The Tale of the Gearbox

"Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig" (AndySheehan-StreetsideStig)
04/17/2014 at 15:25 • Filed to: None

It was a commute like any other, winding to work in my 2002 Subaru WRX Wagon. I was nearing the office when I heard the crunch. Now, the transmission problems in the '02-'05 are pretty well known among Subaru owners. If I had known this, I might not have become one.

Nevertheless, second gear sounded like a WWI-era machine gun, and I wasn't panicking. I wasn't. Really. Primarily, because I've already had one of those "if I'd have known, I'd never have bought this" moments when a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! inside my center diff kamikazed itself and cost me $1,900, so the Subaru drivetrain didn't leave much room to disappoint me further, even though my car hasn't crested 160k. This was like becoming a parent, but for the second time. Still a big deal, but without so much shock. Secondarily, because I drive a manual transmission, and I can just skip broken gears if I want to.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Then I found an on-ramp and subconsciously shifted back into second, causing the rest of the gears to follow suit. I wasn't going to get much more life out of this gearbox. It was time for a replacement. And since I'm poor and didn't really care to pay anyone to drop the gears out of my car again, I decided it was time to learn the art of the transmission swap.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Because they don't really pay me to browse Oppo.

DISCUSSION (4)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
04/17/2014 at 15:29

So, still waiting on what horror actually occurred inside the rebuild trans. We all offered suggestions as to what was wrong, but "something causing an ambulance run" was not expected, I think, by any of us.

mpa-burner > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
04/17/2014 at 15:41

This makes me happy that I got rid of my '09 WRX before I inevitably broke something.

The only transmission I pulled myself was a T-5 from a Fox body mustang - simple, and easy since you could unbolt the trans from the bell-housing, So props for getting your hands dirty and getting it running again.

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > mpa-burner
04/17/2014 at 15:53

Apparently they were much stronger by 08-09, so you were probably safe.

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
04/17/2014 at 15:54

It's complicated. Stay tuned.