Picked up our first SVX
 

My husband and I picked up a green '95 SVX L AWD for our 2nd winter car/DD. It has 168k on it. The hood has to be held up, the trunk doesn't open (might be frozen shut), the steering wheel tilt feature doesn't work (it won't lock into place), 3 of the struts are bad.

We are gonna do a service on it: t-belt, other belts, pullies, water pump, t-belt tensioner, tranny flush.

What brand transmission fluid is best? Where is the best place to find struts?

Melissa

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

Congrats! A few quick fixes:

Hood:
new struts are available for the hood. A subaru dealer can get them... might be costly.

Trunk:
You might have the valet key. Will the key open or lock the glovebox? If not than have a regular key made and you can get into the trunk. The latch on the trunk also may be locked to prevent it from being opened from within the car... have you tried the trunk release to the left of the driver's seat? Once you get the trunk open make sure the latch lock is not set and you can open the trunk from within the car.

Steering Wheel:
There are 3 controls for the steering wheel adjustment. The one most people confuse with the up and down adjustment is called "lift"... just to the left of the steering column. That is used to get in and out of the car easier... pull it towards you and the wheel will lift up. Pull the wheel back down to lock it into place. That adjustment lever is located under the steering column.

Struts:
Not good news here. The options are few. Factory struts can be had, but the consensus is that they have been sitting at the Subaru parts warehouse for over a decade and are starting to go bad! One solution is Koni strut inserts, which I have done. Expensive... probably over $1000 after installation. Another solution is custom made coilovers... and you can more than double that $1000 figure.

The service is good... keep us posted!

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

If you only want to make it driveable, you can buy used parts including struts. They need to be fairly local though or shipping will drive the costs up for heavy parts.

Lee

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

AS far as the hood goes, my husband said he'd just use a broomstick to hold it up. The place we bought it from had the front left strut replaced earlier. The bad struts are just annoying and not really first on the list. We looked at the steering wheel really good. The telescoping part works, but the lever that should lock the wheel into place (up-down wise) doesn't lock. The trunk release by the seat doesn't open the trunk, and the key won't either. We'll keep looking into it though. The sunroof also doesn't work. It doesn't even make noise.

I know the front rims are on backwards, we'll fix that soon....

here is a pic:
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...h/DSC03324.jpg

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

In that picture the sunroof looks like it may be aftermarket rather than factory.

Nice car!

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

Melissa,

It looks like (especially for Minnesota) that you've picked up a fairly clean example.

OEM or aftermarket strut inserts (Koni) are your only real options for struts.

This car looks familiar, similar to one Ive seen in PA. Could you post the VIN in the registration thread?

Congratulations, and Good Luck with your new purchase.

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

It was a Texas car for 8+ years then it was in Wisconsin for 5+ years.
VIN JF1CX3358SH100410

The sunroof seems to be factory. It has a built it control for it and has a sliding cover.

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

Melissa,

This particular sunroof seemed to be a popular dealer add-on. I had seen it before on other SVXs. It's a practical addition to the L-AWD offering. Note: All factory installed SVX sunroofs are sheetmetal and not glass.

Also, I highly recommend AMSOIL Automatic Trans Fluid. :)

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

I didn't know that............good point.

We'll go with the AMSOIL fluid also....

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

+1 for all Amsoil fluids

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

Mobile 1 synthetic is fine. Amsoil is over priced.:eek: Just make sure you get the right type. Powersteering uses the same fluid as the tranny.

Lee

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

Hi,
If the trunk doesn't open when release by driver seat is pulled, it is due to the lock switch on the latch. Open trunk with key, then flip switch on latch, then you can open with floor release lever.

Same goes with the rear seat. The interior release is under back passenger headrest. If the seat will not fold down, it is due to another lever on the seat back that can be accessed from trunk. Let me know if that helps :)

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

maybe there's something hidden in the trunk if you havnt looked inside yet :P

Re: Picked up our first SVX
 

Did you find the other lever? In the middle underneath. You have to feel for it.