zoton

Can I just check something?

I recently took the MY00 to france via the chunnel. Nice run and all is okay on the motorway to Folkestone. But as soon as we start a bit of queueing and 'stop starting' the clutch gets twice as heavy and a little 'sticky'.

I first thought it was going to snap a cable so we pulled over outside calais but after the five miles from the train all was back to normal.

Does any of this sound familiar? The car had a new clutch and release bearing when I picked it up from Spring Park Motors in Feb.

Nice car but quirky as hell sometimes and we are off to Italy next month.

Which reminds me is it recommended to carry a spare MAF sensor for long trips away from Subaru UK?


Thanks

Mark

greasemonkey

How long ago was this incident with the clutch, and has it happened again since?

When you say it got twice as heavy, was the pedal still coming back up under its own steam, or did you have to reach under it with your toe and flip it up yourself?

Difficult to imagine what would have caused those symptoms, especially in a context where the problem went away.

As far as the MAF sensor is concerned, I wouldn't feel the need to buy a spare sensor to take with me just as I'm going on holiday.

Unless you're in a "dangerous" situation with (i.e. you're running an induction kit or one of the panel filters that's known to cause problems with them), I wouldn't get too preoccupied.

Don't forget that it's easy to get a bit too conscious of problems like this when you read Scoobynet!

zoton

Thanks

No the clutch felt odd (ain't that a helpful description!)Pedal return normal and no other problems. I really wondered if it was a cable fouling problem but the problem reoccurred during a lot of queueing.

Thanks for he thoughts on the MAF. My local dealer oiled my brand new K&N panel filter last service so I will have a look at the filter and chil out a little

Thanks again

Mark

greasemonkey

Bit confused with this filter situation Mark. K&N filters come oiled, and there should be no need to add oil to a brand new (or nearly new) one during a service. All that should be necessary under these circumstances is possibly sucking dirt off the intake face of the filter with a vacuum cleaner.

I'd check the MAF if I were you to make certain there's no oil contamination on it. Just to be on the safe side of course

zoton

Thanks GM

I know I was surprised and dismayed to hear from the service manager that the mechanic had done this. Totally unnecessary.

To check the famous MAF do I take it off and look for visible signs of oil contamination. I am guessing that the whole area should be free from any hint of oil.

Thanks

Mark

greasemonkey

Ideally, yes. Having never had a MAF sensor fail due to oil contamination, I don't know what the "critical level" is, but any oil on the sensor body could be regarded as a portent of trouble to come.

With a bit of luck, if the service muppet used genuine K&N oil, he should have followed the application instructions on the side of the carton. In that case it is to be hoped that he didn't use too much.

Leslie

I would certainly be concerned about the amount of oil on the filter element. As Greasemonkey says, hope he used K&N special oil and did the job properly, or you may have MAF problems eventually.

Les