Common problems with SVX's?

[Sr240sx]

Hi, I've been an owner of 3 nissan 240sx's (a 90 fastback, first car I learned to work on, a '91 Fastback, did a little work to, and my '95 240, with a large number of mods, among other things, an sr20det 2.0 twin cam turbo JDM engine and a '98 conversion)



And This car is all fine and dandy, sure, but it's a little too purpose-built. It's more of a Track car that happens to be (sort of) road legal, and I'm tiring of driving it every day, constantly terrified of crashing it (again, it's totally reconstructed from before) Sure it's a wonderful drift car, but daily driving, it's a bear.


Then I went and visited where I'm going to go to college; Washington State University. Subarus all over the place. I realized my car was NOT going to do well in snow, or anything but nice weather, for that matter. It's going to have to live down here in southern Arizona, and I need to look for something that will do well up there, with 4 wheel drive, decent gas mileage (compared to a 2.0 turbo at 16 pounds of boost), an automatic tranny, and will cost only a small amount more than what I want for my motorcycle- and I found the SVX on autotrader, did a bit of research on them, and found that they fit in my price range (2-3.5k) and are comfortable, fairly reliable machines that were just doomed to being released at the wrong time.

But I poked around a bit on these forums and haven't really found anything devoted to common problems with SVX's. So what are the most common problems with these cars? What breaks/goes wrong, and when? How well do they fare in adverse weather conditions? I can't really find these things on the forums, though I'm sure they're buried in there somewhere. Because If all goes well, I'm going to be buying one fairly soon, and restoring any problems, turning it into a good little daily driver.

Also, how much space is there in the back seats? In 240sx's, there is no point even trying to fit anything but groceries back there, so I just put in a harness bar/4 point racing harnesses.

What's the turning circle like?

Common problems? rust? mechanical? deterioration over time? any info would be much appreciated!

[It's Just Eric]

Heres a decent thread
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...ommon+problems
I can basicly tell you a list of like a bajillioin things to look for. Ill get started...
1- The biggest problem with theese cars is the transmission. 90% of them have / are about to explode.This can happen anywhre between 40k miles and 140k miles. Why? Well, theres a few things inolved here, but primarily its heat. the heat is caused by added driveline stress from the all wheel drive and the car's weight. If the car you purchase doesnt have one already, install a transmission cooler. Another option many go for is a transmission swap with certian year legacys. Its the 4.44 4eat, and from what I hear, they are reliable. The lower gear ratio lowers the burden of the heavy car.
2- Wheel bearings. Subaru made the rear wheel bearings kinda...bad.. If the car makes a loud howling "WooompWoompWooomp " Noise from behind you when you drive it, theese are the culprit. They are a pain in the butt to replace, you need a hydrualic press. To make matters worse, if he wheel bearings went bad, usually the next set you put in wont last as long
They also die anywhere between 40 and 140k miles, if they die at all
3- Brake rotors. Because of the weight of the car, some brake rotors tend to warp. Slotted rotors help out alot. This one doesnt seem to be that big of a deal
4- The windshield. No, theese really dont have any problems, except the fact that if one breaks, they cost two arms and half a leg to replace. If you blow your airbags and break the windshield, odds are likely the insurance will total the car

For the most part, theese cars dont rust out too bad. Theres the typical spots behind the wheel wells, but I've obly seen a few with cancer showing through. Your biggest bodywork concern will probly be little dings and dents, probly scrapes on the bumpers...typical stuff
In the snow...Theese cars do very well. The ABS system works good and all wheel drive rarely lets you down...Unless your transmission exploded, then it probly will.
One thing youll want to note when you buy an svx...There were a few years where a certian model had front wheel drive. They were the L model, between 1994-1995.
An option you may want to consider, being you seem mechanicly inclined, is to get one with a dead transmission and swap in a 4.44 auto (of a 5 speed, but you stated you wanted an automatic) When you do it, install a tranny cooler and replace the filter.
Oh..rear seating is good enough to accomodate young kids or anyone that is no taller than like...5'5 or so. Headroom is at a premium back there. But what do you care? your not a back seat driver
Other than them few things, itsa solid car that can last 200k miles easilly if properly maintained and not crashed into anything.

[Sr240sx]

Awesome, thanks.

