CALLING all members with a Built 5EAT . Please read.

Hi

I posted in the 5th Gen forum about the 5EAT and forgot that in the US you guys don't have the 5TH GEN 5EAT only in a manual.

Just wondering if anyone has a built 4th GEN GT 5EAT? how are they holding up and what is included in the build? I have the australian 5TH Gen Gt 5EAT and am looking to beef up the box to hold 440hp or so reliably

For some reason all the 4th Gen 5EAT full transmission builds over here in Aus ended up failing, mainly centre diff was the weakspot, even after cyro treatment and clutch packs and brass bushings, and they are all failing at about 330-400hp

No builder over here is confident in building the 5EAT anymore. Not sure whats going because from what i understand you guys seem to be pushing these hard with not much issues overall even in stock form.

I dont know of anyone in the world (after searching online) who has done the 5TH GEN 5EAT build, i think my box is different to the 4th GEN.

Any of your experiences and input in this matter will be appreciated.

I currently have a 500hp rated engine installed and it sucks that i can't get even close to my desired 400 or so hp mark , until i sort out this tranny

thanks.

sub'd.

good luck. I'm interested to see what you come up with to solve this problem.

sub'd.

 

good luck. I'm interested to see what you come up with to solve this problem.

thanks

I "built" my 5EAT myself. I bought a 40k mile trans from a stock OBXT, and installed a TransGo RER505A valve body kit (very close to what ClimberD does), and I have the brass diff bushings as well. It currently holds 266hp just fine, but I'm really not sure how much further I would push it. Locally here, I've seen a lot of stock 5EAT's hold 300hp... but they all fail the same way (clutches and diffs) eventually. My last 5EAT blew it's diff at my current power level, and at that point 5th and 4th clutch packs were almost done too. I suppose it really depends on how you drive it. I track/auto-x my car, so I wouldn't trust it much above 300hp. For a daily driver that just gets played with every once in a while... maybe. That being said, the IP&T big builds and ClimberD rebuilds were holding quite a bit of power at one point. I have no idea regarding their current states. However, I believe that fragile center diff will always be the weak point, regardless of what you do those planets inside are just too fragile.

Bottom line: you gotta pay hard to play hard, especially with a 5EAT.

I "built" my 5EAT myself. I bought a 40k mile trans from a stock OBXT, and installed a TransGo RER505A valve body kit (very close to what ClimberD does), and I have the brass diff bushings as well. It currently holds 266hp just fine, but I'm really not sure how much further I would push it. Locally here, I've seen a lot of stock 5EAT's hold 300hp... but they all fail the same way (clutches and diffs) eventually. My last 5EAT blew it's diff at my current power level, and at that point 5th and 4th clutch packs were almost done too. I suppose it really depends on how you drive it. I track/auto-x my car, so I wouldn't trust it much above 300hp. For a daily driver that just gets played with every once in a while... maybe. That being said, the IP&T big builds and ClimberD rebuilds were holding quite a bit of power at one point. I have no idea regarding their current states. However, I believe that fragile center diff will always be the weak point, regardless of what you do those planets inside are just too fragile.

 

Bottom line: you gotta pay hard to play hard, especially with a 5EAT.

Your 100% right, but after months of research and communicating with various 5EAT owners across the world, it seems like even a fully built transmission cannot hold high power levels or atleast not reliably. The centre diff as you said is the common fail point even after clutch packs added and bushings. So far i am yet to see a built 5EAT with failed transmission gears , only some worn clutches and mainly busted centre diff internals.

There are many threads with people loving their 5eat builds in the early stages but i never see any updates on how the trans is holding up after a while, i have since contacted some of these members and what do you know , their built trannies have blown!, In one case a forum members transmission started slipping just a few months after installing a FULLY BUILT IPT Tranny.

IPT claim "we have made them for over 600hp" who , where , when, and for how long? This is doubtful , i would like to contact these people who have these cars over 400hp and see how its fairing after 1 year

I would assume that all is needed is to have stronger material planetary gears and shaft in the centre diff as well as clutch packs e.t.c and the box should be good? seems simple enough but no company offers any aftermarket gears as far as i know, workshops here only offer Cyrogenic treatment and clutch packs and this has proven not to be strong enough with the builds in australia.

I think i need to find a company who is willing to make super strong custom centre diff internals. If a company can make upgraded custom gears then by all means i will be the first to test them (if there is warranty lol)

Im determined to get this transmission holding this power reliably, but if it really can't be done, then i have to move on and possibly sell the car. No where near as satisfied with the current power level i'm at (215Hp and already some tranny slippage) considering my engine is rated to about 500hp.

I know this is an old thread but just to add some info for those who still may be interested.

I am a built 4th gen 5eat owner and we recently tuned my legacy to 416WHP with no slippage whatsoever.

The transmission has Hexmods F1 VB, solid bushings and new shot peened, cryotreated center diff gears. We also did a full rebuild of the transmission using the rebuild kit supplied by IPT and also added the extra Exedy clutch packs also supplied by IPT.

The transmission performs very well at this power level. We had to stop tuning because we started running out of fuel so as soon as the fuel upgrades are complete, I can update you guys if you are interested.

Update! Fuel issues sorted. Car is currently at 501whp and 402wtq. 5eat still holding on with no signs of slippage.

I’m thinking of having my valve body done by level 10. He told me it’s going to be a night and day difference. Shift so fast and hard it might break loose on wet pavement. Or so he says. How much difference did the valve body actually make for you?

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I’m thinking of having my valve body done by level 10. He told me it’s going to be a night and day difference. Shift so fast and hard it might break loose on wet pavement. Or so he says. How much difference did the valve body actually make for you?

 

 

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The VB upgrade definitely does make a big difference. I currently break loose in 2nd and 3rd on dry pavement lol. Depends on your power levels tho. VB upgrade alone will only take you so far....

