norcalrallyist

First of all im from the states and im trying to transplant a 94wrx into a 93 imp L. I have the engine running and everything else in order excep the clutch which keeps failing! Im desperate for some answers. Ive just moved from California to Texas and had to leave the car behind because I was unable to fix this problem.

The first time I had just put the entire drivetrain in the car with the 94 wrx flywheel/02 wrx pressure plate/02 wrx Throw out bearing/02 clutch disc. When everything was bolted up the clutch fork was impossible to move by hand. I bled the clutch and after pressing the pedal a few times I heard a pop. I went to take a look at the fork and I was able to move the fork back and forth freely and it was forward to its previous position and not making contact or anywhere close to the slave cylinder. I was told it might be possible that the bearing came out of the pressure plate so I tried to hammer the fork in an attempt to push the bearing back into the pressure plate but was not able to. After removing the engine I found the TOB was still in the pressure plate.

I decided to try the 94 wrx pressure plate/94 wrx TOB/02 clutch disc the second time. I figured there must be some difference between the 02 and 94. I put the engine back in the car and again I could not move the clutch fork by hand. After a few pushes of the clutch the same pop noise occured and the fork once again was able to be moved freely by hand.

The third time I decided to lower the clutch pedal closer to the floor because I thought the fork might be exceeding its throw and coming out of the TOB somehow. I also used the 94 pressure plate/94 TOB/02 clutch disc this time. Again the fork was not able to be moved by hand upon installation. I sat in the car and pushed the clutch pedal until I was satisfied the same problem would not repeat itself. The pedal was normal each time and I had someone else push the pedal while I watch the fork move. Everything seemed to finally be working. I worked the rest of the day on putting the car back together for the drive to texas and when i started it and pushed on the clutch it went straight to the floor. I got out and checked the fork and sure enough I was able to move the fork as if it was no longer inside the TOB.

I found out that I was installing the bearing not according to instructions but im not sure if it would have changed my situation. I installed the TOB on the pressure plate. Then bolted the pressure plate to the flywheel. Then slid the engine towards the tranny and placed the fork in the TOB. Finally I put the pivot pin in after the tranny and engine were mated together. I dont see how putting the TOB on the tranny input shaft with the fork and pivot pin installed first then hitting the tob into the pressure plate would produce a different result but just in case, I wanted to clarify.

Also I noticed that the TOB on both the 94 and 02 had some play in them. Meaning that niether of them once installed were able to be pulled out of the pressure plate but they did slide forward and back inside the pressure plate. I thought that was probably normal since both were the same.

Id really appreciate any help or advice. Currently im looking into having the car shipped to Tx....

Group N

I've always aligned the clutch cover and clutch plate and onto the flywheel first ensuring that the release bearing retaining ring on the cover plate is fitted but NOT the release bearing.
The release bearing is copper slipped and slid onto the gearbox input shaft with the fork then positioned with the locating pin fitted in its final position as well - even the threaded blank to stop the pin sliding out is fitted too.
Gearbox is then mounted and bolted up tight. Only then do I engage the clutch release bearing onto the cover plate by pushing the fork backwards.
To test - the fork should be fixed and very difficult to move by hand. Then I connect up the clutch cylinder and do a final check using the pedal

Never used the hammer method to fit the release fork!!!!!

Don't thing it makes any difference with using 1994 flywheel with an 02 cover plate - I have a similar set up on the rally car using an AP 4 paddle clutch plate.


Hope this helps
Rob

Jolly Green Monster

iTrader: (4)

I have used both methods.. how you describe with the fork in to the release bearing already in the clutch or the release bearing on the fork and slide engine on and engage with the fork by hand.. either should work fine.
I wouldn't expect to be able to move the fork once engaged by hand, not unless you are superman?

Could it be that the 93 L slave and master cylinder are not up to the job of moving the turbo clutch?

Simon

norcalrallyist

Im using a 02 wrx pedal set and clutch master cylinder and the original JDM slave cylinder.

