I know a lot of people have had tranny problems with their WRX, and i was just wondering at what milage did these problems start to happen...I only have 3K on the WRX, but i would hate for my problems to start happening after the warranty expires.
Thanks,
Zoeb

15K miles on my wife's WRX. Fourth gear syncro has to be replaced along with the 3-4 shifter fork.

25,000 miles. Third gear went out on the dyno.


Then, put a 4,000 mile tranny. Blew up 1,000 miles later. 2nd gear.

- Alex

0 miles. Your lucky if you can get it home off the lot. :p

I had trouble at around 10K, but it was covered under warrenty.

??? miles. 17,000 on it now, running like a champ.















And no, I don't drive like a grandma.

/\rcanum

21,000miles stock clutch went
changed to uprated with lighter flywheel that went 18,000 miles later....changed to Exedy/STi cluthch with lightened flywheel
then tranny went at 40,000 main bearing !!!

got Al's old tranny still holding up :)

*touches head* "touch wood"

Andy...
now Weaseling for a 5mt TpeRA ver4 or 5 with 4.44 final drive

Mine started at about 300 miles. The reverse started to grind when going in. The dealer said they couldnt find a problem and that reverse is "hard to get into on these modles"

just under 4k first went kaboom.

less than 1k miles.

Even after the new clutch from cluch decel noise, there were still shifting issues:

Downshift into first at less than 5 mph or even cluch in/wait 2 secs/shift into 1/ grind....

....and 4th gear grind when at high rpm in 3rd upshifting.

All from the beginning, all never fixed. :(

42k miles and still going strong. Countless autox/rallyx/track days. Probably 20+ drag passes with some 1.8x and even a 1.79 60'.

thank you dwx, you're giving me hope. I'm about to buy a wrx in 2 weeks and this forum really scared the hell out of me because i need this car to last atleast 8 years like my honda.

i wont autox, drag, or rally but occasionally i'll have a little fun on the street if there's a hot girl racing me :) but seriously i hope my tranny will hold up.

42,000 miles and getting better

Downshift into first every time I come to a stop

20 drag passes

5 auto crosses

original clutch

34,000 miles with APS Club Spec

Shifts as smooth as butta

44,000 and essentially nothing. I did have to replace one axle seal, but that wasn't a big deal nor was it linked to driving style. No drivetrain problems otherwise, even after much off-road rallying and a couple of club rallies. Still have original clutch, etc. and have NO day to day problems. No grinding, no slipping, nothing. I'm surprised at those of you that are dragging the car continuously and not having to replace the clutch. Either you aren't getting very good 60' times or you should be on your 2nd or 3rd clutch. NO stock clutch holds up to that kind of punishment unless you take it easy....or maybe some of us just got lucky??

I've got about 1200 miles on mine now, two weeks of mostly highway driving. From day one, I thought going into first and reverse were a bit chunky. Sounds like for some people it actually improved with some miles, is that right?

Thanks guys.

Same as subynut infact the same Club spec kit, with numerous drags and about 3 autocrosses 15000km not a problem.....

knock on wood,

Dave DD

I hate wrx trannys, have 10k on mine, sometimes at a dead stop shifting forward or backwards is like hitting a brick wall I have to move side to side to get it to go into gear. Sometimes I can't go into reverse, bee like that since day one. Can't fight the dealerships so I am going to buy a six speed soon!!!

My client's WRX tranny blew apart at 3500 miles. First gear teeth missing. Subaru won't repair under warranty claiming owner abuse. He's a 54 year old ASE Certified Mechanic who knows how to take care of his car. I'm in Sacramento area and he's in San Jose. If you'd like to talk more about WRX tranny prob's let me know. We're suing Subaru via a type of class action.

anyone think they are going to recall the wrx tranny? It seems everyone I know has some kind of problem with theirs.

They redid it in '03. I have their internal memos.

only have 450 miles on my new wrx, but i'm wondering about first. it just doesn't seem to flow into the shift, even from a dead stop.

is it a 2002?

So far I have 30,000 miles on my '01 RS 5MT, and nothing but the usual shift-stubbornness, which I expect to go away with new fluid in a few weeks. Also, I had no idea how fragile the trannies were the first year I had it, and I was HARSH. I'm talkin clutch drops, redline power shiffting, the works, just like you se on TV... on the Dkes of Hazzard! Minus the jumping bit, I can't find any haybales or piles of dirt on an actual street here in Cali...

