The Great Tranny Killer Returns
 

Well after only 6 months I have managed to start kill tranny #5. the tranny has started to flare 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th. Lock up works. When the flares started the tranny started smoking a lot. I have narrowed it down to the right vent tube. WHY?

Any takers.

Steve

One more and you'll be tied with me :cool:

Fluid pushing out of the vent tube??? Overfilled or getting real hot???

I gather that after five rebuilt/repaired/stuffed about with transmissions, you are asking what is the problem.:confused::lol:

Why would it be just the one vent tube?

I am also starting a collection for a mt conversion.
or a new car.

Steve

Sounds to me like something external to the tranny is causing them to go out. Either you have a restricted cooler, restricted cooler line, or you have some sort of electrical problem such as the dropping resistor or it's wiring.

One vent is for the diff, one is for the trans ;)

well if I drive like a grandma, letting Yugo's oout accelerate me, then there is no smoke and shifts ok. There is still a little smell and flare under normal driveing.

Steve

I believe I can help ya out there;) How the hell have you killed 5 transmissions, I mean... I haven't been that bad... although if I didn't get a 6sp i would have:lol:

Tom

Steve, I don't think I have any magic answers for you, but I have some ideas.

If the oil is escaping or being driven from the trans, then it would easily make its way to the cats and create smoke.

The only place I'm confused is you say the right vent? I would expect transmission oil to be getting out the left side where the filler is at.

On the right side is the differential and they have separate reservoirs, no connection [by fluid] to your trans.

With your flaring going on there must be wear on the clutches or the brake band is slipping. Or both.

As Hondasucks mentioned, the problem could be external. If an oil cooler line or oil cooler is blocked or partially blocked it will create internal pressure that would force oil up the filler pipe. You need to check into this.

Also you are running 4.44 transmission. I'm not convinced a 4.44 trans from a Legacy is built "tough" enough for the torque the SVX can dish out. What I'm really saying is if your tranny guys are replacing the clutches with standard Legacy clutches, this could be part of your problem.

Joe

Joe,

He's got 4.11 gearing. This is one of the reasons Tom prefers the 4.44 - we have had practically NO problems with them, and MULTIPLE problems with the 4.11's.

Thanks Diana.

I must have looked at that too quickly, I guess. :rolleyes:

You know in a way, the higher the final drive, the more torque the load bearing components such as clutches have to endure to shift the car. For that reason the most difficult transmission the SVX has to manage is the very high geared 3.54 OEM one for the US market.

Taking that into account, then the easiest transmission to drive will be the lowest geared one, in our case the 4.44. And this theory is proving to be correct in Tom's and Diana's experience.

Going a step further, the next easiest on clutches should be the next lowest, the 4.11. You say Diana that this transmission is not proving to be reliable in the SVX, and that is back to my original point. I suspect the 4.11 is fitted to lower powered cars like the Legacy 2.0 because they have less power available to push a high geared transmission, and they have less need of a high top speed.

Both of these factors may indicate that the standard 4.11 transmission is equipped with poorer [i.e. standard] quality clutch packs which are not able to take the pounding the SVX 3.3 can dish out, because they were engineered to handle only what a low powered 2.0 engine could generate.

Going back to the 4.44 transmission, there are probably a number of factors that help in making them reliable. The obvious is it is lower geared and easier to shift [I mean move weight, not change gear :rolleyes:;)] the weight of the car. The other is these transmissions possibly come from vehicles that are expected to do heavy hauling, maybe even towing and off-road work. I'm thinking of the likes of the Forester here. Designed for pulling heavy weight and possibly towing, the transmission will probably have tougher clutches as standard.

Well, that's my theory, sorry it's so long winded. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Joe:D

Joe,

Your theory holds up on the basis of applied logic. ;)

Joe, you are right for the most part.

SVX transmissions are equipped with better clutches and more of them.

The valve bodies do differ although I do not know the specifics of them right now.

The 4.11 transmission will fail becuase they were not build to have this much power pushing them, AND this much weight holding them down. Thus too much heat will be generated inside of them.

BUT most people miss the most important part... Why is it that these transmissions fail?? Low line pressure or low fluid flow (gets too hot in one spot for too long)

Thats where the 4.44 transmissions come in handy, they are built very similar to the 4.11's with a few exceptions but the high gear ratios effect the speed the pump will spin at. Thus effecting the velocity of the fluid and speeding that up as well. The more flow, the less heat... Thats my theory as to why the 4.11's don't last as long as the 4.44's.

Tom

Again logical but,

The line pressure is set and controlled and unless the pressure falls below optimum, pump speed will not affect the issue, unless a fault is causing inadequate pressure. Furthermore the increase in pump speed with the different gearing will be marginal.

The overall answer is to always drive in third unless at highway speed. This results in less load on the friction components, as per Joe, higher pump speed, as per Tom, and very important, no hunting up and down 3 -4 at low speeds. ;)

Live long and prosper, Trevor!;):rolleyes::D

Yeah, I was just following a line of logic all right.

Tom is on a good theory as well on line pressure and fluid flow, although I genuinely think clutch quality is the principal weakness here.

More fluid flow equals better cooling equals longer life, no denying that!

The Level 10 upgrade involves opening up some of the oil passages I believe, to increase fluid flow. Plus the hi-torque clutch components.

I suspect if a 4:11 was built properly it would be a very good box. I had a 4:11 in both my Legacy TTs, and never a second's bother with them. And the Legacy Wagon was the same weight as the SVX, with the engine making 270 hp and I don't know how much torque [plenty!:rolleyes::D].

They just have to be built/designed to handle the application.

Joe:)