A few questions about my new SVX...

[AyeJaye]

Yup. You know of it?

[sperry]

Originally Posted by AyeJaye

So I finally had a chance to lift the front end up and wiggle everything around. Nothing feels out of place. Ball joints seem solid, tie rod ends look like hell but they're not loose. There is a bit of play in the steering however, and it appears that I have a small leak somewhere in the steering system, most likely coming from the rack itself.

Finally got a couple pictures too. They're camera phone pics, but they give you the general idea at least.

Is there any p/s fluid leaking at the pump/reservoir? A leaky gasket there can result in the pump sucking air which results in a shuddering feeling as the power assist level varies with the bubbles pumping through the system. I just replaced that o-ring on my car and what I thought was a bad rack and/or pump has totally gone away.

However, I don't think that leak would have anything to do with the wandering you're seeing. That just sounds like an alignment issue, unless of course it's the strut-tops or ball joints, but you said things seem solid.

For reference, here's the o-ring I'm talking about, it's on the under side of the P/S reservoir:

[shelfy]

Originally Posted by AyeJaye

Yup. You know of it?

i kept looking at the ad wishing i had the money to buy it.

[Mike621]

I'm going to venture to guess tie rod ends and sway bar bushings are in order, along with an alignment.

[AyeJaye]

Okay, one more.

Been reading up quite a lot on the 4EAT and its share of problems, while getting more and more drive time in my car. Didn't think it was anything to worry about at first, but I've noticed a couple things about the way my car shifts.

1. Shift from 1st to 2nd is rather abrupt, accompanied by a thump (not necessarily a noise, more a feeling that the whole car is jerking forward slightly).

2. Seems like it takes a second or two for the tranny to engage when I shift from park to reverse or drive.

Aside from that it seems to shift and respond to the throttle just fine. Is this something to worry about, and if so what should I do to adjust/fix it to avoid being forced into my 5mt swap long before I'm prepared for it?

(Sorry for the endless stream of questions, everyone has been a great help so far )

[svxistentialist]

Originally Posted by AyeJaye

Okay, one more.

Been reading up quite a lot on the 4EAT and its share of problems, while getting more and more drive time in my car. Didn't think it was anything to worry about at first, but I've noticed a couple things about the way my car shifts.

1. Shift from 1st to 2nd is rather abrupt, accompanied by a thump (not necessarily a noise, more a feeling that the whole car is jerking forward slightly).

Don't get too paranoid about it AyeJay. It is, however, wise to notice and react to certain problems before they get to be big and expensive problems.
The technical service book lists the following as possible causes, listed as usual in order of likelihood:
Faulty Control Unit [aka TCU]
Valve sticking
Faulty 2A accumulator
Faulty throttle sensor [aka TPS]
Deterioration of ATF
Poor engine performance

Originally Posted by AyeJaye

2. Seems like it takes a second or two for the tranny to engage when I shift from park to reverse or drive.

Aside from that it seems to shift and respond to the throttle just fine. Is this something to worry about, and if so what should I do to adjust/fix it to avoid being forced into my 5mt swap long before I'm prepared for it?

(Sorry for the endless stream of questions, everyone has been a great help so far )

Suggested causes for this:
Valve sticking
Faulty forward clutch relief ball or:
Faulty over-running clutch relief ball
Forward clutch slippage.

The purple colors denote components in the oil pan; can be fixed or assessed without taking off the transmission.
The green color denotes components in the rear transfer case;can be fixed or assessed without taking off the transmission.
The red color is bad news; if this is your problem you need a rebuild on your transmission.

As you are not technical you need to discuss these problems with a transmission specialist who is very good and knows his/her stuff. There are a couple of things you can do, such as checking the TPS is adjusted properly and is not faulty, making sure you have good ATF, and making sure the engine is tuned properly. It is important you attend to these first. Otherwise you could be trying to fix a problem that is not actually there.

If you have these three attended to and you still have symptoms, at least you know where to look for a fix.

Hope this helps,

Joe