Anyways, having learned my lessons through others' misery, I treat my tranny nicely now. Much better about rev-matching than before, and no drops or power shifting. I think I have at least 20-25k left in it if there aren't already problems, and I think it's fine. I m still planning on a 6MT swap though, so I can go back to my evil ways, hehe!

Also, who cares if we can't downshift into 1st? What's the point? If you're above ~4 mph you can start safely in 2nd anyway. Plus, being more easily able to get it into 1st at higher speeds would cause a LOT more stress on the drivetrain bits from shock.

Originally posted by Jon P. Jacobs
They redid it in '03. I have their internal memos.



what does this mean?

He means that they updated the parts in the 03' trannies and he has the memos to prove it. ;)

You don't really need "internal memos" to prove that, it's readily available information that some of the clutch and transmission components were upgraded, and a limiter was put on to not allow retards to drop the clutch at greater than 3000 RPM and blow out their transmissions. That doesn't necessarily mean there was anything wrong design-wise with the 2002 transmissions, as many thousands of 2002 WRX owners can attest to. I'm still skeptical.

Originally posted by Jon P. Jacobs
is it a 2002?

2003

Originally posted by Cabal
and a limiter was put on to not allow retards to drop the clutch at greater than 3000 RPM and blow out their transmissions.

how does a limiter like that work exactly?? so now if i wanna race and do a nasty AWD launch, i can only do it 3K and below? that doesn't seem very advantageous to my racing, although much safer for the car.

I don't remember the details on how it works, there are multipled threads about it on the NASIOC forums if you want to go searching (http://www.nasioc.com). It can be removed if you really want to do a nasty AWD launch.

My tranny is just starting to die. Definately feels like the Syncros.
Can't shift into first without grinding gears.

I was wondering if anyone can give me stratagies before I go to the dealer on handling this with them. I'm afraid I'm gonna get the usual BS (driver error). Any documentation would be helpful.

Thanks.

I'll keep you guys posted.

Make sure your car shows no signs of abuse (unusual tire wear etc.). And get copies of all repair orders (ie: document everything). It's their burden to prove abuse if that is the reason they cite in not covering something under warranty.

I will definately do so. Thanks

If i keep on reading more and more about this bull **** tanny we got in our 2002. I going to just get more pissed off. It seems like almost everybody has trouble with there wrx tranny. Makes we just want to go back to a honda. I love my wrx but I don't want to spend money on fixing my tranny. Making me think about sell this car now.

Mr.Jacobs,

Is there any way you can post a link or copy of the 03 Tranny upgrades you are speakin of?

Thanks.
Shotgun

ok all of you are a little crazy. there are a ton more wrx owners out there who don't visit these forums. even the majority of the people who do visit this forum don't post about their tranny problems cause they got none. the wrx tranny is fine, perfect for a good and smart driver.

What i'm not sure on is why one needs to shift into first at 5mph... 2nd can accelerate from that speed with just a little extra gas at the beginning. That saves a bit of frustration from forcing it into first.
Also, when downshifting is no one rev-matching to compensate for a difference in rpms? I know thats how syncro's work to help mesh the gears however you reduce the risk and stress on the synchro's by rev matching.

Now, if you're launching hard then that's a whole different story. =)

24,000 mi.. no problems except a little clutch chatter on a few wet, cool mornings, but disappeared when I took more care releasing the clutch. One thing to keep in mind... it's still just an impreza.. not a WRC. Cars that are raced break, period. They break every race. They break during a race and have to be fixed, then go out and finish the race. Race cars are way more durable than $24,000K production cars. If you pound on a WRX it will break. many of the people reporting clutch problems in this thread have significant mods. If you upgrade the HP or torque.. the stock tranny's gonna go. I've heard people say "Every time I downshift into first above 10 mph it grinds"...you don't say? Why anybody's downshifting into first other than from a stop is beyond me. If you're coasting down to a stop, sure it will plunnk into first with no effort when it's ready, but is forcing into first to make that extra 1/10 second around the corner in the bruegger's parking lot really worth trashing your tranny? If you take care of your car it'll last a long time. If you think you're buying a rally car that should go off road and take a beating without breaking.. watch the next WRC race.. even those cars can't do that.. and they cost a wee bit more than $24K.

