Subaru WRX question

[KA-T_240]

So, I can pick up a 2003 WRX 5-speed with 90k Silver with a STi wing. All stock dealer maintained for $4000obo at the moment. Body was really good last time I saw it 2-3 months ago. Rear bumper may need a respray. Major issue is 1st gear doesn't work at all. I know the timing belt should be replaced around the 100k mark.


Do any of you have modded WRXs? I am looking for advice for the tranny. Rebuild it stock, with RA gears other things...... I do not plan on drag racing it. It may see a auto-x once and a while. And will probably see some snow auto-x. I do not plan on heavily modding the car power wise, maybe some bolt ons down the road. Is it really worth putting a upgraded tranny in? It will get driven hard, I drive all my stuff hard. But I have a modded to hell 240, so don't need to overabuse the WRX.

Basically I am looking for advice on the tranny, places to buy the parts... And other basic info on common failures on the car. I know about the nasioc or what ever the big subie forum is. And will be going there for further research. My dad is checking out the car tomorrow, and I am going on friday.

Also, do you know what insurance companies classify the car as? Like sports ect.

[[w]hite[r]abbit[x]]

Insurance will be considered as a sports sedan. Insurance will be somewhat high because its turbo. Does the WRX have stock transmission? If it does then it doesn't have RA gears. Seems like the owner before beat the transmission and that's why 1st gear doesn't work. You should replace the gear box or just get a new transmission.

I'm not quite sure where you can buy a WRX transmission at. Try your local junk yards if there are any wrecked WRX's. If you have money you might be able to contact East Coast Swappers or even Garage Tuning and they may be able to ship you a good transmission.

[[w]hite[r]abbit[x]]

I also see your from minnesota. You might have better luck asking people on MNsubaru.com.

[KA-T_240]

^Ya. I know.

It doesn't have the RA gear set. I was asking about upgrading to the RA gears. I can afford the tranny, I am selling my Jeep to buy and fix this car. I really don't want to spend over 1500 on getting a differant tranny.

[qwikspool]

go to nasioc.com its a subaru forum.

[osus14]

I would pick up that car for 4k. That is a steal if the tranny is the only problem. YOu can pick up a stronger 04 tranny for about 600-1000 depending on milage. Or you can do the RA gears build for about 1300. I am just giving your prices on parts.. Not including labor. Labor for a trany build is pretty expensive unless you are doing it your self. but even if you have someone do it, it will still cost you alot less then you would have bought one with a nice tranny. :) If you decide not to jump on it.. lol pass it to me !! :)

[KA-T_240]

^lol.

If i dont get it, Its pretty much sold to one of the local shops in town. I am going to make some calls on the price of getting the tranny rebuilt. That shop will do all the labor for the tranny and putting a new clutch in for $450.(plus cost of clutch and tranny rebuild)

[HWYKING]

So, I can pick up a 2003 WRX 5-speed with 90k Silver with a STi wing. All stock dealer maintained for $4000obo at the moment. Body was really good last time I saw it 2-3 months ago. Rear bumper may need a respray. Major issue is 1st gear doesn't work at all. I know the timing belt should be replaced around the 100k mark.


Do any of you have modded WRXs? I am looking for advice for the tranny. Rebuild it stock, with RA gears other things...... I do not plan on drag racing it. It may see a auto-x once and a while. And will probably see some snow auto-x. I do not plan on heavily modding the car power wise, maybe some bolt ons down the road. Is it really worth putting a upgraded tranny in? It will get driven hard, I drive all my stuff hard. But I have a modded to hell 240, so don't need to overabuse the WRX.

Basically I am looking for advice on the tranny, places to buy the parts... And other basic info on common failures on the car. I know about the nasioc or what ever the big subie forum is. And will be going there for further research. My dad is checking out the car tomorrow, and I am going on friday.

Also, do you know what insurance companies classify the car as? Like sports ect.

best bet would be to rebuild the current tranny with RA gears. you can also do other modifcations to drivetrain to lose the drivetrain slop. PM me if you have any questions.

