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4EAT maintenance


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So I am now the owner of a 98 LGT with a 4EAT tranny....I am going to be pulling the engine to drop in one with only 130k instead of the 250k that are on the current engine which had a timing belt snap. So my question is that coming from a world of 5sp cars, whenever I had the engine or transmission out I was always redo the clutch while I was in there, I was wondering if there was anything that could/needed to be done the Torque Convertor while it was apart...

While I am relativly new to the subaru community, I have built, taken apart, and rebuilt my fair share of volkswagens...

I plan on using the LGT as a semi-daily driver (2010 Legacy 2.5 w/6sp is the other daily) and weekend auto-x or rally-x racer....

 

:p

 

 

TIA

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there isn't really much to do to the auto trans when the engine is out. the best thing you can do for it is replace the fluid. if you drain it from the pan drain plug and add back the exact amount you will replace about 40% of it. do this 3 times with driving in between and you get most of it out. unlike motor oil, it is ok to replace just some of the trans fluid.

 

the other thing you need to know is to make sure the torque converter is fully seated before you re-install the engine. if it is not, and we are talking about fraction of an inch, you will destroy the trans oil pump when you bolt it up. before you pull the engine, take a look at how close the TC is to the trans housing on the bottom of the trans where the TC is exposed. the clearance is very, very close. (i'd say a 1/8 of an inch but i'm just guessing.)

 

it is not hard to seat correctly, but if you don't know to do it you can easily think you are good. the TC has several ''stops'' as you re-seat it and the last one only moves it about 1/4 inch. lots of folks never have to do this since they never move the TC out of the trans during the process. but before i knew to check the closeness from below i was always worried i'd screw it up. so i always re-seat it before i install the engine. again it is not hard to do.

 

there is a split ring seal on the outer torque converter shaft (i suggest you look at a parts diagram to understand ''the outer shaft'') that some folks replace. some swear by it, they no doubt have had trouble with them. i have never done it and never had a problem. but that is the only thing that i can think of that may need to be serviced.

 

by the way, if you do pull the TC please note that it is full of trans fluid.

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4EAT is pretty much low maintenance. It's pretty much all that johnegg said. Though mostly all you'll really need to worry about is changing the fluid. The way I see it, these transmissions were made to be stupid proof (thats why there's no clutch :lol:) Just don't make the same mistake I did in ignoring the AT coolant lines until its too late.

 

While I am relativly new to the subaru community, I have built, taken apart, and rebuilt my fair share of volkswagens...

 

What is with the hudson valley and volkswagens? There are tons of subarus in the area but I rarely ever find someone who is actually a "subaru person". On the other hand there are enough volkswagen kids to meet regularly in multiple locations. I need more subaru friends!

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Haha yeah well I originally started building volkswagens in buffalo then Utica the moved back home and took it with me....but I've moved on from there after building a little monster...where r u bc once I get this 98 LGT home I have to pull the engine and drop in a new one and could always use some help...I'm outside of Poughkeepsie in LaGrange....
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I'm in the middle of nowhere between Kingston and Ellenville, though I'm going back to Richmond VA for the spring semester very soon. After this semester I should be back home again and I'll be parting out the big stuff from my donor wagon. So after that I'm available for subaru work. Shame you've already got a new engine, I have a longblock I'm trying to sell.
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http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p237/kunomn/Legacy/?action=view&current=MOV00722.mp4

http://s129.photobucket.com/albums/p237/kunomn/Legacy/?action=view&current=MOV00719.mp4

The 4EAT in my LGT died so I bought an outback wagon with front end damage but a perfectly good 2.5 and 5MT. The car started, ran, and drove perfectly. I drove it a around for a few miles on back roads to check everything out. I've also left it idling for 2 hours straight with no problems, it idles steady and when revved it does not bog or drop below where it should afterwards. No evidence of head gasket failure. It is an EJ25D (same engine as LGT) with 163,222 miles on the original build.

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400 if you pick it up (I once transported an EJ25D in the back of a 2000 mercury sable). Complete with alternator, power steering pump, AC compressor, coil pack, wires, plugs.

for 500 I'll include complete intake (all the plastic bits and the MAF), AC condenser and lines.

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there isn't really much to do to the auto trans when the engine is out. the best thing you can do for it is replace the fluid. if you drain it from the pan drain plug and add back the exact amount you will replace about 40% of it. do this 3 times with driving in between and you get most of it out. unlike motor oil, it is ok to replace just some of the trans fluid.

 

the other thing you need to know is to make sure the torque converter is fully seated before you re-install the engine. if it is not, and we are talking about fraction of an inch, you will destroy the trans oil pump when you bolt it up. before you pull the engine, take a look at how close the TC is to the trans housing on the bottom of the trans where the TC is exposed. the clearance is very, very close. (i'd say a 1/8 of an inch but i'm just guessing.)

 

it is not hard to seat correctly, but if you don't know to do it you can easily think you are good. the TC has several ''stops'' as you re-seat it and the last one only moves it about 1/4 inch. lots of folks never have to do this since they never move the TC out of the trans during the process. but before i knew to check the closeness from below i was always worried i'd screw it up. so i always re-seat it before i install the engine. again it is not hard to do.

 

there is a split ring seal on the outer torque converter shaft (i suggest you look at a parts diagram to understand ''the outer shaft'') that some folks replace. some swear by it, they no doubt have had trouble with them. i have never done it and never had a problem. but that is the only thing that i can think of that may need to be serviced.

 

by the way, if you do pull the TC please note that it is full of trans fluid.

 

More great info from the LGT community! After having pulled my engine a few days ago (taking care to unbolt the flex plate from the torque converter - sounds like there are some horror stories out there of people not reading all the directions before starting in on this), I read this post from johnegg and wondered if my TC was fully seated. It'll be a few days before the engine goes back in, but yesterday I was able to push the TC in an easy 1/4" into the tranny housing.

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KuNomm, I believe you have a deal! I have the whole car so I wont need the maf bits so $400 sounds good...when do you go back to school? I might need a few days to work out borrowing days F350 and another set of hands to get it in and out of the bed...on a side note, about how much does a complete long block weigh?
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Don't remember how much it weighs but I have a engine hoist here which can get it pretty high. After rebuilding the one in my LGT my cousin and I carried it by hand about 25 feet and put it on a (kind of high) work bench with relative ease. There is talk of me staying in the area to go to columbia greene instead of returning to richmond, but if I do go to richmond it will be in the next few days. If I had time I'd pull the engine today but I need to head to molts right now in the snow to get a drive shaft (in a saturn L series wagon :()
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Ok if you have a hoist then we can probably just drop it in the back of my van and I'll acquire another one to get it out...the earliest I can probably get up that way would be Tuesday late morning/early afternoon...maybe Monday morning but that's really pushing it bc I'm working midnight this week =[
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When my cousin and I did it the engine was dry, that coolant and oil makes a big difference.

 

Ok if you have a hoist then we can probably just drop it in the back of my van and I'll acquire another one to get it out...the earliest I can probably get up that way would be Tuesday late morning/early afternoon...maybe Monday morning but that's really pushing it bc I'm working midnight this week =[

 

I'll PM you with details.

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