wingnut17

iTrader: (4)

I'm looking to buy an Evo, either an 8 or a 9. All these transfer case problems and problems with the clutch and synchros, is it just in the 03's?
I haven't read anything about anyone with 04' or 05's having these problems, just the 03's.
I've searched the threads and like I said, I've only read about the 03's but not 04's or 05's. I just don't know if I'm missing it or if it was just the 03's with problems.

Let me know guys, thanks for the help.

gts24

Certainly would be interested to see what anyone on this board has to say about this subject.

oak2207

03 and 04 have the exact same drivetrain. I would say that most of the problems out there are from the drivers themselves. I have an '03 with 25200 miles on it and I'm still on stock everything, brakes, clutch, tranny fluid even. True, the clutch will fry if you launch it...cuz this isn't a "drag" car right out of the box. I think that's where most of the problems come from, because American's love to race in a straight line. My clutch shows no signs of slippage and I'm hoping to go at least 40k with it. I think there is a TSB for the synchros though, you may want to look into that. As long as you respect the fact that there's a lot of drivetrain underneath you, you should be ok.

sabastian458

iTrader: (25)

the 04's have the updated sychros. so dont worrry about it but the evo 9 anyways beause they just upped the hp and torque ratings on it. and it has the mivec head on it

DaWorstPlaya

iTrader: (31)

Some of the 03 had badly shimmed parts from the factory in the Transfer case that caused the failure. Because the tranny had to be slightly redesigned for the US market due to crash safety laws. I think they've fixed the issue on the newer models. You can do a search on it on the forum .... or talk to Jon from TRE or John from Sheppard Racing about this .... both DSM gurus .... on the other hand synchros can go out on any car ...

gts24

Looks like you made a similar comment here: https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...5&postcount=25

and mentioned a possible 3rd party "fix" for it.

thanks for posting

marksae

iTrader: (12)

I think the late 03s had the updated synchros. My 03 was built in 10/03 and it hasn't had any drivetrain related problems. Shifting can be a bit notchy, but that's normal for these cars.

The two most common causes for transfer case failures are from people using the wrong oil which burns up the ring and pinion, and people doing crazy wheel hopping launches which breaks the spider gears in the front diff. The third failure mode, which is the ring and pinion failing due to improper shimming and preload, is not as common but does happen.

twinevo

I think I remember the guys from TRE saying the number 1 cause of TC failure is putting in the wrong fluid.

wingnut17

iTrader: (4)

so what's the proper fluid for these cars