mountaingoatgruff Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 i have a short list of questions about svx's that i hope some of you svx guys wouldn't mind answering. first of all, what known issues do these cars have - as in weak points, common faults, whatever gripes a critic would have. what tranmission/drivetrain configurations were available? were they all awd? what manual trans did they have? lsd optional? what unique options/packages were available and which options, if any, aren't worth any added cost they may bring? what kind of mileage would a well maintained, efficiency-minded modded manual trans car get? what kind of aftermarket support do they have and how hard is it to find parts for them? (replacement and performance parts) and perhaps most importantly - do they deliver? i'm not asking if the svx is the japanese ferrari, but i just want some opinions from guys that drive these cars on how they compare to other import performance cars that may be considered fit for comparison. hope that's not too much for one thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 http://www.cars101.com/subaru_svx.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 my knowledge of the SVX is limited but i should also prob. read some on http://www.cars101.com as posted above.....but i know the 3 main things in which SVX's have problems is transmission overheating,wheel bearings going bad, and they have a tendency to warp brake rotors rather quickly.....I also know the SVX was only available in an automatic and there were FWD and AWD versions.....i would say the majority of SVX's ive seen have been pretty good until around 100k than you start developing problems........ again like Jamal said....hit up cars101.com the info in like endless..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Automatics only. Any manual trans is a conversion. FWD or AWD, AWD being much more prominent (at least in most areas). The automatic transmissions have a high failure rate, but just install a transmission cooler and they're good to go. Wheel bearings are a bad point, torque the wheels properly. Another downside to the SVX is the cost of parts. Parts can be very expensive, not just from Subaru but often times aftermarket isn't available or used ones are expensive due to supply/demand as well. Look up TPS, Windshields, maybe others can suggest more, etc and you'll see. Great cars, extremely reliable engine with lots of power. Comfortable and great for long trips. Gas mileage isn't that bad. Huck with an SVX engine (EG33), and a manual trans in an XT6 gets 30+ mpg highway mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 30 mpg! thats pretty impressive for AWD..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 30 mpg! thats pretty impressive for AWD..... the manual trans XT6 can get that as well on all highway driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffx Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I believe the EG33 engine required premium fuel IIRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Known issues: The Lock up torque converter sheds material. To resolve this you intsall a tranny fluid filter and a large tranny cooler. If the tranny does fail there are several fixes available. 1- Convert to a 5 speed 2- Install a legacy tranny and diff 3- Have the SVX transmission professionally rebuilt by someone who knows of the fixes for the issues (the most expensive option). Windshield glass is scarily expensive Rear wheel bearings fail, there is a solution for this. Rear differential is weak. It is a beutiful car, that seems to be aging well. Gas mileage about the same of any 2.5L sooby. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 i have a short list of questions about svx's that i hope some of you svx guys wouldn't mind answering. first of all, what known issues do these cars have - as in weak points, common faults, whatever gripes a critic would have. besides what grossgary said, it’s really hard to find parts for and the glass is very costly to replace. 300-700 dollar windshields, what tranmission/drivetrain configurations were available? were they all awd? what manual trans did they have? lsd optional? SVX’s came in AWD and FWD automatics what unique options/packages were available and which options, if any, aren't worth any added cost they may bring? The main differences in between the L and the LSi was the L came with cloth seats, the LSi had leather seats. what kind of mileage would a well maintained, efficiency-minded modded manual trans car get? Not sure about the manual tranny, but my stock SVX gets 19 mpg. what kind of aftermarket support do they have and how hard is it to find parts for them? (replacement and performance parts) Hmm… ECUtune makes some chips for the car. Smallcar.com sells the 5 speed kits, there are some small providers of aftermarket parts. I have seen fiberglass hoods and things like that on Subaru-svx.net. This is probably a good place to start. and perhaps most importantly - do they deliver? i'm not asking if the svx is the japanese ferrari, but i just want some opinions from guys that drive these cars on how they compare to other import performance cars that may be considered fit for comparison. Being an automatic with the “POWER” mode option, I find it accelerates pretty good. I just double tap the go pedal and the “POWER” light comes on and it roars away. I would say that it’s about the same as my EJ22 OBS. One thing that I love about the car is the super smooth quiet ride I get at 80 mph. It is completely different than going 80 in my OBS. Also when you lower the windows at that speed, you don’t get the wind in your face. Seats are nice and supportive. Not like a STi or anything like that but it works. I think that if use it like it was designed to be as a “grand touring” car, similar to the Lexus SC300 it’s great. For stoplight acceleration and other things like that it’s kinda lacking. You want a “fast car” get an old Impreza and do a WRX swap or put a Frankenstein motor into it. You want a car that can go fast with huge style points, get the SVX. This car is unique and will continue to become more so b/c more and more are being scrapped or crashed. This is my wife’s Daily Driver and she usually get people coming up to her once a week or so asking what kind of car it is. We always get looks from people when driving it around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 i read some stuff online about them but i was pretty sceptical about the info sources after reading that they only came with autos, that kinda sucks. what cars can you use as donors for manual trans swaps into an awd svx? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 i have a short list of questions about svx's that i hope some of you svx guys wouldn't mind answering. first of all' date=' what known issues do these cars have - as in weak points, common faults, whatever gripes a critic would have.[/i'] besides what grossgary said, it’s really hard to find parts for and the glass is very costly to replace. 