Jolly Green Monster

iTrader: (4)

that idea out the window then..

Simon

Group N

reading your post again - the fork is separating from the release bearing - correct???
have you checked that the 'fingers' on the release bearing aren't bent - they also have a habit of cracking around the join onto the main bearing

Rob

silent running

Quick question then...my Scoob just cruised to a halt this morning when the clutch 'went'. A few months ago I'd had problems getting the release lever to engage in the clutch bearing, not helped by the fact that the pivot shaft had worked its way out of the side of the 'box and its plug was totally missing. Anyway, with a lot of waggling and messing about I got the release lever engaged and the pivot shaft in position without having to remove the gearbox. Phew. Or so I thought until today.

So I was driving along normally, dipped the clutch, heard a loud rattle and the pedal was stuck on the floor. No hydraulic problems, slave cylinder rod was still actuating fine, so it seemed to be the old problem of the release lever just waggling about in the gearbox and not engaging with anything. Which seems identical to the problem in this thread.

Question is then, what happened? My first suspicion is that one or both of the locatiing tabs on the clutch release bearing have snapped or bent, letting the release lever simply pop out. Can this happen? Do they eventually just get fatigued and snap? And most importantly, is this a gearbox off job?

silent running

Update: just got the release lever to engage again with a bit of waggling about. Pedal action was fine, all fixed, good pedal return, no problems. Went to start the car only to hear a loud rattling. Tried the clutch and it hit the floor again and the rattling died away. Switched engine off.

Sounds like I might have been right about a release lever tab snapping off and I can hear it rattling around in there?

norcalrallyist

Im not sure what a normal bearing looks like. The 02 one seemed like the tabs were equally spread away from the bearing? They arent broken or craked but I suppose they could be bent. How could I bend a new bearing? Could the long throw of the blutch bend the tabs out because the fork was being pushed to far?

norcalrallyist

Your saying its the sound of the fork moving around outside of the bearing right? I didnt notice any rattling sounds while the engine was running but your right this does sound like the same problem! Keep me posted and I will do the same.

silent running

Well either that or the bit that's snapped off is bouncing around. If you haven't got the noise, it sounds more likely that the tabs have just bent open and the prongs of the fork have come out. As I mentioned I got mine to engage again last night, then as soon as I started the engine up, the first time I pushed the pedal it went to the floor again. I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that I'll have to get into the gearbox and change the release bearing.

The previous owner put an AP Racing 'Formula' clutch in but is seems that these aren't usually supplied with a new release bearing, so probably it's the original one - which now has 117k miles on it.

norcalrallyist

silent running

Latest news: gearbox is now off and it's not good. Release bearing was OK, but the gearbox is basically ****ed. The internal collar that carries the release fork's pivot pin has partly broken off so only half the thread for the plug is still there. The gearbox oil was drained and it was full of metallic specks, plus a half inch tab of metal that just dropped out LOL

So now I need a new gearbox. Bollocks! I'll start a new thread about this if anyone can help?

norcalrallyist

So in your case the the pin that the slotted end of the pivot pin slides into was falling out because the case was cracked there? Sounds like we have a different issue. Thanks for the update though I really appreciate it. Sounds like its time for a new gearbox

silent running

No it was the outer end, the first bit that the pin slides through, right in the side of the gearbox. It should have the first half inch or so threaded to screw the plug in, but half of it had just cracked off totally. The spindle part on the input shaft, which presumably the realease bearing slides back and forth over, was worn down to an hourglass profile almost. Not good news.

norcalrallyist

I think this was incorrect. Moving the pedal closer to the floor seems to have been what corrected the problem. I dont think I actually checeked the fork the third time. The pedal did go to the floor but once I got the car to TX I was able to use the clutch normally. I think the problem at the time could have been a bad slave cylinder and most likely still is. I thought I was having the same problem again. Anyways, just wanted to post incase someone else ran into this problem.