After many years of driving foriegn and domestic cars & trucks with manual transmissions, I must say that my '02 WRX 5-speed is probably the worst I have ever driven. 1st to 2nd gear shifts are not smooth and down shifts are forced. I really don't think double clutching and speed matching should be necessary if the tranny has been designed correctly. I recently installed a KartBoy short throw shifter and bushings and it has improved the feel. I can also feel the synchronizers not doing their job. This is particularily noticeably when the tranny is cold ... lighter or synthetic oil help? I think Subaru can and should provide a better transmission for a $25K car. It really detracts from the driveability of an otherwise great fun car.

Does anyone else have this trouble and does it shift smoother with age? I have 2500 miles on my WRX.

huh? Its a little notchy but its a whole hell of alot better than the RSX type-S which doesn't feel that much different than the 5spd in a ranger.

Go to the dealer and give a coupe WRX's on the lot a try to see if they feel different.

I heard the STi tranny and engine mount give a much better feel. Do a search on it.

I've been driving manuals for 31 years, including a bunch of Japanese sports models and I disagree. The WRX tranny is great.
The only double clutching I see though are guys going around the block in town listening to their new exhaust as they repeatedly double clutch.

My WRX shifts like buttuh. Could be a sample-to-sample variance, and you got a hinky one. All I have is the STi short shifter with Kartboy bushings. Slides right into reverse, and everything. I don't even have Mobil 1 in the gearbox, yet. I imagine once that happens, it'll be the cat's pajamas.

Kevin

i have to agree that my tranni is the only real concern i have about my wrx
maby i got a lemon but my tranni has always been about as smooth as sandpaper

to quote the great al bundy
"like the man said to the other man in the stall.. give it time baby"

it'll get a lot better over time. but then you will need to install a full dogbox and have the real fun start LOL
tom@kartboy

it'll get a lot better over time
I dunno...

I waited, now I've got over 12k miles... the car just will *not* shift into first gear without matching revs. I don't mean it's difficult, or the synchro takes a long time to wind up, or I get a little clunk... I mean there seems to be no synchro in first gear. If the car is moving more than 5mph it just won't slide into first gear - just grinds, grinds, grinds...
So I'm finally gonna take it into the dealer and let them fix it.

BTW, I emailed SOA, and got the standard response:

"We are not in a position to offer technical information via phone, mail or e-mail. There are, simply, too many unknown variables.

Your Subaru dealer would be in the best position to offer technical information regarding your vehicle, as he can perform a hands-on inspection and give you a more precise answer to your question. Besides, your vehicle is under warranty, so please take it back to have your problem checked!

We are sorry that we could not be of more assistance to you at this time. "

Originally posted by Austin

I waited, now I've got over 12k miles... the car just will *not* shift into first gear without matching revs. I don't mean it's difficult, or the synchro takes a long time to wind up, or I get a little clunk... I mean there seems to be no synchro in first gear. If the car is moving more than 5mph it just won't slide into first gear - just grinds, grinds, grinds...
So I'm finally gonna take it into the dealer and let them fix it.


All of the WRXs and RSs gearboxes does this. I don't think they are going to be able to fix it, because I don't think there's any problem. First gear is so low that your going to either have to rev match or not down shift to first until your at a stop. Don't force it or you will just hurt the gear.. Besides, gearboxes take a lot more time to break in than the engine/rest of car.

Personally I dont like the gearboxes either, they aren't nearly as smooth as a Honda's gearbox.. But then again, i'm not driving a Honda. :)

BrianR

Be good to your tranny and it'll be good to you.

No that honor goes to Volkswagen. They have the worst shifting car in the 25k range.

Regan-

All of the WRXs and RSs gearboxes does this. Nope, that's just not right.

While I can't speak for *all* the wrx and rs trannys, I can speak for two in particular. One wrx and one rs. On the rs, when you move the shift lever to the first gear gate, you can hear the synchro spin up, and after a second or so, the tranny will slip into first gear with just fingertip pressure. Granted, you can't ram the thing straight into first w/o waiting for the synchro, but as long as you give it a second... like butta.

On the wrx, No Go! No matter how long I wait, there is simply no synchro action.

If you can't get it right into first at 5 mph or below, that's a problem, I think, since I can with my gearbox. I don't know my mechanical stuff, but I presume that isn't a function of the STi short shift kit that I have on my car. That doesn't sound right.

