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'86 GL Manual Shift Problem, Questions


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I have a 1986 GL wagon, 5-speed 4WD. It's never had anything done to it's transmission, has never needed anything. Until lately. It's becoming difficult to shift into gear(s), especially into first gear. I'm hoping it just needs an adjustment to the clutch cable. 

 

I'm the only owner and it's all stock except for the Weber carb, so I know all its history.

 

I've read in my "How to Keep Your Old Subaru Alive" that replacing things like the flywheel, clutch, seals, bearings, bushings, plates, etc. can only be done with the engine removed. Don't want to go there at all if I can avoid it.

 

Does anyone have any tips or thoughts as to why it's getting so difficult & stiff to change gears?

 

Whatever it needs I'll have to take it into a shop (I use a very good one but they're not cheap).

 

What do you guys (and gals) think about the symptom & the repair I might be needing?

 

Subarule,in SW Washington

 

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

 

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OK, good tip. Can't remember the last time, so it was maybe so long ago and integrated into some other fluid level check. This is going to sound stupid but where is box & dipstick located?

 

I'm a little old lady so I don't work on cars, just try to maintain them.

 

I appreciate your input.

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dipstick is located under the spare tire, almost in the transmission tunnel of the vehicle, under the fire wall, alittle hard to reach in but also you will need a funnel, theres no way you will ever be able to pour more (if needed) without a funnel. and 90w transmission oil has a strong smell, so be prepared for that and try not to get it on your hands. (gives me a stomach ache)

 

and nothing sounds stupid, theres no wrong question, so keep asking them!

 

also i put 80w-90 GL-5 transmission oil, just make sure its for manual transmission vehicles, for some reason manual transmission fluid is getting harder and harder to find where im at.

Edited by Subasaurus
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also does your shifter have any play? say foward and back? if it does, could be that your bushings are out and you're having a hard time getting it into gear since the shifter can't reach that far into the transmission anymore.

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I haven't driven the car in a few days as I trade off with my SUV (but I prefer the Subaru - manual shift) so I don't remember if the shifter has play. I think not. I don't remember any sloppiness.

 

I found the trans oil dipstick location in my Chilton's - duh - couldn't have been more obvious.

 

I'm taking the car into the shop to have the clutch cable adjusted and the trans. oild drained & changed. Does it use a filter?

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transmission does not have a filter, or i don't think it does :o anyways theres a magnet on the drain plug that catches any metal shards from wear and tear from the gears, just make sure to tell them to clean the magnet before they plug it up again.

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OK, good tip. Can't remember the last time, so it was maybe so long ago and integrated into some other fluid level check. This is going to sound stupid but where is box & dipstick located?

 

I'm a little old lady so I don't work on cars, just try to maintain them.

 

I appreciate your input.

there is always something left out in request diagnosis posts :)

 

the gal reference was a clue - I see now, very sneaky :)

 

Replacing or lubricating the internals of a clutch cable can make pedal pressing so much easier than an old dry cable. You have written first request quite clear though - seems not your problem in getting that pedal in and out. Guys, keep an eye out for a little old lady with well defined left calf muscles !!

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It could be the clutch cable is old and stretching (In my experience, usually a sign its about to snap)  .. if the cable does need to be replaced, I'm pretty sure you can still get OEM clutch cables from subaru for 86 GLs. Do not get an aftermarket one that is not made by Subaru. Or if you do, don't get one made by Pioneer Cables (I cant speak for other aftermarket suppliers). I got one from them and it snapped in 4,000 miles. (original one lasted 163,000)

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there is always something left out in request diagnosis posts :)

 

the gal reference was a clue - I see now, very sneaky :)

 

Replacing or lubricating the internals of a clutch cable can make pedal pressing so much easier than an old dry cable. You have written first request quite clear though - seems not your problem in getting that pedal in and out. Guys, keep an eye out for a little old lady with well defined left calf muscles !!

What? Do you have any helpful tips to offer?

