going to manual

i know a lot of people have switched their trannies to 5-speed manuals. My trans is having so many problems, so im wondering exactly what it would take to do this.

How much money would parts alone cost?
As for labor, would it be possible to do myself ?
I have absolutely no experience

if not, how much would labor cost - or how much would tools cost??

in your opinion - which would make more sense:
replacing the auto again (3rd time)
selling the car and getting a new one
or replacing for a manual

[huck369]

Put a 5-speed in....see my sig for details...

[n00b on demand]

5 speed is definitley more fun. As for doing the job yourself...if you have no experience then i dont think this shouldbe what you start with . I would imagine it would cost anywhere from 1-3K

[Chiketkd]

Originally posted by soobiesvx93
5 speed is definitley more fun. As for doing the job yourself...if you have no experience then i dont think this shouldbe what you start with . I would imagine it would cost anywhere from 1-3K

If you do the work yourself, you probably could come out in the 1-3K range - and be on the lower end of that scale if you pick up a 5spd parts car like a wrecked Legacy/Impreza.

If you need a shop to do it for you, a range of 3-5K may be more realistic. However, if you know of a good mechanic who'll do the work in his/her free time, then you'll save a bundle on labor.

-Chike

[dcarrb]

Originally posted by simonton
in your opinion - which would make more sense:
replacing the auto again (3rd time)
selling the car and getting a new one
or replacing for a manual

I'd definitely try long and hard to get some satisfaction out of Subaru over the ongoing problem with your automatic, such as prompt, proper repairs or a refund, before spending a dime swapping to a manual. And unfortunately, with the car's current transmission troubles, you aren't likely to fare well on a sale.

dcb

I figured selling the car would be a last option out of these three. I would have expected a manual swap to cost a lot more, so that's good news to see its about the same cost of having the auto replaced. I think i will see what i can do about getting this auto trans fixed first. But since finding a good subaru mechaninc around chicago seems to be so hard, what i might do is get my money back for the failed repair job on the auto and try to go manual. But getting the auto replaced seems to make the most sense as far as time is concerned... but if its just going to have problems again in a few months maybe I'd just be best off getting a manual put in.

After reading the how-to; this doesnt seem all that bad. I'm so sick of this transmission constantly having problems. Since I bought the car a year ago I've had it in the shop at least four times just for the trans. The engine has never had a problem so I'd really feel bad if i had to give up on the car just because of tranny problems.

If this job really will cost less than around 4500 then I'd be saving money in comparison to what i've poured into this failed auto trans repair just this summer. So if i can get my damn money back from the subaru dealer, then this really does seem to be the best option.

I could probably save on labor costs if i at least get the job started. I've got FSM's so it wouldnt be a problem for me to take just about anything out of the car, I'd just need to pay for the difficult installation of the actual trans; everything else I could do.

[n00b on demand]

Yeah i have always heard its around the same price as the Auto...probably cheaper. Go to the junkyard and find an impreza or legacy tranny and matching diff's and your good to go . Finding a good suby dealer anywhere is hard....at least here in NY too. Thats why i never go to dealers for anything....took then 4 weeks to get my AWD decals because " they forgot" Talk about bad customer service.

what year legacy/impreza would i need the trans from?

[Ron Mummert]

But getting the auto replaced seems to make the most sense as far as time is concerned... but if its just going to have problems again in a few months maybe I'd just be best off getting a manual put in. [/B][/QUOTE]



It would be surprising that in the little metropolis of Chicago, you can't find a tranny mechanic that knows which end bolts on to the engine. In light of your exaspirations with the car to this point, it's certainly understandable that you'd like to launch the slushbox straight to the bottom of lake Michigan.
However - as much bad press as the 4EAT gets within these forums, be aware that many of us gotten plenty of miles from either the original box, or a properly rebuilt one. I'll have four years & about 70K on my rebuilt one soon, with full realization that it will begin to disintegrate while sitting in the garage as soon as this paragraph is completed. (Grind....crunch - there...it's starting now!)
While my opinion is counter to the collective sentiments of the group that posts herein, I've always felt that the SVX is a cruiser quite befitting of an auto-box. HOWEVER, to each his own. It's really up to you, & maybe the type of driving you're faced with every time you head out the door on the way to work. If I had to play with a stick shift during the 5 year tour of a job I had a while back that put me 80% of a 2 hour commute on two big city beltways, I'd too frequently wear out my left arch support. But if you're in a semi-rural area where every day lets you appreciate a bit of spirited motor-play, then clutch away!

I'm also old & lazy.

Ron.

Originally posted by Ron Mummert
If I had to play with a stick shift during the 5 year tour of a job I had a while back that put me 80% of a 2 hour commute on two big city beltways, I'd too frequently wear out my left arch support. But if you're in a semi-rural area where every day lets you appreciate a bit of spirited motor-play, then clutch away!
[/B]

this is true, i do have a pain of a highway commute every morning. But, i know a number of people who have that same commute in the morning that deal with that pain in the left leg.... I know its a trade off when it comes to that sort of driving, but more often than not I am just driving in rural areas longing for a 5 speed manual... and in a year i'll be going to school in Colorado where a manual will be right at home. So i think that if subaru will just cooperate and get me back that money i wasted on this latest "repair" - I'll be putting in that 5 speed..

[n00b on demand]

I really hope you get your money back

[Chiketkd]

Originally posted by simonton
what year legacy/impreza would i need the trans from?

You'll have a wide variety to choose from as there's no TCU (hence VTD) to deal with...

I'm sure any 1990 or newer 5/6 spd trans would work. Some people have swapped in late model WRX/STI manual trans with no problems. There's also a guy in the For Sale section selling parts from a low mileage '92 Legacy that are compatible as well.

Really depends on your budget...

-Chike

are there any computer problems that come up when it comes to this swap? I read that the abs computer sends signals to the trans...

I really hope i get my money back. But how realistic is that hope? I dont know if i can get refunded if most of it was labor cost... Still, it's definately worth looking into.

how does the interior end up looking? How have you that have done this finished the gear shift selector?

[huck369]

You can look in my locker at mine, I have a shot of the shifter in mine, in the 92 SVX LS-Tour folder....