Originally posted by ocelot
24,000 mi.. no problems except a little clutch chatter on a few wet, cool mornings, but disappeared when I took more care releasing the clutch. One thing to keep in mind... it's still just an impreza.. not a WRC. Cars that are raced break, period. They break every race. They break during a race and have to be fixed, then go out and finish the race. Race cars are way more durable than $24,000K production cars. If you pound on a WRX it will break. many of the people reporting clutch problems in this thread have significant mods. If you upgrade the HP or torque.. the stock tranny's gonna go. I've heard people say "Every time I downshift into first above 10 mph it grinds"...you don't say? Why anybody's downshifting into first other than from a stop is beyond me. If you're coasting down to a stop, sure it will plunnk into first with no effort when it's ready, but is forcing into first to make that extra 1/10 second around the corner in the bruegger's parking lot really worth trashing your tranny? If you take care of your car it'll last a long time. If you think you're buying a rally car that should go off road and take a beating without breaking.. watch the next WRC race.. even those cars can't do that.. and they cost a wee bit more than $24K.

Points well taken, but how do you justify when STOCK wrx's with NO mods have to go in for service and the trannies are F'd beyond belief. I personally know of one person who traded in his WRX because of this problem: He didn't street race or race on the track and he drove it like a grandma, because he appreciated the car and didn't want anything to happen to it. But then one of his gears, most of the teeth were magically stripped and since he didn't even mod it or anything, he lost faith in Subaru. What is your opinion on that? You have to admit that these trannies aren't all their cracked up to be.

what grade of oil is everyone using ?

I think all car clunk into 1st even with rev matching

but in my mazda mx-3 I was running synthetic 75w90 gear oil and was having trouble from 2nd-3rd so I changed to atf (dealer specified) or hydralic fluid and it has been great now I don't have to let off the gas from 2nd-3rd

Ok, first off, I don't have to admit they're not all they're cracked up to be, because nobody ever cracked them up to be anything. They are just plain-jane five-speed consumer transmissions. They are probably close to thier limit paired to an engine with 217 Lb-ft of torque. So when they are pushed, they will be more prone to break.. there isn't any "overengineering" to absorb the effects of abuse. As for your friends car.. I can attest that dealerships can employ some pretty insensitive drivers, and let people test drive cars who may not have a clue. I brought my car in for an ecu re-map; while i was waiting for them to take it in for diagnosis I went out into the cold parking lot to check out the '03's. As I was out there, some lacky who thought nobody was watching proceeded to get in my car, start her up, and floor it. He wound out the engine while taking a speed bump at about 20 mph. Although It was the first time i'd heard how nice the muffler sounded outside the car, I was nevertheless not impressed with the performance. So all i can offer is that maybe with a tranny which has little tolerance for abuse, pre-ownership antics by the dealership employees or test-drivers might start a problem that gets more pronounced as it is driven thereafter. Who knows.

ocelot

I had a similar experience with valet parking. My car had about 200 miles on it and I watched the valet boy get in my car and take it to almost redline. I was not happy, explaining to the manager that it was a BRAND new car still being broken in, and proceeded to get that stupid punk fired. Ok I'm happy now that I ranted. Sorry for the off topic folks.

how much is it costing you people to fix your trannies?

Originally posted by rexorz
how much is it costing you people to fix your trannies?

if it is under warranty it should not cost you anything..

Originally posted by streko
thank you dwx, you're giving me hope. I'm about to buy a wrx in 2 weeks and this forum really scared the hell out of me because i need this car to last atleast 8 years like my honda.

i wont autox, drag, or rally but occasionally i'll have a little fun on the street if there's a hot girl racing me :) but seriously i hope my tranny will hold up.

Let me give you more hope. I have a least 150 time slips drag racing. We can race year round down here in S. Florida. I've put 15,000 miles of pure abuse into my car and it runs great. Stock tranny and clutch.

I do 5k drop clutch launches on every run and when I race on the street. Everyone says this will blow up a tranny but mine is still working perfectly.

Any tranny that can handle 150+ 5000rpm drop clutch launches is pretty good in my book. Thats with a Stage 4 WRX also.
Maybe I'm just lucky.

Originally posted by SGOSWRX
Let me give you more hope. I have a least 150 time slips drag racing. We can race year round down here in S. Florida. I've put 15,000 miles of pure abuse into my car and it runs great. Stock tranny and clutch.

