New clutch... still slipping
07 January 2009, 08:19 AM
#1
Scooby Newbie
Thread Starter
New clutch... still slipping
Wondered if anyone has seen or heard of this problem before to save me some grief in diagnosis.
I have an 05 WRX PPP Wagon (UK) that has done only 32,000 miles of not abusive driving - no tracks etc etc.
I recently started to get some clutch slip - usually in lower gears pulling away (Gently! No silly starts!) but this was very intermittent, sometimes severe, sometimes mild, and it would go away again after a couple of miles. I went round the loop with a dealership and a local specialist and the opinion was - if it's slipping then it will be the clutch - you need a new one.
New Exedy OEM clutch and flywheel were duly fitted and for the first day or so, all seemed to be well. I did see the old clutch out of the car and it was pretty well done down to the rivets. A few days ago though, the slip was back
. Very intermittent - again, usually at very low speeds - away from the lights etc - and then it goes away again (even for full bore accelaration in higher gears)
Point to note is that even on the new clutch the bite point is very high - no real difference from bite point on the replaced, worn out item.
My worry is that this is more of a hydraulics issue and that that some form of very mild or intermittent slip may have been there for some time, causing the early destruction of my first clutch. Obviously I don't want to destroy another one out of the box, so any experience or thoughts that anyone has on this would be greatly appreciated as I cannot seem to find any posts with similar issues
.
I will be taking the car back in for more diagnosis in the next day or so and would like to be able to offer any thoughts when I hand over the car.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
I have an 05 WRX PPP Wagon (UK) that has done only 32,000 miles of not abusive driving - no tracks etc etc.
I recently started to get some clutch slip - usually in lower gears pulling away (Gently! No silly starts!) but this was very intermittent, sometimes severe, sometimes mild, and it would go away again after a couple of miles. I went round the loop with a dealership and a local specialist and the opinion was - if it's slipping then it will be the clutch - you need a new one.
New Exedy OEM clutch and flywheel were duly fitted and for the first day or so, all seemed to be well. I did see the old clutch out of the car and it was pretty well done down to the rivets. A few days ago though, the slip was back
. Very intermittent - again, usually at very low speeds - away from the lights etc - and then it goes away again (even for full bore accelaration in higher gears)Point to note is that even on the new clutch the bite point is very high - no real difference from bite point on the replaced, worn out item.
My worry is that this is more of a hydraulics issue and that that some form of very mild or intermittent slip may have been there for some time, causing the early destruction of my first clutch. Obviously I don't want to destroy another one out of the box, so any experience or thoughts that anyone has on this would be greatly appreciated as I cannot seem to find any posts with similar issues
. I will be taking the car back in for more diagnosis in the next day or so and would like to be able to offer any thoughts when I hand over the car.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
07 January 2009, 09:09 AM
#3
I'd be interested in the outcome of this.
I too had/have similar problem
MY05 UK STK.
Clutch was making a groaning noise when depressed - bite point quite high
No slip though.
Was told needed new clutch.
They got me an OEM exedy clutch and fitted it.
I was told the pressure plate was the problem.
Bite point then much lower.
Drove for 2 or 3 days - maybe 60/70 miles.
Then bite point returned to be near where it was before - garage said that was it bedding in with my flywheel etc.
I still do not have any slip, but the bit point is very high.
Just trying to figure out what to do next.
Shaun
I too had/have similar problem
MY05 UK STK.
Clutch was making a groaning noise when depressed - bite point quite high
No slip though.
Was told needed new clutch.
They got me an OEM exedy clutch and fitted it.
I was told the pressure plate was the problem.
Bite point then much lower.
Drove for 2 or 3 days - maybe 60/70 miles.
Then bite point returned to be near where it was before - garage said that was it bedding in with my flywheel etc.
I still do not have any slip, but the bit point is very high.
Just trying to figure out what to do next.
Shaun
07 January 2009, 09:20 AM
#4
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Wondered if anyone has seen or heard of this problem before to save me some grief in diagnosis.
I have an 05 WRX PPP Wagon (UK) that has done only 32,000 miles of not abusive driving - no tracks etc etc.
I recently started to get some clutch slip - usually in lower gears pulling away (Gently! No silly starts!) but this was very intermittent, sometimes severe, sometimes mild, and it would go away again after a couple of miles. I went round the loop with a dealership and a local specialist and the opinion was - if it's slipping then it will be the clutch - you need a new one.
New Exedy OEM clutch and flywheel were duly fitted and for the first day or so, all seemed to be well. I did see the old clutch out of the car and it was pretty well done down to the rivets. A few days ago though, the slip was back. Very intermittent - again, usually at very low speeds - away from the lights etc - and then it goes away again (even for full bore accelaration in higher gears)
Point to note is that even on the new clutch the bite point is very high - no real difference from bite point on the replaced, worn out item.
