i had the transmission seals replaced in my 01 outback wagon, auto trans) by a reputable transmission shop a few weeks ago. when i took it in for the seals, they said they would run a pressure check (?) to make sure it didn’t need a whole new transmission or rebuild. apparently it didn’t because they just did the seals (symptoms were when putting it in gear when warm, it would not go when you stepped on the gas…it moved fine when the engine was cold). it runs great now, except for going uphills. it really dogs out on the hill, and as you apply the gas to keep the speed up, the engine/transmiission will eventually “kick in”, rev really high (4-5000 rpms), and then settle down and go. could it be something other than the transmission?
sounds like it is getting stuck in a higher gear, and eventually frees up and downshifts, a lot, then settles into 2nd. Sounds like the borked the seal job
that’s what my fear is. i’m having my regular mechanic drive it tomorrow and i called the transmission shop and they want to drive it as well so they can see exactly what it’s doing. i’m pretty sure it only does it on hills, not when speeding up quickly to pass another vehicle on a flat road, but i’ll have to double check that.