the_bard

I've gotten into the habit of smearing a bit of never-seize on the surfaces where the rim and the hub meet. Gotta get that rim off first, though

Got the sleeve off. That's on my list of things I've done before and have no interest in doing again. Used a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to make a slot, than tapped away at one side... just to watch a section break off clean. Whatever material that sleeve is made of, it's brittle. I tapped off a few more sections, then realized I had to change my tactic. Ended up grinding down a section about an 1/8" wide, from one end of the sleeve to the other, just as thin as I dared go. Then I tapped a sharpened putty knife down the length of the thinned section. The sleeve parted along that line, and I was able to pry the sleeve up and off. I did end up boogering the shaft cover a bit towards the "inner" end... the end closer to the transmission. Doubt it'll matter much, since the bearing would have to occupy the same space as the fork to hit the boogered section. The rest of the shaft wasn't that bad, I thought. I gently ran some 2000 grit sandpaper over it anyway, just to make myself feel better. Time will tell. I'm trusting my gut right now, but I also know my gut is afraid the wife is going to take drastic actions in response to the tab I've run up, getting the Baja back on the road.

Yep, that's rust . I'm concentrating on getting the "new" transmission in first, so I'm tackling the project of splitting the old transmission as parts are shipped/pulled. I'll report back once I've got the rest of the transmission split apart and I'm looking at the guts.

That crossed my mind, too. My '97 OBW had a bit of wear on the input shaft from a TOB secured by only one clip. Never had a problem with it. Suppose it depends on what it looks like under the sleeve, huh? ;oD

Picked up the "new to me" transmission today, out of a 2001 Forester. This one looks good... some gunk on the drain plug, but not much. No one inch long chunks of metal, either. Problem is, the input shaft has a snout sleeve on it, so the throw out bearing I had sitting on the shelf won't work. The inner diameter is too small, and it won't fit over the sleeve. My bet is that the one coming in the clutch kit tomorrow isn't going to fit, either. I do have the TO bearing that came with the transmission; it's not noisy, but it does have some slop in it. I'm not keen on installing it, then having it die six months down the road. Are these sleeves a standard size, so I can go hunting for an oversized TO bearing fairly easily? Or do I need to hunt down a set of calipers to measure the sleeve or the old bearing, and find a bearing that fits? If it ain't one thing, it's another...

I don't know much (read:zilch) about the automatics, but I did a quick Google search. I caught this: http://www.sonnax.com/system/pdfs/151/original/TASC-TIP-09-04.pdf, which talks about the TCC solenoid, how to diagnose 'em, and also notes that they're not available from Subaru without buying the whole auxiliary valve body. Found some aftermarkets here:http://cobratransmission.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_1210_1212_1223_1232. Don't know how reputable they are.

I've finally pulled the original transmission, and started splitting it. You know that collar that sits on the input shaft? Um... yeah... I do want to finish splitting the rest of the transmission, just to see what the rest of the innards look like.

I took a look at the center differential from my original transmission... this chunk of metal out of the first junkyard transmission sure looks a lot like that retaining clip. Thoughts?

Huh. So the number of teeth on the gear could differ, and the speedometer/ECM (or is it ECU?) is configured to match. Theoretically, at least. Seems to me that if the final drive is the same and the size of the OEM tires is just about the same, there shouldn't be much (if any) difference in that sensor driven gear. Can't see why someone would go changing it between transmissions. Wouldn't be the first time that reality fails to meet my expectations, though. I'll check it against a GPS once I've got the new transmission in.

Know the history on the coolant? If tap/spring water's been used, mineral deposits could be clogging the radiator. Long story made short, I had a '97 OBW with the same issue. Finally took the radiator out, flipped it over, shook it, and got deposits the size of my thumb out of it. If you've got access to one of those fancy infrared thermometers, I believe you should be able to scan over the radiator and see if a section's clogged or not. Whatever section is clogged should be colder than the rest.

Thanks! Nice to know about the VSS. The change in gear ratio sounds fine. Gotta make a couple of phone calls to confirm details on a transmission... hoping to have it in by the end of next week.

Looks like the Baja should be about 450 lbs heavier than the Forester. The '06 US Outback has the same gearing; I believe that's true back to '00. '99 and earlier had the same shorter 1st and 2nd gears (3.545 2.111). The Legacys generally have a different final drive, as well as the Imprezas, so I'm not considering them.