[Bobafreak]

c.o.n
An STi gear set (RA or non RA 5 speed set), Legacy GT gearset, or another OEM gear set would constitute the cheapest upgrades. Pricing for the STi RA and Non-RA gear sets is around $1300 depending on the retailer plus possible additional costs normally found during installation and applicable installation charges. A Legacy GT or an OEM complete gear set will be around $850. It is important to note that as of March of 2002 (build date) the Subaru 5MT swapped over to RA width gears. If your transmission code is TY754VN2AA you have the narrow gears. If you have transmission code TY754VN2BA you have the wider gears. So many 2002 and some 2003 (model year) users switching to newer gears would not only get new gears, but stronger gears. All gears available through Subaru are now the newer RA width.

[KA-T_240]

^Thanks!!!!!!!!


IIRC, isn't the L. GT gears stronger? Do you know if they use the same gear ratio?

[Bobafreak]

c.o.n
The strongest gears would be the helical gears The theory behind helical gears being stronger is because the contact between mating teeth increases more gradually and more teeth are in contact at a given time compared to a spur gear. So, looking at this further, helical cut gears would be stronger than straight cut gears of the same width as more than just one tooth will be transferring the torque. Helical gears have one disadvantage when compared to spur gears. When they are loaded a side thrust is created that must be absorbed in the bearings. There is also a strong case represented by spur gears as they generally have fewer, but larger and theoretically stronger teeth. It is probably best to choose the best gear type based on manufacturer ratings or noise preferences rather than gear type.

lowering your final drive will produce more mechanical advantage at the ring and pinion gears and less at the transmission (less stress on the gearset). This can be accomplished by a final drive ratio conversion or through using smaller than OEM 24.9" circumference tires. This link (http://www.tciauto.com/Products/TechInfo/calculators.asp) contains calculators to determine tire heights and effective gear ratios for new tires. For example, a popular tire upgrade for the WRX is 50 series 16" tire with a 24.1" circumference. This equates to an effective final drive ratio of 4.03 over the OEM 3.90.

gear ratio for your request.
WRX=3.454 (1st) 1.947 (2nd) 1.366 (3rd) 0.972 (4th) 0.738 (5th) WRX FD 3.90
Legacy= 3.166 (1st) 1.882 (2nd) 1.296 (3rd) 0.972 (4th) 0.738 (5th) Legacy GT FD 4.11

[bcbs13det]

i work at a shop called EngineLogics and we do a crap ton of subaru work.
ra gearsets are trash.
just jdm gears that have been cryo treated..... freezing stuff makes it brittle
if you are going to upgrade the trans which i highly recommend go the ppg route, granted the gearset alone is about $4k you will never have any other trans issues.
if you plan on driving it hard(autox or rally what ever) go ppg. also get there front lsd like another 1k and maybe think about upgrading the viscous coupler.

stock wrx trannies are garbage just so you know.
i have seen plenty of broken ones on bone stock cars

[KA-T_240]

the thing is. I can not afford to spend 5k on a tranny.

[bcbs13det]

damn that sucks

[Bobafreak]

bc is right alot of people if they dont upgrade the gears they just buy the sti tranny's.

[HWYKING]

bc is right alot of people if they dont upgrade the gears they just buy the sti tranny's.

exactly, for my friends who have ruined their gears they simply had RA gears installed with the rebuild and it wasnt too expensive. other who had the $5k to spend looked for STI 6spd trannys and went that route instead.

[Bobafreak]

I wanted to buy a subaru recently but reading all these mixed reviews plus not having to much knowledge on it, then finding a good shop to work on it became a problem. I said no ill keep the 240. lol. Besides if you notice there values dont hold as well like a evo they seem to decrease by the mileage/age. Now a days you can run across one less then 8k such like you did.

Another thing as well, upgrades suck due the cost. lol. But to each its on. I think the subys are nice but not worth all that for little gain imo.

[DOOK]

I have a 2003 Legacy 5 speed... it's a terd, slow as shit, but i got strong gears so they don't break with the massive power I'm making :D

[driftstyre]

I've rebuilt over 50 Subaru 5MTs with V6 STi, V6 STi RA, PPG, KAPS, Quaife and Hewland/Prodrive. Treated RAs are the way to go for the money. The ratios alone are worth the upgrade but they are much stronger than the factory gears. The width of the US gears were updated in 03 but the tooth profile wasn't changed in the US until 05. The main cause of failure on WRX transmissions is launching and hard shifting.

Despite what bcbs13det said, the RA's are a great choice for $1500. If you have the money, get a 6 speed. The case design/mainshaft are both infinitely better as well as bearing placement. We've never had to repair a broken 6 speed (only upgrade the gears/diff) but we get an average of 2-3 5MTs a month for rebuild.

