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  #1  
Old 07-22-2004, 11:14 PM
nismo887
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transmission question

i know that the SVX tranny's have problems with dieing, due to wear, caused by heat, etc. and i was just wondering if accelerating fast (stomping the gas) can accelerate the wear or somehow cause faster wear on the tranny, making it not last as long.
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  #2  
Old 07-22-2004, 11:20 PM
Beldin
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Re: transmission question

Quote:
Originally posted by nismo887
i know that the SVX tranny's have problems with dieing, due to wear, caused by heat, etc. and i was just wondering if accelerating fast (stomping the gas) can accelerate the wear or somehow cause faster wear on the tranny, making it not last as long.
I am not an SVX owner but from what I understand it is the heat. The stock filter tends to get clogged easily and then causes the tranny to overheat. The best way to fix this is to install a aftermarket tranny cooler.

But I am sure someone will come along soon that knows a lot more about it.
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Old 07-22-2004, 11:47 PM
SEA Sleeper
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Lightbulb To my knowledge....

I think the answer to your question lies in what happens when the SVX is driven in "D" around town and at sub-freeway speeds.

The weakest point on the beautiful SVX is it's transmission. This is due to poor ATF flow in the very complicated 4spd automatic transaxle.

One way to prolong the life of your transmission is to drive the car in the "3" position when driving under 60mph. The very tall 4th gear is really only designed for use on the freeway and cruising w/ fuel efficiency. By driving in "D", the transmission is forced to downshift into 3rd or even 2nd gear quite often, this combined with the unfortunate fact that the transmission has flow problems causes excessive heat and wear. Driving in "3" will put a dent in overall gas mileage but your car will love you for it. This constant "kick-down" out of 4th gear generates heat, wich eventually could lead to the death of a very technologically advanced transaxle.

I would also advise any SVX owner NOT to have a transmission flush done on a higher mileage transmission. I had one done on my '92 original tranny w/ hopes that this would prolong the life of it. Shockingly, it did the exact opposite. Less than 5 weeks after the transmission was flushed 3rd and 4th gear were totally lost. To this day I am skeptical on whether or not the person who performed this service filled the fluid back up all the way. The technician I took the transmission to told me that my transmission failed due to lack of fluid. On the other hand I also wonder if the flush had just disturbed enough sediment and gound metal shavings to form a clog and starve the rear portion of the tranny w/ fluid. Either way, I don't think I'll ever let anyone talk me into doing anything to my car w/o asking about it on this forum first.

My Subie has been in the shop now for 1 week and I should have her back this Wednesday . I am having an external B&M transmission filter installed in place of the one installed as an attempt to prolong the life of the transmission by the dealerships. I would just replace the canister filter but Subaru decided to discontinue it. I am also currently shoping for tranny-coolers and aluminum pans.

Good luck out there!

Last edited by SEA Sleeper; 07-22-2004 at 11:51 PM.
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  #4  
Old 07-22-2004, 11:54 PM
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What gear you drive in is largely inconsequential to prolonging the life of your transmission, and limiting the available gears may in fact shorten it. It's the third gear that typically dies first, simply because of slippage - probably exacerbated by heat. If you still have your foot hard on the throttle during that third gear shift, you are giving that gear an extra-hard workout. I generally ease up just before that shift, (as I'm usually already going pretty fast by that point and it frequently just goes straight to fourth.)
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  #5  
Old 07-23-2004, 05:57 AM
dcarrb dcarrb is offline
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Re: To my knowledge....

Quote:
Originally posted by SEA Sleeper
I would just replace the canister filter but Subaru decided to discontinue it.
Get the Legacy filter kit; the canister is the same.


dcb
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  #6  
Old 07-23-2004, 07:12 AM
red95svx
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Re: transmission question

Quote:
Originally posted by nismo887
i know that the SVX tranny's have problems with dieing, due to wear, caused by heat, etc. and i was just wondering if accelerating fast (stomping the gas) can accelerate the wear or somehow cause faster wear on the tranny, making it not last as long.



You must be new to the wonderful world of car ownership. Accelerating quickly will cause premature wear on A LOT of things on any car.




