sparkster

Dan,

I had exactly the same clutch pedal prob. Had to lift pedal with foot every time i changed gear. It might just be that all you need is a new clutch pedal assembly. Wont cost you much. You'l only need a clutch if you do what i did and drive on it for too long causing the clutch to "ride" (yup was too busy to get it fixed and paid the price)

Sorry, cant help you on the rest but funnily enough my brakes only squeek when i brake gently. I have to really work them to loose the squeek but thats typical of performance pads and uprated discs

Good luck and hope you get your problems sorted really cheaply

Leslie

I think the change from 2nd to 1st is normally a bit difficult unless the RPM are exactly right. Not easy to do unless you leave the change until you are driving pretty slowly. I find that if the rpm are dead right that the gear lever glides smoothly into 1st.

Les

nigelward

A missing clutch lever return spring could be causing the clutch pedal not to return, I've only read about it on here so I couldn't tell you what to look for.

Front to back swap should be possible with a trolley jack or similar under the front jacking point. This should give you sufficient height to be able to remove both wheels on the jacked up side of the car.

If the OEM jack is all you have remove the wheel off the back of the car, put the space saver on. Lower the car, jack up the front of the car and remove the front wheel. Put the wheel on from the back, and then do the same on the back.

1.9mm is not alot left anyway, so might be worth getting new tyres and then doing a swap every six months to try and keep the wear even across front and rear.

If the handbrake is stopping the problem then it is unlikely to be the rear disks causing the problem. As far as I am aware the handbrake does not work off the rear disk but by using a drum arranagement on the hub or there abouts.

This mechanism may need adjustment of greasing.

Hope some of this helps (although not much of it was that specific).

Nigel

Dodge

Thank you everyone - good stuff, as usual!

Dan

Fat Boy

Apparently, the rear brake squealing (fixable by the handbrake tug) is due to dust building up inside the bell that the handbrake operates on-it doesn't operate on the disk. The remedy apparently is to remove the rear discs and clean out the inside plus pads etc and refit.

I say apparently because mine squeals but I haven't had the time to attempt the remedy myself yet.

SuperFlyGuy

Rear brake problem exactly the same on my uk97, I do the handrake trick also....

How do you get the rear drum assembly off to clean out the dust?? I had a go last summer after replacing the rear pads (which is dead easy) but I could work out how to take the drum assembly off. Also my handrake needs adjusting, can this only be donewithin the drum assembly?

Dodge

Fat Boy, thanks for the info - it's a real **** if that's the case, as it happens every time I go for a blast...

Does anybody know how to prevent it reoccuring?

NENO

I hate to put anyone off from taking their car apart but the rear drum dismantle doesn't cure the problem for long.

Last time I did it the squeak stopped for two days Can't be arsed 'fixing' it again.

They are easy to remove though, take off wheel and undo one of the brake caliper bolts so that it can swing up and over the disc, you can then pull the disc off and clean inside it.

Best of luck, let us know if something else can be done...

SuperFlyGuy

Hmmmm...couldnt get my discs off last time I tried that. It was though the internal handbrake shoes were gripping really tight, tried persuading it to come off by gently tapping the drum section with a soft copper mallet but no luck. Didnt want to break anything so left them alone. Obviously the hand brake wasnt on at the time (i did check!!!) which is why i thought something else may have needed to come off first.

I will try again, thanks.

Gridlock Mikey

I had squeaky brake syndrome and cured it like this:

Find somewhere convienient and reverse at about 10 miles per hour, GENTLY apply left foot braking and then as the vehicle slows, depress clutch then when the car is coming to a stand still, apply brakes very hard so the last few inches are quite violent.
You will hear and feel the brake pads "shift" in the callipers.

Don't know why it works it just does, i can only imagine that it is going against the grain long enough to "clean" the pads/discs etc and slightly reposition the pads. How often do we have to sustain braking in reverse?

I discovered this in a multistorey car park where I had to roll backwards down a gurt big ramp. After that my brakes didn't squeek. After about 10k miles, I have to repeat it. It only takes a few seconds so it ain't no thing.

Mikey

NENO

Thanks for the info Gridlock, I've tried that already so perhaps I need to do it harder.

Dodge

Gridlock - you are a hero, and I officially owe you a pint.

I think the answer is to go backwards for quite a long way - I've only driven a short distance since, but they've been a few quiet miles...

JPR

I get the clutch pedal sticking, this only has only happened twice in the 2 months since I've owned the beast (MY98)and it happened during some 'heavy highway driving' (ref: sticker in car). I posted a thread on here enquiring about it and some guy said that its a classic impreza problem and a number of people experience it, so considering that and how often its happened, I'm not too worried about it.

From time to time I also get a notchy gear change going into first from any gear if the car is doing over 10-15 MPH, in fact I get a slight gear grind as well. Before anybody says it, yes the clutch pedal is fully depressed.

Dodge

Grr. First piece of 'spirited' driving for a few weeks and my MY98 has recovered all its old problems...

1) The right-rear brakes squeak and whistle like a *******, when they're not being applied, (a gentle handbrake tug whilst under way tends to help temporarily)

I had the buggers replaced 6-8 months ago (rear discs and pads) and they're fine as long as you drive like a numpty, but as soon as you start enjoying yourself they get soo noisy. And these are the rears - why are the fronts coping better?

2) The clutch got sticky too at the weekend - it always has a massive cold-start judder, but yesterday, I was changing gear, and the pedal was only returning to the bite-point. To get it to pop up to the normal rest position, I had to put my foot under the pedal and lever it up again, or leave it to pop up on its own some 30 seconds later...

Any idea what this might be? Is it time for a new clutch? Should I go for a Borg + Beck jobby, rather than OEM, and if so where should I go to get it fitted?

While I'm here, what is the best way to swap the front and rear wheels? My fronts are down to about 1.9 mm, and the rears are quite new, but I don't have axle stands etc.. Might just take it to a tyre place...

And finally, does a veeery difficult, notchy 2nd - 1st gear change mean the whole gearbox is shafted?

Dan, unhappy, and already in debt...

[Edited by Dodge - 4/7/2003 11:22:57 AM]