This is a 2012 Subaru Outback, an automatic car. The problem they’re talking about is that it can stall (shut off) when you brake hard at a stop, and they think the transmission’s torque converter is part of why.
When you bring a car from another province into British Columbia, you usually have to get it inspected first. The inspection is meant to make sure the car is safe to drive before you can register it.
They’re doing a safety inspection, which is about whether the car is safe to drive. If the engine stalls when you’re stopping, that’s considered risky, so it needs to be fixed.
Stalling means the engine dies and the car stops running. It can happen when the car isn’t getting the right power at idle, and transmission-related issues can sometimes be involved.
Term
rust on the rear brakes
Rust on the brake parts can happen in salty, winter climates. Light rust is usually more of a cosmetic issue, but heavy rust can make the brakes feel worse or wear unevenly.
A “fluid clutch” is how an automatic transmission can connect and disconnect power without a clutch pedal. Instead of friction plates, it uses fluid moving between spinning parts to transfer power smoothly.
Inside the torque converter there’s a rotating part (the turbine) that spins because of the fluid flow. How fast it spins helps decide how much power gets sent to the transmission.
When you come to a stop, the torque converter should let the transmission stop being driven. If it doesn’t disengage properly, the car can stall or behave strangely at idle.
This repair is expensive because the torque converter sits between the engine and the transmission. Getting to it usually requires taking out major drivetrain parts, so it takes a lot of labor time.
Single overhead cam (SOHC) is an engine design where one camshaft controls the valves. The host is saying that this engine layout can make certain repairs easier because there’s more room or simpler packaging.
“Twin cam” usually means the engine has two camshafts instead of one. The host is comparing how that affects access for repairs, like whether it’s easier to remove the engine or the transmission.
A torque converter is part of an automatic transmission. It uses fluid to connect the engine to the transmission so the car can move smoothly and shift without a clutch pedal.
They’re giving a rough lifespan estimate for the torque converter—around 300,000 kilometers. That’s not a guarantee, but it helps set expectations for when problems might show up.
They mention Vancouver, BC, Canada as the area where you can get this kind of Subaru service. It’s basically the local “where to go” detail.
LIVE
Hi, it's Mark Bossard. I'm here with Bernie Pawlik, Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC,
Canada. Vancouver's best auto service experience. We're talking cars. How are you doing, Bernie?
Doing very well. So today, our guest is a 2012 Subaru Outback. What was going on with
this vehicle? So this vehicle came to us for an out-of-province inspection. This vehicle
is not registered in British Columbia. And so in order to do that, the vehicle has to
be run through an inspection by a licensed inspector, which I am, and our shop is licensed
inspection shop. So I went through the inspection, found quite a few items that need to be done.
But the most interesting one, and that brings us to this podcast today, was that when I was
pulling up to a stop sign and hit the brake hard, the engine would stall. And I thought,
wow, that's weird. And just don't experience that in modern cars almost at all. Back in
the olden days, when cars had carburetor, sometimes you'd experience that if perhaps
there wasn't enough fuel in the float bowl, and all the fuel would surge to the front
of the carburetor and would stall. But stalling is just not a common thing at all. So I go,
wow, that's kind of weird. And having been in the auto repair business since I had a
lot of black hair on my head, in other words, I'm kind of older and experienced. I just thought,
it feels like a torque converter. Torque converter is locked on and wouldn't release. Anyways,
that was among the things we needed to replace on the vehicle and address to make sure the
vehicle is safe. It's a safety inspection and a vehicle that stalls is not safe.
So this auto province inspection, is someone moving to BC? Or is it someone who's bought a
car in another province and wants to now drive it in BC? It could be either, but normally,
that's normally someone who's moving to BC or is a BC resident who's bought a car and brought
it in. So before you can register it, it has to have a safety inspection done.
All right, let's have a look at this vehicle. Here's our guest.
