Sport light blinking

Last Friday night I was driving around town and I had the 5EAT in manual mode. I was fiddling with my iPod and rode 2nd out, then as I go to shift the car shifts by itself. I look and I realize it's gone in full auto with Sport flashing. It would not go in manual mode. I park, shut the car off, turn it on, everything is fine.

 

Today I am driving back home from work and I am in full auto, same thing, Sport flashing. This time though I can shift with the steering wheel buttons just fine. I parked it, disconnected the battery for 10 minutes and reconnected it. No CEL or cruise flashing, just the damn Sport.

 

Car is a 2005 Legacy GT with 53k miles, so I'm creeping up on the 60k warranty Only mod is Cobb Stage 1 with the AP.

 

I will keep you guys posted, if it does it again I am unmarrying my AP and going to the dealer. Anyone else had this problem? Searched the board but the results that came up were Sport WITH CELs and such. What do you guys think it is?

twice would leave me concerned. search revealed one guy with just 'sport flashing' that ended up having a more minor prob. i say get it in before 60 with the code JIC.

best luck, fb

What do you mean by code? Since the CEL isn't on, would there be a code to be read in the first place?

If you search "sport blinking" you can read my thread... But no answer..

However, I got an answer.

I had same problem... "SPORT" is blinking... I brought the car to dealer but they couln't figure it out because when it is not blinking everything is normal... One day, finally I got blinking and drove to dealer... They figured it out.... The speed sensor on the trany didn't get the correct signal and it was replaced by the warranty. Then, it never happen again...

When it is blinking, go to dealer then, they will find out... I can check the repair record to see what the exact part was..

Good luck...

FYI, it happened first time more than a year ago and it is getting worse... My first was at around 18k and I fixed when it is 40k.

 

When it just started blinking, I also couldn't shift by manual then several minutes later, I could shift by knob or hanlde button.

It happened usually at the 1st gear and I think the tranny was confused whether shift to 2nd or not then I got the BLINKING. The other common occasion was in the highway speed. When down shifting to 4th and WOT, I got the blinking.. Of course, I couln't shift by manual for several minutes...

Then, turn off the car and back on, everything is okay...

That seems to make sense, because I remember the first night it did it, when it shifted to 2nd it felt like I just hit a foot deep pothole. Funny this should happen to me, as I don't even drive aggressively.

 

How much should I worry about Stage 1? Do I really have to unmarry the damn thing? I hate doing it. I should be alright to at least take it in and have it diagnosed, right? As soon as that light is blinking, I will take it in, Stage 1 or not, to have it diagnosed. Then, for actual repairs, I will unmarry it. I just want it documented somewhere that I started having this problem prior to the 60k limit so that I am still covered. I know that on my older Nissan one of my struts started clunking at 32k miles and at 36.500 it blew on me. Because I had it documented they replaced it under warranty.

Well, just got back from the dealer, as the car did the same thing again today. What happened was, in Drive, I rolled from a red light, the car didn't shift to 2nd until about 3400rpm [i didn't load the car, I just rolled], shifted into second, Sport started flashing and then banged into 3rd. After that, it shifted just fine, manual mode worked too.

I got to the dealer, the tech hooked up his Toughbook and the error code that came up was

 

P1706 AT Vehicle Speed Sensor Circuit Malfunction (rear wheel)

 

He said there was a TCM version update that would fix P1799 and P0771 and he said we should go ahead with the flash and hope it would take care of my problem too. I looked them up:

P1799 Interlock

P0771 AT Low Clutch Timing Solenoid Valve Circuit Malfunction

 

Just so we are clear, I did not have these codes, but the new firmware was supposed to, amongst other things, clear these two and the tech hoped it would also clear the code I was having, P1706

He also told me there was a new version of the ECU software but I am Stage 1 so told him to not touch it because I didn't have time [lol]. Well, he comes back half hour later and says "all done, the TCM has been flashed and I also looked at your ECU". I thought to my self oh crap. Then he says " well, looked like it was the latest version so I didn't have to flash it". O ... kay. So the Cobb map is "smart" enough to "lie" at first glance and show it's a current stock map? He definitely didn't flash it, the car acts the same and he wouldn't have had time. I will confirm it when I get home.