Dave
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  #7  
Old 07-23-2004, 08:35 AM
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Quote:
Originally posted by UberRoo
What gear you drive in is largely inconsequential to prolonging the life of your transmission, and limiting the available gears may in fact shorten it. It's the third gear that typically dies first, simply because of slippage - probably exacerbated by heat. If you still have your foot hard on the throttle during that third gear shift, you are giving that gear an extra-hard workout. I generally ease up just before that shift, (as I'm usually already going pretty fast by that point and it frequently just goes straight to fourth.)
I always drive in "3" and then when the car goes over 50 MPH or so il will shift up to D. I was told to do this by a number of people on the network because they say it will reduce heat. They all told me the higher the gear the higher the heat. And that its alot more easy going on the car. So i only use "D" when im on the highway or traveling on a long straight road where im going above 55 MPH. I also cant stand that damn torque converter lock up.
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  #8  
Old 07-23-2004, 09:25 AM
red95svx
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My 94 had 140,000 miles of driving in D before the tranny died. My 95 has 146,000 miles of driving in D and the tranny works just fine. I'm not so sure 3rd is really any better than D, with the exception of having more power on tap with the lower gear. Maybe driving in 3rd would help the 92's with original tranny's, but I'm just not convinced it helps the newer models that much. I mean, with the higher RPM's aren't you just putting more wear on the engine?





Dave
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  #9  
Old 07-23-2004, 09:33 AM
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Stomping on the gas will cause the TC to generate more heat. The hotter the ATF gets, the more quickly it breaks down and looses its ability to properly lubricate the gearbox. Also, shifting under heavy load accelerates wear of the gear clutches. So, yes, stomping on the gas can shorten the life of the tranny.

The temperature problem can be mitigated by adding an external ATF cooler. It would also be a good idea to add an external ATF filter before the radiator cooler. With your '92, it would also be a good idea to backflush the radiator cooler before installing these items because there is a screen in the radiator cooler that gets clogged over time, restricting ATF flow.

Not much can be done about the accelerated wear of the clutches except to make sure that the ATF fluid is always in good condition. Also, avoid using limited slip additives if possible. This stuff reduces friction on the clutch plates, allowing clutch slip to occur more easily.
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Old 07-23-2004, 12:23 PM
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by red95svx
[B]My 94 had 140,000 miles of driving in D before the tranny died. My 95 has 146,000 miles of driving in D and the tranny works just fine. I'm not so sure 3rd is really any better than D, with the exception of having more power on tap with the lower gear. Maybe driving in 3rd would help the 92's with original tranny's, but I'm just not convinced it helps the newer models that much. I mean, with the higher RPM's aren't you just putting more wear on the engine?

Yeah thats what i was afraid of. Putting more wear on the engine because of the higher RPM's. It never goes above 3 in my car tho...as soon as it hits 3 i shift up to D. My car is a 93 so i dunno if it helps or not. Its the original tranny too. I dont know if i should still drive in 3 or keep it in D. You guys always confuse me
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  #11  
Old 07-23-2004, 12:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by mbtoloczko
With your '92, it would also be a good idea to backflush the radiator cooler before installing these items because there is a screen in the radiator cooler that gets clogged over time, restricting ATF flow.
Was this internal screen removed from later radiators?


dcb
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  #12  
Old 07-23-2004, 12:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by dcarrb


Was this internal screen removed from later radiators?
dcb
Yes, I believe it was removed starting on the MY94 cars.
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  #13  
Old 07-23-2004, 12:53 PM
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Correct, any replacement radiator from Subaru will not have the screen regardless of model year.
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  #14  
Old 07-23-2004, 01:21 PM
dcarrb dcarrb is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by mbtoloczko
Yes, I believe it was removed starting on the MY94 cars.
Quote:
Originally posted by Earthworm
Correct, any replacement radiator from Subaru will not have the screen regardless of model year.
Thanks. Good to know my car's state of the art in that department.


dcb
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  #15  
Old 07-23-2004, 04:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally posted by soobiesvx93 [snip]I was told to do this by a number of people on the network because they say it will reduce heat. They all told me the higher the gear the higher the heat. And that its alot more easy going on the car.[/snip]
Then I disagree with a number of people on the network regarding this issue. The faster the parts are moving, the more heat they will generate, but also the faster the water pump and ATF pump are working so the better they are able to keep things cool. The net gain is roughly zero. However, there is some difference. By far the largest inefficiency in a car is waste heat. For any given amount of fuel, a certain percentage (about %25) will become useful energy for moving the car. The rest (about %75) will become heat. The more miles per gallon you get, the greater the percentage of energy being used to propel the car instead of being converted to waste heat. You get better mileage in higher gears, thus there is less heat.

Quote:
[snip]I also cant stand that damn torque converter lock up.[/snip]
That's too bad, because one of the largest heat generators in the transmission is the torque converter. By allowing it to lock up, you are eliminating the most inefficient component in the drivetrain.

Also, leaving the car in 3rd still allows the car to make that third gear shift, which is the problematic one anyway. What's the point?
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