This has probably cropped up LOADS! but i thought I would ask anyhow..

I have recently bought a 98MY WRX and it seems to suffer from clutch judder from cold. The clutch itself seems to bite OK and gearchanges are fine.
The problem seems to go away when the car is warm.

My question is, is this normal or do I need to get a new clutch/flywheel?
Or should I wait until the current clutch becomes knacked?

Also..
When you let your foot of the throttle at over 60mph in 4th or 5th gear I can hear a whining noise (not the missus ) coming from the rear underneath the car? Do I have a transmission noise and if so is this norm?!

Thanks Folks from a new scooby owner

 

Hi NoddyRocket (great name ) - clutch judder is pretty much the norm on every type of Scoob I've come across. It's not necessarily a problem in itself. Do a search on this and you'll find loads of info. The whining noise is not something I've had on my 2 Scoobs - hopefully you'll get a response from someone with more knowledge than me!

Seeing as you're relatively local to me (ish) - why not come along to a local meet. Check out the southern section for details.

Chris

 

Noddy,

Second what Chris said: clutch Judder when cold is nothing unusual on 4WD cars, especially Scoobies. If it goes when the car warms up, it's nothing to worry about. If you notice Judder when the car is warm, switching to a high quality fluid such as dot 5 should do the trick.

Mine whines a bit at motorway speeds under load (MY99 Turbo saloon). The AA noticed it when inspecting the car and suspected a leaky rear diff. However, a subsequent inspection by the nice folks at Xtreme Scoobies, revealed that there was no problem whatsoever. Might pay to check it out to be safe, could just be that your rear diff oil needs topping up.

Best wishes.

 

Ah interesting...

I have never had a 4wd car before so I am just trying to work out what is normal! and what noise is what!

I am hoping to get Power Engineering to check the car over soon....

 

I've had the scooby for a few weeks now and I was wondering exactly the same thing (I've never owned a 4wd car before this either). My Scooby suffers from clutch judder too when cold (dissapears when warm) and I do get some transmission whine when going along about 70 - 80mph. I'm glad its nothing to worry about.

Iain

 

Now he says! I'm in the middle of changing the standard clutch for an AP Racing one to try and fix this problem!

 

Speedy, fitting an AP Organic will be just great believe me!
The judder seems to be UK Turbo rather than Jap import? My UK juddered badly cold (perfect hot) and my Sti v3 never judders hot/cold/abused.

As for the whines and bumps-in-the-night, forget them and enjoy.
It's a Scooby!

911

 

My import Legacy GTB suffers from the clutch judder too - as do many. As long as it goes away once the engine's warmed up, there's no problem. Also gearbox whine (especially when engine braking) is very common on all Subarus -due to the design of the gearbox. Being able to hear the first gear synchros spinning up when changing down from second is quite novel.

What's difficult is knowing how much judder or whine is 'normal' and when it steps over into 'problem' territory onder2:

Rich.

 

I too am a new owner, bought a MY2000 Turbo Wagon last weekend.

I have also got clutch judder in changing to first and second when cold.

What I also have is that when the car is warmed up the judder goes away to be replaced by a squeal as I release the clutch in first and second. Sometime if I get the release of the clutch right it doesn't squeal, but most of the time it does.

Is this also a known problem and nothing to worry about or is it a sign of something more serious. I'm guessing that a dead clutch probably isn't covered under the Subaru Proven 12 months waranty ?

The car has done 57k and it needs to go back to the dealer to get the aircon looked at anyway (water collecting in the passenger foot well after it has been on for an hour or so).

P.S. I love the car by the way, far more than I thought I would. I bought as the "sensible" alternative to the Tuscan I plan to buy next year, but I've been surprised by how much fun the Scooby is for a relatively heavy car. So at least I know I'll be entertained when the Tuscan is sat at the TVR dealer for months on end being fixed