How did you 4EAT go?

[NikFu S.]

Trans was slightly laggy to begin with. Dec 02.
Something in the transfer assembly failed due to FWD racing and tire burning. Summer 03.
2 days after getting rear ended I gased it after popping in reverse, killing reverse, 1st, and 4th. Spring 04.
Trans was rebuilt without new hydraulics killing the transfer clutch about a day after driving it. Fall 04.
I'm driving around a parking lot at 5mph, the shifter wobbles, I stop, I go again and all you hear and feel is clunkclunkclunkclunk. Something in the front diff is dislodged. It's still kinda drivable. Sept. 07.
I give up on the auto.

[ShiuludeSVX]

Originally Posted by Landshark

me 4EAT go time of long. no grap. how you 4eat go?


bread good. fire bad.

hahahahaha oogabooga

[Trevor]

I have previously raised this as a serious topic.

There is still no concrete advice, or exact conclusive evidence, as to exactly what is deficient in the construction or design of the transmission, which is a common denominator in respect of failures. Personally, I expect abuse is a factor, often hidden from view.

[TomsSVX]

i'll dig up the service bulletin that has a full description to the fault with a diagram of the "fixes"

tom

[TomsSVX]

ill get it up tomorrow. i need to print and scan the page in order to post it

Tom

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

i'll dig up the service bulletin that has a full description to the fault with a diagram of the "fixes"

tom

Great stuff Tom.

Now if everyone sending a transmission away for overhaul, was to make this data part of a written order/contract, there would be far less strife recorded here.

[Hondasucks]

Dumb $*%&$*@ at a shop didn't get the oil pump drive shaft in properly and took out the pump and the torque converter.

[SubaruSVXCrazy]

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

Then Dayle might want to explain why there are over 10 5spd swaps I did personally that are still going and several more that got my kit that are still going

Tom

Ohhhh to late for that tho. I want a 6 spd anyway next time.

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by Hondasucks

Dumb $*%&$*@ at a shop didn't get the oil pump drive shaft in properly and took out the pump and the torque converter.

I hope you stuck the OPDF way up where it belonged.

[odepaj]

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

Then Dayle might want to explain why there are over 10 5spd swaps I did personally that are still going and several more that got my kit that are still going

Tom

He means the Small Car 5mt kit.

[odepaj]

The tranny in my '95 started flaring, then finally one day it acted like it was in neutral. If I let the car cool down I can drive it about 3-4 miles until it warms up. It never actually lost any of the gears but everytime it warms up....neutral revs is all it does.

The pearly I bought with a bad tranny, flare under hard excelleration and no AWD. Finally after about 2000 miles the flaring got real bad, it lost 4th and 3rd and then I parked it the next day.



Dustin

[jeffast]

well my 4eat went all at once after all the bands fried, it still had all gears but would not shift while moving i could use first second and third if i locked them in manually but that was it it would lock up and act like it was in neutrial if i tried to force it to shift or if i put it in drive.
now my cheap 5speed swap i lost the third gear synchro doing a sick cookie, i bent the first gear shifter fork shifting while spinning all four in the snow while shifting to second for a faster spin. second locks the shifter up some times like it is stuck between first and second but playing with it frees it up... %100 percent of the 5spd failing was me driving like an asshat if you don't drive like a moron the 5speeds are fine

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by Trevor

I have previously raised this as a serious topic.

There is still no concrete advice, or exact conclusive evidence, as to exactly what is deficient in the construction or design of the transmission, which is a common denominator in respect of failures. Personally, I expect abuse is a factor, often hidden from view.

i've always understood the problems to be the clogging of the screen filter in the tranny cooler (eliminated in the later models), the excessive heat generated by AWD and the long, slow, smooth shifts, and the clutch material in earlier models.

some info from SubaruSVX.com:

The 4EAT transmission installed in the Subaru SVX (also in the Legacy, Nissan Pathfinder, and Mazda MPV) suffers from one fatal problem: HEAT.

* Radiator-based transmission cooler can't keep the transmission fluid cool enough
* Transmission is poorly designed and does not allow the lubricant to flow through it to keep parts lubricated (thus friction causing heat)
* Unusually high overdrive places additional side loads on bearings generating heat
* AWD system puts strain on the transmission causing even more heat


* If your transmission ID is less than 389607:
o Ask your dealer if your transmission has been upgraded to the redesigned transfer clutch driven plate (Part # 31589AA041). Transmissions 389607 and higher have the improved parts. This fix addresses complaints about rear axle binding on turns.

* If your SVX was manufactured before 11/92:
o Ask your dealer if your transmission has been upgraded to the redesigned oil pump gasket (Part # 31339AA121). Transmissions 513102 and higher have the improved gasket. This fix lessens the chance of gasket failure resulting in half line pressure at idle and full pressure at stall speed; sometimes even causing a delay going into reverse.

* If your VIN# is less than NH106286 (only 1992 models):
o Ask your dealer if your transmission has been upgraded with the transmission oil filter kit.

* 93-97 SVXs came with transmission oil filter kits from the factory

* If your transmission ID is greater than 426207:
o Your transmission has a modified transmission case to help prevent the oil pump gasket from leaking (this happened some time in 1994)

* If your transmission ID is greater than 463969:
o Your transmission has the new high clutch drum, reverse clutch fiber plates, and reverse clutch steel plates. These changes help oil flow to the transmission's components for better cooling.

* If your transmission ID is greater than 633657:
o Your transmission has a newly designed high clutch drum and thrust bearings . These changes fixed the problem of not shifting or increased rpms when shifting to 3rd.

Most of these improvements were made between 1992 and 1994 1/2. The newer your SVX, the more improved your transmission but all of these transmissions suffer, to some extent, from the same problems.

[TomsSVX]

thats it. I have the diagrams of how they drilled fluid holes for extra lubrication of the high clutch drum. But you are right, the later models did suffer from the same issues, just at a much later date. Remember the 92's had such bad problems transmissions were dying at 20k miles

Tom

[Landshark]

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

thats it. I have the diagrams of how they drilled fluid holes for extra lubrication of the high clutch drum. But you are right, the later models did suffer from the same issues, just at a much later date. Remember the 92's had such bad problems transmissions were dying at 20k miles

Tom

i had a big external tranny cooler and a temp gauge on my '97, and on hot days going up a big hill, it would push and sometimes exceed 200 degrees. the cooler seemed to help drop the temp quickly, but the heat is still a killer.

i would guess i extended the life of that tranny with the cooler and the shift kit. it had 75k on it when i sold it, and no problems with at all.