My My00 to My02 gx sport suffers from a stinking clutch in reverse. Less than 800 miles on clock. Has anyone else experienced this. We were told by dealer that it is a common characteristic with Subaru Imprezas is this true?

 

yup, same on my bugeye wrx.

I'm another PLymouth lad, BTW....

 

Are there any Plymouth meets or cirlce of scobby owners in Plymouth?

 

I believe there is, however I now live in London although I visit family there regularly.

 

Anybody in Plymouth give keep an eye out for us and give me and my dad a wave. Here two pics of car.

 

Stinking clutch in reverse..."They all do that sir"

 

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY "STINKING"?

 

We get a horible smell in reverse, I don't know how to describe it. My dads car btw. I only 15

 

It'll probably smell like overcooked brakes as it's made out of the same kind of stuff...

The suface wears in the usual direction of travel (i.e. the way it's rotating when you're going forwards) and doesn't like it when it has to go "against the grain," also clutch materials don't have the lubricants in that brake pads have so tend to burn easier if you slip the clutch

Hint: lubricants in this case isn't oil - don't start getting out the duckhams for a quick clutch dousing - it aint gonna help

Apple

 

PS mine does it as well - MY02, 7mths old

uphill & backwards = well whiffy and wondering what's gone wrong

Apple

 

Thanks for that I thought it was just me !!!!!!!!!!!!!


As you say the smell is similar to burning is it likely to shorten clutch life?

 

It'll only shorten clutch life if you keep feathering / slipping it - once the two surfaces make full contact and transmit 100% drive then there's no relative movement and hence no wear mechanism (unless you've enough power to make the clutch slip when you deck your right foot)

a favourite / common way of wearing out clutches is driving with your foot "resting" on the clutch pedal (probably why scoobs have the foot rest to the LHS of the pedal) - it may only be light pressure and you probably think you aren't doing it but it can be enough to make it slip and then wear away...

Apple

 

Fairly certain I'm not doing the later! But the smell in reverse is worrying.

Must keep my eye or should that be nose on it!!!!!!!!!

 

Each of the three Scoobs I've had has made a clutch smell in reverse against any sort of load (e.g. reversing into a parking space uphill). "they all do that sir"

Phil

 

Yep.. They all do it. And if you try doing it with 5 people up a driveway in reverse it'll REALLY smell, and you may even get judder and slip. I now ask everyone to get out at the bottom of the slope, as I'm pretty sure it cost me a clutch doing it twice a week! The new one still smells reversing uphill sometimes.

 

Yup, mine smells also , MY02 Sti

 

I take it this is solely UK cars as my JDM WRX never had that problem?

 

My UK MY96 classic does it when reversing uphill too!Never any other time. I don't reverse uphills anymore.