For those of you, I think there are two users on this board, that had this very problem, can you tell me what turned out to be?

 

2furious, did your dealer say anything about your TCU? Was it up to date?

 

What kinda upsets me is that they charged me for labor, the tech said he tried to cover it under warranty but couldn't. There's going to be a shitstorm if they try to charge me for the sensor, if that's what it turns out to be. Part of me is inclined to take it back in a week, problem or not, just to be 100% sure.

When Sport started flashing on me it was the beginning of the end of my 5EAT . There were no readable codes available to me as the codes set were TCU codes. Disconnecting the battery or resetting the ECU has no effect on the TCU. The second time it happened there was no mystery, 5th slipped. The next day 4th went. The rest is IPT history.

 

I hope this is not your issue, and shouldn't be with your level of mods.

Dealer didn't say about the TCU and actually, I didn't have any code except the last time I was at dealer. I checked code when it's blinking with AP.

How come they charged you? It should be covered by the power train warranty..

SeeeeYa, yeah, I really hope that's not the case. I'll try today to put it in 5 and punch it at 30-40mph and see if it slips or something. The shifts are nice and crisp.

 

2furious, you know ... I have no idea why they charged me. I am going to call them and ask again why that is and also ask if the sensor turns out to be the issue at past 60k miles, will it still be covered since we opened the ticket on it now still under warranty.

Well, I just got off the phone with the dealer. They said that the best way to describe it was that the powertrain warranty basically involves actual mechanical parts. Gears, differentials, drive shafts, etc. and the reflash and even the sensor would not be covered by the 60K warranty, but the 3-year 36K.

I have doubts about this although it kinda makes sense. Who should I call next?

Me again, I looked on the Subaru website and the 2005 powertrain warranty states

 

Powertrain Limited Warranty

Powertrain coverage for all models is five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. It covers the major powertrain components listed below:*

 

Engine block and all internal parts

Cylinder heads and valve train

Oil pump, oil pan

Timing belts or gears and covers

Water pump

Flywheel

Intake manifold

Oil seals and gaskets

Turbocharger Assembly

Transaxle case and internal parts

Transaxle seals and gaskets

Axle shafts and constant velocity joints (except boots)**

Torque converter

Electronic transmission control unit

Transaxle seals and gaskets

Propeller shaft

Wheel bearings

 

Transaxle case and internal parts is mentioned. Is the sensor inside or outside, I wonder?

Well,I took my car into the dealership with similar symptoms, they couldn't diagnose the problems so they went to the normal dumbass SOA protocal and started throwing parts at it, first new wiring (they thought it was a wiring problem) Turns out a gear was broken off the into the pan..they didn't figure this out until about 2 months after having the car, and none of this was covered under warranty becausue of my mods. Turns out that this was all started by the speed sensor..So you best fix that! So about 3500 later i had a fixd LGT that ran amazing with a new tranny...after the frustration of the whole ordeal i decided that I had my fun with car and said goodbye to it and got a white 07 accord EXL and love it..This car will outlive the LGT anyday..and plus i cant complain about the 240 HP V6 I tried to fight my side of the story saying that the speed sensor could not have failed do to any of my mods to the car but of course they stuck the story and got their way. Moral of the story F U SOA!!!

 

Of course i beat the complete shit out of the car before i traded it in.....3k launches in a new tranny FTW

Yowza, a gear got broken because of the damn sensor? What kind of gear, in the rear diff or in the transmission?

This happens to me every time I go to the drag strip. If in manual mode and you hit the rev limiter, the sport shift light will blink. I just restart the engine and it goes away.

In my case though I haven't banged the rev limiter at all when the light came on

Well, I will keep you guys posted on this if the light comes back on. All fluids are within normal limits and look nice and clean.

In my case though I haven't banged the rev limiter at all when the light came on

Well, I will keep you guys posted on this if the light comes back on. All fluids are within normal limits and look nice and clean.

strange.

Update.