Not exactly. Looks like: Baja = 225/60R16 = Diameter of 26.63" = Circumference of 83.66" Forester L = 205/70R15 = Diameter of 26.30" = Circumference of 82.62" Forester S = 215/60R16 = Diameter of 26.16" = Circumference of 82.18" (according to http://robrobinette.com/tire_diameter.htm ) So the Baja's stride is about an inch, inch and a half longer per tire revolution than the Forester, depending on the model and assuming brand new OEM tires. It's too late for my head to comprehend more math than that.

I convinced myself to start looking around at parts yards instead of "U Pull It" yards for the replacement transmission for my 2006 Baja. Granted, it's more expensive, but at least I'm not going to spend half a day laying on my back on top of packed dirt. During my searching, I'm finding a few 2000-2001 Forester manual transmissions that reportedly bolt up without difficulty. There's a bit about the Forester transmission using a couple of pins where bolts are used on the Baja transmission, but that's about it. Both have male stubs on the tranny side, so there shouldn't be a problem with the axles. The gear ratios are different, though: 1 2 3 4 5 R FD US Baja MY06 3.454 2.062 1.448 1.088 0.871 3.333 4.111 US Forester MY00-01 3.545 2.111 1.448 1.088 0.780 3.333 4.111 I've already heard that taller fifth gear in the Forester transmission will drop a few RPM on the highway, improving mileage but hurting the ability to power up those hills and pass a bit, depending on my driving habits. I'd call myself mild on the highway, so I doubt it's going to bother me much. Will I notice the shorter gears in first and second? I don't spend much time in 'em, cruising back and forth to work, usually in third or fourth in town. I want to do some light off-roading at some point, with emphasis on light... it will be my daily driver, once my company enforces their "we're parking the company vehicle at the office" policy this fall. Any thoughts?

Did the input/mainshaft have any play in it, Fairtax? I've been able to shift the transmission through the gears and turn it manually, so this one is still engaging and spinning, at least by hand.

Nah, it's not the dipstick. Worth a shot, though, so I just went out and pulled it. It's clean, no signs of major trauma. Fill marks are there, and the end is nice and clean, not jagged. There's an ever so slight curve to the long edges. It looks like it's been tempered (dear Lord, I hope not from the heat of a bad bearing ). One side has a distinctive banding following the curve of the long edge. Sure looks like a cage to me. I might be able to get some good up close shots of it if'n it'll help. Edit: The tranny was only $100 (Monday special, includes the core charge). I'm very tempted to just slap the transmission into the Baja this week and see how bad it really is. If it's noisy, I can pull it again and exchange it. Yard's got a thirty day return/exchange period. If it's not... well, I run it 'til it dies, and drive down once a month or so and check out their new arrivals. Might yank another couple transmissions, at that price. I wonder if the wife would let me make a coffee table out of the bad ones?

I'm an idiot. I must've spent a good hour tromping through the junkyard on Monday, looking for a manual transmission for my 2006 Baja. I cross referenced the transmission chart, made sure the final drive was the same, blah blah blah. Looked for donor cars with obvious reasons for being in the yard other than the transmission. I came across a 2001 Forester. Plaque said the engine was bad, tranny was good. Now I swear I pulled the drain plug, looking for obvious chunks of metal. Common sense, right? I will admit that I looked at a few trannies as I wandered the yard, and maybe I just thought I pulled the drain plug on this one. Maybe I didn't. I swear I did, but nobody's infallible. Anyway, I was going over the transmission tonight, since we broke one of the four bolts off that mount it to the crossmembers (not a big deal, ought to drill out fairly easily). Pulled the drain plug, and I found this (pic taken after I cleaned it up): Now, if I could kick myself in the butt, I would be. Again, maybe I missed this plug. Maybe the chunk fell down to the plug at some point, as we were yanking the transmission around. Regardless, it's there now, and I have to deal with it. I'm going to guess from the slight curvature of that piece that it's a cage from one of the bearings. The way the ends are bent makes me think it got chewed up from the gears, so God only knows what else is chewed up, too. I'm thinking I'll be exchanging the transmission next Monday, and pulling a new one. Yard is a good two hours away, and I'm really not looking forward to driving back and spending another few hours wrenching underneath another parts car.

Were the throwout bearing retaining clips replaced when the clutch kit was put in? They don't come with the kits, to the best of my knowledge. I had to pick up mine at the dealer. My '97 OBW had the same symptoms: loud obnoxious squeaky clutch with my foot off the clutch pedal that could be heard even at highway speeds; press the clutch pedal down a bit, and the noise goes away. it was a really inexpensive part, just a wire bent to shape. Not so cheap to get to, though. I can't imagine doing a clutch job and having to dig back into it because one of those clips gave out.

