New here, have a few questions about my SVX
 

I just got a 1994 SVX LSi a few days ago. Over all its a very nice car. Few things need work like the CD player which is broken. I have 2 main concerns; first it shifts different form any car I’ve ever driven which kind of scares me as I don’t want my new car to fail. And second it kind of shudders when you give it gas or let off at around 40-70mph. If you give it gas or let go quickly or very slowly it does not do it very much. Could it have to do with the fact that the owner before the one I bought it from replaced 2 tires and not all 4 at once. 2 of them are older and more worn than the others, and they are a different brand. And the thing with the transmission that scares me is that it kind of shifts slow like a manual. I know it does not have a clutch but it feels like the clutch is being let out then the gear is changed then the clutch is re-engaged. It does it slow enough that I can tell. My moms Subaru Legacy L shifts a lot faster and I never notice it. It usually takes ¼ of a second to ½ to shift. But I can’t be sure. I don’t know a huge amount about cars. My dad knows a bit about them and seems to think it’s normal. I looked at other symptoms of a bad transmission like the engine reving while it’s shifting or a thud while going into reverse. I have none of those problems. Maybe a shift kit would help? I don’t know how hard that is to install. My dad may be able to help with that. The car has mostly highway miles on it. The last 2 owners only put on 20,000 combined. The first one was a woman who drove it mostly between Maine and Boston Mass. Is an oil cooler for the transmission hard to install? I really want this one to last as long as possible because I don’t have a ton of money for a new transmission.

Thanks

First thing is raise the car up and measure all 4 tires curcumference - if the are not within 1/4 inch you will be in for trouble eventually.
The slow shifting is an svx trait which can be cured with either the shift kit from smallcar.com or by unplugging the resistor behind the battery.

Welcome to the club and don't hesitate to ask about anything. We'll be glad to try to help out.

Thanks for the info on the tranny. I think you just saved me many sleepless nights involving that. I WILL buy the shift kit soon. I have to go on a trip for a few days tomorrow. But when I come back I'll do that. I'm also going to have my local Subaru dealer do some tranny work like fluid changes and differential fluid changes. I will also try and check the tires when I get back. Its only a 200-300 mile trip. The tires have been like that for 5000+ I think. Another few hundred won't hurt I guess. Someone else I talked to said it might also be balance and that they may need to be realigned. I put pictures in my locker too if any one is interested.

Oh, and this car is the best car I've ever driven in my entire life. I love it. Its a shame they stoped making them. Where I live mostly no one has ever heard of one.

The shuddering is not normal. Definitely check out the tires. They should all be the same diameter. Make sure the front tires have about 4 psi more than the rears too. You may want to have the ATF fluid changed out and install an external cooler. The slow shifting I think is normal for the svx. The car shifts very smoothly, and you can feel each phase of the shift.

Yea, my dad did the preasure thing yesterday. 33 in front, 29 in back I believe the spec is. I will talk to him about the tires next time I get the chance to. He does not live in the same house me and my mom do.

What cooler is best and where can I get one? I live in a at times very cold enviorment that can also be very hot. I need one that can handle a wide varitery of temps. I'm sure sometimes it gets 0F or lower in the winter and sometimes over 100F in the summer. I heard of some people having trouble with their tranny that has a cooler at low temps.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...&threadid=2347

I'll just chime in to give you a little more confidence that the shifting is an SVX trait. The reason being that, when the SVX was developed, they couldn't put in a five-speed (according to the engineers at the 10th Anniversary Meet, they didn't have one that would take the torque of the SVX at the time), so, they tuned the TCU to "fake" a more "manual transmission feel," as if (as you say) the clutch is being let out. So, sleep well and enjoy your car.

I'll also say that the tires could very well be your problem. Change them ASAP or you might very well have some tranny problems in the near future. Get new ones all the way 'round.

Welcome to the Network, and may you have many happy years with your SVX.

Thanks, I'll have Stanley Subaru (my local dealer) take a look at that when I have them flush the tranny and change the oil. I can't do anything about it very soon sadly. I don't have a ton of money. How much on average would new tires cost all the way around?

I'd like to suggest another possible cause for your shudder. I think it's very possible that your tranny mount could be broken. The mount is two pieces of metal with rubber sandwiched between them. Here's a photo:

http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/fil...ckets/9052.jpg

And here's a photo of how the mount fits in the car:

http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/fil...ckets/9048.jpg

When the rubber breaks, as has happened to the mount in the photos, the transmission can sometimes flop around just a little bit. Mine did. Your description of the shudder leads me to suspect that it happens when the torque converter is locked. With the driveline in such a rigid state, without the TC 'slippage' absorbing the shocks, I think that a broken mount could absolutely be the cause for your vibration.

That being said, replace all four tires and rotate them often. It's important that you maintain the same circumference between the front and rear wheels.

Anyway, the mount isn't that expensive. I would expent a couple hours of labor to install it, as you have to remove the exhaust system to get to it.

Does the torque converter lock up at 40-50 mph? I thought that happened at 60+. The shuddering happens at speeds lower than 60. The tires are the same size btw. From what I read on them. They have pretty much the same amout of tread too even though the back ones are worn a bit. I can't really see any less on one than the other.

Well, I really don't have any technical advice other than: yeah, the tranny takes some gettin' used to. I've had my SVX for 4mos now, and I'm still not terribly fond of the tranny.

What I really wanted to do is welcome a fellow May-nah to the board. We really are a rare breed up this way. We really need to hook up some time.:)

Maybe sometime in the summer. Gotta get my last year of highschool done with. :o

We definatly are a rare breed here. Almost everyone I showed it to said "cool, what is it?" And of those very few who knew what it was usually said "your so lucky, I've always wanted one". And since its such a rare car I'm paranoid about every thing it does that I'm not used to in other cars. I really don't want mine to break. Mostly cause I don't think I could afford any big jobs being stuck in highschool with insurance debts, cell phone debts, and paying my grandparents back for the loan to get this thing.

A friend of mine said he saw one around here too. It had NOS, a supercharger and most importantly a new tranny. It was an auto that could make the car RWD too.

Edit; Oh, I'm a comp tech too. LOL I work on the network and computers at my school.

Do not go by appearance or tyre size. This is avery important issue which can cost you big money in the long term. The centre clutch is continually in slip mode and there will be wear and tear.

Jack up your wheels and measure the circumference of the tyres at the centres using a dress makers tape measure, or carefully with a non stretch string, making sure this does not fall into a tread groove. If your measurements are within say a quarter inch you can rest in peace. If not you must do something about it.

If you have shops dealing in second hand tyres as we do here they could sort it out for you at minimal expense by doing a swop.

Do the different size tires cause it to always be in slip mode? Would that cause the shuddering? I'm going to have stanly subaru look at my car in 2 days when I get back from Portland. I told them of the shuddering and they are goning to look at it. I my self have no way of lifting the entire car up to check the tires. So I have to depend on them to do it.

Different tyre circumferences mean the front and back wheels are turning at a different speed (RPM) ! As both ends are connected to a common drive train the difference is adjusted by means of a clutch which slips in order adjust.

You only need to jack up one wheel at a time, no need to lift the whole car. The shuddering should be treated as a separate issue but could possibly be related.

Thanks for the details on all this everyone. You have all be quite helpful in providing ideas. I'll be sure to post back when stanly subaru tells me what the problem is. I just hope its nothing serious and/or expensive and that the tires are the same size. I have a feeling the tires might cost me almost $800 (200 each). I hope I'm very wrong.