'98 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport transmission

[Dennis Methvin]

Hello,

 

I was referred to this site by a friend, and am looking for some help. I own a '98 Impreza outback sport. It has the 2.2L and manual transmission. I recently put a rebuilt engine in the car, and a new clutch.

 

I have been experiencing some transmission problems. My mechanic, who I trust, told me that it is likely that I will not be able to repair the one that is in my car now, and even if I do I am looking at about 2,000.00 at least for repairing it.

 

I have done all of the work on this car myself, and am more than willing to replace the transmission, or if possible fix/rebuild the one that is in there. The catch is that the car itself has 245,000 miles on it. Is it worth me digging into it? Or should I cut my losses, and purchase something newer?

 

I absolutely love this car. I have never driven it hard, and it takes me everywhere, but I need to be practical with this decision and make sure it is worth me spending the money on it, or purchasing something else.

 

Can anyone help me with this? I am very interested in learning more about all Subarus. I will not own another kind of car in my life.

 

Thank you,

Dennis Methvin

dmeth21@gmail.com

[wtdash]

Hi,

Welcome to the Board. You can search on here for "sell or keep", "replace or fix", or similar terms, to see what others have done.

 

What is the transmission doing that makes it suspect? New gear oil can help in some cases.

 

Is the car solid otherwise? Not rusting out, etc? (If you're from Keizer, OR probably not too bad.) If so, I'd look @ replacing the transmission w/a lower mileage used one... And keep driving it.

 

According to THIS CHART yours is a Push-style (vs. Pull) clutch and has a 3.90 final drive ratio (and the EJ22)....You can use a trans from a Legacy that matches those specs, too.

 

Look on car-part.com for used trans in your area (but it probably won't show the Legacy interchange) for $500....usually can be shipped for another $150. It sounds like you could change it yourself.

 

Watch craigslist or on subaru sites, too.

 

GL,

Td

Edited November 24, 2010 by wtdash

[Dennis Methvin]

It is making some vibration noises when I let off the throttle. As the RPM's drop, I get a slight rattling noise. Should I replace the gear oil? I had that checked and it was said to not look that bad.

 

The car is great other than that. NO rust, and even pretty clean body. Never been wrecked or anything.

 

The engine that I put in it recently was from a '97, it was said to be a direct fit. That has not been a problem, and I have put 15,000 miles on it since doing that. Will it still be the same trans. in that case?

 

thanks,

Dennis

[wtdash]

It is making some vibration noises when I let off the throttle. As the RPM's drop, I get a slight rattling noise. Should I replace the gear oil? I had that checked and it was said to not look that bad.

 

I'm (so) not a mechanic...see what others have to say.

 

 

The engine that I put in it recently was from a '97, it was said to be a direct fit. That has not been a problem, and I have put 15,000 miles on it since doing that. Will it still be the same trans. in that case?

 

Yes...you could put either an EJ22 or EJ25 (and others but would require some mods) into it and make no difference as far as the trans is concerned.

 

BTW, the part-interchange lists mechanics/used part suppliers reference only include the EXACT part number....many other years/models will still work...that's what sites like the good ol' USMB are for!

 

thanks,

Dennis

 

 

Sounds like a perfect candidate for replacement transmission. If you can do the work yourself and save the labor, get the used one. If you can't, then getting it rebuilt might be worth it if there are any issues.

 

You'll get years more service out of your OBS....just keep the maintenance up-to-date.

 

Td

[johnceggleston]

even if you pay a shop to r&r the trans for you, i paid ~550$ for an auto trans, you will still only have about 1000$ - 1200$ in it when done. if you drive it 15k, you'll be good. 30, 40 or 50k will be better.

 

you won't get much for it with a bad trans.

 

 

does it make the noise if you push in the clutch while slowing?

 

does it make the noise if you put it in neutral when slowing?

 

what if you rev it while sitting still?

 

 

 

 

 

.

[idosubaru]

make sure it's a transmission issue.

 

if you need a transmission, get a used one, or at least look around to see if you can find a good deal on one, that's usually not too hard on these.

 

as to keep or replace....cheapest car is usually the one you own unless you have rust to deal with :lol: in general, keep a car if you're willing to do the maintenance. for this car that mileage isn't that scary actually.