Well, about 1000 miles ago I had it in to the dealer for the second time on this rear speed sensor issue. The tech notes state they took out the sensor assembly, lubricated and cleaned some parts, inspected it for obvious damage and put it back in. Light hasn't come on since. If it does again, the part apparently is around 300 bucks as it's a whole assembly. Ouch

If it does come on again I'm just going to have the shop I usually go to, have a look at it.

I should have kept my mouth shut, it did it again today just driving on the highway. I'll have to replace the rear speed sensor it seems.

$300-some to replace the front ones, $200-some to replace the rear one. Trouble is, there's two in the front, two in the back, the code doesn't really say which wheel, just that it's on the back, so the dealer said it would be a better idea to replace the entire hub. I think I'll take it in to my usual shop to have them look at it.

 

I just hope it really is the sensor and not something else!

find out what the part #'s are.... can you do the install yourself?

I'll try, but I wonder if I can. 3.6hrs labor on the front, 2.something on the back.

Did it again today, took it in to the dealer to verify it was the same code, and it was. P1706. Made sure to document it in case it's not the speed sensors but something else that would be covered under warranty after my warranty is up.

I talked to the Subie tech, he said the first time around he called SOA and the first thing they asked him is if the light came on under snow/sleet/rain conditions. Every time it happened it was on completely dry pavement. SOA said to not be concerned about it, it will not affect performance or driving. Subie tech also said if it was his car he wouldn't worry about it until the light started coming on more and more often. Well, last time it did it was at 55K miles, so 700-some miles ago on May 8th.

 

I just realized what all these instances have in common: me making turns. We're not talking peeling the tires going 40 in a 90 degree turn, but just taking a turn at a T intersection in a normal manner, going from either a complete stop or rolling at around 25. The light came on in every situation within 20 seconds for both left and right turns which makes me think it's not the individual wheel speed sensor, but the whole damn assembly which is over 300 bucks to take care of, parts and labor. It's 3.6hrs labor and about 50 bucks for the actual part.

 

Here's the thing though, I'm at 55720 miles now on the original Potenzas which are down to, as noted by the latest check at Firestone, 5 all around for tread depth (32nds) which honestly, I have no idea what it means in terms of percentage left. I was told yeah, they're pretty worn and will have to replace them soon.

So both the tech and I are wondering if the worn tires have anything to do with the rear speed sensors freaking out, maybe the diameter difference or one of the wheels slightly slipping?

 

What do all y'all think, y0?

that's very very wierd. and as long as you have an open ticket at the dealer, it will not matter if you do roll over your 60K on the powertrain.

^That's kinda what I was aiming for, I wanted to make sure it's been documented not once but TWICE. I'm slightly concerned that it's not the sensors but the rear differential or something. I'll just keep on drivin' it and see if new tires will shut it up.

Thread revival. After the car being quiet for almost 4K miles, it's started doing this again, about once every 300 miles. I have yet to determine what each time it does it has in common. Unfortunately my local dealer is quite greedy, attempting to charge me 80 bucks for EACH code read, so because of that I haven't really gone in every time the light came on. However, last time it did it about 2 weeks ago I went in to my trusty shop and, using a hand-held tablet-pc-look-alike system running XP, they were able to connect to the TCU. Problem was, even though the sportlight was still blinking, they weren't able to retrieve any codes. by going into the history of codes, there was only one past code recorder, I forget which it was but it was actually no related to any of the rear speed sensors, but the front right speed sensor.

We went back and checked their tech docs and there's a whole bunch of diagnostic steps to be performed on the 5EAT to attempt and narrow down the problem.

I'm going to continue to ignore it for now as the car is driving perfectly normal. However, once snow gets hear I'll try to induce some wheel slipping and overall just test the drivetrain and see how it drives and I'll go from there. Both my shop and the Subaru dealer tech told me not to worry about it for now since it happens so seldom and goes away at every restart.

 

Since I've opened this thread, has anyone else had this problem? I just hope it's something straight-forward, not an electrical gremlin that will be next to impossible to track down and fix

Both my shop and the Subaru dealer tech told me not to worry about it for now since it happens so seldom and goes away at every restart.

 

 

Well just make sure everything is documented, as much as you want an IPT rebuilt tranny i'm sure you dont want to deal with the cost right now.