legacycentral bbs

So I blew up my manual tranny, real good. Damaged the cases. I haven't been able to find a turbo legacy tranny yet.

I'm having a shop do everything because I work too much. Can I tell them a RS trannys installation is a straight forward thing?

I know some of you with autos put in impreza 5 speeds, maybe you can do some guessing on what issues I may have.

The newer model Impreza trannys work. The newer ones are hydro like the turbo trannies.

The WRX tranny bolts right in, I'd imagine the newer 2.5 trannies would as well.

Yes, it will bolt in...

But the clutch and pressure plate are completely different, though the flywheel is questionable.

Get a WRX transmission if you can...

Nah, get a forester transmission

DO NOT use an RS trans in your legacy. You'll blow it to bits in no time.

It is a very common thing for RS owners to strip second gear right out after going turbo with only light boost (~3-5psi or maybe 210hp).

This is the same transmission used in all 5mt foresters, outbacks and legacy GTs.

The clutch is a push type and will not hold up to the torque of your motor for very long either. Most people will experience a slipping clutch with the same power mentioned above.

Usually the way it goes is... you go turbo, your clutch slips, you upgrade your clutch, the tranny goes boom.

Also I'm pretty sure all 1998-up 2.5l manual transmission RSs, legacys and foresters are 4.11 final drive so you'd have to change your rear diff.

You'd be best to do a WRX trans, though the gearing is still going to be different.

PM me if you need any more info.

Kyle

kyledooley, that is the exact response I'm getting from the shop now too: the troughout bearing on the RS's are push type and the WRX may be something to try. Though it did look like the WRX clutch housing was too different to mount to the legacy turbo engine.

kyledooley: You act as if this is a design problem with the specific transmission. It isnt, its the driver and the weakness that all subaru 5speed share. Same scenario as the WRX transmission. You upgrade something and dont adjust your driving method.

FG!!: The transmission differences aren't what causes the failure. Its the incredible amount of torque that a 2.5NA-T produces combined with someone trying for maximum accelleration.

It's my understanding that the Legacy SS 5mt is a bit better then the WRX 5mt, which has an absolutely horrible 2nd gear (SOA even admitted as much at the East Coast Shootout this last year). So I would really try to hold out for a SS 5mt if you can. If not then I would get a WRX 5mt and baby 2nd gear.

If you're really worried about it, get a dog box and you'll never have to worry again (of course, you won't be able to hear the stereo though either ).

The gears arent the main issue though.

Its the case flexing which causes the gear to brake

If people really want to race these things hard then why don't they just get dogbox's??These things will snap axles before they break. For more drivabilty STi trannys, even the twin turbo 5MT's are much better than stock.

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_0943/article.html

Mark.

ciper wrote:The gears arent the main issue though.

It's the case flexing which causes the gear to brake

No, I'm not entirely saying it is just the tranny. I more than agree with you. I would say its probably something like 50/50 design vs. driver.

You are right on the money for the reason though. It is case flex that causes the gears to shear. The case flexes under torque, the gear teeth pull apart ever so slightly, moving the shear force further up the teeth and Boom.

In the case of the RS 5mt, second gear just happens to be the furthest away from any support structure. The WRX 5mt gears are a bit stronger than the RS transmission's. Gear design and subtle differences in gear placement along the driven shaft are the biggest differences, though as I said, they are subtle.

I agree that the infamous subaru "glass" trannies are a myth. I would lay the blame squarely with the driver in most cases of a catastrophic failure, but the RS transmission is notably weaker than a BC Turbo trans or WRX trans.

Hey Ciper, did you get my PM about the rear diff?

FG!!- I'm surprised that the clutch looks significantly different to you. I was under the impression that the legacy turbo and WRX clutches were identical.

Kyle

I actually didn't see the wrx tranny. I miswrote. Shoulda said the tech campared them and reported that they were different. So that still leaves it open ended, because I don't think this shop was too hot on trying new stuff.

I'm a tranny dummy, but I'll try to explain how mine failed. Mine failed because one the bearings popped itself out of the little box attached to the back of the gear case. Don't know why it popped out, I do drive pretty hard though.

Right now the plan is to wait for a used legacy turbo tranny. It is tempting to turn this into something more dedicated, but not yet. Thanks all for your help.

How far are you from Longview, WA? A couple of hours?

PM'd you some info on a tranny.

Kyle

I drove down there. Two hours. Got there and the guy wouldn't take my check because it didn't have enough money in the checking account (plenty of money in the savings, none of my banks around there though so i couldn't transfer).

So oh well. It's still down there in longview if anybody wants it, it is a turbo tranny. I saw them pull it out. The car had an intermitant problem with stalling, which was probably just the fuel pump. Sad to see a nice car go.


Somebody else is helping me with a tranny now.