SVX is testing my resolve..
 

There must have to be a life lesson learned from my SVX. I have had nothing but heartache from it in the 5 years I have been it's master, yet I stubbornly refuse to sell it and face up to the reality of my vehicular situation.

First, shortly after purchase, it wanted a new transmission on the way to see a band I liked. I missed the show but I fixed the 4EAT - cost about $3,000.

Then, the radiator cracks and leaves me stranded on a freeway at midnight.

I pay over $1,500 for a new radiator AND transmission cooler (plus a flatbed truck to get it 150kms home).

Then, the water pump blows....

Then the under-drive pulley separates from itself (harmonic balancer).

Then - the sleeve lock regulator breaks, leaving the car 'in-securable' (FIXED)

Then the fuel pump fails (again at midnight, FAR, FAR from home) (FIXED)

Then chronic oil leaks...

Then, the struts and bushings are all noisy and shudder + rattle (always have but I have been too busy repairing other parts of the SVX to address.)

It may even be a differential problem or binding causing the shudders and grinding noises - I don't know.

Then the A/C fails - still haven't fixed that.

NOW, it is slipping in gears 3 and 4..... (It is also slow moving into Reverse)
:confused:

WHY DO I LOVE THIS CAR AGAIN?

WHY AM I DEFYING LOGIC AND NOT SELLING IT?

IS THIS TRANSMISSION about to rob me of all my money again?

It only has 225,000 kms on it!

The wonderful BEN N. 93tzlegacy is going to evaluate it for me late next week and let me know if my 'SVX nightmare' will ever end.

Cheers all!

Mike

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

dont give up mate , all isnt lost. ive recently resurected another SVX and i dont think yours will be to bad, fingers crossed.

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

Thanks Ben!

My car is nearly there! I have almost rebuilt it! With your help, I am sure it will behave like a good SVX should!

P.S. A bloke that lives near me is in the market for an SVX - he is looking at some here in Newcastle and one in Penrith this weekend - I have clued him in on all I have learned.
His tag on here is 'gjhumphris'.

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

Aaaahhh! This is not sounding like buying an SVX is going to be a positive experience! Perhaps I should wait a few years for a BRZ??

What's the average life span of the tranny when driven responsibly?

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

Exactly as long as it takes for you to forget the hardship endured to afford a new one.:D

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

is the one in penrith pearl white / black and at shamrock auto's just near the regatta centre? if so, ive looked at it, very clean. havent driven itthough and it does seem a bit overpriced.
thanks and good luck with the hunt, Ben.

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

I know the feeling... picked mine up from having complete steering overhaul last Friday... heater core blew and gave me a steam bath ON THE WAY HOME FROM MECHANIC. :(

But it steered really really well while doing it. :lol:

And I still love it. I will still keep trying to get it back on the road.

(and probably buy a BRZ/86 in the meantime)

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

Yes. that's the one! How will I be able to tell if the transmission has been changed / overhauled? Would it make more sense if I bought one with a lot more kms (325000!) but has most of the common faults fixed (for now anyway)?

See ad: http://www.carpoint.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=2&R=11019794&keywords=&trecs=3&__N s=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_Price_Decimal|1||pCa r_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__sid=137CDCD E5DE2&__Nne=15&__Qpb=1&seot=1&__N=834 1216 1246 1247 1252 1282 4294961475 4294963801&silo=1011

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

Am off to see the one at Penrith tomorrow (Saturday) morning. Hope it's worth the 4 hour round trip from Maitland! Apparently it has regularly been serviced at MRT Performance - I rang them for details today, but they gave me the usual political speech of "under the privacy Act, we cannot give you any information on that vehicle as you don't own it." ...... yet! :D

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

I think I am up for another gearbox.....:barf::barf::barf::barf::barf::mad::(

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

Oh no! That's not good, Mike! Will it make it to Sydney tomorrow?

I saw an SVX in Bolwarra today in a driveway - don't know the name of the road, but there's a large white house around the corner from it (our friend's house) and close to the independent servo station - is that yours or is there another SVX floating around our neighbourhood??

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

Hi mate.

The SVX you saw was mine! That is my house you describe. No, it won't make it to Sydney tomorrow....Have had to borrow a friends RAV4 to get me to the gig.

I planned all week to have the SVX ready to drive to Sydney or Canberra - but alas, the transmission thought better and decided to screw me over AGAIN.

I can not rely on this car to get me ANYWHERE!

It is booked in with the Auto Transmission specialist that rebuilt the tranny 40,000 kms ago. Hopefully he can fix it.....

I have spent so much on this car!!!! Again, I ask - WHY AM I DOING THIS?:barf:

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

dont give up mate , it just needs some TLC.

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

My thoughts exactly - don't give up!!

Each problem that you fix, each part that you replace, means that there is one less potential problem to affect you in the future. Most of the problems that you have mentioned are relatively common on the SVX, so now that you have dealt with them, there is far less to go wrong from now on.

The transmission on the SVX does seem to be a problem though - the one in my Grey SVX failed originally at only 52,000 km!!!!

There is still some debate as to why the 4EAT unit fitted to the SVX is so failure-prone, as the (essentially) same unit fitted to other models has proven very reliable. It may simply be that the unit is not strong enough to handle the torque and weight of the SVX. For example, the original 4EAT in my 1987 Vortex is still running fine - after more than 200,000 km!

If you have a 4EAT rebuilt by a professional who knows these transmissions, you should certainly not expect a failure to occur after only 40,000 km. It does sound as if the rebuild was not done properly. One thing that comes to mind is that if the high clutch was not replaced during the previous rebuild, this would cause slipping in 3rd and 4th.

Note that an excessive delay in engaging reverse is often caused by low line pressure, so I would check the condition of the fluid and the filter in the pan before going any further.

Was the rebuild covered under any kind of warranty? If so, you should definitely look into that first.

I am sure that you are aware that many people install manual transmissions into their SVXs after the 4EAT has failed. That is certainly an option, but personally, I think that the SVX should be an automatic - it suits the character of the car.

:)

Jason.

Re: SVX is testing my resolve..
 

It's Mica Red / Black, you must sacrifice everything to keep this thing running! ;) but no, that really is the most beautiful color to own on the SVX. Pictures? (even in it's hellbent state? :) I want to say you may have already posted some so if it's a repeat, disregard :)