I do 5k drop clutch launches on every run and when I race on the street. Everyone says this will blow up a tranny but mine is still working perfectly.

Any tranny that can handle 150+ 5000rpm drop clutch launches is pretty good in my book. Thats with a Stage 4 WRX also.
Maybe I'm just lucky.

Damn that is pretty ****ing lucky, considering all the bad stories we've been hearing of people and their trannies. I hope I can abuse my car as much as you do.

i'm at 31k and a turbo xs stage 4 setup and i haven't had any problems besides cold clutch chatter....but only 2k on the stage 4.

My 5MT tranny works fine in 1st through 4th gears, but shifting into 5th makes a crunchy noise which I assume is a synchro problem. I have less than 4k miles, and have driven the car both fast and grandma style. Why would the 5th gear decide to break while the rest of the gears take the most abuse? I always offer up a prayer when I'm shifting into 5th now, hoping I wont hear a grind. and this prayer wroks about 50% of the time even with a gentle shift.

No problems even after 7800 miles I change my gear oil to royal purple runs cooler and shirt nice and smooth and yes I do drive my hard that's what it's meant for I can't resist the temptions.

Originally posted by thebankman
My 5MT tranny works fine in 1st through 4th gears, but shifting into 5th makes a crunchy noise which I assume is a synchro problem. I have less than 4k miles, and have driven the car both fast and grandma style. Why would the 5th gear decide to break while the rest of the gears take the most abuse? I always offer up a prayer when I'm shifting into 5th now, hoping I wont hear a grind. and this prayer wroks about 50% of the time even with a gentle shift.

It's weird that 5th gear would go when it's the least used gear, save 5th.

my reverse grinds like a mo fo. The damn gear never fails at making me look like a freak n jackass. I was woundering if anyone knows what the dealer will do as far as fixing it. I havent had time to take mine in yet. (6,500mile) 2003 wrx sedan

lost 8 teeth off 2nd at 27490, denied warrenty due to bigger turbo.

car is a 2002 sedan

Originally posted by wrxnate
denied warrenty due to bigger turbo.

Why on earth would you even take your car in after that?

From the day i got my car ~ hard to shift in Reverse ~ sometime when i try to make U turn on campus i just stock on the middle and try to shift into reverse like idiot ! and sometime it make crunchy noise white i shift into 1st gear and R !!! that sux... but i still like my car !

If it won't shift into reverse, call the tranny a b@#ch, then try again. Always works for me!

ROFL...nice one SSJ.

Hey my 5th gear started the same bull. Grinds when shifting over 60mph, or if I acceleratte hard in 3rd to like 50-55mph the go to 5th. If I baby it won't though. Seems almost like if I don't push it all the way right it hits the gate ok and no grind. Can't decide if it's the syncro dying or a cracked shifter bushing allowing me to miss the gate. Either way I took it to the local dealer and they said that subaru told them don't fix it, just wait till it breaks all the way then do something. The service manager then informed me that if it showed signs of abuse when they acctually open it then they won't cover it. Here's a question for ya, if it's grinding in 5th, when it breaks how would it not look like I was being an idoit and forcing/abusing the tranny. Son't get me wrong I could baby it for the rest of it's life, but thats not wht I bought the car, especially with a waranty. A: It has a waranty Suabaru needs to come of it and fix their mistake. B: It's billed a performance Car, when I ask it to perform it should and not make and grinding noise when I do. Ok I'll get off my soap box now

Relax, there's a clutch shudder TSB now, if you still have powertrain warranty left you can get a new one. Also, check your tranny oil, it should be a little yellow dipstick on the passenger side underneath the plenum box. If it's low you'll notice it harderto shift without close revmatching.

Umm I haven't learned all the acronyms yet, What's "TSB"?

Technical Service Bulletin. When a manufacturer finds a common problem, they write it up and distribute it as a kind of memo to all the dealers so they are all on the same page about it. If your dealer tries to tell you there isn't one, give them the TSB number. If they still bluff you, call the SOA number and report it.

Approximately 12K on my '02 WRX and no problems whatsoever. From all the evidence I've read/heard/seen, the WRX tranny is basically fine. I would agree that there is probably less "safety factor" when combined with the 217 lbs-ft of torque than in other cars, so if it is subjected to extreme use, problems may arise. Everyone I know personally is problem free, but of course there would be exceptions.

