4EAT Master Rebuild Kit Subaru Legacy Outback Tribeca

This is a complete master overhaul kit for the Subaru 4EAT four-speed automatic, the transmission Subaru ran behind the EJ25 and EZ36 for well over a decade. It covers 2005-2014 Legacy and Outback, 2008-2014 Tribeca, and Impreza applications in both FWD and AWD form, and the same 4EAT family also turns up as R4AX-EL and F4AEL on Forester and Baja. The kit includes the friction plates, steel plates, the full gasket set, all lip seals, and the O-ring and sealing ring set needed to close the case back up.

Buy this when the unit is already on the bench, not as a parts-cannon fix. The failures that send a 4EAT here are the usual ones: burnt forward or high clutch frictions after a cooked pan of fluid, flare on the 2-3 shift from worn frictions letting the pack slip during overlap, a slow or missing engagement into Drive from hardened lip seals in the drum, and general delayed shifts once the case gaskets start seeping. Pull the pan first and look at the fluid and the debris on the magnet - if the frictions are cooked, no valve body work or fluid change will bring the unit back.

On the bench, tear down to the drums, clean and inspect the drums and pistons for cracks or a scored bore, and set the new frictions to soak in ATF for at least a half hour before assembly so the paper is saturated. Replace every lip seal and sealing ring while it is apart - reusing a hardened seal on a fresh clutch pack is what puts a rebuilt unit back on the lift. Check clutch pack clearance with a feeler gauge before you button up the drum, and verify end play against the Subaru spec for your build before the case halves go back together. Note that the kit does not include a torque converter, bushings, bearings, or the hard parts - a converter is a separate line item and should always be replaced or professionally flushed after a clutch failure.