Most of you probably know of my mechanical difficulties. Right now, I'm away at school for another week, so since there's nothing I can do to fix or what, all that I can do is think about it and maybe devise a plan.

Generic plans so far (pros and cons discussed below) are 1) Find a reputable shop that could do this for me or, 2) Research, buy the parts myself, and then repair it myself.

Reverse: I have a Japanese version 7 STi 6 speed transmission, which recently had the reverse lockout and the reverse fail on it. I took it to the dealership and the both fixed the lockout, but told me that they weren't 'trained by SOA', so they couldn't break it open and fix the reverse gear itself. They also told me that reverse was failing somehow due to the lockout, which leads me to believe that it's a mechanical failure. I believe that the reverse cog is still good to hook.

My assessment is that it can't be fixed without pulling out the transmission, and that it is most likely the syncro.

Engine: I won't go into too much detail about what's going on right now, because I imagine I've already bored you enough, and before I decide if it's engine failure or not, I want to give it a compression check myself.

The reason I'm asking about this is that I've decided that the direction I want to go is to buy some CP pistons and some chromoly or stainless rings. Regardless of whether my engine is broken or not, it's plain to me that I am very near to the power that the block and internals are capable of. Also, I'm almost convinced that the STi control rods are more than adequate, so right now, I'm of the mind to leave those alone.

Do I, 1) do it myself or, 2) take it to the same shop as the one I take the transmission to (I'm corresponding with one that a MWIC friend highly recommended.) or 3) take it to the local subaru dealership.

Pros and cons are pretty much the same for both dilemmas.
Pros:
Do it myself: save money. Best way to learn. Will see state of engine and transmission with my own eyes.
Take it to shop: I won't screw it up and the shop should have some form of warranty. The shop probably would be someone good to know, regardless. Every contact is one that could potentially reap uninteded benefits (read: like Farid is)
Take to Subaru for engine: Pretty much the same as pros as taking to the shop except for being a good contact. Unlike Shumann, this dealership is not 'pro-Subaru enthusiast.'

Cons:
Do it myself: I could obviously screw things up very badly. I've never torn apart a trans or dropped in pistons. (I did tear my 5mt up in order to see what it looked like after I destroyed it, but it's still in pieces in my shed. I didn't pay too much attention to how things should go back together.)
Take it to shop: (pretty much the same for taking it to Subaru)COST. Also, they could turn out to be not-very-capable. Also, a small fear I have of taking any work to someone is that they create 'ghost' problems that I have no way of verifying since I didn't take it apart.

Another con is that it's not possible for me to be without the car for very long. I do have my wife's car, but she gets less happy the longer she's without. Bottom line, if I do it, there's obviously some great potential that I'm looking at a disassembled car in my garage for months. If I have someone do it, I should get it back within a specified amount of time.

Thanks

 

 

You're so funny.

 

hahaha nah i'm just playin with you pat, but how did the reverse lock out?? theres something up with you and the reverse gear i swear!!

 

well Pat... If you do do it yourself did you meet some people or know some people where you are that can help you? If so what do you suppose the projected time for this will be?

Due to the fact that you've never done a piston install or transmission tear down you should be ready for many different problems that could happen along the way. As you know the typical "i-club install day" can go either way (good or bad) so prepare if you are planning to do it yourself.

I say that by the shop saying that they are not "Trained by SOA" that is why they couldn't open your tranny is full of **** since a lot of times you are not trained on the different types of jobs that come up at the dealership... Sounds to me like they just didn't want to do it! If the shop were to take the initiative to investiage and research the transmission before they told you they couldn't do it I'm more than sure that the person(s) that they have there that work on Subaru transmissions could/would be able to figure it out without any problems (seeing as how most subaru transmssions are all the same).

well Just wanted to add my two cents on this matter but I'm sure that either doing it yourself (learning experience) or bringing it to a certified transmission specialist shop would be ok too.

Jon

 

Well I know both of the Subaru dealerships back home Pat, and they are crap. I bought my WRX in ST Louis, and they seemed to be much better. I would take it the the guys that MWIC recommended, or try to do it yourself. The thing is most likely your car will be down for a long time either way. I'll offer any help I can when I get home, and let me call my mom to see if she still has an extra car laying around. It would be a beeter, but it would work. I'm possible comming home in December depending on how things go here, so if I can help I will. I'll also talk to my dad, who was a mechanic for several years and see if he has done a tranny rebuild. He may be interested in helping, so I'll PM you tomorrow when I know more.

 

The one thing that I don't want to get caught up on is the thought that only Subaru-smart mechanics would be able to do the job sufficiently. The other thing is that while I didn't pay strict attention, I did take my 5mt apart; I'm certain that if I were very careful and paid strict attention to how it came apart, I'd be able to get it back together properly. I'd just need to make sure I use the proper sealant to 'glue' both halves back together. Getting the center differential off is a real beoyotch, though.

Andrew, the 6 speed has a lever on the shifter that has to be pulled up on in order to access 6th gear. Mechanically, it locked in the 'open' position which is somehow what caused the reverse to not be fully engaged.

Thanks for the responses.

 

Wow, Nate. I didn't see your post until now. Thanks a bunch.

 

Pat, I talked to my dad and I got some good ideas. I'm going to PM you my phone number, so give me a call. Call whenever is good for you.

 

Pat, Axis Power Racing is in St Louis. Very smart engine people. Since your car is not going to be FMC for quite awhile, I would contemplate bringing it to them. However, you and I are at almost the same stage of "stuff to do to the car". The only difference is that I have my RA gears, and they work.

I'm planning the next stage of my engine build, and I want it to be bulletproof. I, however am planning on keeping it 2.0. There are certain thing I feel I can do, and other things I cannot. I cannot resleeve my own block. I think I can (with some educated help) do my own pistons, crank, possibly bearings. Headwork is far beyond my level or understanding.

My engine build may fall to Cobb, or I may go with Axis (both are about 10 hours away... nice weekend trip next summer).

My next problem is EM. I don't like the UTEC. I've seen too many smart people with lots of tuning experience (read a lot on NASIOC) blow their engines. The vast majority run the UTEC. Apparently above 5700rpm, the stock ECU, unless reflashed, shoots up the timing. This is due to it being trained for the TD04 and its boost taper. Any turbo that holds boost up there and has a UTEC has the stock ECU's tendency to ramp up the timing, even with a LOT more boost (read 16-21psi) than the stock TD04 has (8-10psi). This leads to heard/unheard det and results in early engine failure.

However, that leaves me at the mercy of either a reflash/custom tune and/or standalone. Not ready for standalone.

Keep talking to the MWIC folks about a reliable engine/tranny shop. I got lucky, here. A guy recommended a guy to do my tranny swap. Turns out the tech is a 9-year Subaru Certified Master Tech... and an enthusiast. Great prices and great knowledge.

 

I'll be in class all day. I'll call this afternoon.