As our guest, it's the outback. And as this noticing, I took it out back of our shop where it
looks like there's blackberries and foliage and springtime in BC. So everything's nice and green
and fresh. It's a photo of the outback and the outback. Okay, we're stretching the metaphor as far
as we possibly can. Yeah, I like to joke with that one. 2012 Subaru. So this has had some experience
as well. What sort of kilometer range did it have? So this is a US vehicle. It's in miles,
203,000 miles. So that's a lot. It's 300,000 kilometers. It's pretty good use. Actually,
with the exception of the stalling, it actually ran really well. It needed some other things like
tires. I believe the rear brakes were worn out. It's from an East Coast state. So it had a lot
of rust on the rear brakes. And there was a few things, but really all things considered,
it was actually in pretty good shape for its age and the mileage. And then what is this weird looking
space? So that's the torque converter. As I mentioned, I had an intuitive feeling that it was the
torque converter, but I handed the job off to one of my technicians and he diagnosed it and came
up with the torque converter as well, which was cool. I go, yes, you get years of experience on
cars. It's fun when you can go, I think it's that. And it actually turns out to be that.
And it was the torque converter is basically a clutch, like a clutch on an automatic transmission.
On a manual, of course, you have to press a clutch pedal and release it to engage and
disengage the transmission with an automatic transmission uses a torque converter, which
essentially is like a fluid clutch. It has a bunch of spinning blades, like a turbine, basically.
And depending on what speed it spins, it'll engage with the transmission. What's supposed to happen
when you stop is a complete disengagement. So the engine will spin, but the transmission, of course,
is not locked into place. So that's what this thing is. It's located between the engine and
transmission. So in order to replace it, you have to either remove the transmission or the engine.
So it's a lot of work. So it doesn't make it a cheap job. Yeah, Subaru is generally,
it's easier to pull the engine than it is the transmission. Although neither is really complicated
compared one or the other. So we chose to pull the engine out on this one and do it.
We're seeing the finished product here. That's actually the old converter.
Yeah, that's what I mean. It's out of the car. We didn't see the disassembly process.
No, you haven't seen the disassembly. But if you search our library of many other videos,
you'll find Subaru's engines out on various. And this, by the way, was in turbo model as a
single overhead cam. So I say removing the engine was easier. If it was a twin cam model,
it might have been easier in turbo. It might have been easier to leave the engine in place and
take the transmission out instead. We just evaluate, which is the best way to do it and just take it
from there, which is fast, just less expensive for the client. If you're looking in this picture,
you see that sort of center cones, a bit shiny and inside you can see some teeth and various sort
of diameters, shafts. There are about three shafts that stick out of the transmission. They fit
into various parts of the torque converter. And so some of them will always be running,
unless you'd be running the pump for the transmission. And then other ones will engage and
disengage with the torque converter as it speeds up. This is basically the heart of the
transmission, allowing it to shift. Yeah, it's one major component of it. Like I said, it is basically
a fluid clutch that joins an engine to transmission. The thing, again, it was sticking on in a way.
Something was wrong with it. And that's why when you hit the brake hard, it would cause the engine
to stall. And normal lifespan is 300,000 kilometers, normal lifespan for one of these.
This is the first time we've ever replaced one of these on a Subaru with this issue. But one thing
you pay for when you come to our shop is not only our expertise and our time to look at things,
but we have a huge database of repairs. And this was not an uncommon problem. First time for us,
surprising because we work on an awful lot of Subaru's, but it's not an entirely uncommon
problem, apparently, on this particular model. And after all the repairs, how did this
import vehicle now in Canadian weather run? All good. Yep. Yeah, we got everything compliant for
the inspection and the tires were pretty much worn out. So overall, the car drives great, fixed
everything need to be done and now registrable in BC and good to go. If you're looking for service
for your Subaru in Vancouver, BC, Canada, the people to see are at Pawlik Automotive. You can
reach them at pawlikautomotive.com and you can book your appointment right there, or you can call
them at 604-327-7112 to book your appointment. You have to book ahead. They're always busy.
Pawlik Automotive in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Thanks so much for watching and listening. Thanks, Bernie.
Thank you, Mark. And thanks for watching.
About this episode
A 2012 Subaru Outback came in for an out-of-province (BC) safety inspection and had a stalling problem when braking hard at a stop sign. The shop suspected a torque converter lock-up/unlock issue, and the hosts walk through how the torque converter acts like a fluid clutch in an automatic transmission. They explain that when the vehicle stops, the torque converter should fully disengage—otherwise the engine can stall. Replacing it is labor-intensive because it sits between the engine and transmission.