Kevin

I understand where you are coming from. I had 700 miles when 3rd gear started making noises between 3500 - 4500 rpm's when you let off gas. I now have 1400 miles and have been to dealer 2 times for same problem. It started to sound like a exhaust heat shield vibration but after they put electronic ears on the trans, they determined that it is the trans. I was told that the problem is the pressure plate. The technician where I work said it has too much back lash. I will find out next week after they replace the pressure plate if that truely is the problem. I have talked to several companies that I deal with, they said that WRX is having a lot of transmission problems. I'll post results next week. (If the pressure plate comes in and gets installed.)


Best regards,
Anthony_s

Well, VWs have the worst shift *lever* ... Not sure if that goes for the gears, too.

As for the RSX-S having a poor transmission? I find that VERY hard to believe. Honda prides itself on spectacular transmissions.
The Integras were always great, the Type-R was STELLAR, the S2000 also...

-S2-

My vote, without a doubt, goes to the AWD DSMs. I owned 2 of them, and both have the worst shift action you can have. They clunk, crunch, and grind all the time. My old Laser would take about 5 tries to get it into reverse when cold. I don't know what it was about them. I had a friend with a FWD Turbo and his car shifted fine, all the time. Just the AWDs. That's my vote for crappiest trans in a $25k car. Anyone whos driven one can attest to this for sure.

Thanks for the info, everyone.

It seems that many are satisfied with the shift quality, but many more have complaints with it. The KartBoy shifter and bushings I installed certainly improved the feel, but the tranny still feels like an old truck transmission to shift. Compared to a Ford or Chevy domestic transmission, the quality just isn't there. In the past few days, I have been hearing more gear lash noise when backing off the throttle. It almost feels like debris in the lower gears. I will be due for the 3k mile check up in a few weeks, so I will bitch at them then. I understand that SOA will void your warranty if you use any other lubricant than what they specify. I'd like to try Red Line or a multi-visc synthetic. It feels like the synchros are being inhibited from doing their job by the oil viscosity or by too little oil relief channels.

If any one has any ideas of fixes, please share them with the oppressed masses!:devil:

t wrx 02,

i wouldn't worry too much about the notchiness. yes, these subbie trannies don't seem to be as supple as honda trannies (i had a '99 civic Si), but, they do get a whole lot better as you break them in (your 2k mi is nothing). plus, the sti group N engin, tranny & rear diff mounts make a HUGE difference on the shifting. a lot more positive and just about zero driveline lash when shifting under power and while heel-toeing. i did my first tranny and rear diff fluid change to fresh dinosaur juice at 5500k miles. that too made a huge difference on improving shifting slickness and quelling tranny & rear diff noise. as a whole, the tranny won't be FULLY broken in till about 15k mi or so. even honda trannies are like this. use your tranny and shift as much as possible to break it in (city driving). remember hwy driving will NOT breakin a tranny, only the engine. i won't go to synthetic fluids for the engine, tranny & rear diff until about 15k miles to ensure things are broken in properly. i do a lot of autox & track time so i change tranny & diff fluids about every 6k miles.

duckboy

i think this trans shift's just right, yes my 1-2 is a litle notchy but not horrid...i have felt MUCH worse.

Jeremy

THe MR2 Turbo has that characteristic about "stop into one" too, I think they do that on purpose so idiots won't downshift to one while on 35mph or stupid reasons like that.

Just to set the record straight, I love the wrx transmission! Except for the 2nd to 1st shift, it is very smooth.

Originally posted by T-WRX-02
After many years of driving foriegn and domestic cars & trucks with manual transmissions, I must say that my '02 WRX 5-speed is probably the worst I have ever driven. 1st to 2nd gear shifts are not smooth and down shifts are forced. I really don't think double clutching and speed matching should be necessary if the tranny has been designed correctly. I recently installed a KartBoy short throw shifter and bushings and it has improved the feel. I can also feel the synchronizers not doing their job. This is particularily noticeably when the tranny is cold ... lighter or synthetic oil help? I think Subaru can and should provide a better transmission for a $25K car. It really detracts from the driveability of an otherwise great fun car.

Does anyone else have this trouble and does it shift smoother with age? I have 2500 miles on my WRX.


After about 5K miles my WRX does seem to have smoother shifts compared to at 500 miles. Kartboy shifter bushings are probably partly why it seems smoother.

1st to 2nd does seem to be the notchiest upshift but it's not like it's crunching. 2nd to 1st is a biatch, but I've adjusted so that 2nd gear is used more instead during slow 'n go driving.

Has anyone changed to synthetic tranny fluid & found smoother shifting at all? I'm thinking about switching to synthetic especially if it will increase the tranny lifetime.

