#1- USE SYNTHETIC! If you want maximum protection/performance/life/etc. use a good grade of 100% synthetic ATF. Personally I've used Mobil 1 in the trans and in the engine of all my vehicles since '85.

#2- Install the biggest cooler you think you can fit in your SVX. Your transmission will thank you later.

I've never heard of anyone having shifting problems with synthetic ATF. Normally, it shifts much smoother after a fresh change/flush- especially w/ synthetic.

I went back to the old Yahoo reference CD and dug up what I think was the post(s) that prompted me to do my 'backyard' flush. Anyone can do this with some rudimentary equipment and a couple of cases of ATF. The basic idea is to 'pump' 4-6 qts. of ATF 'out' of your transmission until you have 'flushed' 10-12 qts. through it. By then, ALL the original fluid should be out of the transmission. Here's the original post(s):

(I'll sign off now in case someone gets 'lost' in the following text- )

-Mark

<<I thought a lot of what I was hearing about SVX trans's was only applicable to the early ones. (Mine's a '94) My shifting seemed 'off' and I checked the fluid- it was almost brown! It almost looked like engine oil when I changed it out for Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF. I managed to get 4 qts out of it somehow (a slight incline while hoisted?). While I was at it, I changed out the gear lube in the front and rear diff's with Mobil 1 75W-90 synthetic. I have used a lot of synthetic (Mobil 1) for a number of years in other cars (Subaru's, of course!) for engine oil and gear lube (worried about the turbo's in my Legacy Sport Sedan and RX's) and have been impressed with the results. Well- it may be just my imagination, but the car seems MUCH smoother than before. The shifting is vastly improved and the car just seems to glide. I'll probably do another trans fluid change in a few thousand miles again to help 'flush' the crap that was in there before.>>

Date: 5/25/00 4:00 pm

Maybe I'm just lazy, but I haven't noticed this in any of the posts so far:

How do you COMPLETELY change the fluid?>>>

This was posted to alt.autos.subaru a while back, It might work on an svx. maybe one of the tranny experts from level 10 could verify if it is effective

-davis

I didn't want to simply drain the fluid from the pan and replace, because that leaves about 1/2 of the "dino" fluid still in the lines, cooler, and

torque converter, so to get it all (or as close as possible) drained out here's what I did.

Supplies:

at least 10 quarts of ATF fluid (I used 12 quarts to make sure everything was flushed well.)5 feet (give or take) of 3/8 inch fuel line 1 crush washer for the drain plug. About 50 cents from your dealer 1 hose clamp to fit 3/8 inch hose. (You *shouldn't* need this item, but after dropping part of the existing hose clamp, losing the little washer on it somewhere in the frame area, and having to drive another vehicle up to the parts store to get a replacement clamp, I'd definitely recommend having this extra part on hand before you even start. It's what I'd call a 68 cent insurance policy.)1 "transmission funnel" These are the "long" funnels (about 18 inches in my case)that you can put into the hole where the dipstick goes, and still have the funnel reach above all the hoses in that area.

1. I took a 5 gallon bucket, added 11 quarts of water to it to get a "reference point" and marked the bucket. Then dumped the water out and dried the bucket. I used 3 gallons of ATF fluid (12 quarts) to make sure everything was fully flushed out, the capacity to fully change the fluid is only 10 quarts.

2. I drove the car a few miles to warm everything up, parked it, and removed the drain plug from the transmission pan and drained it into a 6 quart container I use for oil changes. (The plug is easily accessible by reaching under the car from the driver's side. The plug is nearly straight in from where the mud flap is. (Just slightly to the rear.)

3. I dumped this fluid into the bucket I marked earlier. (FYI, it was approximately 5 quarts of fluid that drained from the pan, although I didn't measure it exactly)

4. The idea is to disconnect the transmission hose coming from thee cooler (in the radiator) and let the transmission pump the new fluid through the transmission, torque converter and cooler, pumping the old fluid into the bucket, and the new synthetic fluid throughout the transmission... To do this you need to figure out which of the two hoses goes to the cooler, and which one comes *from* the cooler... 2 hoses, 1 choice... I figured that meant I had a 10% chance of getting it right... well the 90% won out, so I re-attached the line, and tried the other one... The lines are "relatively" easy to access on the driver's side of the vehicle, along the fender area, about 12 inches or so back from the battery... There is a metal bracket with two metal lines attached. The metal lines make a 90 degree turn towards the engine where they have two hoses attached to them. The lines are arranged so one is on top of the other. The bottom line is just *slightly* farther back (maybe 1/2 inch) allowing you to get to the hose clamp. Loosen the hose clamp, slide it back over the hose, and remove the hose from the metal line. Push the 5 foot section of 3/8 inch gas line over the metal line, and run the line over the fender and into the 5 gallon bucket that already has the mark, and the fluid you drained from the pan.

continued...

5. Put the drain plug back into the transmission.

6. Add about 9 or 11 quarts of transmission fluid through the funnel into the transmission.

7. Start the car, with parking brake firmly engaged. The fluid will begin to pour out of the "gas line" you have in the bucket, rapidly filling the bucket.

8. While the fluid is pumping through the system, shift to reverse for a few seconds, then drive for a few seconds, back to reverse for a few seconds, etc, so that all the different passages through the transmission get flushed with the new fluid.

9. When the fluid gets to the 11 quart level on the bucket, turn the engine off.

10. At this point, I let everything settle for a minute, to see exactly where the fluid was in relationship to the 11 quart mark on the bucket. At this point, all the old fluid should be flushed, and the last quart or so of fluid that came out should be your fresh fluid. I started the engine for a few more seconds to empty out just slightly more than mark, leaving the transmission just slightly low by about 1/4 quart. (This was so that I could take the car out, drive it to warm up the transmission and then "top it off" with the remaining quart of ATF fluid that I had so I could get the level perfectly full without having to worry about "over filling".)

11. remove the fuel line (I didn't bother putting on any hose clamp to the 5 foot section of hose, since it wasn't under any pressure while I was "pumping out" the old fluid.

12. Reattach the transmission line that you removed, and re-tighten the hose clamp. (Or in my case, go to the auto parts store and get a replacement clamp.)

13. Check for leaks while letting the car idle for a few minutes.

14. Take it out for a test drive, and to get the fluid warmed up to operating temperature.

15. Park on a level surface. Check the fluid level (should be just slightly low) and add the appropriate amount of fluid to bring the transmission back to the full mark.