7500 miles and clutch problem already?!?!?

damn, I was driving by staple center yesterday and all of sudden the rpm sky rocks but car doesnt move, so I pull my car over and open the hood, there was smoke coming out from the engine bay and I smell clutch burning... so I let it cool down for about 10mins and I start the engine again, smoke was still there and the car didnt move. I had no choice but to call the subaru road side assistance and tow my car to the dealership.. has anyone experiance this clutch problem yet?? my car is only 7500 miles! I can not say I am safe driver but I only(?) burned my clutch 3-4 times since 0 to 7500 miles, when I tried to take off hard..

That's very strange. Your car is at the dealer right now I'm guessing. Hopefully they aren't snobs and treat you well and honestly. Keep us updated.

yikes, definately keep us updated. I was under the impression that our clutch is pretty rugged.

I'm curious to know how this turns out.. the clutch likes to make that burning smell pretty readily sometimes.

Sidestep the clutch much? I doubt it's a defect...

My clutch smells pretty often and I baby my car for the most part. Never been to the track and have only done a few (2-3) 3,500 launches. VERY curious in what you find...

[quote name='mccorry']My clutch smells pretty often and I baby my car. VERY curious in what you find...[/QUOTE] My situation too

[quote name='mccorry']My clutch smells pretty often and I baby my car for the most part. Never been to the track and have only done a few (2-3) 3,500 launches. VERY curious in what you find...[/QUOTE] If you launched on snow/dirt/loose gravel, then that's ok. But if you did it on asphalt/concrete then you are not babying your car. Are you kidding me, even one launch above 2,000 is not normal. Unless you don't mind picking up the tab to fix your transmission, please THINK about what your doing. AWD have more traction than RWD/FWD cars. Therefore when you launch AWD cars, the extra power is drained into the powertrain instead of the tires in RWD/FWD cars. But if you launch in snow/dirt/loose gravel, the extra power is drained into flinging snow/dirt/gravel around and doesn't damage the car's powertrain compared to launching on hard surfaces. If you don't mind a void warranty, burnt tires, a fscked AWD system, and a hole in your wallet, then by all means launch on asphalt/concrete, else do it on dirt/snow/loose gravel and you will be much more content. Mojo

[quote name='subylegacy']damn, I was driving by staple center yesterday and all of sudden the rpm sky rocks but car doesnt move, so I pull my car over and open the hood, there was smoke coming out from the engine bay and I smell clutch burning... so I let it cool down for about 10mins and I start the engine again, smoke was still there and the car didnt move. I had no choice but to call the subaru road side assistance and tow my car to the dealership.. has anyone experiance this clutch problem yet?? my car is only 7500 miles! I can not say I am safe driver but I only(?) burned my clutch 3-4 times since 0 to 7500 miles, when I tried to take off hard..[/QUOTE] If you are already prepared to pay for the damages, then ignore the rest of this message. Else, thanks for admitting to launching your car, btw it's quoted so you can't edit it out. Don't even try to make SoA pay for this. I hope they void your warranty and make you PAY. Haven't you ever read those whiners on nasioc crying about their burnt transmissions. Can't people get it through their HEAD, MT AWD cars are not made to be launched. Moral: Don't launch MT AWD cars. P.S. I got an AT. Moral: AT > MT in AWD cars. Muahahah. P.S.S. Download [url="http://www.getfirefox.com"]Firefox 1.0[/url]

[quote name='melayout'] Are you kidding me, even one launch above 2,000 is not normal. [/QUOTE] Are you kidding? from 2000 rpm's it's not even a "launch", it's a spirited getaway. I don't think you can even make subaru's 0-60 time without launching from 2000 rpm. There are people who drop the clutch from 6500 rpm, and do so for quite some time before they strip 1st gear.

I just read the Manual cover-2-cover, still can't see where it says it is safe to launch below 0 rpm. As for the 2000 rpm launch, that was just an estimate. Then again, I'm not the one that has a MT legacy. Mojo

FYI, it's the wrx trannies that gave AWD launches a bad name. How many S4's do you hear about with stripped gears? They had a small problem a decade ago and since then have widened 1st gear, and no more problems. We have a re-enforced design. How re-enforced we will see. edit - and oh, the stock clutch is _really_ weak. I mean I've smelt it burning with a launch from ~1200 rpms; slipped for 1-2 seconds because of traffic. That shouldn't happen. I've seen people (foolishly) balance their cars on a hill with the clutch for 5-10 seconds without any smell/smoke.

If I had to choose between an MT S4 and Legacy, I would choose the Legacy because it's MT will last if I don't abuse it. Audis inherit VW's poor quality e.g. electrical problems and are not worth the money. Therefore, each car has a weakness Subarus have their MT transmission and Audis have their electrical systems. As long as those manual-transmission freaks pay for the damages, I'm happy. I don't want Subaru to raise their next year's prices because of this crap. Mojo P.S. Subaru you have my blessing to squeeze every penny from those MT freaks. If it's good for the bottom line, it's good for Subaru, it's good for me. P.S.S. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

[quote name='melayout'] As long as those manual-transmission freaks pay for the damages, I'm happy. I don't want Subaru to raise their next year's prices because of this crap. Mojo[/QUOTE] Or they could *gasp* fix their transmission so it can withstand the rest of their powertrain.

