Now that I have a Subaru Dias II I’ve been baselining it so I don’t have to “wonder” when the last time something was done . So far belts,oil,full tuneup ,replaced the both air charge hoses for the supercharger ,TB cleaned, battery replaced with a new JDM Eneos Red ,a OEM AM/FM/WB radio out of a 90s Subaru North America Forster . New tires with a set of JDM alloy wheels The last real thing to do is the transmission fluid Reading tons of forums about what to use . Well it’s all over the field “ CVT stuff or your destroy it instantly !!!!“ Others it’s “ DexII is fine “ I read enough stuff to make my head spin Went to the Amsoil web site popped in a 92 Subaru Justy and found that the same transmission code as my van calls for the dextron The stuff in it looks/smells/feels and tastes like Dextron I’m going to put in Dextron VI / Mercron LVstuff as it’s backwards compatible and full synthetic. If I let the magic out of the “flywheel to wheels interface” I have no shame since I did it since myself but will know for sure if it works fine or a big mistake. I’ve driven it around town not far ,but enough to get a feel for the operation I will report back when done ,the good/bad/ugly
Well What I didn’t mention was it has a slight whine when started like a power steering sound . I drove it for sometime around town (45+mins but no real speed 4o-50 kph) well wanted to go to a local Subaru dealer to get keys as the and started to rev high and lose speed . The clutch temp light started to blink , never steady but would rhythmic blink . Almost didn’t make it back to the shop Drained the fluid and saw no issues with metal/crud in what drained out just looked like old fluid Changed the fluid to dex VI no difference, swapped that with CVT stuff , still same thing . Pulled the brushes , no real leaks , condition of brushes not bad but there’s a stink from the bell housing that smells like a weird burnt fluid and seems like a slight rust color dust . ( I know the clutch uses iron dust for engagement but don’t think it’s that) So much for bringing it home this weekend Won a auction for a svc manual from japan that covers the ECVT so that will be my next thing to look into I think the seals poss in it have dried up as it sat for a few years causing a pressure leak somewhere in the system I did find another transmission ( it’s a fully loaded parts van with noisy motor but good transmission) and it will be on its way in case this one is uber screwed . I want to drop the pan next and take a peek around in it . Will take pictures. Not letting it get the better of me , it’s only metal , I can out think it (hopefully )
Well After 7 months it’s done and driving very nicely The powder clutch let its magic pixie dust out . I ordered a ton of Japanese svc manuals I trouble shot it to the best that I could and finally pulled the trigger on a new powder clutch ,set of brushes and a transmission seal kit from Japan , then EMS got the stuff to the airport and then they shut down pretty much all flights so they sat there for 2 months . The stuff came in the Wednesday before memorial weekend so it was time to pull the transaxle and hope all my trouble shooting/diagnosing was going to pay off Pulled the transaxle out on Saturday, cleaned all the parts replaced all the outer seals plus the transmission fluid pump seals Put the new power clutch/electromagnetic torque converter and called it the day Next day was get a helper to put the transaxle back in as it’s a little bit of a wiggle here ,twist there and line up all the splines as there’s a oil pump shaft that is keyed into the crank and slides all the way thru the transmission to the pump . Got it all mounted up checked and double checked all the bolts hoses and changed the transmission fluid for the 4th time . The moment of truth was upon me . Ran it thru the gears while still up to get all the juices flowing , checked for leaks and topped up the fluid. Backed it out of the garage and took it down the street and back a couple of times , a peek underneath and then a trip thru the backroads to the gas station. Drove beautifully, smoothly adjusted as the speed increased, no slipping or clutch temp light which would come on in like 2 minutes. It was about a 8km drive , brought it back in checked for leaks again . Then it was time to go for a 200km shakedown run . It was perfect Now it’s time to get the pass front door fixed and have the front and rear bumpers repainted as they were done at one time but was poor
Very happy with it , mounted new tires on it yesterday and changed the oil again as it was done once already but I used inexpensive oil and filter as a flush as the oil from when it came in from Japan was black like I was draining it from a diesel . It had sat for a while in Japan before as the inspection and safety stickers were over 4 years old Im glad I thought ahead as looked like it was pretty cruddy after just 200kms . The wife actually likes it even tho she feels weirded out about being a passenger on the “ wrong side “
You never see this here in the northeast rust belt , manifold hardware that well come off without heat , spray, beat and cutting after a year And these are 28 years
Put another 200kms on it , no issues , I wasn’t sure of the ECVT as I’m used to sticks in the Kei trucks and after the let down of the transmission issue when I 1st got it I was even more skeptical. Now after the repair and that’s it’s working flawlessly I’m very happy 1st tank I got 29.7mpg which I’m happy with I get more looks from others while cruising around then any of my other toys The more I drive it the more I enjoy it . love all the glass too ( can get a bit toasty inside while driving on a bright sunny day with the roof sun shades open ) and since it’s done so well I’ll give it a little JDM bling
Huh, I didnt realize that the red-top valve cover was smooth under the Akabou sticker.. I figured it had "Subaru" underneath it like the standard cover had. I never pulled my Akabou sticker off, as I did not want to have to deal with reattaching it.
I bought this new from Japan thru Impex , didn’t realize there’s a sticker that is also supposed to be on it Got a picture of said sticker ?
Here is mine when it first arrived. The sticker was already pre-applied. I bought mine back in 2017, perhaps they aren't doing them anymore.
Well I went searching for the sticker today as I had off and dug thru everything and couldn’t find the sticker , pulled out the valve cover from the box again as I wrapped it up since I have to get some other projects done 1st . Well it’s is actually stuck on the cover . It must be a vampire as it doesn’t show up in pictures
this is some impressive wrenching! good to know that an auto tranny in these inst "unfixabonium"! thanks for sharing!
I think part of it I’ve been babying it , once I have a few more Kms under its belt I revisit it and see what kind of mpg then
What is the fluid capacity of the cvt? Mine seems to be working fine but I want to add proper amount of Lubegard just for insurance. Always have had great results with that stuff.
I know I’m “Diggin in the trash” of an old post here - but where did you get your transmission parts from? I want to drain the fluid from the transmission by pulling the pan, and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a gasket there.
