My buddy swears 4eat's die young...

94.GT.Wagon · Post by **94.GT.Wagon** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 5:13 pm

Anybody have informed opinions about the strength/lifespan of a typical 4eat? Buddy of mine swears that he's heard they have a hard time making it past about 100k before it's rebuild time. I just bought a '99 Outback for my wife that has a 4eat and 97k on it, seems to perform great.

Post by **DLC** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 10:19 pm

They changed a few important things and made it more reliable mid-97, so your 99 Outback should be OK.

The Phase I EJ25, on the other hand...

94.GT.Wagon · Post by **94.GT.Wagon** » Sun Oct 12, 2008 11:52 pm

The Phase I EJ25, on the other hand...

I know head gaskets are a common issue on EJ25s, are there other common problems with these motors I should be on the lookout for? Runs and drives great right now.

93forestpearl · Post by **93forestpearl** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:08 am

The 4EAT in the '90 I had lasted through 200k when I laid her to rest.

The longevity of the auto has a lot to do with how well it was cared for and how often it was flushed.

kimokalihi · Post by **kimokalihi** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:22 am

I have a 90 legacy wagon AWD and my 4EAT went out at 172K. Then I hit up the junkyad and put a 94 4EAT in it for $175+$25 core with 140K miles on it and it's still running great. Could probably use a flush though but the dealer wants $200 to flush it. Which is ridiculous.

Buffman · Post by **Buffman** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 12:42 am

All you need to do is remove one trans near the radiator or filter and you can do a fluid exchange yourself.. Put line in bucket and have friend start car. Just keep steady pace of fresh trans fluid down the dipstick tube, until clean fluid comes out of the hose and you're all set. Button back up, and check level. Add or remove as necessary.

James614 · Post by **James614** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 3:49 am

Mine is going strong at 145K. But I've only put about 9K on it since I got it. I'm sure my frequent full-power-brake launches will help with healthy fluid circulation and increase it's lifespan exponentially, though.

b3lha · Post by **b3lha** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:23 am

The 4EAT in older SVXes tends to self-destruct every 50-80 K miles. One of my SVXes is now on its third gearbox. Later models are better. I think it's not such a problem in a Legacy because it is lighter and has less torque.

You can extend the life by adding an extra cooler and changing the fluid often.

Phil

1991legacyturbo · Post by **1991legacyturbo** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 4:55 pm

hey, my auto tranny in my 91 ss lasted to 294000km before she bit it!

now i am running a 5mt, SO MUCH BETTER!

nottofast · Post by **nottofast** » Fri Oct 17, 2008 2:35 pm

Yeah I am on here looking around because we just got a 93ss wagon auto and the reverse does not work but drives fine forward.

A newer automatic will fit and have correct plug ins?

Hocrest · Post by **Hocrest** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:14 am

Your friend is right, the 4eat in my 97 leg started binding after only 260k miles. But then it was still the original ATF and I did AX the car for a couple of years, and redline shifts happened on a daily basis...

Maybe he's not so right, at least in my case...

Behla's right though, in about half of the time that I've had the Leg, I've pulled the trans in my SVX 6 times.

Nottofast,
You should be able to use any transmission up to 98. But you either need to find one with the same final drive ratio or swap the rear diff over from the donor car also.

nottofast · Post by **nottofast** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:55 am

Thanks for the information. I do appreciate it.

tahiti350 · Post by **tahiti350** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:28 pm

Our 2 wagons are now at 200K & 183K respectively, only complaint I have is sloppy 2 to 3 shift in my white wagon, but it's done that since I got it and I'm brutal on it.

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My buddy swears 4eat's die young...

My buddy swears 4eat's die young...