Screwed up oil change and drained CVT

[Fermi]

So definitely a moment of shame. My son recently got a 2017 Impreza sport. I had an older OBS that died a few years ago and I always changed the oil. I was in a hurry to do an oil change and looked under his car and went for what looked like the oil pan from what I remembered, it was just further back. Long story short I drained the CVT oil. Surprisingly even though the car wasn’t low on oil it took 4.5 qts of oil so I didn’t immediately realize my mistake.

He drive the car about a mile and CEL at AT lights came on with some shaking from the car.

Have I destroyed the transmission? Can I have it towed to the dealer to refill it without having to replace the transmission?

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[Elbert Bass]

Need to put the proper Subaru CVT fluid (do not use anything but Subaru CVT fluid), drain the excess engine oil, and drive it. You got a 50/50 chance of buying a $6400 transmission.

I have probably seen 15 or so cars the "quick lube" joints have made this mistake with. The customers all drove much, much farther than a mile - every one of those cars needed a transmission.

[Elbert Bass]

Need to put the proper Subaru CVT fluid (do not use anything but Subaru CVT fluid), drain the excess engine oil, and drive it. You got a 50/50 chance of buying a $6400 transmission.

I have probably seen 15 or so cars the "quick lube" joints have made this mistake with. The customers all drove much, much farther than a mile - every one of those cars needed a transmission.

[Fermi]

Originally Posted by Elbert Bass

Need to put the proper Subaru CVT fluid (do not use anything but Subaru CVT fluid), drain the excess engine oil, and drive it. You got a 50/50 chance of buying a $6400 transmission.

I have probably seen 15 or so cars the "quick lube" joints have made this mistake with. The customers all drove much, much farther than a mile - every one of those cars needed a transmission.

Thanks. I had it towed to my trusted auto shop and not the dealer as it was closer. When I called the guy chuckled and said “you’re definitely not the first one that’s done this.” I may need to ask as it just says “CVT fluid” and possibly not Genuine Subaru but they’re a reputable shop that services transmissions and seemed to be familiar with this issue.

They refilled the CVT, drained and changed the overfilled oil (still surprised the dipstick was not low before the oil’s change and it took 4.5 quarts without overflowing). They drove it “quite a bit” and said they didn’t notice any problems. We’ve taken a few quick trips and it seems OK. I figured if they had major concern they would recommend replacing no the transmission as had already sourced out a remanufactured trans for $5K just in case. They said it should be fine for now if there were no immediate problems.

I suppose there is no way to know unless the CVT starts slipping? Check the fluid. For metal fragments periodically?

I suppose I should start putting aside a fund for a transmission replacement just in case…

[Elbert Bass]

Originally Posted by Fermi

Thanks. I had it towed to my trusted auto shop and not the dealer as it was closer. When I called the guy chuckled and said “you’re definitely not the first one that’s done this.” I may need to ask as it just says “CVT fluid” and possibly not Genuine Subaru but they’re a reputable shop that services transmissions and seemed to be familiar with this issue.

They refilled the CVT, drained and changed the overfilled oil (still surprised the dipstick was not low before the oil’s change and it took 4.5 quarts without overflowing). They drove it “quite a bit” and said they didn’t notice any problems. We’ve taken a few quick trips and it seems OK. I figured if they had major concern they would recommend replacing no the transmission as had already sourced out a remanufactured trans for $5K just in case. They said it should be fine for now if there were no immediate problems.

I suppose there is no way to know unless the CVT starts slipping? Check the fluid. For metal fragments periodically?

I suppose I should start putting aside a fund for a transmission replacement just in case…

That is one thing about Subaru CVT - if it is damaged you WILL know right away. Unlike every other CVT there is no rubber component to the "chain" it is a metal chain riding on metal pulleys under extreme pressure. When that slips you will know it. Just be aware - using generic CVT fluid that says Subaru compatible -Valvoline, etc - will not cause issues right away. Regardless of what the bottle says they do not work well with Subaru CVT.

[cwils47]

It's a 50/50 toss up, I've seen someone do this and all they did was refill the transmission and they were golden, they also drove for about a mile then realized their mistake.

[NEOBW]

Ouch. Learning moment. Im sure a bunch have done similar or worse....
Report back the results if you were able to resolve it.

[2017_STi_Silver]

Sorry to hear it. My boss did this and his son just drove the car down the driveway. Ended up OK.
Did you accidentally drain the trans oil when the car was at operating temp?
If it was cold, more residual ATF would have stuck around in the case and provided some kind of minimal lube while it heated it on the mile-long drive.
Keep an eye on the tach and an ear on the trans for the next few weeks. Hopefully nothing more than a few thousand miles of premature wear.