Cost: rebuild auto or go manual?
 

Hey guys, I have no doubt that by the end of the year or so, my auto transmission will go.

I was thinking about looking into it now rather than looking into it when something bursts when im inside a tunnel or in the middle of nowhere.. which is what usually happens with my luck.

My auto sometimes slips from 2 to 3 which could just use a brake band adjustment and sometimes has a delayed shift from 1 to 2 (never slipping just revs up, but rarely), the person that rebuilt it before did a crap job, the centre console is a little flimsy which i've fixed with spare parts, and when the car is stationary and in neutral it takes a couple of seconds to shift from neutral to drive but nothing too bad.
If i were to rebuild ASAP, I'd rebuild with an external filter and tranny cooler, which obv adds to the price.

OR

start buying all the parts myself that I'd need to convert to manual, have someone make me a cross member and do the installation.
I still want to keep this car as an everyday car and don't want the car to be unreliable and have constant problems with a manual tranny. I'd still like all the features like cruise and all that to be functional. I also dont want to butcher the car.

I'm on a very very tight budget after my trip to America :P
Can someone please help with what to do
p.s.. I like to enjoy and drive my car very hard, often :D

Thanks, Jordan.

sorry, but...
 

never mind, just go stick if you can afford it.

sorry, but...
 

double post:cool:

YC, I saw your post about 3rd braking, did you have other problems?

Turbz,
As for the costs, using a junkyard trans I've done swaps for less than $100 including fluids. A more realistic figure is $500 if you do it yourself.

If you can do the welding/fabrication on your own you can do a 5 speed for less than $1,000. You do have an advantage of time. You can wait for a good deal on a manual box and watch EBay for a good clutch kit to go cheap.


edit; YC, did you edit your post?

Oh Oh, sorry i forgot to say... What option do you think is the cheapest option??

Since I'm working so much and have no space or experience on doing everything I'd need to get someone to do the installation, fabrication AND for the manual swap I'd buy all the parts and get someone to do the installation.
The worst thing about me is that I know exactly what needs to be done to the car I just have no idea how to do it and I have little experience or tools

It has to be up and running by the end of the year and I'm getting very anxious about it because once I start uni again next year... that's the end of that, i won't be able to touch the car and even if i wanted I won't have the money.

If i made a double post, then can you please link me with the other post.

Thanks, Jordan.

I don't know the prices of tranny's over there, but if you're paying for labor, an auto swap will be much cheaper.

Anyone who has done a Subaru transmission before should be able to swap auto boxes in 6-10 hours.

hi jordan you'll need a wrx box and associated stuff about $2k plus labour i reckon. i know a place in brisvegas which is not much help to you in sydney i know, i'll go manual next time the box craps out myself. any lib auto box will fit but theyre not as good as the svx unless theyre a post 97 with the vtd and you need to change the rear diff as well

cam

To all those who have had to fix their 4EAT tranmissions-HELP!
 

Hmmmm,

I have had a few people tell me that the 4.44 auto is a good swap. (On another SVX forum, sorry!) I don't know enough about this to advise it, so would appreciate an explanation!!

I still haven't had my box fixed as I am looking at options available. I really want to improve the box in the process, as I am sure Jordan does.

Is there a definitive fix for the gosh darn 4EAT that is simple and relatively inexpensive that anyone can tell us new SVX owners about??

Hey thanks Mike, I thought you had yours fixed already. Are you gonna go for an external filter and transmission cooler as well?

This is a tricky one, any help, any aussies?

Hey Cam, my plan was to drive up to the gold coast and surfers for a holiday and go nuts at dreamworld on all the rollercoasters at the end of the year and i wanna drive up in my fixed SVX, dont wanna drive up in my little Suzie. If it all goes through which it probably will, we should definitely meet up.

I was going to leave a comment about the various issues that I have with my ecu tune trans, but then thought that I would have been hi-jacking his thread. I edited it to say never mind.

Somehow I double posted it cause I had too many windows open at the same time. oops.

My SVX 95 auto did 200k then I got it rebuilt before it blew and it was happy to go another 100k when I pulled it out to change to a 5 speed, I am sure it would have done an extra 100k. My guess is if you rebuild the transmission you have properly you will have no more trouble with the car. Putting a 5 speed can be done and I think enough of the problems have been sorted but I would expect that it will cost you more then the auto when you get it done.
When you are considering things you need to keep in mind that Oz cars have a different speedo setup and different diff ratio's to the US.
The only closing comment I would make is that a SVX with a 6 speed is by far the best Subaru that was never built. STI's are good but they just don't have the style the SVX does.
Tony

Adjust the band NOW.
 

Jordan If you adjust the band NOW, it will be fine. The band is slipping NOW, because it is out of adjustment, not because it is worn out.:)

The late shifting into 2nd is the band slipping, so the change happens when the band stops slipping and grips.

The loose band also causes the flair into 3rd, as the band releases too early, before the high clutch has come on.
This is causing more wear, that will stop if "the band is adjusted NOW " It is not a big job on our RHD car, as the Power brake booster is on the other side, the adjuster is easy to get at.

I would say that the last re-builder just fixed the dud bits, instead of doing a complete, updated, overhaul. The late shifting into D is because he did not put the modified pump gasket in, that causes the Low line pressure at idle. The next thing you will find, if you don't do it, is that it will start changing back to 3rd due to the loose band, this is when the band will self destroy. :(

Harvey.

WOOOOW thanks a lot guys

I think I'll stick to the auto box, it slips from 2nd to 3rd rarely but im gonna get it looked at and sometimes when i put it into 3rd it jumps around from 4th and 3rd, I have no idea what the explanation for that it.

Tony, An SVX with a 6 speed is my dream!! perhaps in the next 200k kms, heheh.

My next question is also my GONE transmission mount, when I take off and press the gas from complete stop, underneath the car but in the area under centre console where the little storage box/arm rest is, I get a cluck cluck cluck cluck noise for the first 3 seconds and then it stops, Jason JDW from the forum diagnosed it for me when i met up with him and I also thought that's what it was. My big question is how much do you think im looking at for this transmission mount?

Yep great idea just give me some notice so i can make sure im not working :)


cam

If you buy it from Subaru Australia it will be a stupid number like $400 if you get it from these guys in the USA maybe $150 landed.
https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html

I will ask a guy at Subaru for a price for you tomorrow.
Tony