Impreza TS transmission problems

Based on my experience ('99 Outback MT 127k miles) I recommend:

1. Press the clutch briskly all the way to the floor
2. Gently let the shifter find it's way in, don't force it.
3. Replace the stock gear oil with Redline.

Subaru MT's seem to be a little harsh going into the bottom two gears and they don't like to be forced. I've experienced some grinding occasionally going into 1st and I doubt that it's abnormal.

It might be easier to change your expectations and driving habits than to fix it.

BTW, I think the square-cut gears thing is silliness. I think all MT gears are *straight-cut*, which is probably what he meant to say. The tooth profile would absolutely be involute rather than straight.

Thanks for the three tips. Here's what I have heard since my last post:

According to the service manager at the dealership where I get service Subaru of America says that the car must be at a complete stop and the engine speed be below 1000 RPM before you shift into first gear. Anything other than this and grinding is "acceptable."

Now if you ask me this sounds an aweful lot like finding a user workaround for a design flaw. They put synchros and blocking rings into transmissions so you don't have to do this nowadays! As one of my engineer coworkers said, "it would be acceptable in the 1960's but not now."

The service manager also said that I should talk to SoA to hear it from them as well. He also said that if I climbed into any new car on the lot it would grind. This runs completely counter to what one sales person I talked to said. He said they drive the cars in the lot all of the time in first and second gear and they never get grinding.

Of course, one big question that I have about my car is: if grinding in normal then why did they do warranty work to replace my first and second gear synchro last year???

A question to you Jim: Does Redline oil actually make a noticeable difference that you have seen? I know that it is a performance lubricant and I wonder if the original recommendations (not necessarily yours) came from people that were looking for increased performance and not to fix any particular problem.

It helped, but it's not a cure. The transmission will shift a little bit smoother. I started using it because a friend of mine uses it in his BMW M2 and it helped out there.

I had the same 1st gear issue in my 03 WRX, also a grind from 3-4 when shifting under high loads. I changed to redline 75w/90ns and it got worse. I drained some and mixed in some GM/Penzoil syncromesh and it has been perfect for a few thousand miles now. No grind at all and downshifting to 1st when rolling to a stop . Keep in mind ..Its not the proper weight oil to use in the trans. I got this advice from my local WRX club. A few use this mix without any issues .

The first gear is fairly tall in impreza. Maybe this is done because some people tried to shift into the first while going 30 mph or something?

Is he a _mechanical_ engineer?

It's entirely possible that they never get grinding while THEY are driving because it never occurred to them to do what you are attempting to do. I think you should ponder if your shifting habits could be changed.

This can be interpreted as another indication that something could be done about the shifting habits. While in second crawling 5+ mph to a red light I floor the go pedal and start releasing the clutch. Is that a bad idea? It's so sloooooow, I would like to hear alternative suggesting for a lauch from crawling speeds. Thanks!

Yes, he is a mechanical engineer. His views were also echoed by one of the technicians at my work that used to run a 10 bay car repair shop. That same tech also races cars as a hobby so he is pretty in tune with cars and how they _should_ work.

I think that habit can be changed _most of the time_ but when rushed I am certain that I am going to fall back on 20 years of driving with a properly functioning synchro into 1st gear habit.

Maybe this is a question to ask Subaru... or perhaps the engineer that designed their transmission!

With all of this that is going on I have to wonder if it is worth buying another Subaru when I decide to get rid of this one. It all makes me question their engineering capabilities on some level.

Would not have been as much of a problem if the engine did not take forever to wind up. Maybe they should go back to 2.2 or 1.8 liter if they can't make 2.5 a joy to live with. Maybe the engineer who designed the transmissions 15 years ago retired and some clueless slacker replaced him? Plus the marketing folks on top to tell him what gear ratios to select. All things combined: not so good of a car.

Well, they are a small-moderate volume manufacturer. They probably sell as many imprezas including wrx and sti as honda sells hybrid accords. The latter not being a big seller. My problem is that I don't think the first gen legacy had all the problems plaguing impreza today. And it's been 15 years or so since legacy replaced loyale. So I'm not sure if Subaru deserves much slack. All I'm asking for is to not get their cars worse. I would not have been slamming a korean manufacturer in the same way because what they had

15 years ago was pathetic and whatever they have now is definitely an improvement. But for Subaru it's odd to see issues with the basic features (tranny, chassis and engine) of the car. I'd rather forego creature comforts like cruize control and power windows/locks to have the basics ironed out. I guess I was just spoiled by my protege (323 ouside the US).