We have two customers who rally 5MT WRX's and two who circuit race them. The two that rally both went a full season without opening the transmission(they have to use stock gears in their class but the gears are treated Cryo'd/REM'd). The two that track their cars have the original 2002 transmissions with over 30 track days each, one running stock power and one with 320whp. If you want to go drag racing with your street car, get a 6 speed (it will end up costing 5500-7000). If you don't mind straight gears, get PPGs for your 5 speed case.

[HWYKING]

I wanted to buy a subaru recently but reading all these mixed reviews plus not having to much knowledge on it, then finding a good shop to work on it became a problem. I said no ill keep the 240. lol. Besides if you notice there values dont hold as well like a evo they seem to decrease by the mileage/age. Now a days you can run across one less then 8k such like you did.

Another thing as well, upgrades suck due the cost. lol. But to each its on. I think the subys are nice but not worth all that for little gain imo.

i think subarus are a far better buy than an evo or any mitsu any day. trannys are stronger, car is built better and sounds better. im not only saying this because i own one, but from the issues my friends run into when modding theirs? regardless if they make more power with less mods, mine is still faster, and more reliable. and i really dont know where you found they hold value better. i wasnt aware of that either. and there are plenty of shops to get work done in socal. but i do agree, mods are super expensive, and the engine isnt the funnest to work on, but once you get used to it, its fun.

I've rebuilt over 50 Subaru 5MTs with V6 STi, V6 STi RA, PPG, KAPS, Quaife and Hewland/Prodrive. Treated RAs are the way to go for the money. The ratios alone are worth the upgrade but they are much stronger than the factory gears. The width of the US gears were updated in 03 but the tooth profile wasn't changed in the US until 05. The main cause of failure on WRX transmissions is launching and hard shifting.

Despite what bcbs13det said, the RA's are a great choice for $1500. If you have the money, get a 6 speed. The case design/mainshaft are both infinitely better as well as bearing placement. We've never had to repair a broken 6 speed (only upgrade the gears/diff) but we get an average of 2-3 5MTs a month for rebuild.

We have two customers who rally 5MT WRX's and two who circuit race them. The two that rally both went a full season without opening the transmission(they have to use stock gears in their class but the gears are treated Cryo'd/REM'd). The two that track their cars have the original 2002 transmissions with over 30 track days each, one running stock power and one with 320whp. If you want to go drag racing with your street car, get a 6 speed (it will end up costing 5500-7000). If you don't mind straight gears, get PPGs for your 5 speed case.

awesome, see coming from someone with personal building experience. which shop do you work for?

[Bobafreak]

i think subarus are a far better buy than an evo or any mitsu any day. trannys are stronger, car is built better and sounds better. im not only saying this because i own one, but from the issues my friends run into when modding theirs? regardless if they make more power with less mods, mine is still faster, and more reliable. and i really dont know where you found they hold value better. i wasnt aware of that either. and there are plenty of shops to get work done in socal. but i do agree, mods are super expensive, and the engine isnt the funnest to work on, but once you get used to it, its fun.




You could be right but as i search here in the socal region i do see some in the 10k range usually within the 02-03 field which i want anyway lol. But when i look into the cost i check the mileage and like i said 8-10k there are in the 60-100k on the mileage between those yrs. As far as the evo/suby debate i dont wanna go there. lol. I already do this with my friends (dennis from supastar) lol.

[HWYKING]

You could be right but as i search here in the socal region i do see some in the 10k range usually within the 02-03 field which i want anyway lol. But when i look into the cost i check the mileage and like i said 8-10k there are in the 60-100k on the mileage between those yrs. As far as the evo/suby debate i dont wanna go there. lol. I already do this with my friends (dennis from supastar) lol.

hehehe yea i know what you mean. im a diehard nissan enthusiast. first 2 cars were an s13 n s14, but when it comes between suby and mitsu i get into it with my best friend. he owned an evo and recently sold it and bought an eg hatch. he had hundreds of issues with it. where are you looking for the bugeye models (02-03)? you can also find some GC8s 2.5rs coupes 98-01 4 10k & under. you can find some highmileage ones true, but they will still be running in great condition as long as they werent mishandled. i would actually like a yellow bugeye as my daily, but out here in cali they are 16-17k. id rather buy another new car for that amount.

