I have been reading the FAQs and I have found a lot of answers there, but not one addressing my question. I bought a used WRX, I am the 4th owner, the car is great...no complaints, no issues. However, I am curious about the transmission that is in the car. How would/could I determine if one of the previous owners installed an aftermarket gearset...like an RA or PPG gear set? From what I have read in the FAQs, I would imagine that I would need to pull the tranny and look at them to be able to tell, and even then, what do I look for? Are there any other ways...like one that does not take the whole day.

One thing I DO know is that it is definately not a dogbox.

An RA gearset in my used WRX, wouldn't that just be tits!

Here's to wishful thinking.

PPG would whine.... you would know immediately. If you didn't know anything about cars... you'd probably think it was about to break. I would bet my child there wasn't a PPG box sold in a used car with no other mods.

Not 100% positive... but I think RA gearsets have a steeper gearing... drive down the street in second gear and do 40... what rpm are you at?

Check on the whine...1st and 2nd especially. Would it whine on accel and decel, or just decel?

Like you said, I would think that the tranny was a little worn out, 3 owners and 77k later, but it shifts really well, no grinds or sticky gears, and the linkage feels solid, not sloppy, which is why I have gotten curious about it all of a sudden.

I didn't say that the car wasn't modded. The guy I bought from, owner 3, was a mechanic and had added a CBE and cobb accessport, but in general he didn't seem too interested in it anymore. His other car was an RX8 and he was selling it so he could buy a corvette. The onwers manual has a note from owner 1 about how he has taken very good care of the car, "it was my baby, blah blah blah"...it was really cute. I have no info on owner 2, who is this person, and what did they do to my car!?!

I am sure that if I got really crafty I could try to track down the previous owners and get in touch with them. :lol:

I will look at my RPMs at the top of 2nd.

Did you buy it at a dealer or private seller?

There's no way to tell even if you looked at the gears unless you were REALLY smart. Unless your tranny whines more than an OEM tranny, there's no way to tell and even if it does it could be some off brand of gears. Basically, you are doomed. :)

dealer/private seller

private

you are doomed

sweet :lol:

I have an idea! I am going to drive like I have PPG gears for the next month and see if the tranny holds up...just for giggles! I'll let ya know how it goes. ;)

Oh, RPMs in 2nd at 40 mph = @4000-4200

Well if you got it from a private seller and he didn't mention it I'm guessing its not an aftermarket gearset. I'd think that would be a pretty good selling point and worth mentioning but that's just me.

Yeah...unless the seller I bought it from didn't know either...I am the 4th owner.

I am going to go ahead a lay this one to rest...thanks guys. :)

......

one thing you could do is look at the trans and see if it looks like the case has been split. factory rtv is black.