Just an aside: Sometimes the scale of a "problem" can be over-estimated when one only reads about those with the problem. Most people don't make an effort to talk about things that are just OK. I used to work in a VW/Audi dealership. One day, one of the mechanics was going on about how terrible these Audis were, as he had been seeing a lot of pretty new ones for repairs. The reality was that this large dealership was selling boatloads and the mechanics only see the ones with problems (for repairs that is). You spend all day fixing nearly new Audis, you may get the feeling that Audis just are no good. In reality however, the vast majority were just fine.

I just added this because it seemed to me reading this thread that nearly everyone must be having serious tranny problems, but in reality it seems there are lots of folks doing just fine.

Just my perceptions, not necessarily any more accurate than anyone else's.

Thanks,

Allan

Originally posted by JunGdB
From the day i got my car ~ hard to shift in Reverse ~ sometime when i try to make U turn on campus i just stock on the middle and try to shift into reverse like idiot ! and sometime it make crunchy noise white i shift into 1st gear and R !!! that sux... but i still like my car !
I have had the same problem since I first got my 03 WRX. Not as bad, but it does give me trouble. Along with that problem, I am also hearing a noise when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear, only cruising at about 20 max (have to slow down for those damn speed bumps), its sort of like a loud clankking sound that occurs once the clutch is engaged. Now this doesnt happen all the time, but I would try and reproduce it right after it happens and nothing, its fine. Has anyone else heard this noise.

Thanks!!!
Peeezzout!!!!!

Is it that hard for people to learn the proper way to shift to reverse is to put on 1st gear first?

This is done purposely to avoid some inexperienced drivers to shift to reverse after the 5th gear of whenever the car is moving forward.

My impreza outback already has 100,000mi on it....and not a problem...unless i don't put on 1st before reverse.
I can tell the previous owner did not do that because once every 2 or 3 weeks I have a little problem shifting to reverse.

Aside from that..i don't think subaru would have put a tranny or clutch on a newer model that is worse than the one on a older model subaru.mainly because of the fact that both cars are inspired on the same rally car.

Originally posted by 02BlackWRX
I know a lot of people have had tranny problems with their WRX, and i was just wondering at what milage did these problems start to happen...I only have 3K on the WRX, but i would hate for my problems to start happening after the warranty expires.
Thanks,
Zoeb

42,XXX miles on my '02 WRX and no problems! (to quote another member, "furiously knocking on cheap imitation wood desk!")

Just a word from an old school dog - I've already had one tranny replaced do to a failing second gear synchro at 52k mile (still under warranty thank god) - all it did was grind from first to second shifts no matter what rpm. sube did good though and rep'd it under warranty - the dealer tried to say at first it was due to a sppedshifter however my car was bone stock, save a cone filter and 16" koenigs. and bet you can guess where this is going...this past weekend going around a corner a block from my home downshifted into 2nd at about 15mph and sounded like s socket wrench spinning free. noise was only present in second gear so i knew it was the damned synchro again. so monday i headed to the delership and got about six blocks from my home when the whole tranny seized to where all i had was first gear and neutral. nothing else. no thing is i dont race - cars never seen a race track and is bone stock cept for the above and now new iridium plugs. some subes do have bad trannies espec 2nd gear it seems you newer wrx's got it better but alot of us gc8 cars have been bitten and will still be bitten - alls i can say is take it light, buy extended warranties whenever you can and dont go heavy on the mods....
and even after all this - i stil love my ru and wont trade her for anything - the cars are great in all other areas so the tranny issues can be dealt with (albiet a very painful prob)

and has anyone seen a tsb for the older models - any ammo in this second battle would help ...

The TSB apparently applies to all Subarus still under warranty for powertrain.

This has nothing to do with you guys and girls, but I've seen people buy brand new Ferrari's and at 1000 mniles they blew up the tranny because they did not know what they were doing. I think the same would go with WRX's. I drove with my friend in his WRX, and when he hit every gear it gave a little grind, because he was shifting to fast and not having the entire clutch to the floor yet. at 3000 the clutch went, then 2nd gear. Just something to think about. Again Im not saying you guys can't drive but its something to think about.

The guys with the clutch going early. Did you have to pay for the new clutch and labor because its a wear item, or because it went unusually early did Subaru cover it?

Im at 7000 miles and going stong.