 

why did the motor need replaced/rebuilt, an EJ22 does not "go bad" at that low of mileage, something happened to it. it's very possible to keep this car reliable, but not without some effort. put forth some effort and you'll be good. if you'd rather point and drive without much effort/maintenance then get something newer.

 

unless you get a really new car you're still buying something without a warranty and needing work soon, so choose carefully.

[edrach]

Look around the junkyards in your area. Here in the Seattle area, if you pull your own, they run $75. Plus you have the practice of finding out how hard it is to pull. I generally look for a transmission that matches mine ('97 cable clutch--Legacy and Impreza models over a range of a few years are good) and has less mileage on it than my car (198K). Only thing to be careful of is to be sure it's the same ratio (3.900 or 4.111*) as your present one. One can usually tell if the car was junked for the transmission or not (massive body damage is usually a good sign that the transmission was working when it was hit. Also, draining the transmission oil is a good indicator of condition (little fuzzies on the magnetic plug are okay; small chunks of metal are not good; transmission oil is usually still clear even with high mileage). Non upullit yards generally offer a 6 month warranty on their transmissions; local (to me) yards have a 30 warranty (money back guarantee regardless of the reason).

 

From the basic condition of your car and the newer engine, I think an inexpensive used transmission would be the right thing to do.

 

By the way, where is Keizer?

 

*Check the transmission charts in the USMB Repair Manual forum to see what years/models of transmission are correct for your car.

Edited November 24, 2010 by edrach

[Allpar Mod]

These days, elapsed mileage is relative to the overall condition of the vehicle. For example, I have '97 Jeep Cherokee with 235,000 that the motor started going south. The rust isn't bad and the car is in very good condition overall. I picked up a used motor with 80,000 miles on it for $450 from a running junker. It will be transplanted and I'm keeping the car. It sounds like you are in a similar position with your Soob. Take the guy's advice here and pin down the exact problem with your car. If it's the transmission for sure, replace it and go on enjoying your Soob.

 

Aside from the cost savings fixing your car rather than replacing it, you know what you have and what's right and wrong with it. It's not difficult to figure out the pros of fixing it compared to the cons of the same. Often, keeping the devil you know is better than the devil you don't.

[Dennis Methvin]

even if you pay a shop to r&r the trans for you, i paid ~550$ for an auto trans, you will still only have about 1000$ - 1200$ in it when done. if you drive it 15k, you'll be good. 30, 40 or 50k will be better.

 

you won't get much for it with a bad trans.

 

 

does it make the noise if you push in the clutch while slowing?

 

The only time it makes the noise is when the car is slowing and the clutch is engaged. no noise when the car is sitting still, in neutral slowing or anything else.

does it make the noise if you put it in neutral when slowing?

 

what if you rev it while sitting still?

 

No noise here either.

 

 

.

l

[Dennis Methvin]

Look around the junkyards in your area. Here in the Seattle area, if you pull your own, they run $75. Plus you have the practice of finding out how hard it is to pull. I generally look for a transmission that matches mine ('97 cable clutch--Legacy and Impreza models over a range of a few years are good) and has less mileage on it than my car (198K). Only thing to be careful of is to be sure it's the same ratio (3.900 or 4.111*) as your present one. One can usually tell if the car was junked for the transmission or not (massive body damage is usually a good sign that the transmission was working when it was hit. Also, draining the transmission oil is a good indicator of condition (little fuzzies on the magnetic plug are okay; small chunks of metal are not good; transmission oil is usually still clear even with high mileage). Non upullit yards generally offer a 6 month warranty on their transmissions; local (to me) yards have a 30 warranty (money back guarantee regardless of the reason).

 

From the basic condition of your car and the newer engine, I think an inexpensive used transmission would be the right thing to do.

 

By the way, where is Keizer?

 

Keizer is in Oregon, right next to Salem.

*Check the transmission charts in the USMB Repair Manual forum to see what years/models of transmission are correct for your car.

 

l

[jdemaris]

It is making some vibration noises when I let off the throttle. As the RPM's drop, I get a slight rattling noise. Should I replace the gear oil? I had that checked and it was said to not look that bad.

 

 

Does it do it in any gear?? Are you sure it's not just bad/frozen univeral joints in the rear driveshaft? I've had to fix many. When they freeze the rear driveshaft vibrates and feels like it's coming from the trans.