Clutch issue

Hey folks. Sitting waiting for a tow truck at the moment.

2010 gt 120k clutch was replaced at 112k.

Leaving work and the clutch felt odd has a notch feel in it as it went to the floor. Pulled out of the lot and the pedal went and stayed on the floor. Can be pulled up by hand.

Looking at the slave and the top of the fork the shaft from the shaft is out and moved left like a broken finger. Almost like it came out too far.

Any thoughts? Weird thing is the clutch is still disengaged. I would think if the fork broke it would be engaged.

I’m having it towed home now. Just looking for thoughts

Thanks in advance

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I thought about that, but I would think if it came off the fork, the fork would be released and the clutch engaged.

It’s completely disengaged, like the pedal is still down.

The engine runs and idles fine. Zero noises. If you put it in gear it feels normal and the car will roll.

I can’t figure how the clutch could be stuck with the fork and throw out bearing pushing the pressure plate fingers in enough to completely disengage it like that.

It is an exedy clutch kit. Standard kit. Car is bone stock.

Was installed by the shop I bought it from. The clutch was slipping in higher gears when I got on it on the test drive. they agreed to replace it as part of the purchase. It’s been fine for the 8k miles I’ve driven it since I purchased the car.

So a clutch fork failure at the pivot maybe? I guess it could push through and get stuck with the clutch disengaged.

When it’s gets here I’ll pull the intercooler and put the camera down through the slot and see.

That’ll suck. Not really looking forward to pulling the motor. Just did the head gaskets on my son In Laws 2010 NA. Getting the bell housing bolts from behind the cv axles was quite the pain in the butt. Why the geniuses at Subaru felt the need to dump the crossmemeber and make the trans the rear motor mounts is beyond me. The older ones are way simpler.

Curiously with all the extra plumbing on the turbo car, is it still the better option to pull the motor vrs the trans?

It is an exedy clutch kit. Standard kit. Car is bone stock.

 

Was installed by the shop I bought it from. The clutch was slipping in higher gears when I got on it on the test drive. they agreed to replace it as part of the purchase. It’s been fine for the 8k miles I’ve driven it since I purchased the car.

 

So a clutch fork failure at the pivot maybe? I guess it could push through and get stuck with the clutch disengaged.

 

When it’s gets here I’ll pull the intercooler and put the camera down through the slot and see.

 

That’ll suck. Not really looking forward to pulling the motor. Just did the head gaskets on my son In Laws 2010 NA. Getting the bell housing bolts from behind the cv axles was quite the pain in the butt. Why the geniuses at Subaru felt the need to dump the crossmemeber and make the trans the rear motor mounts is beyond me. The older ones are way simpler.

 

Curiously with all the extra plumbing on the turbo car, is it still the better option to pull the motor vrs the trans?

Depends on what kind of equipment you have to work with. I found using a swivel socket and turning the axle to line up with a flat spot at the top makes getting the lower fasteners a failry undramatic process, you do need to lift the front end though to have the tires off the ground so you can rotate them.

If you have a lift, support the engine and drop the trans, although you will have to unbolt wing mounts, which I hear is quite the process all by itself. I would recommend pulling the engine, myself. There are a few how-tos in the stickies.

I agree with FLlegacy, pulling the engine is a bit easier than dropping the trans, even if you have a lift. Supporting the engine while you try to work around everything else would be a huge pain. I think the engine mounting on the trans makes it easier to pull the engine and not worry about the trans.

The clutch fork failure on these cars seems to be the second (maybe tied with throwout bearings) most likely failure to a worn out clutch.

Due to the nice knowledgable folks here I installed the billet fork and pivot ball when I did my build this spring.

This is just the fork alone:

https://www.importimageracing.com/products/verus-forged-clutch-fork-subaru-wrx-legacy-gt-outback-xt?gclid=CjwKCAjwq4fsBRBnEiwANTahcPtkGOLm2vhskwK9vWbsiqMtBEcf-APwoNnj4Pu78q1LYBmrDU-JlRoCMOEQAvD_BwE

This is the combo fork and pivot ball:

https://prime-motoring.com/verus-clutch-fork-ball-combo.html

I'm sure you could find them cheaper, but it's just an example of the parts you want, if you need to go down that road.

Thanks for all your input.

The car is home now and in the daylight it seems apparent something went on with the fork. I took this from the passenger side. The fork is down and twisted.

I'll get the IC off and get the camera down there to be sure.

I tried to get the endoscope down past the clutch fork tonight after work with the intercooler on the car, and i was able to get it past the rubber boot but I could not get a good view of the fork itself, only the throwout bearing, which looks fine. Also the dimple in the fork looked fine, not cracked or pushed through.

I'm going to have to pull the intercooler so I can get a straight shot down into the slot. I took a look at the FSM and its seems way more complicated than it looks like it should be. Am I missing something? It got dark so I had to call it a night. I'll pick it up in the morning. It appears that if I take the mounting bolts out of the stays and and couple hose clamps it should come out? Am I missing something?

I want to see what parts I need, order them and then get cracking next weekend.