Don't want to sound like an idiot but what the heck is TSB??
Oh, and i took my car out yesterday for a quick boot around the block and when i shifted into second gear and third gear i could hear a creaking noise, then after the car warmed up it kind of went away. It's been parked in the garage all winter accept for the accasional boot around the block and a 2 hr drive to get my suspension put in last week.....Could that creaking be dry bushings or linkage??? I'm going to call the dealership today and see what they think.... nver had this happen before and i baby the tranny just like i did in my GC8, oh well it still shifts fine....I'll see what the dealership says..

Dave..........................

TSB=Technical Service Bulletin. It's a memo that the manufacturer circulates to all dealer service departments about things that commonly come up under warranty claims and such.

ok exl - you make a good point about peeps not knowing how to drive manuals..however inmy case this is my 3rd car and all have been manuals. the first a honda lasted 160k and the decond a mazda went for 140k. then mazda got a new clutch at 96k, but neither ever had trans probs. unfortunately it is an ongoing prob wuth subes but atleast they are addressing it now, espec with the coming evo and mp6. in any event like i said the cars are good and will last long - if this possibilty can be dealt with.

good point

Ahhh....so glad i got myself a impreza outback sport wagon..no trans. problems, its a second hand car, and at 100K mi....

You know whats funny? with a turbo i have more power than a WRX, its cheaper, cheaper maintenance, cheaper insurance(mainly for a 20yr old), and it looks much better than those horrible round head lights the wrx has...looks like a neon(aside from everything else of course).

Whats better? It still has the AWD system, and as people say..."they don't make cars like they used to"..but then again..it could be because i learned to drive in a manual trans, and its natural for me....

12,500 miles! I started having the Clutch Shudder problem when the car is cold. Had to schedule an appt. to get it replaced - 3 weeks away - but only want to use a REALLY GOOD dealer. Using Metric on Long Island in NY.

jcsjcs

I'm experiencing a little grind going into 5th gear.
Upon further inspection it's can either be the clutch
(it's very tight/hard) or the 2 mats getting stuck under
my clutch so it doesn't engage all the way. Hopefully
it's the mat! hehe...other than that, no problems at
all.

i have 20k miles on mien and no prob yet but i am looking to get a dog gear bow from mrt. i am also looking to get the new sti 6 speed but we will se what i can aford!!!!!!!!!!1

Originally posted by luis_tux
Ahhh....so glad i got myself a impreza outback sport wagon..no trans. problems, its a second hand car, and at 100K mi....

You know whats funny? with a turbo i have more power than a WRX, its cheaper, cheaper maintenance, cheaper insurance(mainly for a 20yr old), and it looks much better than those horrible round head lights the wrx has...looks like a neon(aside from everything else of course).

Whats better? It still has the AWD system, and as people say..."they don't make cars like they used to"..but then again..it could be because i learned to drive in a manual trans, and its natural for me....

WOW! You're such a great driver to be bragging about this on this forum! Because EVERYONE is a lame driver compared to you and that's what's wrong with the tranny! We should all listen to the guy who has an Outback about our Impreza's. It's true, It's true the Outback is a better car than the impreza...Lemme guess, did you're daddy invent blue jeans and the internet too?

BTW if you haven't figured it out, I was being sarcastic. But really, don't come in here w/a completely different topic.

hey now - lets not slam him to hard darren - he me honestly not know that (at least for my year 98) there where only two trans used in imprezas and impreza based models like the outback sport. he may not know that there are no real mechanical differences between the two. but i digress a bit
luis if you have a turbo running through your stock box be prepared because the older boxes we have can hardly hold the stock power much less boosted power. i hope you dont ever have to experience what i am right now. :)

Originally posted by luis_tux
Is it that hard for people to learn the proper way to shift to reverse is to put on 1st gear first?

This works for me: Put it in neutral and let the clutch out. Then shift into reverse.

"gesis"...I can't post a little joke and people already start flaming like that?

I know they have the same transmittion, or to be honest, i thought they had...wich is the reason i posted here....basically to say "I am a f***ing lucky bastard", because i never had any problems with mine.(apparently the little "tease" worked too well).

Aside from that, thanks for the advice on the turbo...i might wanna leave the way it is or put a WRX engine on i, and keep my trans. (OK, this was just for fun OK? No need for flamming)

But in regards to the grining when trying to put on reverse, I just started doing like i posted, put on 1st gear, and then put on reverse, i NEVER had any problem with it afterwards, and no it was not my dad who told me that, it was a mechanic(Transmittion mechanic).