My worry is that this is more of a hydraulics issue and that that some form of very mild or intermittent slip may have been there for some time, causing the early destruction of my first clutch. Obviously I don't want to destroy another one out of the box, so any experience or thoughts that anyone has on this would be greatly appreciated as I cannot seem to find any posts with similar issues .
I will be taking the car back in for more diagnosis in the next day or so and would like to be able to offer any thoughts when I hand over the car.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
I have an 05 WRX PPP Wagon (UK) that has done only 32,000 miles of not abusive driving - no tracks etc etc.
I recently started to get some clutch slip - usually in lower gears pulling away (Gently! No silly starts!) but this was very intermittent, sometimes severe, sometimes mild, and it would go away again after a couple of miles. I went round the loop with a dealership and a local specialist and the opinion was - if it's slipping then it will be the clutch - you need a new one.
New Exedy OEM clutch and flywheel were duly fitted and for the first day or so, all seemed to be well. I did see the old clutch out of the car and it was pretty well done down to the rivets. A few days ago though, the slip was back
. Very intermittent - again, usually at very low speeds - away from the lights etc - and then it goes away again (even for full bore accelaration in higher gears)Point to note is that even on the new clutch the bite point is very high - no real difference from bite point on the replaced, worn out item.
My worry is that this is more of a hydraulics issue and that that some form of very mild or intermittent slip may have been there for some time, causing the early destruction of my first clutch. Obviously I don't want to destroy another one out of the box, so any experience or thoughts that anyone has on this would be greatly appreciated as I cannot seem to find any posts with similar issues
. I will be taking the car back in for more diagnosis in the next day or so and would like to be able to offer any thoughts when I hand over the car.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
07 January 2009, 10:09 AM
#5
Scooby Newbie
Thread Starter
In terms of the clutch being fully engaged - best I can tell it works perfectly 99% of the time. It is the intermittent nature of it that is the pain in the harris.
If I do get any slip in higher gears - say third gear on full load, I have experienced what appears to be full drive and acceleration followed by one second or so of slip (not loads - the revs just rise marginally for a second or so) then it seems to bite again and I get full traction, followed by one second or so of slip etc. Again, having said all this, I will drive another half mile, the problem will go away and I will be able to complete the journey without any further discernible slipping at all. By way of example - drove home from the O2 the other evening. Coming out of the car park had some clutch slip - same on the ramps onto the A2 - then drove remaining 65 miles home without any slip at all as far as I could tell. The one thing that this does point out is that it seems to happen more when the car is cold/warming up. But then again, not always ! It is very annoying as the car is running really sweetly, especially as I had a straight through stainless pipe put in removing the secondary cat when the clutch was done 
!
Clutch bleeding? Good point, but the work was carried out by a specialist and the same problem existed before the new clutch anyway. It will obviously be one of the first things to be checked when it next goes in.
At the moment I do feel much more master or slave cylinder than clutch itself.
If I do get any slip in higher gears - say third gear on full load, I have experienced what appears to be full drive and acceleration followed by one second or so of slip (not loads - the revs just rise marginally for a second or so) then it seems to bite again and I get full traction, followed by one second or so of slip etc. Again, having said all this, I will drive another half mile, the problem will go away and I will be able to complete the journey without any further discernible slipping at all. By way of example - drove home from the O2 the other evening. Coming out of the car park had some clutch slip - same on the ramps onto the A2 - then drove remaining 65 miles home without any slip at all as far as I could tell. The one thing that this does point out is that it seems to happen more when the car is cold/warming up. But then again, not always
! It is very annoying as the car is running really sweetly, especially as I had a straight through stainless pipe put in removing the secondary cat when the clutch was done ! Clutch bleeding? Good point, but the work was carried out by a specialist and the same problem existed before the new clutch anyway. It will obviously be one of the first things to be checked when it next goes in.
At the moment I do feel much more master or slave cylinder than clutch itself.
07 January 2009, 10:30 AM
#6
Fitment issue.
Either pedal/master cylinder adjusment incorrect and pedal staying low, or flywheel spigot bearing not fitted and you're now getting oil contamination of the clutch.
It should be sorted by those that supplied it, it's not a problem that can be fixed over the web!
Either pedal/master cylinder adjusment incorrect and pedal staying low, or flywheel spigot bearing not fitted and you're now getting oil contamination of the clutch.
It should be sorted by those that supplied it, it's not a problem that can be fixed over the web!
07 January 2009, 10:51 AM
#7
Scooby Newbie
Thread Starter
Thanks Pavlo - even if the problem was there before and after fitment of new clutch? As I mentioned, the work was carried out by an Impreza specialist so I would hope there were no fitment issues. The car is going back to the guys that did the clutch
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07 January 2009, 06:02 PM
#8
The old clutch was worn out though. I've seen people destroy clutches in a few thousand miles and claim they don't abuse them. 32K miles is fair game on an OE clutch!
07 January 2009, 07:53 PM
#10
Scooby Newbie
Thread Starter
I honestly think that the high bite point thing is a bit of a red herring. If it works, it works - I wouldn't worry about it. If you do get slip that would be the time to worry!