I have over 9000 miles on my car and I do launch my car at some autox events (as well as a track day already).. It shouldnt be burning.. what are your driving habits like? btw, the clutch is not the dead pedal ;) My clutch is perfectly fine.. Keefe

I don't launch my car, but I get the smell sometimes- got it tonight backing up my (steep) driveway.

I used to get it all the time when I first got it (along with the cat smell). I just broke 2000 miles today, and rarely smell anything except new anymore. The only time that comes to mind recently is taking off from an incline, but it have driven that many times since and haven't smelled it...

[quote name='melayout']...still can't see where it says it is safe to launch below 0 rpm. Mojo[/QUOTE] Launch below 0 RPM? I think it's hard even at 0 rpm... I for one like to actually have a running engine instead of just sitting in my car making engine noises with my mouth... brrrRRrumm brum brum brum... A few mild launches, do not read as dropping the clutch, should be fine on the clutch. If it fails I think it's a pretty weak clutch. Anyways, I am very curious to know what failed what what happened... keep us posted.

[quote name='melayout']If you are already prepared to pay for the damages, then ignore the rest of this message. Else, thanks for admitting to launching your car, btw it's quoted so you can't edit it out. Don't even try to make SoA pay for this. I hope they void your warranty and make you PAY. Haven't you ever read those whiners on nasioc crying about their burnt transmissions. Can't people get it through their HEAD, MT AWD cars are not made to be launched. Moral: Don't launch MT AWD cars. P.S. I got an AT. Moral: AT > MT in AWD cars. Muahahah. P.S.S. Download [url="http://www.getfirefox.com"]Firefox 1.0[/url][/QUOTE] lol r u on PMS or something?! anyways, soa will fix it for free.. the car had 65miles when i drove it out from the dealer lot so maybe something could have happend.. who knows btw, i want u to know that im not a reckless driver i've only launched it 3-4 times below 5000rpm! i dont think normal legacy clutch will warn out from those 3-4 launches..

[quote name='jedimaster']I don't launch my car, but I get the smell sometimes- got it tonight backing up my (steep) driveway.[/QUOTE]Thats exactly what happens to me...It rarely happens, but when it does its bothersome...Especially when I havent had it happen on any of my other vehicals

Yeah, it's kind of embarassing. I feel like people are going to laugh at me and tell me I don't know how to drive stick. Oh well- if the clutch burns out, Subaru can put a new one in.

My clutch burnt out a couple of days ago for me as well. I also had the smoke pouring out of the engine bay. It was weird because I was driving on a highway in 5th gear and started to smell the clutch burning. I got off my exit and came to a red light and smoke was coming out of the engine bay and I was unable to shift. I had to call Subaru roadside assistance to get towed. Subaru is covering this under warranty and also issued me a car rental as my Legacy only has 3500 miles. On a side note the car rental they gave me is a Chrysler 300C - with a hemi - loaded:D

stop riding the clutch people.. it's a dual mass flywheel as well, even if you dont think you are disengaging the clutch, you already are half way of burning it.. Keefe

Hey, Meylayout....you should have bought a Camry or Accord the way that you suggest driving this car. Take you high-n-mightly attitude elsewhere. Us manly-men who bought the MT in order to really enjoy the performance of the LGT try hard not to criticize the girly-men who bought the 5EAT version. Launching anywhere below 3K rpm should be doable everyday of the week. Subura didn't make a 250 hp AWD performance car that you have to drive like a Kia. I've smelled a strong "burnt" smell from my clutch twice that I can recall. Both instances were from rolling launches in the neighborhood of 5,000 rpm - not a dead stop. I feel that this car should be able to endure an occasional aggressive takeoff. If it can't...then Subaru is in the wrong market segment. There may be a fundamental problem with the USDM clutch. Two different people reported it here already. My LGT 5M has just under 5K miles so I'm going to be on the lookout but will not alter my driving style.

Stinky clutch smell happens when trying to cross a divided highway from an incline. Sometimes need to rev the engine and use the hand brake and also make sure she does not stall in the middle of the divided highway with 70+ mph traffic coming towards her! Also get the clutch funk when I'm on an incline and take off or when I reve the engine a little too high and ease out the clutch. I'm not convinced that the 'improved' clutch is all that wonderful. I guess we'll see how long it lasts. In my case, it will be at least several miles outside the warranty period! <g> I wonder if any after market heavy duty clutch parts will be coming out? After the car is out of warranty, I want to start boosting up the engine profile. I would like to get about a 20% gain in hp to around 300, but I'm not convinced the clutch would handle it. Anyone out there with some performance upgrades having clutch problems?