Preparing for a 1000 mile trip - no relation to 2000 mile trip thread
 

Hey guys and gals. I'm about to purchase Bwana's pearl white 1994 SVX this weekend. I will be driving it back from Illinois to Massachusetts. Fortunately we're in the northern part of the US so outside temps should be friendly. The tranny is 22k old with no special filters or ATF cooler (yet). The drive should be about 1000 miles and Mapquest says 14 hours. I won't be able to change the fluids or prep the car before I start the trip so I have a few questions.

I am breaking the trip into two days, 500 miles each (about 8-10 hours if traffic is bad). Is it worth it to stop every 100 miles and let it cool for a half hour, or should I just get the 500 miles done in one fowl swoop? Will the tranny cool enough during the half hour or will I be wasting my time? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

Ryan

Bwana takes really good care of his cars. Even w/out a tranny cooler you'll be fine driving 500 miles non-stop each day. Thing is, the stock ATF cooler works just fine at highway speeds (60+ mph). It is when you're travelling up hills, or moving slowly in stop-n-go traffic that the problems arise.

Congrats on the purchase and welcome! :)

-Chike

BTW, most of the tranny problems were fixed by the '94 MY.

-Chike

This just keeps getting better!:D Just booked my plane ticket!

You could go the whole 1000 without cooling it down. Overheating the tranny isn't really an issue when it comes to highway driving. It is more prevelant when it is a hot day, around town driving, beating on the tranny.

Everyone plays the trannys up to be terrible, but they really aren't that bad. Just aren't meant to be beaten on. As long as you change the fluid regularly, you should have no problems. A cooler is always a good idea, I still have yet to do it in the over 50k miles Ihave put on my car. No problems here(knock wood).

The SVX is a true highway cruiser, have fun:)

Here is a break down up the transmission upgrades by MY taken from Subarusvx.com:


[SIZE=1.5]All SVXs have the 4EAT but which version do you have? Incremental improvements were made to the 4EAT transmission throughout the production of the SVX. The improvements do not coincide with the year of the SVX but rather were made as they came up with fixes.

First, find the 6-digit ID on your transmission (it is on an adhesive sticker on the bell housing near the starter area).

If your transmission ID is less than 389607:
Ask your dealer if your transmission has been upgraded to the redesigned transfer clutch driven plate (Part # 31589AA041). Transmissions 389607 and higher have the improved parts. This fix addresses complaints about rear axle binding on turns.

If your SVX was manufactured before 11/92:
Ask your dealer if your transmission has been upgraded to the redesigned oil pump gasket (Part # 31339AA121). Transmissions 513102 and higher have the improved gasket. This fix lessens the chance of gasket failure resulting in half line pressure at idle and full pressure at stall speed; sometimes even causing a delay going into reverse.

If your VIN# is less than NH106286 (only 1992 models):
Ask your dealer if your transmission has been upgraded with the transmission oil filter kit.

93-97 SVXs came with transmission oil filter kits from the factory

If your transmission ID is greater than 426207:
Your transmission has a modified transmission case to help prevent the oil pump gasket from leaking (this happened some time in 1994)

If your transmission ID is greater than 463969:
Your transmission has the new high clutch drum, reverse clutch fiber plates, and reverse clutch steel plates. These changes help oil flow to the transmission's components for better cooling.

If your transmission ID is greater than 633657:
Your transmission has a newly designed high clutch drum and thrust bearings . These changes fixed the problem of not shifting or increased rpms when shifting to 3rd.

Most of these improvements were made between 1992 and 1994 1/2. The newer your SVX, the more improved your transmission but all of these transmissions suffer, to some extent, from the same problems.[/SIZE]

-Chike

I have so much to learn. Thanks Chike!

The main reason for not worrying about heat in our trannies on the highway is that once you're travelling around 50mph or more the torque converter locks up. The torque converter is the largest normal cause of heat in our trannies and when it's locked it doesn't generate any more heat.

Exactly. It's the slipping of the clutches during gear changes or gear 'hunting' that generates the most heat during normal operation.

-Chike

just did a the Reno meet
 

Was about 1000 miles there, and 900 miles back..
All I did was check my water, oil and checked my tire pressure.

Car ran great for the most part. I noticed I may need rear struts
now, maybe even fronts. Nutz
:mad:

I did notice my AC wasnt cooling as well after I hit 100 mph +
but that may of been because of my underdrive pulley.

Other then that......it was a breeze.

I do have a trans temp gauge, it ran great around
190-210 the whole time in city or hwy....

It only raised up some going thru the mountains
(uphill)

Good deal.
 

congrats, i think you have got a very good deal. it's a better deal than the 300ZX...:)

if you can handle that, just finish the whole journey straight...:D
you will enjoy the effortless and smooth performance, share with us your driving pleasure and stories when you reach home.

i did a 19hrs non-stop before...forgot about the total miles, kind of non-stop on my SVX engine...including the high-way cruising, stop-and-go traffic jams in the city, idling the engine w/ me sleeping inside in 1-2hrs (AC on)...haha, i was not sure about the tranny temp since i didn't have the trans temp gauge...all i wanted was to enjoy with the car with the stuff i put in and knew my svx is cool and strong...but i do have two tranny coolers and use redline high-temp...AC was ice cold, engine temp was normal...yep, my tranny is still fine. hehe, when i remember, i will pull the dipstick check and smell the ATF fluid...:cool:

you shouldn't worry about anything...just focus on driving and enjoy with the car....congrats to you again.:)

Yeah everyone is right. You won't run into any iverheating problems when driving at highway speeds because the tranny gets cooled alot better at highway speeds. As chike said, you only have to worry about stop and go traffic on those really hot days.

Awesome. Looks like the weather will be a sunny 75 degrees allll the way home! I'm very psyched! I really appreciate all your input guys.