Learning Subes

[houndman]

hearing that Subes have an aluminum oil pan, it would be nice to be
able to find out the things that may be different in a Sube, to be
careful with, instead of having to hunt, or trial & error. Picked up a
Haynes manual for 00'-06' All but my Impreza, but figured it would
give me ideas, and hopefully Subes are pretty much alike, and I can
figure things out. With the Sube factory manual. I had a hard time
telling that the motor had roller rockers. Haven't been able to figure
how the shifter shifts the gears. Never saw linkage like it before,
and can't find much of the linkage in manuals, or where it connects
to. I need Sube Guru.))

I like to know details, like even how the oil flows through the
motor, through the oil galleries. Some manuals give a diagram. Knowing
details can help figuring things out when there is a problem, or that
there isn't one, or one not that serious.

After my chemical injury that damaged everything. To do any work on
a car, I had to write down simple steps, that included getting tools,
and each one I might need, instead of Just getting what I needed, and
I Even had to write down, Open The Hood, to work on the motor. My
memory was that shot. I used to say I had to make a story board,
though I didn't draw pictures, though maybe they would have helped.
(( I'm a lot better now but still have to do a lot more than I used
to, and have to wait for a good mental and physical day, And idea
weather, and no distractions, so the Sube is a pretty big challenge,
not knowing them, and me years behind in the technologies. They say
Challenge the brain to Keep it sharp, or get back lost function. I
Always Loved a Challenge, so I didn't shy away from a Sube. I lost
two friends who may have been helpful. One had an older Legacy, and
another knew cars and trucks inside out, and did all his own work on
both, even after badly burned in a fire.

VF

 

[johninKY]

If you really want to know all the compnents of the car, go down to the
dealer and buy the Factory Service Manual. Expensive but everything is in
there.

Subaru uses an electronic transmission. That cable from the shifter to
the transmission just moves an external part with multiple electrical
contacts. Put the car up on a rack and it's that "fan-shaped" thing with
the wiring harness. Inside the transmission are a bunch of solenoids that
determine what gear the transmission is in.

 

[houndman]

If you really want to know all the compnents of the car, go down to the
dealer and buy the Factory Service Manual. Expensive but everything is in
there.

Subaru uses an electronic transmission. That cable from the shifter to
the transmission just moves an external part with multiple electrical
contacts. Put the car up on a rack and it's that "fan-shaped" thing with
the wiring harness. Inside the transmission are a bunch of solenoids that
determine what gear the transmission is in.

I meant the 5M manual trans shifter.

I have the factory manual on CD, which is pretty difficult to find
things in, and the drawings aren't that easy to figure out. I bought
the Haynes manual that only has Other models, but figured they would
be similar, if not the same, and the pictures help.

I always had factory shop manuals for cars. Even have one for a 52'
Plymouth that had kingpins and bushings, before ball joints.

VF

 

[johninKY]

Had a 52 Dodge as a kid. Recall Dad paid $50 for it at an auction. Those
were the days.

 

[houndman]

I meant the 5M manual trans shifter.

I have the factory manual on CD, which is pretty difficult to find
things in, and the drawings aren't that easy to figure out. I bought
the Haynes manual that only has Other models, but figured they would
be similar, if not the same, and the pictures help.

I always had factory shop manuals for cars. Even have one for a 52'
Plymouth that had kingpins and bushings, before ball joints.

VF

The Haynes manual seems to be helping a bit, IF the Imprezas are that
similar to the other models. Figure it may, but not going to trust
it, since manuals have been wrong, and one not exactly for the model
could be wronger. Is that a word?

I may have solved the confusion about whether the trans and front
diff share or have seperate oil/fluids. The stick is said to share,
and the auto doesn't. That would explain why the stick would have gear
oil that isn't the best for it, since it will protect the
differential, and Maybe hurt the trans, if the sulfur in the GL-5 gets
too hot, forming acids, and corrode the syncronizers and shorten their
life. Figure that having the trans dip stick plated with copper and or
silver, will make it a "Test Strip" for acids that could form, since
that's how they test oils for acid.

VF

 

[Rick Courtright]

and the auto doesn't. That would explain why the stick would have gear
oil that isn't the best for it, since it will protect the
differential, and Maybe hurt the trans, if the sulfur in the GL-5 gets
too hot, forming acids, and corrode the syncronizers and shorten their
life.

