legacycentral bbs

hello i just joind the fourm today, i stumbeld on it while looking for some parts for my transmission.
a little about my self, name john and i have a 93 subrau leg. wagon it has 245000 miles old yes but i love it lol
i also have a 2004 forester. so my problem is my transmission, the origanal trans went bad a few months ago making real bad noises until it just wouldent go anymore lol. i bought a parts car realy cheap. just for the trans. but it wont stay in gear when gas is released. it is in my 93 legacy btw , it has rod shifting and i dont think it can be adjusted . so im leaning to bad trans again. i want to rebuild my 5spd tranny but having a problem finding parts for it , do you know of a place to buy a complete rebuild kit for a 93 subaru legacy 5spd. any help would be realy great , its giving me a big headach just cause of the diffaculty finding parts and i miss driving it lol. again any help would be great thank you john

Hi John, and welcome to the BBS.

I'm not sure of any trans rebuild kits out there. I know other members have done some trans work and may be able to help. You may also want to try calling one of the Subaru trans shops. http://www.andrewtechautomotive.com/

One thing to note, depending on how deep you get into the trans, it requires some rather detailed procedures and tools to set proper adjustments. Just something to keep in mind.

Like Josh said, it may be a bit more work than you're prepared for. If it pops out of gear, it could be a loose main shaft nut. You'd need to pull the tailshaft and transfer case just to even check it. It's probably going to be quicker and cheaper to just get another transmission.

I'm in the same situation. My 93 n/a wagon is almost undrivable. 4th gear wont stay in gear under a load and all of my synchros grind. I talked to one of my old Subaru instructors, and he suggested taking it apart and checking/replacing the bearings inside. I priced all the bearings out at my employee discount at the Shop and OEM stuff including a trans. gasket set came to $450. I can get a trans from a pick*a*part and shipped for $550. What I'm thinking is that if I end up replacing all the bearings and fixing the issues (keeping fingers crossed) I'll have brand new OE parts in this for less money then the 280k junkyard tranny. Can anyone offer any advice on this, maybe some other options I may not have thought of? Im on a tight budget, so a reman trans is out of the question.

Do you have the tools/press/knowledge to work on the trans? If not, you could end up with $450 worth of parts and having to run around and/or get help to do the work on the trans. If you have the knowledge to do the work and the tools, it wouldn't be too bad. However, working on these transmissions is not something for your average do-it-yourself mechanic.

A very handy set of factory service manuals and a few Subaru tech buddies ought to do it. I have also been through factory Subaru transmission training classes courtesy of my dealership. Not my 1st rodeo. Split it all apart tonight, found a bearing that is TRASHED. The main ball bearing on the mainshaft assembly split the race. $43.88 my cost. DONE!

Good deal. If you have the training/knowledge and tools, by all means working on it yourself is the way to go.

Here's the latest. I took it down to the shop, but I also split my turbo trans apart and I'm gonna try to press the bearing I need off of that main shaft and reuse it on my n/a trans, hopefully saving money. I hope the worn out and broken bearing didn't do too much damage inside the n/a trans so that hopefully all I'll need to do is slap it all back together and run it. Lets keep our fingers crossed, I'll keep you all up to date on the action.

well, the turbo bearing cam apart. Either the kid who did it for me is an idiot or it wasnt good anyway, either way, im ordering a new bearing today. Kinda crappy, dont have alot of cash but what can i do?

This is my N/A trans split in half, t case separated as well. If you look at the top left of the 1st picture, you can see the circled bearing that has been compromised.

Yeah, that bearing is done.

ordered one yesterday, $47 out the door, it'll be here Monday or Tuesday. Unfortunately till then I've got no wagon. Guess its time to strip the parts car and start ebaying everything!

Hey guys, just a few notes. I just took my trans. apart and was stumped a few times, and had to refer to the factory service manual.
1.) when putting the trans. back together, there are a few spacing plates on the pinion shaft bearing. they all need to be in the correct location and on the correct way before both shafts/bearings will mesh (theres a clip on the mainshaft bearing that will catch the spacers
everytime). if u dont do this, your trans. may not spin, you will ruin your spacers and it just wont be correct.
2.) watch your case bolts and where you put what. there are 14mm and 12mm. and dont forget to stagger them, 14mms go in from one end and the 12mms go in from the other way. Also the legnths matter too, just watch them.
3.) obviously the shafts must spin in the trans. before you get the transfer case/center diff. on.
4.) make sure you use lots of grease.
5.) keep moving the shafts (ALL OF THEM) along the way. if u get the whole thing together and dont spin it till it goes in, and get no spinning, then thats your own damn fault! Better safe then sorry.
6.) Best way to load the t-case onto the trans. was to put the trans. on its nose atop 2 4X4s, and just drop it on.
7.) mind the shifter pin on the t-case, make sure it will go together well with the forks inside.

Thanks for the notes!