gonna pick it up tonight, any advice?

Maroon '92 with 120k, had a mechanic look at it, both rear bearings have been replaced, the exterior and interior are in great shape, electrical is good, no major leaks, breaks are good, tires good, my main concern is the tranny, it feels decent but seems to slip a bit between 1st and 2nd, just a little, and it binds just a little when you are doing a u turn, how long can i rely on it and what would it cost to replace it once it goes, is it true svx motors are built to be good to 300k? please give this newbie some wisdom!!!! The lifts for the hood and trunk are worn out as well, are there any places around Denver I can get replacements for a good price?

[Landshark]

you can get replacement hood shocks at Pep Boys or other large auto part chains. i was told of a way to extend the life of dead hood shocks, but it doesn't really seem worth the effort, considering they're not that expensive.......but here it is:

remove them from the car and bend the shaft part slightly by tapping it with a mallet. with the slight bend, they will hold the hood up when they're extended. if you bend them TOO much, you won't be able to get you hood down, though.

[Uncamitzi]

Don't worry about the hood struts..(or pull a rufus for that matter....heheheheheheeh he said pull a rufus....)
With the tranny slip you mentioned.. I would advise saving your money for the tranny rebuild that will rear it's ugly head...

While the slip could be something else, with the miles on the car and the slip...... prepare for what I consider the inevitable.


of course I could be wrong......I hope.......

I think the average price that I've seen is about 3000.00 us dollars

[oab_au]

Originally posted by 4wordSOUL
Maroon '92 with 120k, had a mechanic look at it, both rear bearings have been replaced, the exterior and interior are in great shape, electrical is good, no major leaks, breaks are good, tires good, my main concern is the tranny, it feels decent but seems to slip a bit between 1st and 2nd, just a little, and it binds just a little when you are doing a u turn, how long can i rely on it and what would it cost to replace it once it goes, is it true svx motors are built to be good to 300k? please give this newbie some wisdom!!!! The lifts for the hood and trunk are worn out as well, are there any places around Denver I can get replacements for a good price?

As far as the transmission goes, you have two choices. One ignore it till it burns up, or two. Get the band adjusted to stop the slip on the 1st to 2rd shift. And get the transfer valve fixed.

If the band keeps sliping it will lose 2nd and 4th. If the binding is allowed to continue it will burn up the transfer clutch, to lose the rear wheel drive.

Both jobs can be done without pulling the box out. If you get it fixed now it will last another 120k.

Harvey.

[Mr. Pockets]

First of all, congrats on your SVX. I remember how excited I was when I bought mine. I still get excited every time I visit the car.

As for the engine lasting 300k, we don't have any members here with that many miles, but I wouldn't be surprised if they could last that long. With the prescribed maintenance, these are nearly bulletproof engines. Small things need replacement like seals and sensors, but engines flat out failing are a rarity around here.

As was already suggested, have a Subaru dealer try adjusting the brake band on the transmission. I tightened mine on my own. It was a severe pain in the ass, but some of the 1-2 slipping went away. Some of it. Shortly thereafter, though, my low clutch gave out entirely.

The binding you mention is due to improper operation of the transfer clutch, which divides torque between the front and rear wheels. This can be an electrical problem, a hydraulic one, or a bad transfer clutch itself.

Apparently there are situations where a properly operating transfer clutch can bind. There's a process of driving slowly in tight figure-eights or circles that supposedly makes the problem go away, but I can't remember anything more about it. I'll check my factory service manuals tonight.

[Tim]

Whats it feel like when the gear slips?

Does it feel like your car has a clutch and it feels like a clutch is being pushed when it changes gear?

Originally posted by 4wordSOUL
my main concern is the tranny, it feels decent but seems to slip a bit between 1st and 2nd, just a little, and it binds just a little when you are doing a u turn, how long can i rely on it and what would it cost to replace it once it goes, is it true svx motors are built to be good to 300k? please give this newbie some wisdom!!!!

I have a '92' as well. I 've had it for about a year. When I first got it I kind of over-anylized the transmission. I though it was on
the way out. Mine has a slight hesitation between 2nd and 3rd and my transfer clutches were also binding, if i did a figure 8.

I brought it to dealer (Kinney Subaru, Rutland, VT) and they said, "Oh yay, you need a new transmission". The SVX also needed an (power) antenna mast. They said "Ohh no, you need the complete unit, motor and all. I was like that is rediculous!! .................... ..........so I left.

Luckily, I had the sense to get a second opinion. I went to a different dealer. They said the transmission was fine. It was as good as any svx transmission they had seen. I got a transmission fluid flush/change and the car has been fine. The transfer clutches don't bind any more either.

It has been the same, and hasn't got any worse over the last year and 10,000 miles. I have my finger crossed

And as far as the power antenna goes and didn't even need the mast. I local stereo shop repaired the existing one!


Tapper