral.
I fixed this problem by installing an aftermarket short throw shifter and replaced the stock shifter bushings. The result is a huge difference. The car is a lot more fun to drive. Stock bushings allow for all the play in the gear box and are made of cheap rubber allowing the shifter to pop out of gear.
I talked to the warranty guys at the service depot where I bought my car and they said this wouldn’t be an issue with warranty unless I did something horribly wrong with the instal. I am hoping I don’t have any transmission issues and I shouldn’t because I bet they would change their tune if something were to arise.
This was my solution to a part of the car I found lacking. I think subaru performance makes a short throw shifter as well but it is stupid expensive and you will still have the play in the shifter due to the stock bushings. On the other hand you will have warranty!
Subaro recomends you not rest your hand on the shifter while driving, it can cause wear, I usualy try to remember and rest my hand on the hand brake instead. I have the 08 wrx and Im trading up to the 09 now.
Wow, that is annoying, I mean I have driven that way all my life, even if I am driving automatic…. Subaru has issues…
What Im worried about now is a blown engine, Ive been reading about a few.
I seemed to have done well with my 08, the little bit of valve noise went away and the engine picked up a lot of power, Ive got about 27K on it now and it feels great. I hope I dont trade it for a lemon 09.
I will have to be more carefull about the break in this time, (I launched my 08 week one, what a smell that was)
This is my first experience with Subie, and so far they have only been a little stupid, sending one part back while we wait for the other and things like that.
They treat me well and I got good deals . Any advice or comments on the blown engine thing?
Hey Mitch,
I picked up an ‘09 WRX back in November, and first week of February my motor succumbed to the ‘knock of death’. For the most part, the problem with the motor’s seemed to be limited to the 07/08 and 08/08 build dates.
Check out: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1695936
This is the ‘unofficial registry’ and you can note the build dates that seemed to have the most problems. I believe, and hope, that the problem has been fixed and will no longer be such a visible problem.
oh that knock of death, horrible, don’t wish it on anyone. That is a great site as well, thanks for sharing
This is really starting to get on my nerves, I am so used to having my hand there, I find that that its popping out of 4th more and more now.
I had the STI short shifter option installed and I never experienced the shifter getting out of gear. Had it since early February. On a side note, it is always recommended to not leave your hand on the shifter while driving, this is not a Subaru thing.
Hey guys, very interesting forum.
I purchased an 09 wrx265, picking it up in 2-3 days, i wanna put a short shifter in it but not sure which one to get, any suggestions? there is the Cobb and TWM ones, they both seem like an ok shifter.
I bought the Cobb, it does require some trimming of the sheild underneath, but it is very easy to do and it is fully adjustable. It may pick up a buzzing noise after a few months though and need to be re-tightened.
I wouldn’t blame Subaru. This is just a general rule. Putting weight on the gear leaver can cause unnecessary wear on pretty much any car.
Who else out there is dealing with the engine surge at low speeds or idle? Mine surges to 1500-3100 rpm while I am simply arriving at or sitting at a stop light.
I had the opposite problem, where siitng or rolling up to a red light the RPM would drop to 500 or below and take a few seconds to come back to life. The Subie maps are crap, get an AccessPort and do a stage 1 reflash and all the problems go away.
I had the same issue…My master tech at the Subaru dealership recommended to ‘clear the memory’ This how it read on my reciept.
Clear Memory From Modules and Relearn
Bill Code-W
455141 Thrtl Posit Sensor
Fail Code: DDT43
Seemed to help..It still feels like it’s sticking, but doesn’t seem to go up in RPM’s as high as it did before. Wishful thinking? Maybe….