Originally posted by T-WRX-02
It seems that many are satisfied with the shift quality, but many more have complaints with it.

Only because the people most likely to respond to this type of thread are those with complaints, which are in reality a small sample size of the total population of WRX owners. Those that do not experience shift problems will simply pass this thread by. Also, those who do have problems and dont catch this thread right now will do a search later on and post in the future. Eventually, those who have no problem with their trannies will be sorely under-represented because of their lack of participation in this thread. To make a blanket statement that many more of us have complaints about our shifting is just wrong until we know exact numbers of tranny failures.

synthetics favor bearings not syncro's, if you want smoother shifting there's a fluid called synchro-shift...good stuff just VERY pricey.

Jeremy

all you guys talking about going to synthetics after only 5k-8k mi aren't doing yourself any favors. the tranny needs to be thoroughly broken in BEFORE going to sythetics. if you go to syns' too soon, the tranny will still feel slightly notchy and will take even longer to feel like butter. stay with dino juice for a good 15k mi or so, then, switch to syns. the tranny will feel even better by that point. and remember, driving on the hwy does NOT break in your tranny. city driving does.

duckboy

duckboy is right....same thing goes for synthetic oils after the first oil change...gotta let that motor break in right first.

Jeremy

I don't know about you guys, but the tranny in my 01 RS feels great. I have less than 3000 miles and I have had no problems shifting from 1st to 2nd, grinding, or anything like that. Sometimes it is a bit tricky to go from 2nd to 1st, but I can still do it. Anyways if you think that's bad you should try this Izuzu Trooper that I drive some times, there is no way you can get into 1st from 2nd without a quick double clutch. I'm only 17 and been driving stick for a little over a year and a half. I think that if I can get through the gears in my car fine, I think you can too.

Mike

I think that if I can get through the gears in my car fine, I think you can too.
*That*, is truly flawless reasoning.:p

Originally posted by Austin

I dunno...

I waited, now I've got over 12k miles... the car just will *not* shift into first gear without matching revs. I don't mean it's difficult, or the synchro takes a long time to wind up, or I get a little clunk... I mean there seems to be no synchro in first gear. If the car is moving more than 5mph it just won't slide into first gear - just grinds, grinds, grinds

I've always been taught that it is poor driving technique to shift from second to first on the move, and it is very hard on the synchros without blipping the throttle. . .

I've always been taught that it is poor driving technique to shift from second to first on the move, and it is very hard on the synchros without blipping the throttle. . . It is very hard on the synchro, which is why I always double clutch when going from second to first. Done properly, there is no wear on any component. I think that's why I've gone 12k miles without realizing I have no first gear synchro... because I never use it. It was only after reading about the problems that I tested my tranny, and lo and behold... no first gear synchro.

I don't own a WRX:( , but i've driven them, and I think the shifter sucks. It had a very long throw and was very cluncky, did they buy these from Nissan? I hope bushings and a shift kit improve things...

I just had an interesting talk with a dealer about WRX/RS trannys... started a new thread:
SOA Memo on WRX & RS Tranny (http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=97447)

my rs had a crappy throw until i got my kartboy...i broke my center console shifting once...but shhhhh they don't know that.

jeremy

I have the same exact problem with a tranny noise in third gear. I read your post and I could have written the same thing. But my dealer has not gotten as far as yours on fixing the problem. My car has been in twice for it with no results as for finding the problem. Please keep us in touch on the out come with your repairs. E-mail me if you get a chance with more details on who (which dealer) is doing the repairs so my dealer can contact them. Thanks for the info.:)

I've driven many manuals and find my RS and the WRXs I've driven to have wonderful feeling transmissions. I like the "notchy" harsh feeling as opposed to Honda's smmoth silk feeling. When going in to 1st on a downshift you should match revs anyway.

{I like the "notchy" harsh feeling as opposed to Honda's smmoth silk feeling}

Maybe some synthetic oils in the tranny would help acceive the "honda smooth silk feeling" some members are looking for?

