Hey all,

I've noticed a few times that when I go to pull away in 1st (especially when the car is cold), I get a 'juddering' at the top of the clutch. If I dip the clutch it goes, and if I accelerate it goes. Like I say, it seems to happen more when it's cold - but has happened a few times when it's warm too. And this isn't the kind of juddering I've experienced in other cars - it's quite severe.

Now, I haven't owned a classic before (RB5 to be precise), and I'm not sure if it's just me not being used to the clutch, or whether it could be a problem with the clutch.

I've never had a clutch 'go' before so I don't know what a clutch slipping feels like.

Am I right in thinking that if a clutch is on its way out, there will be much less travel before the biting point? Because that's not a problem in my car - there's a good amount of travel.

Also worth noting that there aren't any other issues with the clutch once the car is rolling (and indeed, often when moving off from a standstill there's no judder - it seems random).

Anyway, any thoughts would be appreciated before I decide to take him into a garage.

Cheers guys

 

its the curse of the subaru judder i believe... mine does it too from cold. i think its just an issue thats always been there with subaru

 

If (like you say) there's good travel then you could always try launching it from standstill (hard) in 1st gear. Sometimes the flywheel can benefit from the cleansing properties the launch will provide!

My old classic wagon used to judder because it got driven around too sympathetically, I'd give it a launch once in a while and it'd help.

 

If (like you say) there's good travel then you could always try launching it from standstill (hard) in 1st gear. Sometimes the flywheel can benefit from the cleansing properties the launch will provide!

My old classic wagon used to judder because it got driven around too sympathetically, I'd give it a launch once in a while and it'd help.

 

This is a known problem and was particularly prevalent in the 2002 bugeye (I had one). Subaru accepted it as a clutch fault and were replacing the clutches under warranty (I had mine replaced). It happens from cold starts and fades away as the clutch heats. It doesn't mean the clutch is necessary worn out - just a dodgy clutch. I don't know about the prevalence in other years / models but if you search juddering clutch or ask a dealer about it you'll find plenty.

 

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

Oh right - well that's sort of reassuring, hopefully it's not the clutch on its way out then. Like I say, other than that it seems fine and yes, it does appear to fade when the car warms up.

Love the advice about launching it hard from time to time - I'll see what I can do.

 

It's very normal - esp on MY99 and MY00.

My MY00 had it, and when the engine was out around 60k miles the clutch was still in excellent condition and not worth replacing.

Oddly enough, though, my P1 seems fine... maybe that's a different spec?

 

I get exactly the same thing, mainly during the week because the drive to work is short so the car's driven real sensible because it doesn't get a chance to get up to temp.
I'll normally take it for a bit of a 'spirited' drive on a Saturday and it stops for a day or so.
Seems to me a little bit of 'driving like it's meant to be driven' seems to be good for it?!

 

I used to get this on a my00 when i had it. get the car fully up to temp And give it a full bore 1st gear start> ths will clean any clutch deposits on the fly wheel and stop it juddering for a while>

 

Glad i've seen this. I have the MY00 (turbo 2000) and have identical problems, as this is my first subaru i thought it was either the clutch being worn (as its on 97k) OR more worryingly oil dripping onto the flywheel (from rear crank seal).

I love car forums.

 

You have high spots on your flywheel, the only way around it, is to either have your flywheel skimmed, or replaced.
My V5 Type-R was like this, i had to have my Flywheel skimmed, replaced the clutch while the gearbox was out, drives like a dream now =]
Where are you from? if your local to Coventry i could have a look at it for you.

 

You wont have oil driping onto your flywheel face, as the rear main crank seal is behind the flywheel.

 

My MY00 used to have this problem from cold but only occassionally does it now. That's 8 years and over 120000 miles later on the same clutch with no need to have the flywheel skimmed.

As suggested by a few others I used to give mine a good launch and this would sort it out. (Don't do too many though, it can get addictive and will probably be expensive)

 

defo flywheel!

 

[quote=adman73;9369862]My MY00 used to have this problem from cold but only occassionally does it now. That's 8 years and over 120000 miles later on the same clutch with no need to have the flywheel skimmed.


Ye must drive yer scoob like a granny.

 

Ok so a brilliant excuse to get a lightened f/w

 

[QUOTE=f4la k;9369964]Just because I haven't needed to replace my clutch or had an engine rebuild doesn't mean I drive like a granny.

I enjoy driving fast but that doesn't mean you need to break it in the process. A little bit of mechanical sympathy and skill go a lot further than a heavy right foot.