Sorry for making you pissed dude, I'm just glad it was not in person...'cause some bullets would probably fly....:D

I've read the responses to this topic with much interest, as I am a current 1997 Legacy 2.2 owner and my WRX is just weeks away.

It sounds like we have two problems here. One is bad manufacturing tolerances/materials and the other is questionable driving.

Some Porsche 968s have a factory bugaboo with the transaxle ring and pinion. The subcontractor that manufactured them put some of them together with an incorrect pre-load setting. They fry at various unpredictable mileages. PCNA has been in some cases hush-hush/lets fix it, and in other cases f-u, not our problem. Sounds to me like something like that may be at work here.

If it were simple abuse, we'd see less stories of grenading trannies than we do here. That being said, I can't tell you how many times I've ridden with people that proportedly "knew how to drive" and were completely hopeless ham-fisted hackers. No question that is the case in some of the bad tranny instances were hearing here .

I have a 1997 2.2 Legacy 5 speed with 143K, my first pedestrian car after nearly 20 years of various tire smokers. The 3rd gear synchro in this car more or less evaporated almost 50K miles ago, and the 4th gear synchro maybe 25, 30K ago. Tranny still going strong. I never, NEVER just graunch that shift lever in there, I ALWAYS double clutch on downshifts into those gears and sometimes on upshifts.

Its something I learned to make transmissions live while driving a 300hp + 4 spd. 1967 Camaro. If you force the issue, you'll get bit. Take care, and you're okay. Like Stirling Moss used to say about the various sports cars he used to drive, shift the car like it has an egg for a shift knob.

For further information, I have throttle matched probably every downshift I've ever made in any car for since I've had my driver's license, 19 years. My pop was an ex-hill climber that taught me the art of smooth speed/care for the equipment. Alain Prost vs. Nigel Mansell (or Gerhard Berger) so to speak.

I've lost two transmissions in 19 years of car ownership. One was bad output shaft bearings at 105K in a 1979 280ZX (moderately modified), and the other was a range of dealer f-ups on a 1988 Integra.

In this thread we have stories ranging from granny-drivers who have trannys explode at low mileage, and draggers who have totally blasted their drivetrains with no issues whatsoever.

I can only conclude that its largely manufacturing defect (apparently addressed in the 2003s), and a measurable proportion of cases where the drivers think they know what they are doing, but clearly don't.

I'll post pictures of my new WRX when I get it.

$.02

Originally posted by The Mirror
I can only conclude that its largely manufacturing defect (apparently addressed in the 2003s), and a measurable proportion of cases where the drivers think they know what they are doing, but clearly don't.

I'll post pictures of my new WRX when I get it.

$.02

I'm of a mind that it kinda takes a little of both- most of the 'defects' only cause problems when you aren't careful. There are a few bad ones, and there are some perfect ones that were destroyed. You're pretty much right.

And don't be shy with those pics in the gallery! Post here to let us know they are up.:)

"I can only conclude that its largely manufacturing defect (apparently addressed in the 2003s)"

Well, I just got a 2003 Outback Sport, and when I was gonna take it out of the lot, the reverse was alittle hard to get into, I thought it was OK, since some cars are like that and its normal. well, i STILL have the grining when i put on reverse, EVEN if i do like I was used to on my '97(put on 1st before the reverse), and sometimes I can't get it on reverse at all!!!!

I'm taking to the dealership in 1-2 weeks for the 3200mi inspection and I'll see if can get the issue resolved. So apparently the issue was NOT resolved on the 2003 models.

well new transmission in mine..1500 miles and I'm having the same problem with reverse! I try to do a three point turn in an intersection and I am f*ckin around 4 or 5 trys to get it into reverse. I try putting it in 2nd then reverse (which usually works the best when this happens) but lately it doesnt want to go in at all (without excessive(in my opinion) force)

Wierd problems. There are so many different symptoms here, what are the root causes? Case flex that shreds gears sounds plausable, but it doesn't sound like a cause for difficulties of getting into reverse when stationary. That sounds more like mis-adjusted clutches or under-performing shift linkages. I know after the hack-job a certain northern California dealer did on my clutch, the 3rd and 4th gear crunching is worse.

So lets see......
Difficulty getting into reverse,
Crunching gears,
Grenading gears and siezed gearboxes.