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So it's now had the clutch cable adjusted and the trans. oil drained & changed, with just a few pieces on the magnet. Still shifts somewhat hard. This might be a dumb question, but does the trans. have a synchro-mesh and could it be the issue?

 

Subarule

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I am sure you asked opinion of whoever did the last work on this issue - what did they have to say?

 

Is it hard to shift the stick into and out of each gear ?

 

does the difficulty you have add crunch to gear shifting ? Shifting up a number or down a number ?

 

syncromesh is between all forward gears in these babies. Not believe first has synchro down from second by the way it feels, but certain it does.

 

I think synchro is explained as - if you don't have synchro rings between the gears you need to drive as if an old WW2 army truck or car, double clutching between each and every gear ? Clutch pedal in, select neutral, clutch out, clutch in , select nex desired gear (if you still have same momentum did just a second ago :D )

 

pieces ? as in chunks of teeth or synchro ring ? or slivers of stuff. Won't be synchro, as they are brass, and no sticky to magnet

Edited by jono
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I am sure you asked opinion of whoever did the last work on this issue - what did they have to say?

 

Is it hard to shift the stick into and out of each gear ?

 

does the difficulty you have add crunch to gear shifting ? Shifting up a number or down a number ?

 

syncromesh is between all forward gears in these babies. Not believe first has synchro down from second by the way it feels, but certain it does.

 

I think synchro is explained as - if you don't have synchro rings between the gears you need to drive as if an old WW2 army truck or car, double clutching between each and every gear ? Clutch pedal in, select neutral, clutch out, clutch in , select nex desired gear (if you still have same momentum did just a second ago :D )

 

pieces ? as in chunks of teeth or synchro ring ? or slivers of stuff. Won't be synchro, as they are brass, and no sticky to magnet

It is not that bad if you lose syncromesh.  All you do is hold the clutch pedal to the floor, about 1/2 second longer than if you had syncromesh.  There is no syncro in 1st gear.  The syncro going into second gear is the most likely to go out first, and that is probably what the pieces were on your magnetic drain plug.  The gear shift can get sloppy when you have over a couple hundred thousand miles.  "Subarule" did not state how many miles the car had.  The best thing is to have another Subaru GL stick shift owner, take a look at the car and compare to his or her own car.

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i made a thread about the shifter linkages not too long ago....

but she said earlier that it doesn't feel sloppy, i think its something inside her transmission.

I don't remember if the shifter has play. I think not. I don't remember any sloppiness.

heres the thread i made about the bushings-

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/153268-shifter-bushings-cant-remove-them/

also my second gear has been gear grinding ever since i got the car, and third is slowly but surely catching up, does not matter how softly i put it in gear or double clutching it, it loves to grind so i have to slam it into gear just to have access to 2nd and 3rd gear. you're not the only one with transmission issues Subarule.

 

also Subarule doesn't do her own work.

I'm taking the car into the shop to have the clutch cable adjusted and the trans. oild drained & changed.

best of luck Subarule! hope you fix your issue with the transmission.

Edited by Subasaurus
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Yeah, I'm sure it's in the transmission. Not ready to spend the big bucks at the shop to have the trans. pulled and gone over. The shifting problem isn't that bad, just annoying.

 

As for mileage on my car, I'm not sure, but over 100K for sure, maybe around 140K. It's been my daily driver all its life but it's never been abused. Not really babied either. I retired in 2001 so it hasn't gotten many miles per week on it since then. I tend to drive it more than the 6-cyl. SUV when gas prices are high. 

 

It has some other issues that have higher priority than tearing into the trans., like getting the AC working again, and the suspension replaced. 

 

Why do shops - good shops - have to cost so much? 

 

Subarule

 

Subarule

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Why do shops - good shops - have to cost so much? 

