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I'm really starting to get pissed off at this problem for some reason my car likes to eat trannys, this is the second one an a year and i cant afford to put another one in, it all starts with second gear going out, grinding and clicking and the rest of the gears follow soon after, what the hell is going on? are these trannys really that weak? I need a solution for this problem fast, or i'm just going to call it quits with this gen of subaru. I absolutly love my car and can't picture driving anything else but a leg turbo.
Are the repairs really worth it? it was purchased for $5,700 three years ago with 97k now has 130k

Wow, that's crazy. I have 140k + miles on my OEM tranny and it's a little crunchy if I flat shift it into 2nd and the shifter bushings are shot but nothing like what you got.




That's two more '91 SS 5mt's guys. What's the count now?

I have an extra tranny if you are intersted...

Can you describe your shifting style?

Do you think there might be some clutch-related issues?

I would describe my shifting style as a split personality most days i shift nice and slow feeling for the syncros to mesh with each shift. And ive been known to rip thru pretty fast

Ripping through 'em probably isn't so great for them... The early synchro design wasn't especially robust. Do you ever hear or feel any grinding during shifts?

These older cars definitely require some mechanical sympathy when being driven.

no grinding, i dont just slam through the gears im still pretty careful
when i shift. The same thing happend to the original trans, i was turning a corner and downshifted from 3rd to 2nd and out of nowhere 2nd gear started clicking, as i stopped at the next light and then proceded starting in 1st of course then shifting to 2nd but it would'nt go into second right away, once i got it in at was the most awful sound you could imagine, it sounded like a woodpecker beaking a trashcan i then shifted to 3rd, less clicking but still there next 4th and then another stop. light turns green 1st, 2nd, there it is again, and then third still clicking wildly, I return home and descover that when in neutral with the clutch pushed in
there is no clicking, but when in neutral with clutch out clicking is there.

Likely the tranny isn’t actually blown. I’ve had a few (~5) of them open, and, although I’m not an expert, once you know the problem, they are as simple as 1-2-3 to fix. Of course, this means you are out of your daily driver for however long it takes to get parts. Even if you have sheared gears, I have found (the hard way) that it is easier and much cheaper to open up the gearbox and replace all the questionables than to throw another tranny in your car. It seems to me that another used transmission is just a whole new set of problems… I like to start fresh. However, I have had much luck at the junkyard; I’ve pulled 2 completely rebuilt trannys in a row. Whatever your style, It’s been my experience that a rebuild will outlast a high mileage vehicle regardless, and is very cheap to do yourself. But, that is just my 2 cents, which are probably only really worth a cent.

don't post in all caps!

all caps?

You originally posted the thread title in all caps. I changed it.

get some dog gears or a used tranny from an rs. replace the rear end while your at it and it wont cost 5k

i was looking at dog gears from mrt kinda $$$$. they have several different options i liked the one with the "quiet" 5th gear for highway driving. i'll start saving now and by this time next year i should be close to having enough

Well I don't see you wanting to go to an RS tranny cause you'll lose your LSD. I'd see about rebuilding your tranny. My gears grind upon occasion, too. I've been contemplating what the best plan of action is. My tranny also seaps fluid out from the top and has burned and totally defaced the look of my exhaust from the underside of the car. It makes me rather frustrated. I'd like to get a better shifting gearbox in the future, but I don't really know what my options are. I may just rebuild mine. If I could do it, and it isn't that hard, I may try it since I haven't ever done it before.