Simma_WRX

ive bought a 53 plate WRX (UK spec) from a friend 3 months ago. before he sold it he put in a refurbed (japenese) gearbox + used rear diff, clutch and cambelt. a few days ago i checkd my oil in my car and it was literally bone dry so my mechanic added 10/40 semi-synthetic oil into it, chekd it again yday and it was over the limit it was supposed to be.

now while drivin normally (didnt take it into turbo at all, stayd under 3000 revs) i start hearing this noise which sounds like 2 metal things keep hitting each other, its coming from my engine, it only happens when im drivin not standstill. so attempted to drive a bit further when it just stutters and stops completly with a big thump.

tried putin it into gear but would go. none of the gears would work. tried putin it in reverse that worked!!! then after put it into 1st and parkd up in a side road. but at the same time my rear wheels would completly lock and not move. just about got it around the corner

after that got a flatbed to tow it home.

my first scooby so not sure whats wrong


anyone have any idea wat it is?? it would be much appreciated

Luan Pra bang

Its FUBAR sell the bits and buy a new one.

Splitpin

Welcome, albeit not under the circumstances you'd want. Ignore the idiot - but in order to advise you in any meaningful way we'll need a lot more info than you've given us to date.

Why did your friend fit a Japanese specification gearbox? Was something wrong with the original one, or...? Was the cambelt change according to usual service interval, or done for "a reason"?

How much time passed between a few days ago and the time before that you checked the oil? How often do you usually check it?

How much oil did your mechanic add, and how far over the upper hole in the dipstick (not the notch) was it?

The only person able to tell you what this is is the skilled, experienced technician examining your car, so you may as well go find one now - as nobody posting on this thread will be able to do more than make educated guesses - when what you need right now is certainty.

The fact that you say the "noise" subsides when the car is at a standstill, plus everything else you've reported about gear selection, suggests the gearbox has failed in quite a major way, and that the low oil level is unrelated to the "noises" - although depending on how you answer the questions above, it'll be easier to comment on the likelihood of engine damage.

Give us some more info and it'll be easier to advise, but the bottom line is that you need your car looked at by someone who genuinely knows what they are doing.

Simma_WRX

thanks for the reply splitpin.

he fitted it with a jap gearbox cuz he was told they are stronger.

to be honest this is my first scooby so im still on the learnin stages and only chekd the oil when first bought the car which was 2-3 months ago (its bad i know). oil was put in saturday and the car died on me last nite.

the oil is a fair bit over the recommended amount, about a nails worth more

it sounds like a drilling noise wen driving and if i dont change gears quickly it feels like its gona completly go. the sound gets quicker and louder the more you drive.

im looking to take it to a scooby specialist this saturday (the same one who fit in the gearbox + rear diff + camblelt) hopefuly it isnt a major thing. plus ive got 3 months warranty left for

Splitpin

He's probably fitted it as a result of being bullsh*tted then.

There's no inherent "strength advantage" in a Japanese market five speed box, and, depending on the age of the replacement, it may well be weaker than the original transmission (especially if it's out of a pre-MY99 classic).

The standard 5MT on an MY03 UK WRX is more than capable of dealing with the power and torque the engine puts out as standard - and a fair bit more besides. Has your car been modified then?

Yep, it is. Once a week from now on!

Again, would need to know how much oil was put in. If it was fine 2-3 months ago, then obviously it's using a bit, but the question is, how much? If it only took a litre and a bit to take it to where it is, that's a different kettle of fish to needing four litres.

Sounds like gearboxfeck more than enginefeck. Do you (or your friend) still have the car's original gearbox and rear diff? If so, the obvious way to go, assuming your mechanic thinks the engine is okay, would be to refit them.

Simma_WRX

the car is completly standard with no modifications except air filter.

checked the gearbox oil last nite and it was empty :S

the original gearbox went previously so thats y he had it replaced.

few of ma friends (all scooby owners) came around last nite to check it. they are sayin its my centre diff thats the problem as one of them already had this problem before.

currently this gearbox is under warranty and will probaly replace it and get another refurbd one. hopefully it should be it or any other suggestions?

ur reply is much appreciated

Splitpin

That's far from brilliant. The optimal condition for the dipstick on a 5mt is just above the top hole. Did you drain the oil completely (via the plug underneath the front diff)? As with the engine stick, even if the oil level is completely off the stick, it could still be best part of 3/4 full. If you haven't done it, it'd be an interesting exercise to drain the box and see how much was in there.

There's no reason why the centre diff should break on a properly maintained car. From what you've said about the dipstick it's possible the box has been killed by lack of lubrication, although, as with the engine, without knowing exactly how much oil is in the box at the moment, it's impossible to say. Indeed if the centre diff turns out to be the failure point, this would be one of the last things to be affected by lubrication problems as it is located on the lower shaft line of the box.

If your centre diff has failed, by far the likeliest cause, given the car's history, is that your "used rear diff" doesn't have the correct final drive ratio for the "Japanese" gearbox, and the resultant wind-up has fecked it.

If this has happened you should be very cautious about accepting replacements under warranty from the same supplier, as while anyone can make a mistake, sending out mismatched parts is a bit of a howler and says nothing good about their attention to detail.

If it does turn out to be the box, the best thing you can do is replace it with a proper UK spec MY03 unit and its matching 3.545 rear diff. It will have the right ratios for your engine and will be just as strong as a JDM 5MT of the same age.

It would also be worth your while to have a look for the transmission code of your current box and telling us what it is - it should be printed on a white sticker around the top left hand side of the bellhousing (look under the intercooler next to the starter motor) and looks like "HL-TY75xxxxxx"