08 January 2009, 02:24 PM
#11
Scooby Newbie
Thread Starter
It's looking like this is a diff problem and the whole thing is turning into a saga... when I have the full low down I will update with the whole sorry mess...
TBC
TBC
11 January 2009, 09:24 PM
#12
Scooby Newbie
Thread Starter
And so the final story...
Took the car back to the garage - the clutch work was being done by Andy at Special Scoobys in Colchester - I cannot say enough for this man he has really helped me out through all of this and I really cannot recommend him highly enough - he gave me lift home before beginning his investigations and while driving the car it had a bad episode of the slipping symptoms. He was shocked given that the car had a new clutch and promised to get to the bottom of it.
Couple of hours later... the phone call... Andy has been through the drive train...
"Have you ever had any work done on the rear end of the car?" he asks.
I tell him that the car had the rear diff replaced under warranty by a main dealer when around two years old. He tells me that the new rear diff was never installed properly and that the drive shafts have been popping out of drive. Because the drive shafts were never set home properly, they have been in and out of drive, and because of the excessive play and additional wear and tear, the diff is totally fcuked. He has a second hand unit that he can fit and do I want the work carried out?
Obviously I found all this news a little "disappointing"
The warranty replacement of the diff was carried out by Days of Chelmsford when i had a bit of a moan about the diff whining at around 61 - 62 mph. Nothing wrong with it per say - just made noise. Recent reading also leads me to believe that "they all do that" anyway. My great luck continues as unfortunately, last year Days decided to call it a day (no pun intended) as a dealer and simply shut up shop. This pretty much left me without a leg to stand on in terms of going back to the place that did the work and facing a substantial bill for substandard work carried out by a main dealer.
(Does this sort of crap ever happen to anyone else? It always feels like it is just me
)
In the end I rang Subaru UK - I explained the situation to them, made clear my "disappointment" and enquired if they could help. Cannot fault their customer service as they asked me to ge Andy to email a list of required parts for the repair... and they sent them all over to him, no questions asked. Andy then fitted the new diff and driveshafts (these were worn too) at his usual incredibly reasonable rates and all the slip has gone away!
Finally a very happy boy and loving the fact that I can give the car the beans again without worrying that I am going to do it a mischief.
So many thanks are due to Subaru for their "let's get your issue sorted out" approach - thank you emails will be on their way. Thanks to Andy for all his good work, and relief that I have finally seen the back of this problem
And as to the clutch? Well, as I have said in my previous posts the one that came out was "well worn" so I guess I would have had it done sooner or later, so... I just hope the old one wasn't actually ok for another 30,000 miles
You live and learn...
Took the car back to the garage - the clutch work was being done by Andy at Special Scoobys in Colchester - I cannot say enough for this man he has really helped me out through all of this and I really cannot recommend him highly enough - he gave me lift home before beginning his investigations and while driving the car it had a bad episode of the slipping symptoms. He was shocked given that the car had a new clutch and promised to get to the bottom of it.
Couple of hours later... the phone call... Andy has been through the drive train...
"Have you ever had any work done on the rear end of the car?" he asks.
I tell him that the car had the rear diff replaced under warranty by a main dealer when around two years old. He tells me that the new rear diff was never installed properly and that the drive shafts have been popping out of drive. Because the drive shafts were never set home properly, they have been in and out of drive, and because of the excessive play and additional wear and tear, the diff is totally fcuked. He has a second hand unit that he can fit and do I want the work carried out?
Obviously I found all this news a little "disappointing"
The warranty replacement of the diff was carried out by Days of Chelmsford when i had a bit of a moan about the diff whining at around 61 - 62 mph. Nothing wrong with it per say - just made noise. Recent reading also leads me to believe that "they all do that" anyway. My great luck continues as unfortunately, last year Days decided to call it a day (no pun intended) as a dealer and simply shut up shop. This pretty much left me without a leg to stand on in terms of going back to the place that did the work and facing a substantial bill for substandard work carried out by a main dealer.
(Does this sort of crap ever happen to anyone else? It always feels like it is just me
)In the end I rang Subaru UK - I explained the situation to them, made clear my "disappointment" and enquired if they could help. Cannot fault their customer service as they asked me to ge Andy to email a list of required parts for the repair... and they sent them all over to him, no questions asked. Andy then fitted the new diff and driveshafts (these were worn too) at his usual incredibly reasonable rates and all the slip has gone away!
Finally a very happy boy and loving the fact that I can give the car the beans again without worrying that I am going to do it a mischief.
So many thanks are due to Subaru for their "let's get your issue sorted out" approach - thank you emails will be on their way. Thanks to Andy for all his good work, and relief that I have finally seen the back of this problem
And as to the clutch? Well, as I have said in my previous posts the one that came out was "well worn" so I guess I would have had it done sooner or later, so... I just hope the old one wasn't actually ok for another 30,000 miles
You live and learn...
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