 

Subarule

 

Subarule

 

Yes and even the "other" shops charge a lot.  In the past I paid the top dollar to a shop owner/ mechanic who has worked on Subarus since the late 70's.  Nowadays his shop has sports cars, modified track cars, regular maintence jobs, and the odd Subaru or two in the parking area waiting for something.  As my 85 wagon was put on a lift nest to highly modified track car, I would shiver and cringe thinking of what it was going to cost for my sun-weathered Subaru's work but I went ahead because the wagon needed it and I wanted it done right.  Problem was ..........it wasn't him, the expert, (anymore) doing the work but one of his "guys".  So, I'm paying this Pro to have his guy learn about how to get the job done on my Subaru.  I had a handful of things done including water pump and oil and filter change and spent over $1K.  Right after I went out to the desert on a prospecting trip.  On the way out at a gas station, I checked my oil and water and both were only 3/4 full IIRC and some bolt(s) were loose, I forget exactly what, but it was dissapointing to say the least.  Upon my return I told him about it, he apologized, and I asked him what might have happened if I hadn't checked?......On my last visit (about 5 years ago) to that shop we had no luck finding a needed friggin smog part and his shop manager told me it was time to "put a bullet in the car" and move on.

 

Any shop around here charges $90 per hour (and above) for labor and it seems a crap shoot whether 1) they know anything about old Subarus and, at least, will admit it if they don't or 2) are conscientious about using anti-sieze, not stripping bolts, flat out breaking things, and tightening and replacing what they work on, etc.....

I try to do good quality maintenance work, keep things properly cleaned and lubricated, and I can replace parts but machining, tuning, fabricating, or jobs that require special tools are our of my comfort zone, yet when I do the work I'm much more comfortable.  :)

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talking about shops and costs i've been needing to do a clutch change on my 89 wagon, its a guy that only deals with subarus at his shop and has been doing it for 25+ years, is $500 too much? this is only labor, the clutch kit is $120 for a 4WD clutch with bearings and flywheel and stuff, but im just curious on the labor part.

 

is doing the clutch difficult on an EA82? i have tools but it would only be me bymyself and im pretty sure the transmission ain't light. is $500 too much to pay someone that specializes in subarus when someone on the other part of my city can do it for $250? is there any risks of screwing up? do you have to actually know what your doing? thanks.

Edited by Subasaurus
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I did that job on my wagon, by myself with just regular jackstands and a floorjack in my driveway.  That was 1996 approxiamately..lol.  Logical job and NOT super difficult.  Getting the tranny off and back on was the trickiest.  Two important and critical parts I recall were 1) a "clutch guide" tool (some people used cut off stub from a spare tranny) and 2) PROPERLY replacing the rear main seal with a new one. This must be done carefully.  Both 1) and 2) a local (Denver, Colorado at the time) Subaru wizard helped me with.  He let me borrow his "clutch guide" tool and a very large socket for CAREFULLY tapping in the NEW rear main seal. 

 

Since then I have learned that there is another seal (or two?) in the rear of the engine that could/ should be replaced while doing this job, but another member will be able to chime in about this and or add to or correct what I said hopefully.  Good luck though.  I haven't had any issues with mine since....All the best, Aaron

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I think that was part of the clutch kit....it's been along time.  I would suggest you start a simple new thread asking your questions and seeking advice from these USMB wizards...  I was, and continue to be, impressed with the Subaru engineering in that many of the parts would only go on one way and are not that hard to get to.  Cheers, Aaron

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I think that was part of the clutch kit....it's been along time.  I would suggest you start a simple new thread asking your questions and seeking advice from these USMB wizards...  I was, and continue to be, impressed with the Subaru engineering in that many of the parts would only go on one way and are not that hard to get to.  Cheers, Aaron

thanks for your help two85s.
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I was quoted by the shop I use regularly that they (would) charge $732 to replace my suspension (struts all around), and that is with me buying the struts elsewhere & supplying them. I almost fainted. Is that price out of line or am I behind the times? I don't imagine it's easy to replace struts, but still...

 

I suppose this should be a separate topic?

 

Subarule

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