So how much modification is required if I'm looking into a 5 speed (5 speed would actually be better, since I like having more control over the car, but since all SVX's are auto, I figured Auto would work then) or automatic Legacy tranny? And how much do they cost? So what kind of mileage should I be aiming for in one? If it's got about 180k miles, I'll be sure to look into rebuilding the head, at the very least. If I can land one fairly soon, I'll just go ahead and pull/rebuild the entire motor. any engine over 100k miles could use a huge f**king tuneup, in my opinion.

I don't need insanely reliable right out of the box, but I do need to know what problems will and won't cost me a pretty penny.

Things like wheel bearings and brake rotors and small peripherals are no problem for me, since we have a full auto shop, mandarel bend, engine jack, lift, welders, etc. and they are no problem to replace. Napa will press out and press in new wheel bearings for dirt cheap. new bearings are a wee bit pricey, but oh well, I replaced the rears on my '90 240sx, and it wasn't too awful.

Full coverage with zero deductable glass coverage is your friend, i've found (had hatch glass and two windshields replaced sofar, for free!)

Funny bit is, I didn't even think to type "common problems" in the search bar. I'm used to the 240sx forums, where anything you need to find is only accesable by strange cryptic combinations of words.

[It's Just Eric]

Lol, yeah, I was actually searching for a thread that had a very, very good list of common and uncommon problems in it. Still cant find it...Oh well
If you look around you can get a good mileage 4.44 for like... 6-800 bucks or so. Thats almost a direct swap in, you would just have to swap out the ring gears in the rear diff for it to work right.
A 5 speed install is a little bit more involved, because you have to fabricate up a pedal assembly, shift linkage, and transmission cross member.the parts for this swap run..I think about 1500, but I could be wrong. theres like a bajillion threads on transmissions, so you shouldnt have much problem finding the needed info for that.
Thats the real big money problem more or less. Just the tranny. theres a host of little nuances that might pop up, but the big money one is the trans. Unless you were planning on doing alot of modifications..then it gets costly, but luckily you already have your speed fix
You may want to check out the wanted/ for sale section every so often as well, to see what people have , or at the very least to see about what any ones youll be looking at are worth.

[Sr240sx]

Alrighty, I'm keeping my eye out everywhere for them, since they're rare as hell.

I drove to cali to pick up my '91 and '95 240's, and felt safe doing so, simply because they're rediculiously reliable hunks of metal. How safe should I feel driving to cali if I find a good looking svx? Aside from the usual noises to check for (wheel bearing noise, LSD clunk if there is an LSD, transmission slippage between gears, exhaust problems) are there any unusual noises SVX's make when stuff is bad? what are good warning signs of a dying tranny?

[ensteele]

Welcome to the site. Another place to look is in the How-To Docs. Look under SVX Information and What to look for in a Used SVX. That should give you some more info. Good luck on the search.

[spinn360]

These cars cost a pretty penny to repair, especially if you buy a car that keeps falling apart as you repair it. The front diffs blow as well as the tranny failing due to heat. The AWD stops working if a solenoid stops functioning correctly in the tranny or if the transfer clutch is shot. the car doesnt drive worth a crap in the snow if the awd isnt working. If you dont watch out the car might bite you in the ass. But then it might work great. I would suggest that if you buy a SVX buy a later 95-97 SVX a little more costly slightly harder to find, but usually less miles and fewer problems, at least from what I've read. Actually if I had the chance to do it again I wouldnt even buy an SVX. But somethings you just have to experience before you can understand.

[It's Just Eric]

Yeah, drive one home from cali. if it doesnt make it back, then return it
I drove mine home from like 40 miles north of boston. made a pit stop in rhode island before heading back to south jersey. It was about a 6 hour adventure
As far as unusual noises you may want to listen for lifter tap at idle...Thats all I can think of. Before heading out though, make sure all the tires are properly inflated to the correct psi, otherwise the car will probly have some vibrations at hiway speeds.
Also...Im only saying this because it happened to me, if the car has been sitting, you may want to repalce the battery , or have one handy, before you leave. My car's battery was weak, and it drove like butt. I took it to a gas station to fuel up and she died on me. My car didnt have a shift lock, so it was stuck in park at the gas station. Luckily there was a wal-mart near by that my friend took me to get a battery for it. Drove fince since then

[Sr240sx]

I mean driving all that way to look at one, even.

out of all the svx's, how many are usually bad? are they usually pretty good, all things aside.?