300-700 dollar windshields, what tranmission/drivetrain configurations were available? were they all awd? what manual trans did they have? lsd optional? SVX’s came in AWD and FWD automatics what unique options/packages were available and which options, if any, aren't worth any added cost they may bring? The main differences in between the L and the LSi was the L came with cloth seats, the LSi had leather seats. what kind of mileage would a well maintained, efficiency-minded modded manual trans car get? Not sure about the manual tranny, but my stock SVX gets 19 mpg. what kind of aftermarket support do they have and how hard is it to find parts for them? (replacement and performance parts) Hmm… ECUtune makes some chips for the car. Smallcar.com sells the 5 speed kits, there are some small providers of aftermarket parts. I have seen fiberglass hoods and things like that on Subaru-svx.net. This is probably a good place to start. and perhaps most importantly - do they deliver? i'm not asking if the svx is the japanese ferrari, but i just want some opinions from guys that drive these cars on how they compare to other import performance cars that may be considered fit for comparison. Being an automatic with the “POWER” mode option, I find it accelerates pretty good. I just double tap the go pedal and the “POWER” light comes on and it roars away. I would say that it’s about the same as my EJ22 OBS. One thing that I love about the car is the super smooth quiet ride I get at 80 mph. It is completely different than going 80 in my OBS. Also when you lower the windows at that speed, you don’t get the wind in your face. Seats are nice and supportive. Not like a STi or anything like that but it works. I think that if use it like it was designed to be as a “grand touring” car, similar to the Lexus SC300 it’s great. For stoplight acceleration and other things like that it’s kinda lacking. You want a “fast car” get an old Impreza and do a WRX swap or put a Frankenstein motor into it. You want a car that can go fast with huge style points, get the SVX. This car is unique and will continue to become more so b/c more and more are being scrapped or crashed. This is my wife’s Daily Driver and she usually get people coming up to her once a week or so asking what kind of car it is. We always get looks from people when driving it around. way to come through, man! i've been looking into buying a 94 awd lsi with 87k on it. the guy's extended step-family to me so his "special family price" is $2300. i'm not looking for an especially fast car, i just love rare cars and performance capabilities are icing on the cake. i mean, how many 62 dart wagons do you see around? they're a one year body style and harder than hell to find parts for but knowing that i have probably the only one for miles and miles is rewarding in itself. also, the sxv was just painted black last year and is beautifull! dude's got some stupid rims on it and he kinda hacked the interior to put his thumper crap in there, but those things aren't a big deal. i'll let you guys know if i can manage to bring another one into appreciative hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 i'll let you guys know if i can manage to bring another one into appreciative hands.sounds awesome, snag it for sure. cool cars and this one needs some things un-done to it, you sound like the rightful next owner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhorse001 Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I love my SVX. The original trans died at 247k mi. Wth a quarter million miles on it, it's just as tight, and rattle free as my wife's 150k mi Legacy. Two questions that went unanswered: 1. The SVX came with a rear LSD stock. 2. The manual swap donors are any EJ series cars. Up to, and including the WRX STI 6-spd. Those need a bit of electronic wizardry to make the DCCD work. C'mon over to http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum and dig around. There's TONS of good info there, and a dedicated bunch of owner/enthusiasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 one more thing.. do a google search for the car and driver SVX book that they wrote. It's 90 pages or so and someone has a downloadable version on the internet. Also.. I have the original videos that came with the car. They are the dealer video and the owners manual video. If you get the SVX let me know and i can get a set of these videos to you. BW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhorse001 Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 R&T guide to the SVX HERE Read on & enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 If i knew i could get a windsheild for 350 i'ld buy one myself, i've seen and heard prices of 750.00 and up. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhorse001 Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Nip, there are aftermarket indshields out there for ~350...they're hard to find, but they are out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Nip, there are aftermarket indshields out there for ~350...they're hard to find, but they are out there. hrmmmmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 does the SVX have a single timing belt or dual timing belts?.....just wondering because i was reading about the H6 3.0 and 3.6 and they are both dual timing chain...are they not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s'ko Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 does the SVX have a single timing belt or dual timing belts?.....just wondering because i was reading about the H6 3.0 and 3.6 and they are both dual timing chain...are they not? single. they setup is almost identical to the SOHC EJs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 really.....i thought the EG33 was dual overhead cam......is the timing cover plastic or metal......sorry for all the questions i have just recently been reading up on the new tribeca motor..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 You see, there you go, reading .... that will get you in trouble every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhorse001 Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 The EG33 is DOHC. The belt drives the exhaust, then gears drive the intake. The Timmy covers are plastic, designed to look like they have 4 cam pulleys. See cutaway below.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Rose2 Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 way to come through, man! i've been looking into buying a 94 awd lsi with 87k on it. the guy's extended step-family to me so his "special family price" is $2300. i'm not looking for an especially fast car, i just love rare cars and performance capabilities are icing on the cake. i mean, how many 62 dart wagons do you see around? they're a one year body style and harder than hell to find parts for but knowing that i have probably the only one for miles and miles is rewarding in itself. also, the sxv was just painted black last year and is beautifull! dude's got some stupid rims on it and he kinda hacked the interior to put his thumper crap in there, but those things aren't a big deal. i'll let you guys know if i can manage to bring another one into appreciative hands. Sounds like a good deal to me. Watch it. The SVX can be addictive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeakingOil Posted May 15, 2008 Share Posted May 15, 2008 I love my SVX. Her trans was going so I had it replaced with a SUS Legacy 4.44 and she's been heaven ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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