Cynthia

Ok. got it. Well, I finally got up the nerve to drive it. I've been scared to do so, for some odd reason. Wierdest darn thing. Two guys that have driven it -- both said they could not get it into 4th and had rough spots with the other gears. I drove it and it went through every gear just fine. I downshifted and upshifted, testing and trying to duplicate. No go. One fellow I called and he was dumbfounded. He said anytime he tried to get it to go to 4th it started grinding and wouldn't even get close; had to bypass and go to 5th. Go figure. This has got to be Soobie love for me, hmm? I do hear sound that is to me "engine sound" but they call it roaring sound when in gear and moving. No sounds when engaging clutch. So, I guess I can drive it to a better shop this week and I'll have them diagnose. I still believe it's tranny..but now I think it's early stage or some part that has gone haywire. At least I am no longer freaked! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE HERE. I have bookmarked this site. Amazing place...with some of the most helpful people I have ever met on the planet! Sure has eased my soul to be able to talk with fellow owners and to be listened to !!! and helped. wow.

Hey there..if you don't mind..could you tell me who did you tran work and for how much? I have to have one put into my 1989 GL manual/5 speed/fwd/Sedan.

Cool! I got it!! Boy, I sure do feel dumb. Oh well. Good to learn. I found the dip stick again and lo and behold, there was a low and high mark. Sheesh! The grease -- very light -- was about 2 lines above low. Looks like there are about 10 lines between low and full. So I guess that means it is OK? So far, all the darn transmission shops that I've contacted will only use their own parts, no used trannys can be brought to them, and want to take it apart and look before they'll estimate. This is starting to sound more expensive.

Well, icky old grease is now all over my acrylic nails. <ha!> Oh well! I found the dip stick, I'm pretty sure. I located one that is on the passenger side, under the hood, toward the back, low.. small stick. Pulled it out and wiped with towel. Stuck back in and repulled. Car is cold. It wasn't covered with lots of grease like I thought it might be. I've never seen one of these sticks so nothing to compare it other than my oil stick. All I know is that it didn't look like it was covered with much of anything...a little tiny bit of grease but not much. What should it look like? Like the oil dip stick when covered with oil...except covered with grease? If that's the case, then the answer is "nope."

Should it be checked hot or cold? How could the grease get out if it's a sealed transmission? <I know..stupid question...but I'm learning, learning, learning>

Hi everybody -- I have been looking online for a 2wd 5speed transmission. Questions: 1. Is there somewhere I can look in the my car to see if it is nonturbo or turbo? I think it's turbo but I'm not positive. 2. Can anybody recommend a place online to buy a rebuilt 2wd 5speed transmission for my 89 Subaru Gl 4-door Sedan? 3. Wouldn't buying from a junkyard just get me the possibiity of buying someone else's problem? Great to see a woman is doing her own work. It's something I sure wish I had learned somewhere along the line. I fish and camp, though -- and don't mind bait or getting dirty in the woods. Guess that counts for something! Thanks to everybody for the great advice. Cynthia

OK!! Thanks.

Oops ..one more question. How do I specify a transmission for this make/model? ..to make sure I get the right one? Will go with FWD. i'm fine with it. POSTSCRIPT..I see answer now. posted this after reading reply. sorry.

So what's an EA 82? And I guess that I should go now to the classified board and post an ad to see if there is someone close to me who can install a transmission, right? There's no possibility it's something else? Boy, I hope I can find a transmission. Off to post an ad. If I want to junk yard (oh fun..how to get there?), how does one know if the tran in the junked car is one that should be bought??? You guys are SUPER!!! This is the best forum I have ever been on. I can't say enough thanks for all the conversation and help. I felt so alone until I got here! Wish there was a way to repay you guys for the help. I can edit writing! Create web sites! Oh well. Guess a thank you (HUGE) will have to suffice.

Oh! I get it. (and yes, snow in these parts.) Thank you. Now have to go find money tree to pluck. I wonder how I find someone on board who sells trannys, if I can get it installed.

So, the consensus, it appears, is tranny. Wow. What a forum. I cannot believe the fast response. In awe. Car is front-wheel drive. Doesn't that mean it needs front wheel drive tranny. Stupid female questions ( I can ask 'cause I'm female!) ** If it buy from somebody on board, my understanding is that shops don't usually want to install parts you bring to them. Yes? No? ** I cannot install. Yikes. I would love to learn how but I'm afraid I'd break my nails. You know how that goes with us female-types. **So, at 8 hours in a shop at $65/hr (cost here), looking at $520 plus part cost. Guess, that's cheaper than the cars I've been looking at tonight. **Anybody know any guys around the Pullman, WA/Moscow, Idaho area that could install? **Can I drive it or do I have to skip church tomorrow? Guess, collection plate money will have to go toward car repair. **If it was you, would you fix it? Even with the oil leaks? And age? 89?

Hi -- 89 Subaru GL 4-dr sedan, manual 5 speed. One owner (me); 149,000 miles. Was planning on getting estimate this next week for oil leak/gasket repair. Grr. Instead, something new cropped up in my "i don't want to get rid of you" Subaru. Here's the scoop: 1. I noticed recently that when in 2 or 4th, stick shift vibrated so much that panel console was affected. If I kept my hand on stick shift or moved it in 3 or 5th, it was fine. 2. My son commented that he thought my engine sounded loud. 3. I began to notice that my engine sounded louder anytime I was pushing on gas pedal. Otherwise, purred. 4. Today, I had male friend take it for a drive. He is "strong." In other words, sometimes if I ask him to turn a knob, he ends up stripping it or it's so tight I cannot loosen. Anyway, when he returned here, he said that there was noise everytime he went from gear to gear **and** when he went into fourth, it ground and he could no longer get it into 4th. He drove it by bypassing to 5th. ( I wonder if he applied too much muscle; shifted too fast/too hard. Dunno. Probably just female nonsense on my part) 5. When sitting in my drive at idle, I can take it through all gears. 6. He took it to shop today -- Saturday. Help on hand there is inexperienced. Other shops all closed. I live in a small town of 24,000. Biggest town, 200,000, is 80 miles away. Nothing but wheat in between. They put it on rack with a fellow inside. They also drove it. Guy at shop said 4th is now a problem. When shifting into 4th, lots of grinding starts. He skipped to 5th. On rack, he said what confused him is that he heard rattling sorta sounds coming from each gear as shifting through but that the sound was coming more from the mid-back of the car not the front,where, he said, the clutch would be located. So confused. 7. Friend said transmission is obviously going out and cost would be very high. Time to junk car and get new one. He said he doubted anybody would buy it or take it on trade-in. Comments?? (i'd prefer to fix and keep if it's fixable for reasonable dollars) Cynthia Freyer long-long-longtime Subaru owner