2000 Legacy MT 235k w/ Bad Transmission Input Shaft Bearing: How Long Can She Go? Fix or Sell As-Is?

[dirty_mech]

Hi there forum mates.

To recap, my car started making a faint grinding / rumbling noise about 500 or so miles ago.  I thought it was the engine at first because the oil was low at the time.  Then I thought it was the clutch release bearing.  After twisting the input shaft while replacing the bearing and consulting with you guys, I realized the actual problem is that one of the bearings on my transmission input shaft is going bad. Everything is back together and I'm driving it again.  It drives great except for the faint, intermittent grinding / rumbling noise from the input shaft.  

I actually plan to sell this Subaru because I recently bought a 2013 Outback.  I have 3 questions to ask regarding this 2000 Legacy's transmission issue before I sell it.

1.  How long could I reasonably expect the transmission to last with a noisy input shaft bearing? 

The noise is most prominent when first starting the vehicle.  If I drive enough, it gets more quieter and can go away almost completely.  So I suspect perhaps it's not that bad yet.

2.  Would changing the transmission gear oil help with the noise or reduce the time until failure? 

I'm due for a gear oil change anyways.  I used 75W-90 and a healthy does of Lucas Oil Stabilizer last time.  Perhaps using a lot of Lucas Oil could minimize the noise?

3.  Should I bother fixing it before selling it or just sell it as-is at a reduced price? 

I was planning to get 4-5K without the transmission issue based on the current market conditions, detailed service record, and upgrades including Outback struts, performance clutch, dash cam, alarm system, GPS system, anti-carjacking system, and many recently replaced parts including the windshield, head gaskets, timing belt, and tires. 

In it's current condition I'm not sure what to ask for it.  3K maybe?  The answer will depend on how long I can expect the transmission to last before it absolutely needs to be replaced.

I see there is a good transmission for $300 about 300 miles away from me, so maybe double that with tax and shipping.  Kind of tempting but not a job I actually want to do.

What do you guys think?

 

             

Edited October 6, 2022 by dirty_mech

[Daskuppler]

If it's just starting to make noise, you're probably fine.  I have an 02 and I smoked the input shaft bearing.  I drove probably 10k on it before the debris in the gear oil started to grind the synchros down enough to where I had to hold it in gear.  I still drove another 600 miles home.  It never failed on me.  Changing the oil won't hurt anything.  I wouldn't add anything to the gear oil, transmissions are sensitive.  Just buy quality gear oil (Subaru, Amsoil, or Motul)

I replaced my transmission myself, it's a pretty easy job once the exhaust is off.  It's just a pain, the transmission is heavy and getting the splines to align can be a pain.  $300 is cheap for a transmission, but if you threw it in you would get more money out of the car....a bad transmission will certainly lower the sale price more than $500-600 dollars.

[dirty_mech]

Solid advice Daskuppler.  Thanks.  I'll probably try to replace it if I can. 

However it's proving to have a compatibility issue.  My transmission is the TY754VCAAA with an uncommon 3.90 final drive gear ratio.

I've read in posts on this forum that the transmission and rear differential gear ratios need to match to be compatible. 

Found my Subaru transmission specs on this site:  https://legacypic.uk/transmission/

It's the only 1 of 3 transmissions for the 2000 MY that has a 3.90 gear ratio; the other 2 have the 4.11 ratio which is more common for that era. 

I saw some comment suggesting any Subaru transmission with the same gear ratio might be compatible.  I see there is a push clutch vs a pull clutch issue as well.

The transmission I found has a 4.11 ratio so that's off the table.  Looks like compatibility issues might make this a bigger headache than I want.

Edit:  Looked nearby and not many options in the junkyard. Maybe I can get lucky calling salvage up and find a compatible one, but even that would be hard. 

Repairing the existing transmission is starting to look more and more appealing.  Or just selling as-is.

Edited October 7, 2022 by dirty_mech

[heartless]

good luck selling it as is... you might get $5-600 for it, if you are lucky,,, not many will be interested in a car with high miles and a failing tranny

fix it and you can get a lot more for it, but still probably less than $1500

 

[dirty_mech]

9 hours ago, heartless said:

good luck selling it as is... you might get $5-600 for it, if you are lucky,,, not many will be interested in a car with high miles and a failing tranny

fix it and you can get a lot more for it, but still probably less than $1500

 

Maybe in North Central Wisconsin.  Not where I live.  😂

[el_freddo]

Heartless is right. If you sell it with an issue you sell at a generally very low price - and expect to be low balled even further from there. 

How far could you go on that bearing? Your guess is as good as anyone’s. It can come down to driving style, existing bearing damage, short/long distance travel. Once that bearing collapses there’s the potential to strip teeth as they begin to misalign with the lower gearset. Either way at the moment it’s repairable/good for parts if you’re that way inclined. Once it lets go you’re stuck somewhere that’s not going to be much fun and in need of a new gearbox… 

All of that said, it could keep going for a long time too, it’s one of those things. In my book a grinding noise is far worse than a whining noise too. Whining will “outlast” grinding generally speaking. 

Cheers 

Bennie

 

[heartless]

15 hours ago, dirty_mech said:

Maybe in North Central Wisconsin.  Not where I live.  😂

yeah, ok you dont have the rust we have here.. but i bet none of those have a "known" failing transmission, either..

Nobody wants to deal with that kind of thing, so trying to sell as is, you can expect 1/4 to maybe 1/3 of the average price.. and like el freddo said.. expect to get lowballed even more.

you want that kind of money - fix the tranny problem.

[Numbchux]

No way to know how long it will last. Might be 50k, might be 50.

New fluid will help, but obviously it won't solve the problem. And it will still be a gamble every time you drive it. Make sure your never outside the towing range of your AAA membership....

 

Whatever you think it's worth (I won't get into that, the market is crazy right now), it will be worth a LOT less with a known major problem like that.

Look at Impreza transmissions. 3.9 is a very common ratio for the Impreza/OBS in that vintage. They will likely have a slightly taller 5th gear than the heavier Legacy, but it's a pretty small change.

Facebook marketplace and brand-specific groups are a great place to buy a transmission. I bought 2 Turbo (FXT and OBXT) 4.444 manual transmissions for $150 through a local group. One has completely unknown history, but still! I bet with a little digging, you could find a nice local transmission for 300 or less. Sure, it's a pain of a job, but if the car is in otherwise good condition, you will add thousands of dollars to its resale value. That's easy math if you ask me. You could probably find a shadetree mechanic doing side work in his garage and pay him to do it, and still come out way ahead.