MY01 Gear Box
 

My 01 WRX has done 45,000Mls, I read that Castrol Syntrak Gear oil might help with problems selecting 1st gear when the car was moving. When i drained the oil I noticed couple chewed up pieces of metal stuck to the drain plug. These bits look like they could be bits of a metal washer although I'm not sure. Two months of warantee left, what should i do, I,ve lost the pieces of metal i found. By the way gear box seems fine just now.

Thanks

Les

I've never come across one that likes being stuck in first when moving. does it engage correctly and easily when stationary?

A decent quality gear oil will always help, but maybe warranty is the way to go- or entend the warranty and see how it goes?

Hi Les,

I found similar whilst having mine service also 2 months before warranty at Roger Clarkes! I can e-mail photo's if you wish. I decided to not to report it as box is running fine!

Please let me know how you go on. I'm assuming that a Main dealer wouldn't have noticed/bothered!

Regards,

Ian

My 01wrx doesn't like having first gear selected when moving either!!
I guess most cars will have bits of metal stuck to the sump plug though due to the occasional graunched gear change so I don't think it's anything to worry about??
I personally don't think the gearboxes are that brilliant on these cars anyway as I had fourth gear syncro go on mine last year (It was replaced under warranty though) (My car only has 36000 or so miles on it now so the syncro went around the 26000 mile mark)

Les, my car (MY00) sometimes gets offended when I try to select first gear whilst moving. Occasionally it crunches or just flatly refuses to move into first, I have no problems engaging first gear when stationary though. I'm hoping a change to a good gearbox oil will solve the problem, I think these gearboxes need all the help they can get!

Nick,

The pieces I found and from Les' description the pieces he found are not just bit from wear and tear. Mine also looked like the remains of a washer that had been chewed by the gearbox. I just hope it isn't a 'mission critical' component!

I took the gamble that the box may live longer as it is than if it's shodily repaired by an IM franchised outfit!


Regards,
Ian

they are bits of a washer from 3rd gear usually it's there to stop the synchro sliding to far over when you put it in 3rd. after they done a bit of mileage and due to heat and enthusiastic gear changing or even driving along with your hand on the gear lever in 3rd causes it to bend and it gets chewed up by 2nd gear on the lay shaft. the bits can then float around the gearbox until they get caught between 2 gears and either get chewed up into smaller pieces or take chunks out of the gears themselves. i have done loads for this problem the only problem is on later cars the washer is part of third so to do the job right you have to change 3rd and 4th gears on earlier cars where the problem was more common the washer is separate.
if it's still in warranty get it to the dealer and get them to change it before you have to pay big style yourself because it is a gearbox strip down job out of the car.

Hi Scoobyboy,

Thanks for your comprehensive reply. What is the consequence of not stripping the box? Does something catastrophic happen?

Cheers,

Ian

Thanks for all the feed back guys, I changed the gearbox oil on Thursday 22nd July ( thats when I found the metal chunks on the gearbox sump plug) Have since driven 600mls at fast motorway speeds and some nice back country roads (plenty of gear changes) the gear box with the Castrol syntrax oil seems ok. I will ask my dealer if i should be concerned (Town & County Aberdeen). I do drive my car hard done 45,000mls and on my fourth set of tyres. Anyways I'll see what they say and report back.

Cheers

Les

well it will still drive but it will be noisy, the last one i done sounded like a bearing had gone but when we stripped it down it was missing bits of teeth on the drop gears where the centre diff is. i've also had to pick bits out of the synchro on 5th gear as the bigger chunks stopped it selecting it. and if you think that there are small oil ways drilled in the shafts to lubricate gears and needle bearings and if they got clogged up with bits of chewed up washer it could cost a packet to get it sorted out.
i know it sounds extreme what i've said but it's all from experience of rebuilds i've had to do due to that washer. hopefully your local dealer will also realise the seriousness and get it sorted for you.