5spd transmission stuck in gear/ locked up/ working perfectly fine

I've read a few other people having this problem in various model subies (Legacy, Impreza, Forester), but never found a diffinitive answer as to what the problem was so hopefully someone can help me out. Long post coming up.

Car history is: a 2002 Subaru Legacy L with 2.5i and 5spd transmission owned since new. Clutch was replaced at about 20k for a shudder problem, transmission fluid was changed roughly 20k ago, otherwise its all stock with 140k miles total. I've never had a single issue with the transmission and drive the car very easy (no hard launching or abusive driving at all). It may or may not be related, but my gas consumption has dropped over the last few years. I used to average 28mpg but now its typically 24-25mpg.

The problem:

The car was working perfectly fine on sunday, when I came out to head off for work monday morning, I got in, started it up, put it in neutral, and let it warm up while I moved a vehicle parked behind it. When I got back in, the engine was stalled. Thats very stange I thought, but pushed in the clutch, restarted it and shifted into reverse. The car would not move at all. The transmission was locked up. I can feel the clutch engaging and pulling the rpm's down but no movement at all. I tried shifting back to neutral but the shifter was stuck in reverse. It was not excessively cold outside, maybe 35-40 degrees so not a freezing issue (I live on the coast so it doesn't get too cold/ hot ever).

I shut the car off, gave the shifter a firm push to get back into neutral and then tried shifting through the gears (engine off, clutch pushed in and let out) and it would not go into some gears, it would stop about an inch shy of where the shifter should be when in gear (synchro's not spining maybe, but I cant recall if it ever was any different).

Later that day, I tried shifting through the gears again with the engine off and was successfully getting it into gear now. I started it up, ran it through the gears with the clutch pushed in and then tried letting the clutch out in each gear. Each gear seemed to be working fine. I put it in neutral, get out to close the trunk and hear a very faint noise that sounds like a bearing problem. I get on the ground to listen but the noise was gone, and a second later the engine stalls. After restarting it, I put it in gear and again, the transmission is locked up and its stuck in gear.

I spoke to a knowledgeable transmission guy and he thought the bearing on the intermediate shaft was beginning to cease (causing the stalling at idle with transmission in neutral/ clutch engaged).

I had it towed to a transmission repair shop and got a call saying they could not find a single problem with the car. It idles fine, shifts fine, rolls fine, fluid levels clean and full, no unsual noises, and drives just fine. No odd behavior at all. I go down there to see if I can duplicate the problem and sure enough, the car is working perfectly fine now.

I'm convinced there is a problem with it obviously. At roughly $2000 to rebuild/ replace the clutch, its a lot of money for me but like I said, I'm convinced there is a problem and worried about driving it and having the transmission lockup causing even more damage/ wreck/ whatever else. The shop thinks its fine and was some fluke thing. The car is still at the shop and they were going to let it sit and idle and drive it some more and see what happens.

Anyone else have this problem or seen this problem and know what component failed?

It does sound like some in the transmission has been worn out. The main shaft bearing could be it but your shifter should not get stuck as each gear has a bearing it rides on. It could be the selector fork that is worn and the car isnt fully disengaging the gear or something completely buried in there.

However without ripping into it, it is hard to tell. We have access to getting transmissions rebuilt to whatever spec you would like. It might just need a refresh though.

-Jake

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1st or 2nd gens had a tranny issues like that. I think it was a shift fork that broke.

I was given one with that issue, I ended up selling it to the scrap yard for $350.00 back when scrap metal was high.

I know this is an old thread but my 5 speed SG forester did the exact same thing as the OP a few mornings ago. I drained the fluid and there were no chunks on the drain plug. I changed the fluid and its running fine for now. IDK if the OP is still on here but if so did the trans let go after that or was it just a fluke thing?

My car is pretty high millage too, 220,000 miles as of this morning.

anyone ever find out what the issue was?

today started car in neutral, e-brake on and heard a "clunk" and car lurched forward and stalled. seems to be in a gear of some sort and shifter feels slightly off but still pretty normal. car off and in netural can't push it as if it's still in gear. can push it with clutch in...

something is broken/bound up in there pretty good

When my Main shaft was having issues before it finally broke and I only had 1st to 3rd, it got locked in between gears.

Try rocking the car by pushing it and see if you get it to free up and unbind.

When my Main shaft was having issues before it finally broke and I only had 1st to 3rd, it got locked in between gears.

 

Try rocking the car by pushing it and see if you get it to free up and unbind.

i used another car to pull the subaru on to my trailer and in that process it freed up the trans. finished driving it on and off the trailer, dropped fluid which looked new refilled it.

at this point i'm quite hesitant to drive it as it may lock up again when/where? luckily it didn't mess up on me a few days earlier when i was taking a 1200 mile drive!

car does have around 315k miles on it.....