[Bobafreak]

Yea it was a bug eye model. i find those the best. I do not want a gc. Strictly bug eye. Im happy with my s13 now, and I plan on keeping it till worst comes to worst which hopefully wont happen but times now a days you never know. Then ill look into it or another car something new. I like my civic as my daily since it is good on the gas and easy to maintain. I drive 450 miles a week mon-fri so me to get a suby and do that... I dont think so. I say within the next few years ill purchase a g35 if i really get bored of the s13 hopefully by then parts will be easy to get along with aero. 350z anything with back seats for the little ones.

[KA-T_240]

I've rebuilt over 50 Subaru 5MTs with V6 STi, V6 STi RA, PPG, KAPS, Quaife and Hewland/Prodrive. Treated RAs are the way to go for the money. The ratios alone are worth the upgrade but they are much stronger than the factory gears. The width of the US gears were updated in 03 but the tooth profile wasn't changed in the US until 05. The main cause of failure on WRX transmissions is launching and hard shifting.

Despite what bcbs13det said, the RA's are a great choice for $1500. If you have the money, get a 6 speed. The case design/mainshaft are both infinitely better as well as bearing placement. We've never had to repair a broken 6 speed (only upgrade the gears/diff) but we get an average of 2-3 5MTs a month for rebuild.

We have two customers who rally 5MT WRX's and two who circuit race them. The two that rally both went a full season without opening the transmission(they have to use stock gears in their class but the gears are treated Cryo'd/REM'd). The two that track their cars have the original 2002 transmissions with over 30 track days each, one running stock power and one with 320whp. If you want to go drag racing with your street car, get a 6 speed (it will end up costing 5500-7000). If you don't mind straight gears, get PPGs for your 5 speed case.


Is that 1500 for a tranny with RA gears? or is that just for the gears? I am looking to rebuild/upgrade the tranny the cheapest most effective way.

I wont be drag racing the car, thats why I have my S13(for racing)

Also, what is a lower case on a suby?? I got a repair history from the dealership and it was done twice.

[driftstyre]

HWYKING,
I co-own Dent Sport Garage, here in lovely Massachusetts. We work on 60% subarus, lots of transmission, motor rebuilds and tuning.

KA-T_240,
We charge $600 labor for Subaru 5MT rebuilds. A treated Version 6 STi or STi RA gearset is $1600.

The "lower case" the dealer is talking about could be the transfer section on the rear. It houses 3 bearings, two gears and the viscous unit. If you run low, the bearings are the first to suffer. There is a maincase and transfer case, not really sure what else the lower case could be. There aren't too many dealers that repair subaru transaxles, most send them back to SOA and install reman'd ones.

[KA-T_240]

^ok.

Well, here is what it is. I went to suby and got the maintance records off It showed the lower case outhousing replaced. And then at a differant time showed the gears and beaings replaced. But it also showed the Transfer case was replaced. Is the lower case like last 2 gears on the tranny?

[HWYKING]

Yea it was a bug eye model. i find those the best. I do not want a gc. Strictly bug eye. Im happy with my s13 now, and I plan on keeping it till worst comes to worst which hopefully wont happen but times now a days you never know. Then ill look into it or another car something new. I like my civic as my daily since it is good on the gas and easy to maintain. I drive 450 miles a week mon-fri so me to get a suby and do that... I dont think so. I say within the next few years ill purchase a g35 if i really get bored of the s13 hopefully by then parts will be easy to get along with aero. 350z anything with back seats for the little ones.

well you cant go wrong with anything nissan. you may want to test drive the new STI for kicks. its got back seats for the kids, and smoother ride than mine was stock.

HWYKING,
I co-own Dent Sport Garage, here in lovely Massachusetts. We work on 60% subarus, lots of transmission, motor rebuilds and tuning.

KA-T_240,
We charge $600 labor for Subaru 5MT rebuilds. A treated Version 6 STi or STi RA gearset is $1600.

The "lower case" the dealer is talking about could be the transfer section on the rear. It houses 3 bearings, two gears and the viscous unit. If you run low, the bearings are the first to suffer. There is a maincase and transfer case, not really sure what else the lower case could be. There aren't too many dealers that repair subaru transaxles, most send them back to SOA and install reman'd ones.

awesome, have you guys put any Cusco LSDs into STIs? im just curious because i recently upgraded my rear lsd to a 1.5 RS and its noisy and i have friends with them in 240s etc and they sound much different. im just paranoid it wasnt installed correctly. it accelerates better than stock and works and all, but just the noise freaks me out.