Hi,

You worry too much.

The only guys who are even possibly likely to overheat their gearbox oil
know how to handle it. In a word, "coolers." They use a lot of 'em on
tracks...

But for us mere mortals who drive on the streets, the chances of
"overheating" gear oil rate right up there w/ getting hit by a meteorite
or the sun burning out. Yeah, any of those events COULD happen, but one
must learn the art of patience to hang around waiting for them to
happen.

Look at the change intervals in your book. W/ gearbox/diff oils, they're
generally sufficient to give you several hundred thousand miles of
service given "normal" levels of usage. No change in oil will save a
gearbox from being thrashed, which kills far more than "corrosion of
synchronizers" ever will. Now a gearbox that brother in law of yours
might have owned doesn't even qualify for THIS discussion...

But IF you're still worried, cut the change interval down. If it's 30k
miles in the book, do it at 15k, or 20k. You'll pay a little more for
fluids, more for labor if you don't do it yourself, but you can sit back
and enjoy the peace of mind of knowing you've outsmarted the engineers.
Considering the low rate you're putting miles on this car, the book's
"time interval" for changes may well kick in before the mileage. Hmmm...
maybe some of those engineers were smarter than we gave 'em credit for?

Rick

 

[houndman]

Hi,

You worry too much.

The only guys who are even possibly likely to overheat their gearbox oil
know how to handle it. In a word, "coolers." They use a lot of 'em on
tracks...

But for us mere mortals who drive on the streets, the chances of
"overheating" gear oil rate right up there w/ getting hit by a meteorite
or the sun burning out. Yeah, any of those events COULD happen, but one
must learn the art of patience to hang around waiting for them to
happen.

Look at the change intervals in your book. W/ gearbox/diff oils, they're
generally sufficient to give you several hundred thousand miles of
service given "normal" levels of usage. No change in oil will save a
gearbox from being thrashed, which kills far more than "corrosion of
synchronizers" ever will. Now a gearbox that brother in law of yours
might have owned doesn't even qualify for THIS discussion...

But IF you're still worried, cut the change interval down. If it's 30k
miles in the book, do it at 15k, or 20k. You'll pay a little more for
fluids, more for labor if you don't do it yourself, but you can sit back
and enjoy the peace of mind of knowing you've outsmarted the engineers.
Considering the low rate you're putting miles on this car, the book's
"time interval" for changes may well kick in before the mileage. Hmmm...
maybe some of those engineers were smarter than we gave 'em credit for?

Rick

Well, I have a lot of new things to learn about the new cars and
oils, but like to know what could cause me problems in the future. I
may decide they aren't something to be that concerned about, and maybe
I will.

I've been planning an around the country trip, and might tow a
trailer, though it might be in something bigger, but towing is hard on
a trans and oil, and though they say a trans doesn't get that hot,
they Also say that it does from localized friction between the gear
teeth, so how much does it affect the oil, and what will I be doing
with the car? There was confusion whether the trans and the front diff
shared or didn't share the trans oil, which Looks like it's different
whether a stick or auto, and that the stick shares it, and why the oil
that will protect the rear is used. When something is questionable, I
like to know why, and to Know where I stand, not just guess. I'd
Prefer an oil that there was no question about, but looks like I don't
have a choice. I don't like changing something just to be safe, or not
changing it Thinking I am. When I had a car that the trans started to
growl when decelerating from speed, and the sevice mgr said, They All
make that noise, I wasn't buying it, and found out the trans only had
1/3 the oil it should have had, and filling it up got rid of the
noise, and may have saved the trans, but was any damage already done,
since it wasn't leaking, so might have always been low.

Reading that synthetic gear oil can be TOO slippery for the
syncronizers to work right, and can cause grinding of gears, then what
will corrosion of them do, and how much is too much? Hearing about the
situations, why wait till something does happen to try to figure it
out, if they can be avoided? This AM I went around and around with my
ISP, since I had no connection. I checked the LAN cables which weren't
making contact once before, but they seemed OK. One tech had me type
in an IP address manually, which didn't work, and we were cut off.
Another said the problem was on my end from testing the line. I
repaired Windows and reloaded MB LAN drivers, and still nothing.
Called again and was told installing the IP address #'s I was told to
type in was a problem, and deleted them and could get on line. Looks
like an iffy LAN cable, so will change it, and hopefully not have the
problem again.

VF