i used this cocktail to solve my inconsistent 4th gear grinds.

1qt Redline lightweight shockproof
1qt Penzoil Synchromesh
2qt Valvoline GL-5 75W90

i put the cocktail mix in at 57k and i have 69k on my car now. haven't grinded 4th gear since the new mix went in

 

I switched to synthetic at 30k, and experienced the 1st gear grinds. Sometimes I would be stopped in neutral, and gently try to put it in first and it would grind. I had to start shifting to 2nd before I put it in 1st.

I'm at 35k now, and things have gotten much better. One more grind though, and I'm switching back to dino.

 

call up LIC Motorsports, tell them you'd like to get a Swepco service done on your tranny and diff.

There is nothing else in the world that will be better for you tranny than swepco.

-Gagan

 

first of all, thanks thanks and more thanks to all the guys who have contributed info to help me with my problem.

bassplayer - sorry to hear about what happened, but i guess i'll save my 1k "deposit" and just bear with the grind. i love my suby though, so i dont think i could sell it. =/ nor could i afford to sell it and get a new car. but thanks anyways for sharing your input.

johsti - thats the same exact problem i have right now. but im at 37k, and running dino.

joltdudeuc - how much does swepco cost and what exactly is it? forgive me for being a noob and not knowing much about this stuff.

regarding the dino/synth cocktail, i've read plenty of posts about how it cures 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gear grinds, but would the same cocktail cure my 1st gear grind?

 

Swepco is a synthetic lube for tranny's, it's blue, 80w, and made my 150k tranny that grinded 1/3/4/5 stop grinding.

-Gagan

 

Think about it. If you never had the grind before when the transmission was running the stock Subaru fluid, and then had the grind only after the fluid was replaced with non Subaru fluid, it makes sense to expect that the grind would go away if you revert back to the stock Subaru fluid. It's the simplest solution, doesn't invovle any fancy concoctions or whatever, and is the best overall solution for you since your car is basically stock anyhow.

 

yeah but you know i found out? you cant buy stock suby tranny fluid from the dealer. i called to buy a few quarts from them, and they said they dont sell it by the quart. and that i could just go get some 80w90, and its the same. so thats what i did. i hate dealerships.

 

My mechanic said I could switch back to dino, but I'd still have the same problem. He said that when the tranny fluid is drained, all the particles that have since filled in the cogs in the synchros/gears get flushed out. After some time, things should get better. I've already noticed a huge improvement after 5k miles. The grinding doesn't happen like it used to. In fact I haven't noticed it at all lately. I can't explain this very well, but it made sense to me.

 

from your description, it sounds like a 1st syncro issue. when i spoke with SOA awhile back, syncros were not covered under the drivetrain warranty. goodluck if you choose to invoke the drivetrain warranty.

also, i'm not a fan of synchromesh...never had any luck with it. i tried it on two of my cars and went back to OE fluid or synthetic MTF.

 

OK, don't be offended, but my guess is you are sitting at a light, and as soon as it turns green, you stomp on the clutch and try and jam it into first gear as fast as possible.

Instead of doing that, push the clutch in, then wait a FULL second or two BEFORE putting it into 1st gear. Let us know if that makes a difference.

 

no worries impretzle. im not offended. sometimes, yes, when im at a light, it catches me off guard, and i need to get going, and it happens. but honestly. sometimes, i'll clutch it for a good second or two, and slowly move into first, and it will grind as well. i wish it was only when i rushed it, because then i would have hte problem solved.

 

As I said in post #9, GO to the dealer and have them change it (NOT, buy stock fluid and change it yourself). That way, you can blame the problem on the dealership if it doesn't go away after the fluid change.