Greg

I have been driving 18 wheeler's for 6 years you don't use the clutch unless taking off from a start. So i'm good at maching gears! My 01 2.5 gives me no problem at all. I've found that Lucas oil stableizer works great in the motor and trans of my big truck. You can mix it with any kind of oil, autu gear or engine oil. I run it in my big trucks motor, trans and diffs. I've found the trans runs about 40deg cooler then before and the diffs run cooler too. So I put some in the suby engine/ trans and diff and have found that the same is true, it shifts smother then before and runs cooler. I also put some in my drag bug and the same is true. Lucas works great in everything I put it in maby it's wurth a try for you guys it's only about $20.00 for a gallan.

where can we get this Lucas Oil Stabilizer? pep boys?

duckboy

:devil: While not exactly happy with some of the noise my tranny is making, I will say this.... I think a lot of the complaints on actually shifting the WRX tranny are coming from those who may not really be that good at driving a manual transmission. I too am a Commercial Driver and can up shift and down shift my WRX without even using the clutch at all....... Without a single grind and smooth as silk!:lol: Just get to know your WRX, its not a Honda (thank GOD) so don't expect it to act like one.
:p

I changed to synthetic (mobil 1 75w-90) after 29K miles and it was the worst. I think Subaru has a long, long, way to go in developing a better transmission.

Umm, I have a simple solution for the guys having problems shifting from 2nd to 1st. Just don't do it. Why would you want to?? It never seemed natural to me to want to downshift that far. All my previous cars (a 16V GTI and a Ranger) would let you do it, but would buck or make other hints that they didn't enjoy it (learned this when I was teaching people how to drive standard). If your using the tranny to slow you down, 2nd should be more than fine. Using first just puts stress on gears that don't need it. I think the tranny in my RS is a pretty good combo of smoothness and notchiness. Also for the record, Honda's have had a reputation of being too smooth and feeling vague. :D

Originally posted by Keith99RS
Umm, I have a simple solution for the guys having problems shifting from 2nd to 1st. Just don't do it. Why would you want to?? It never seemed natural to me to want to downshift that far. All my previous cars (a 16V GTI and a Ranger) would let you do it, but would buck or make other hints that they didn't enjoy it (learned this when I was teaching people how to drive standard). If your using the tranny to slow you down, 2nd should be more than fine. Using first just puts stress on gears that don't need it. I think the tranny in my RS is a pretty good combo of smoothness and notchiness. Also for the record, Honda's have had a reputation of being too smooth and feeling vague. :D I agree, the tranny isnt meant to be driven that way, and its not necessary.
Quityerbitchin'!
hehe always wanted to say that.:p

By an automatic! :lol: :alien: :devil:

honda trannys are the worst you've ever felt??? that's blaspemy dude! they got some of the sweetest shifting trannys this side of motegi! even their lowly civics have pretty smooth trannys. go to your nearest honda dealer and try out an s2000 - we're talkin 'snickety SNICK!'

as for our WRXs...yes, the shifting isn't exactly smooth, nor are they tight. at around 8K, i switched to mobile 1 synthetic oil. imo, it helped immensely. also, i still haven't installed my STi short shifter w/kartboy or was it cusco bushings?? anyway, i'm hoping the shifting gets even better after that.

db97

Go to your dealer and drive various scoobs, new ones, old ones, imprezas, foresters, legacys. Compare the gearboxes, I think you'll find that they all feel different. I found downshifting to 1st on my old forester very hard compared to the FWD peugeot I had before it, but the pug had 100,000 miles of mostly ultra-urban driving on it. The shift was a bit vague, but you could really fly through the gearbox. I think it's just a case of getting used to it, I certainly found that after a whole days driving in europe I was 'at one' with the car and my clutch action was much more precise.
According to the specs on the subaru site I have a fully synchromeshed box on my forester. According to me there isn't one on reverse!! It's really hard to get reverse and I often have to put it in neutral with the clutch out before it'll go into reverse gear. But hey, the box is spinning in the wrong direction!!! I'll mention it at my 1000 mile service but I can't be arsed to get them to fix it as it may get better with time.
toerag

Try the T45 in my Mustang Cobra

I have already had first and second gear replaced in my wrx. They both tore out at like 4000 miles. I had some problems with it the first month I had it, but they went away, then one day in a parking lot, I tried to shift into second and it grinded and after that it would not go back into first and I had to drive home without first and sent it back to subaru to have it checked and they had to replace first and second gear. Never did tell me what the problem was with them though.

Kevin

Honda S2000 6 spd. box is the best ever and the new 6 speed GSX typeS box isn't far behind. Miata used to be the benchmark for a great gearbox and Porsche 944 shifter has a great feel to it also. WRX gearbox feels good for a Subaru, at least compared to my wifes 99 Legacy wagon, it feels like it's linked up with rubber bands.

WRX's tranny is really suck tho, even i like everything else....

UUUUHHH? What did you say? :monkey: