About to look at a 92 SVX
 

Hi guys,

I am going to check out a 92 SVX tomorrow. Here are a couple of questions I have:

1) Tranny - look noises when shifting, slipping, etc. How else can I tell? Owner says tranny was rebuilt 1 year ago. I will ask for papers.

2) Wheel bearing - rear or front? Do I listening for the typical grinding noise or is it something else? How expensive to fix?

3) Warped rotors - are there aftermarket fixes to prevent this? how expensive are rotors on these things?

4) Valve cover leak - how expensive to deal with it?

5) What about the engine? Should I have the compression tested? Leakdown test?

6) Timing belt? Tuneup issues? Any major tuneups? At what mileage?

Anything else I should look for? I guess I want to know what I'm getting into :).

Thanks,
Amir

Okay...more searching revealed..
6) Timing belt? Tuneup issues? Any major tuneups? At what mileage?

Yeah...basic Jap supercar 60K tuneup.
timing, tensioner, water pump, etc.

Oh yeah...the plugs...are they easy to get to??

OR is there a CAM in the way.

thanks,
Amir

Rebuilt tranny - is it still under warrantee? Is the fluid a healthy red w/o a burnt smell? Does it shift smoothly w/o slip or flare?

When my (9k Aamco under warrantee) tranny first started to go, the shift from 2nd to 3rd felt like I was lightly hitting the brakes despite the RPMs climbing a bit more than they were supposed to. Then the fluid changed from grenadine red to BBQ sauce and the shifts felt like I was being rear-ended with each 2-3 shift and the tranny made a pitiful grinding noise. So don't buy a car that feels like that. :rolleyes:

3) Warped rotors
When my rotors warped I when to KVR cross drilled rolors and KVR carbon fiber pads. That was over two years ago and no warping since.

4) Valve cover leak
Dealer charged me about $400.00 to do both sides.
If the valve covers are only weeping a little I would just leave it alone. 6 months after the dealer fix mine they started weeping again.

5) Engine
The engine is great only thing I know that goes on the motor some times is the temp sensor, Valve cover and cam seal leaks.

The temp sensor went on my car, but its only a $25.00 part at a dealer and takes less then 2 minites to change out.

6) Tuneup issues
When I did my plugs it took me about 2 hours, but I took my time. It was my first time working on an svx.

I had to remove the air box, and the battery to change the plugs.

There isn't a CAM in the way per say. Its more of the plugs are inbetween the two cams on each side. about 2" in from the valve cover, and the coils are on top of the plugs. so if you change your own plugs be carefull not to brake the coils.

Also the pcv valve is a pain to change. Its under the intake manifold.

I would say your best bet would be to take the car to a dealer that knows whan an svx is and have them look at it. I did when I was buying my car. It cost about $60.00, but I got a list of things that needed to be fix and a quote on how much to fix it. Then I used it to get the price of the car down.

This will be the best $60 you ever spend on an SVX. Trust me. Before I found my '94, I was looking at a '92 LSi. After getting the Subaru mechanic's inspection report on that '92, I ran away as if it had the plague (tranny going, PS rack trashed, bad bearings, and all the other problems assocaited with an SVX that was never loved...)

Is it a white one?? PetesSVX's is around somewhere. I never did hear from the guy who bought it in the accident.

Hey Amir i have an SVX for sale. You can see pics in my locker. Everything works great and it has a tranny cooler so you wont have to worry about the tranny. Im askin 5,500 OBO. :D