Ok I've had 2 Imprezas 2 Legacys and now a Forester, why is it that the Imprezas and the Forester suffer from chronic clutch judder when crawling in traffic. Seeing as the Legacys didn't suffer from the problem, I assume that it is unique to the Impreza drive train only.

Is there any cure?

Any advice gratefully accepted, all my main dealer can say when the car is serviced is "it's an Impreza, they all do it'.

 

I used to drive along around 5000rpm, keep the throttle on steady and dip the clutch in and out slowly to "clean" the clutch, it worked for me.

 

What age cars are you talking about?

 

The Imprezas were both R plate, but the Forester Turbo is a 52 plate MY 02, (last of the old body shape) owned from new with 63K now on the clock

 

My bugeye sometimes suffers from judder just after starting up, but usually only when it's cold and damp/foggy - but it soon passes as soon as the car has warmed up a bit. We've just come to accept it's part and parcel of the unique experience that is Impreza ownership -and you have to humour the old dear and treat it with sympathy until the fit has passed. On the other hand, if your's is juddering generally, then that's going to annoy.

Many people have said that even with new clutches and flywheels etc., the judder has soon started again. My technophobe thought (for what it's worth) is that if you only have a cold start problem, use more revs and let the clutch pedal up slowly during the warm up phase. You need to allow more time to move away from a stand, especially when moving out onto fast flowing main roads - I tend to move away more slowly when it seems to start juddering (being cautious about loss of traction or worse - stalling).

 

Yeah, I get this every few months. I find 2 launches with plenty of clutch slip cleans the clutch surfaces down and the problem goes away.

A lot of people say that when you have your clutch changed, always get the flywheel skimmed, which is really cheap and helps a great deal.

David

 

I am glad it isn't just me, I was starting to get worried, I do find that it comes and goes and is not just confined to cold starts.

I have tried the high rev take off method with plenty of slip, and it does cure it for a while, however I can never win with my nearest and dearest. When the judder starts she accuses me of being a cr4p driver, when I use the launch method of getting rid of it, I'm a flamin boy racer and she threatens to buy me a baseball cap.

So as yet no one can suggest a permanent cure for what appears to be a common problem, keep searching.

 

"They all do that sir"

Tend to agree with the above cures, both of my scoobs have suffered from clutch judder (a year 2000 and a 1999).

Unfortunately I suffer from a severe case of mechanical sympathy, so I'm not keen on the launch method, but (as with the 2nd post) whilst driving along I give plenty of revs and let the clutch slip for a bit. Cures it everytime, though it generally comes back again after a month or so ......

 

There was a technical bulletin issued i think by IM instructing dealers to change the clutch on MY 02 cars if they had clutch judder, as it was a known fault.

I'm sure there was a scan on one on here somewhere.