WRX 2002 transmission doesnt take 1st

theorb13 · 07-22-2009, 08:30 PM

hey guys, i am as new as they come and i need your help. i bought a 2002 wrx 5 speed today and i love this car, but it doesnt go into fist gear....every other gear works just fine is just 1st, does any one know how i can fix this ? would i need a whole new transmission or does it sound like synchros or some other not so expensive repair...your input would be extremely appreciate...thank you soo much

heres a pic of my baby born today at 11:43 am in a dealer auction in NJ lol

03 CrazyTaxi · 07-22-2009, 09:42 PM

Ok, you have the AA transmission which is notorious for being a "glass" transmission. It may be as simple as the syncros are going bad but honestly, I'd just swap the whole thing for a BA transmission out of the 03 WRXs.

turmic · 07-22-2009, 10:02 PM

OT, but I hope that the hood wasn't shut in that pic. Otherwise something isn't quite lining up with it shut. Possibly meaning it was wrecked previously and not put back to spec.

newtothegame · 07-22-2009, 10:47 PM

Welcome to the club. Does it not go in when the car is off? Or just when slowing down?

theorb13 · 07-22-2009, 10:52 PM

lol..the hood was open guys...; it just doesnt go into 1st at all but i am able to go into everyother gear easily; how much would a ba tranny cost..lol ??

newtothegame · 07-22-2009, 11:06 PM

Thats good that the hood was open, but Im not sure how much a new tranny costs, but I have seen some go used on ebay and craigslist for varying amounts.

theorb13 · 07-22-2009, 11:12 PM

ok, thanx for all of your help..i am gonna wait on the diagnostics; but i am really liikibg forward to enjoying this car !! thanx guys

newtothegame · 07-22-2009, 11:21 PM

Just let us know how things go and best of luck with the car.

theorb13 · 07-22-2009, 11:31 PM

will do !

03 CrazyTaxi · 07-23-2009, 12:18 AM

The problem with the AA transmission is that when you start adding power or shift too hard, it tends to break. The BA had 1st through 3rd upgraded to RA gears which are stronger and take a lot more abuse. When I blew out my viscous coupler, I was quoted $3200 for a new BA transmission installed. If you like wrenching on cars, it's not that hard of an install. You can use the how-to I posted about replacing a clutch. It's pretty easy if you have a friend to help lift.

baller_v24 · 07-23-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theorb13

ok, thanx for all of your help..i am gonna wait on the diagnostics; but i am really liikibg forward to enjoying this car !! thanx guys

Does that mean you are taking it back to the dealership? Did you know it had the problem when you bought it? If so you could of used it to negotiate the price down.

edit: I didn't see that you bought it in an auction. I hope you got a damn good deal. lol

theorb13 · 07-23-2009, 01:41 PM

$3200 OMG !!! guys dont scare me please !!! lol i just want to drive my car everyday...but $3200 is crazy for me...i paid $3900 for the car (wholesale price)..i really like this car and im starting to get freaked out...i mean can i rebuilt my own tranny ? i mean it runs just fine..heck i drove yesterday..but i just couldnt use first gear...

man show · 07-23-2009, 04:34 PM

So.. when you start from a complete stop, you use 2nd and slip the clutch horribly until it starts rolling? That doesn't sound like a good idea. You should get your trans fixed so you don't have to get a new clutch too.

theorb13 · 07-23-2009, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by man show

So.. when you start from a complete stop, you use 2nd and slip the clutch horribly until it starts rolling? That doesn't sound like a good idea. You should get your trans fixed so you don't have to get a new clutch too.

honestly.. i am extremely worried, that i wont be able to keep this car..i just dont see myself paying $2000 for transmission..unless its upgraded...i just want my car to be reliable...but i dont know at this point...i might just sell it for 5000 and call it...but i really wanna keep it..i love it ..

03 CrazyTaxi · 07-23-2009, 10:47 PM

$3200 was the installed price. That included 8 hours of labor (way over charged there since I can do the swap in about 3-4 on jackstands) and new fluids. Not to mention the shop really didn't want to work on an import so they may have inflated the price.

If you have access to a hydraulic press, yes you can rebuild it yourself IF you know what you're doing. I've been tweaking on these cars for about 4 years now and I'm still not comfortable diving into the transmission but I know others who have with quite a bit of success.