The VB upgrade definitely does make a big difference. I currently break loose in 2nd and 3rd on dry pavement lol. Depends on your power levels tho. VB upgrade alone will only take you so far....

I’ll be stage 2 this weekend but I have many more upgrades to go. Slow but sure we are getting there

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Did you pull the vb yourself and send it off or have someone do it? They quoted me like 1500 to pull it, upgrade, and reinstall. I feel like that’s a lot for the amount of labor involved. I just can’t seem to find a good walkthru for removal.

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This may not help in terms of a walkthrough for the Subaru 5eat, but it does give a good sense of what is required to do this kind of job:

Now, I've always wondered, How streetable is the vb mod? Can it still be a daily driven ride, or is it to aggressive for stop and go traffic omw to work. And does the s, s# modes make a difference? (I'm driving an 07 lgt with stage 2 mods)

The VB mod shifts like stock at partial throttle but shifts quicker and firmer at WOT. Stop and go traffic there is no noticeable difference. You start getting harder shifts when you start interfering with the clutch packs and dont set the clearance right. Once the clearance remains close to stock it drives and feels like a stock transmission until you step on the gas.

Did you pull the vb yourself and send it off or have someone do it? They quoted me like 1500 to pull it, upgrade, and reinstall. I feel like that’s a lot for the amount of labor involved. I just can’t seem to find a good walkthru for removal.

 

 

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Yes I pulled it myself and sent it to upgrade. Who quoted you 1500 to remove, upgrade and reinstall?

$1500 is really high. I was able to do the whole job in an afternoon on jackstands,and most of the time was spent waiting for the fluid to drain. There's just a lot of bolts to undo,5 plugs and shifter linkage to disconnect. The VB is pretty heavy,so having a friend or a lift helps taking it off and putting on. Pretty straightforward,just look at the FSM.

Zack K

$1500 is really high. I was able to do the whole job in an afternoon on jackstands,and most of the time was spent waiting for the fluid to drain. There's just a lot of bolts to undo,5 plugs and shifter linkage to disconnect. The VB is pretty heavy,so having a friend or a lift helps taking it off and putting on. Pretty straightforward,just look at the FSM.

 

Zack K

Yeah I think it’s really high also. I actually called him the first time. He quoted me 1000 and then I went there to get more information and he quoted me 1500. I also requested a transmission service but the shift kit is like 250 bucks. There isn’t that much labor to add $1250. I’m gonna call IPT and see what they quote. The high quote was from Level10. IPT seems pretty reputable on this site so I’ll see what they say.

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Yeah I think it’s really high also. I actually called him the first time. He quoted me 1000 and then I went there to get more information and he quoted me 1500. I also requested a transmission service but the shift kit is like 250 bucks. There isn’t that much labor to add $1250. I’m gonna call IPT and see what they quote. The high quote was from Level10. IPT seems pretty reputable on this site so I’ll see what they say.

 

 

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I've personally been to Level10 and their facility is top notch. They built me a converter for my 87 Mitsubishi and it never failed. However,I've never heard anything good about them from the Subaru crowd.

Zack K.

I've personally been to Level10 and their facility is top notch. They built me a converter for my 87 Mitsubishi and it never failed. However,I've never heard anything good about them from the Subaru crowd.

 

 

 

Zack K.

Well I don’t doubt his work. He has a good rep. I just didn’t like the price. The shop is nice too and he gets a lot of business. I’ll checked with IPT. They only charge 1000 for removal and reinstall. I’ll prob just pull it myself and save a couple hundred bucks. I mean. What could go wrong lol

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I've been enjoying the EJ20Y swap but a few weeks ago it slipped and that's stuck on my mind, I got on it from about 10mph to merge over and it shuddered and went "hrrrrrrrrrrrrd," paused a half-sec and finally just took off. I'm hoping to pick up a cheap used one to build eventually, here is the 5EAT info I've collected:

5EAT rebuild: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/jayrex-5eat-rebuild-251969.html

Rear diff fluid: https://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2024688&postcount=3

HexMods: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/5eat-valve-body-upgrades-finally-164484.html

HexMods 2: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/valve-body-mods-giant-leaps-forward-160101.html?highlight=hex+mods

TransGo impressions, good leads for research: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/transgo-kit-and-working-good-163856.html

Trans cooler DIY, HexMods: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/properly-plumb-your-5eat-transmission-cooler-221643.html

Note post #393 for possible alternate configuration: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/transmission-cooler-installation-17293p27.html

5EAT front LSD discussion: https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1895421&page=4

HexMods experiments: https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/5eat-front-lsd-fitment-test-fund-134603.html

Im yet to know anyone who has modified the Valve Body on the 5th Gen 5EAT

Wish they had the 5EAT 5th GEN in the US. You guys would have been all over the modification by now

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Has anyone determined the wear effects of a valve body modification? If the valve body is shifting harder and faster wouldn’t it in turn wear the transmission faster?

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Has anyone determined the wear effects of a valve body modification? If the valve body is shifting harder and faster wouldn’t it in turn wear the transmission faster?

 

 

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I recall reading that creating firmer shifts is actually healthier for the transmission somehow.

Would be good to know how people are fairing with their upgrades after long use. One thing I've found on forums is that we rarely get to find out about how certain upgrades are going after a year or a few years.

when we read a thread, we hear all these feel good positive feedback and then when we try to follow up and contact these individuals in pm and ask them how did so and so upgrade go, either they are no longer active on forum or the transmission blew even after a full rebuild. Lol

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Shifting harder and faster probably means less wear due to less slipping of clutches.

But then the stress would just be put on other components, something somewhere will eventually fail.

I'd still choose the faster shift over stock.