[driftstyre]

The transfer case also holds 5th gear which I forgot to mention. There are 4 aluminum parts to the transmission case. The main case, which is 2 halves, the transfer case, which on one side houses 5th gear and the gear selector, and the other side houses the transfer gears, VC unit and output shaft. There is also the rear most cover. They might be refering to that which houses the rear most bearing (which recieves the least lubrication). I'd go with an uprated/treated gearset and stay away from the factory gears (unless they are newer Legacy GT ones. The ratios on the Legacy are still pretty long though. The RAs make your car so much more fun without increasing power at all.

[KA-T_240]

^OK. Can you suggest a place to buy them?

Would Legacy GT gears possibly make you get better gas mileage? I know they well make acceleration slower. I can always do a few bolt ons to help it a bit.

[ronmcdon]

With regards to insurance, I really think you should have gotten a quote beforehand. WRX's arn't cheap to insure, as the car gets wrecked and stolen quite often iirc (but not as bad as the EVO's). I'd imagine there's prob an insurance loophole for the Saabaru 9-2, but not the WRX.

I used to insure a 92 Miata, 89 crx si, and a 96 240sx. I had 1 pt, had the car registered in Nor Cal. Also had about 4 accidents in the past. My insurance back then was 2400 annual. When I got my new 06 STi (and quit insuring my Miata), it went up to 3,400 annual. The STi may not demand the same insurance premiums as the WRX, but it may help as loose a reference point.

[KA-T_240]

Have not bought yet. I would put liability on the car.

We got there, looked at the car and were like OMG. Clock, and full stereo had be cut out and panels missing, pieces on interior by mirros were missing, no interior lights worked, ABS and Check engine light on, everything from the drivers door back needs to be repainted/body work, rims chipped and pitted, head rests cut up from screens. Guy is Firm on 4k. Going to talk to the local subaru guy. May split cost and part the car out.

[HellaSlowAndOld]

not to bust ur bubble or anything...

ok so a guy is selling a 03 wrx for $4k with 90,000 miles....

.www.kbb.com

Excellent
$12,530


Good
$11,600


Fair
$10,365
from what u told us its a pile...

so let me ask u this...

WHAT KIND OF A WRX WERE U EXPECTING FOR $4K!?

[ronmcdon]

Have not bought yet. I would put liability on the car.

We got there, looked at the car and were like OMG. Clock, and full stereo had be cut out and panels missing, pieces on interior by mirros were missing, no interior lights worked, ABS and Check engine light on, everything from the drivers door back needs to be repainted/body work, rims chipped and pitted, head rests cut up from screens. Guy is Firm on 4k. Going to talk to the local subaru guy. May split cost and part the car out.

seems like a decent candidate for an all-out track car. You're essentially purchasing the shell more or less.

[HellaSlowAndOld]

anyway i used to have a stageII '05 WRX...my tranny was good no problems...i even lunched the car now and then (the right way to lunch an AWD not clutch drop it)

I have a friend that as an 06TR with an 18g turbo and hes pushing 330hp 360tq...he has stock clutch and stock tranny and he pushes his car hard...but not stupid hard, he has never lunched is car with the 18q setup. reason being, hes scared to bust his tranny, and if he dose is ganna do RA gears

yes, WRX trannys are shit, and if ur ganna replace the tranny and not push to much hp then stock tranny will do fine if driven right..

if ur ganna auto cross that car, then i would suggest rebuilding the tranny that comes with the car, to RA gears or watever other gears u looked up or just go for STi 6speed swap.(as long as u dont rebuild with stock gears) people blow wrx tranny even when the car is compleatly stock.

the tanny sux, the driver plays a large roll...and also the use of the car...

[KA-T_240]

I know about the MSRP. The kid was a dumbass, said car was never in accident, paint was amazing......... When it was in one and we asked and then we told, and car never had anything aftermarket parts or stereo or anything. When it obviously had them and he admitted it when we were there. A good example of idiot car owners that like to attempt to keep stuff hidden.

But the car will more then likely get torn apart and motor going to a 98 2.5RS