Thanks for the confirmation. I wasn't sure if it was like that, or similar to a VLSD where the fluid becomes more viscous as it heats up.

I got to thinking about the above video: The rear housing might have been slightly off the transmission when I took the video. That probably introduced that play in the shaft. I'm going to be searching around for a replacement transmission now; the "You Pull It" yard back home has 'em for $125, with the core figured in. 30 day return/exchange, too. That's cheaper than the >$800 I'm seeing from the local yards, and worth the extra effort pulling it, I figure. Is there any use in me (newbie shade tree mechanic that I am) in tackling the job of splitting the old transmission case to see what condition the innards are? Not as an effort to rebuild it, mind you, but more of an educational and forensic exercise.

Managed to get it separated all the way around, but it's still coming hard. Used the chisel to get the bottom separated, then a putty knife to open it the rest of the way around. It's still coming really hard, and there's nothing obvious binding. I'm really hoping I'm not mangling the mating surfaces bad. If I do, there's my excuse to go hunt down another transmission. I also noted the transfer driven gear shaft (I believe that's the name) is sloppy: . Is that normal? Apologies for the wrong aspect on the video, but it was meant to be quick & dirty. Update: Got the housing separated from the rest of the transmission. Mating surfaces look fine, so that's a plus. Both bearings on the transfer driven gear shaft look good, sound good, and aren't in multiple pieces. To me, the center differential looks fine, too. Surfaces are all smooth, no discoloration except the tip of the side that fits into the transmission, and from what I can see of the teeth inside, it all looks good. That big bearing that sits outside on the tranny side looks fine, too. Now, that being said, the only thing that spins by hand on the CD is that outer ball bearing. By reaching inside the tranny side of the CD and moving the inner splines, I am able to get the spider gears to rotate just a little. I'm trying to wrap my mind around how the CD works, trying to understand whether that's normal or not.

Alright. We're getting somewhere. O2 sensors disconnected. Driveshaft flange marked. Exhaust, driveshaft, and rear crossmember are all out. I pulled nine 14mm bolts off the back of the housing. There looks to be enough room to pull the tail housing off. Still doesn't want to come off, though. Judging from the seepage, I'd guess that there is gasket material between the housing and the transmission. Not sure if that is what's holding it up, or the two alignment pins are corroded and holding it tight. For the life of me, I can't see any other bolts holding it in, either. Any tips? Or am I blind and missed a bolt?

That first flange behind the y-pipe like I might need a torch to cut it off, so I'll take your recommendation and drop the y-pipe, too. I've learned my lesson with the O2 sensors in the past, but a reminder certainly can't hurt . Thanks for the hint about the rear cross member. I tried getting a good gauge of how much weight it was supporting, and whether unbolting alone would give me enough room.

After the prior thread (http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/134360-another-whats-this-noise-thread/?hl=driveshaft), I've been letting my '06 Baja Sport sit as much as possible, waiting for warmer weather to get underneath it. Rather than take the shotgun approach and swap out the entire transmission, I figured it was worth the energy to pull the transfer case/center diff first and take a look at its bearings. Best case scenario: support bearing is shot, swap it out, and the noise goes away. Worst case scenario: output shaft bearing in the transmission is shot along with the TC/CD, so I put it back together, the noise stays, and I call it a practice run for removing the transmission. So I put the Baja up on ramps today (low 50's, no major rain forecast. maybe spring is finally here to stay), and took a look underneath. Seein' as I don't have to have it done *now*, I figure I'd pop up here for any advice before I go wrenching. Looks like I'll be wanting to drop the exhaust from the center back (should be able to leave the y-pipe up) and the driveshaft, giving me room to work and remove the TC/CD. The heat shield was already removed by the previous owner, so that's out of the way. The shift rod will need to be disconnected, too. With all that out of the way, I should be look past the rear crossmember at the TC/CD, at the back end of the transmission. Looks like I should be able to get to all the retaining bolts, without the rear crossmember interfering. Is there enough room to pull the TC/CD out, between the rear crossmember and the top of the tunnel?

There's a '90 Toyota Corolla All-Trac for sale in Niskayuna off Aqueduct road. Auto, claims 59k on the odometer, asking $4150 for it. If anyone wants the contact info, PM me (it's about two miles down the road from my house). I'm likely to be working Dec 30th. If I'm not, by some major miracle, I've got to balance the chances of my transmission grenading versus my desire to get out on the trails. I won't have the replacement in before then.