At a glance, these problems would appear unrelated. Geez, what a mess!

.

Originally posted by YouAreABus
This works for me: Put it in neutral and let the clutch out. Then shift into reverse.

Me too, every time. On a great variety of gearboxes from all over the globe.

Originally posted by luis_tux
"I can only conclude that its largely manufacturing defect (apparently addressed in the 2003s)"

Well, I just got a 2003 Outback Sport, and when I was gonna take it out of the lot, the reverse was alittle hard to get into, I thought it was OK, since some cars are like that and its normal. well, i STILL have the grining when i put on reverse, EVEN if i do like I was used to on my '97(put on 1st before the reverse), and sometimes I can't get it on reverse at all!!!!

I'm taking to the dealership in 1-2 weeks for the 3200mi inspection and I'll see if can get the issue resolved. So apparently the issue was NOT resolved on the 2003 models.

Reverse grinding actually is normal- it's a straight cut gear with no synchro. Don't sweat it. Worry when other gears do like reverse does sometimes.

OK. Here's the deal, I WILL NOT USE A AUTOMATIC TRANSMITION EVER IN ANY OF MY CARS.

I've seen a lot of ppl, that think on the same(almost)) way i do, and they were forced to get a automatic tranny on their cars, so they would not have to deal with it. I think this is ridciculous. is pathetic even.

I've heard subaru japan(I think) has some 6sp trannys on their suby's that are much stronger, and durable. WHY IN HELL DON"T THEY PUT THOSE IN THE US?!??!!?!?

And it seems to me this is a known issue, from what I've been reading here lately and by word of mouth. I think we should(honestly) get some lawyers and get subaru to fix this problem. And yes, it is probably the clutch that is f*cked up, because the warranty will not cover it, in any way, shape or form....interesting.

Next car I get, will either be another model of subaru, or another brand, I love subaru's and they're perfect(almost) for what i do, but god forbid if they don't fix this issue...

Those new mitsubishi lancer look preety nice, mmmm...nah...i need some more space...well...there's a mazda that looks VERY similar to the impreza wagon I've got....hey anyone up for a 2003 outback sport?

Originally posted by luis_tux
I've heard subaru japan(I think) has some 6sp trannys on their suby's that are much stronger, and durable. WHY IN HELL DON"T THEY PUT THOSE IN THE US?!??!!?!?

Because they are very expensive.

Subaru WRX in Japan does have a 6 speed, and as far as I have heard they do not have as many problems with it.

OK. They're expensive...how expensive?
I mean, I really do not mind paying a few extra bucks to get a DECENT car. I know subaru keeps their cars cheap, but to the point of hurting quality is a bit too far....

I'm now afraid of even mentioning the problems I have in fear that after the dealership does any service on the car, they make it worse!

I was wondering....do other models have a different tranny? Like the baja has(seems to me, since i have not done much research on it) the same engine as the impreza 2.5TS, does it also has the same tranny? If not...is it a BETTER tranny?

Aside from that...anyone could recommend some nice magazines about subarus? Mainly with parts, and tips on tunning a suby?

Originally posted by luis_tux
OK. They're expensive...how expensive?
I mean, I really do not mind paying a few extra bucks to get a DECENT car. I know subaru keeps their cars cheap, but to the point of hurting quality is a bit too far....

I'm now afraid of even mentioning the problems I have in fear that after the dealership does any service on the car, they make it worse!

I was wondering....do other models have a different tranny? Like the baja has(seems to me, since i have not done much research on it) the same engine as the impreza 2.5TS, does it also has the same tranny? If not...is it a BETTER tranny?

Aside from that...anyone could recommend some nice magazines about subarus? Mainly with parts, and tips on tunning a suby?

AFAIK there is only one 5 speed transmission in USDM Subarus, just with different ratios. This is why the majority of transmission complaints come from WRX owners(most of those with mods)- it's fine for an EJ25 powered vehicle, even heavy ones. The 6MT is probably around $2-3000 more than the 5Mt due to extra engineering, and much smaller production runs. This is list pricing, the actual production cost would be a little less, but it's still significant.

So maybe, I should ask subaru to replace mine with a tranny for a bigger car....maybe a legacy or a baja. in case mine goes bye bye...

But I'm still disapointed, and am VERY close to ***** at them to give my money back(yeah....right).