[Ron Mummert]

Originally Posted by Sr240sx

I mean driving all that way to look at one, even.

out of all the svx's, how many are usually bad? are they usually pretty good, all things aside.?

Like all vehicles of a certain age, it depends on how it was treated prior to your venture behind the wheel. An adult driven & maintained car (with records) obviously will have a better chance of survival than one owned by three high school students.
I bought a base model '93 240SX from a middle-aged collegue at work. It had 228K on it, & is still on the original engine, clutch & suspension at 252K today.
It was maintained by the book.
Good luck.

Ron.

[It's Just Eric]

All of them have their own little problesm. As to be expected with a car thats almost 15 years old. Spin has had every thing on the car break it seems. He got unlucky and bought a lemon....
The best advice is to look at service records, ect. The previous owner will have the biggest impact on weather or not the car is worth driving. If they didnt beat on it, and changed the iol / atf and simple stull like they are supposed to, then the car will likely not have many problems.
Id try shopping around on this forum board a little. Most of the guys here know what they are doing as far as keeping their cars maintained right, and they also mostly know what the car is worth. Youll likely find a good deal on one here

[svxistentialist]

Welcome to the forum.

Your 240 looks a nice car. My friend has a '97 S14. Probably a different engine to yours. Over here we get the 2 litre single turbo.

You have most of the main problems listed above from the guys, and if you look in the how-to, you will get a feel for what can go wrong.

Eric and Ron are both giving good advice. Don't buy a car that has been badly treated, or not serviced. You may know by the tatty look of it, trust your instinct. I would steer 100 miles clear of a car owned by a young guy who whinges about the cost of fixing things. They are complex cars, but actually very reliable if serviced properly.

You really want a car owned by an older person or persons that has full service record. This car was designed and marketed to compete with Mercedes and Porsche. Get on any Mercedes or Porsche forum you like, and see if they would consider buying a car without full service record.

If a car looks good, well minded and has the correct provenance in terms of history and owner profile, then you will have a real bargain if you can buy a car with a lame transmission. Forget rebuilding the engine, you don't need to. Front oil seals leaking are common, possibly caused by crankcase pressure, not replacing the egr valves. Check the belt has been replaced. The engine is non-interference, but it should have been replaced by 100k miles.

Rebuild the auto, put on an additional oil cooler [loads of info on here, and cheap to do], replace the oil yearly or whenever it gets smoky looking or smelly, and your transmission will last and last. [And yes, you might get better service from a 4.44 if you buy one, the lower ratios help a lot, and give more access to the power.]

If the steering is making funny sounds, then an O ring washer under the reservoir is usually the easy fix. Sometimes the high pressure steering hose can leak, spraying oil onto the cat and making clouds of smoke. Again, an easy fix, especially for someone mechanical like you.

Don't be afraid of buying one, or maintaining it. Just remember not to buy one off a kid who expects it to go forever once you put gas in it.

Best of luck.

Joe

[STORMINORMAN]

..still around, I can only express my agreement that the previous owner(S?) do have a lot to do with the reliability of any SVX (let's face it guys: even the '97's are going to be a decade old, soon)...

I bought mine from the dealer! Got nobody to blame but me!

Not a car for the faint of heart or the mechanically dis-inclined, unless they have deep pocket$! Yet, as far as the overall quality experience of the vehicle is concerned, assuming you believe that this is a GRAND Touring kind of car, not a drag racer, etc., you have to go to a much more expensive car (especially in 1992!) to get all or even many of the features, comfort, ability to drive quickly in all types of weather conditions that the SVX provides.

A new 2007 300 horse/300 lbs./feet twin turbo BMW 330ix Coupe, for comparison purposes, costs well over $45,000, costs a whole lot more to insure, and the maintenance/repair co$t$ on one of these out of warranty ought to make very few of them long term ownership prospects. Sure: they are faster than an SVX but look what they are going to cost! A 2007 328ix is only a couple (ok, maybe $4-5K?) grand less and has 200 lbs./feet... Wheeee!

If one is a Toyota Corolla kinda' person, the used SVX can sure seem to be a money pit in the EXTREEEEEEME.

I love mine!

Cheers!