Hard Shifting and No Power @ the wheels
 

Long story short, bought a 92 SVX LS-L as a long term project, which did not run when I bought it. Did some basic maintenance and a few replacements and it fired up shortly after. I've been fixing slowly the large amount of problems resulting from being a 25 year old car that wasn't driven for the last 4 years. Anyways, it is now at the state where it drives and the engine runs nicely.

However, the transmission doesn't seem up to the job currently. I ensured that the ATF was flushed and re-filled, and re-did the pan gasket. Now that I have ATF and no leaks, it seems a bit rough. Firstly, it will "chirp" all 4 wheels when engaging first, and "clunks" into gear. Shifting is also rough, although once I start driving it becomes a bit smoother. However, the main issue is that there doesn't seem to be a lot of power actually making it to the wheels. On flat ground it seems fine, but the shop where I work on the SVX has a slight incline to enter. I cannot enter without a long run-up, as the RPMs will increase, but there's no power to get up the hill (and it's not much of a hill).

So, clearly something isn't too great. And although I can fix something, the whole diagnosis part isn't too easy. I'm no expert on automatics, but my understanding is a torque converter acts similar to a clutch, in that it could slip if worn. Thus, creating my problem. The car doesn't have a aftermarket trans cooler installed as well, and I know that overheating is a big problem. And this has 256xxx kms, so it could definitely be worn out.

So, I need some advice on what/how I should address this. If it's a full new treansmission, don't most people use later 4ATs from other Subarus? If so, which one? And could it be just the torque converter?

Thanks!

Re: Hard Shifting and No Power @ the wheels
 

The early SVX transmissions are known for failure due to accelerated wear ultimately caused by overheating.

I'm not an expert on autos either, but I don't think the torque converter itself is likely to wear and slip, at least more than it does by design. There is a solenoid that increases pressure to the torque converter, allowing it to 'lock up' and transfer power to the trans. Perhaps the solenoid has failed, it happens often to the solenoid that engages/disengages AWD.

Re: Hard Shifting and No Power @ the wheels
 

It probably is cooked in that case, most likely literally. Does any 4AT from any Subaru of the 92-97 MY just fit right in? It shouldn't be hard/expensive to get one if that's the case. And I'll definitely get an aftermarket cooler for this one..

Re: Hard Shifting and No Power @ the wheels
 

A 4:44 tranny from a Legacy/Outback seems to be the best. You'll need the matching gears to put in the rear differential.
I have one from a '97 Outback with the matching diff on my parts car. You can have the whole parts car for $400 if you want to come get it with a flatbed or a trailer. I'm an hour North of Ottawa.

There is a ton of info on the subject on this forum if you do a bit of searching.

Re: Hard Shifting and No Power @ the wheels
 

Good info. I did some looking on the forums, but the fact that Subaru Transmissions don't seem to have names is quite confusing. Anyways, I'll PM you regarding the OB, that could work indeed.