Looks to me like the ball pushed through the fork. That piece shouldn't be raised up in the last picture.

Suggestions while you are in there:

Clutch upgrade-I would consider it given how much work getting to it entails.

TSK-3 kit-I highly recommend this kit, it can save your transmission snout down the line.

upgraded fork and pivot ball- No way I would put another stock fork back in when mine breaks the upgrades are worth it. There are a couple options. Verus and torque solutions.

Also while you are in there you might also consider a front sway bar upgrade since the engine has to be removed anyway. Sway links would be a good upgrade as well.

Right on FLlegacy. Got the TMIC off and straight down with the scope.

So Time to order some parts and pull a motor

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i ordered the verus fork and ball, the TSK3 kit to do the repair. Thank you for all your comments and guidance!

Couple questions

First -I'm torn on upgrading the clutch. The one in it only had 8k miles on it. From the scope I don't see any damage to the pressure plate or anything. so a replacement is simply to upgrade

This is a daily driver and I have no intention of anything but a stage 1 tune at some point. Will the OEM replacement exedy get the job done if I do tune it? What options do I have in a very street-able clutch? I guess it comes down to how much money vrs the PITA to get to it. Car has 120k, this is likely the last clutch it gets.

Second - FLlegacy mentioned the front sway bar. Whiteline bar and end links is about $400. Is it worth it? I've been known to burn up some exit ramps and such, but this car will never see a track. I've never in my life done a sway bar upgrade. so I have no idea what if any difference it will make in the car

Lastly with the motor coming out, any other maintenance items I should take care of? I'll check the rear main and separator plate. Anything else on the turbo cars?

Thanks in advance

i ordered the verus fork and ball, the TSK3 kit to do the repair. Thank you for all your comments and guidance!

 

Couple questions

 

First -I'm torn on upgrading the clutch. The one in it only had 8k miles on it. From the scope I don't see any damage to the pressure plate or anything. so a replacement is simply to upgrade

 

This is a daily driver and I have no intention of anything but a stage 1 tune at some point. Will the OEM replacement exedy get the job done if I do tune it? What options do I have in a very street-able clutch? I guess it comes down to how much money vrs the PITA to get to it. Car has 120k, this is likely the last clutch it gets.

 

Second - FLlegacy mentioned the front sway bar. Whiteline bar and end links is about $400. Is it worth it? I've been known to burn up some exit ramps and such, but this car will never see a track. I've never in my life done a sway bar upgrade. so I have no idea what if any difference it will make in the car

 

Lastly with the motor coming out, any other maintenance items I should take care of? I'll check the rear main and separator plate. Anything else on the turbo cars?

 

Thanks in advance

For the FSB I would stick with oem 26mm bar and upgraded endlinks of your choice. It's way cheaper than the whiteline.

There are tons of things you could do with the engine out...so be careful what you ask for, lol.

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I am on a stock clutch with a stage 2 tune, but, I am resigned to eventually replacing it again. So far its held up pretty well. There are a few options for streetable upgrades, southbend makes a daily driver series, as well as ACT, also exedy has a stage 1 available through local auto parts stores. Any clutch made for an 08+ wrx will work. Price is close enough on them as to not make much difference, from what I recall.

 

For the FSB I would stick with oem 26mm bar and upgraded endlinks of your choice. It's way cheaper than the whiteline.

 

There are tons of things you could do with the engine out...so be careful what you ask for, lol.

 

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Thanks a ton for the reply. Sold on the endlinks. Kartboy has front and rear set for $210 -- https://www.rallitek.com/endlinks/9953-kartboy-front-rear-endlink-combo-wrx-sti-2008-2014-more.html

Seems reasonable. Should I be buying swar bar bushings too?

I'll check the pressure plate and if no issues I'll keep the OEM.

Any maintenance I should be doing? Hoses/Seals/gaskets/etc. I don't mind spending a little to do it right.

Check on your turbo coolant lines to see how bad the rust is. At 120k the timing belt should've already been done or should be.

Might as well do spark plugs and check your coils for rust while it's convenient too.

Check on your turbo coolant lines to see how bad the rust is. At 120k the timing belt should've already been done or should be.

 

Might as well do spark plugs and check your coils for rust while it's convenient too.

The coolant lines were replaced when I bought it. another big help from my friends at legacygt.com to check them pre purchase! I made sure they did it when I picked it up.

I personally did the timing belt @ 113k, shortly after I got it. Funny thing is the shop said it was fine, they checked it. My ass. The toothed idler was throwing metal and the tensioner was leaking.

Good thinking on the plugs and coils. hell of a lot easier with the engine out. I'll get some plugs and check the coils.

Began pulling the motor and I'm stuck on the drivers side lower bellhousing nut. Tried everything I can think of short of removing the left axle.

FLlegacy in his walk-through used a 3/8 ratchet with an adjustable head. I tried that, as well as a breaker bar with a wobble extension. I even tried the impact gun with the wobbler on it. It will not budge. The wobbler takes a ton of torque out of the impact, so I'm left with removing the axle to get straight on it, unless there are other ideas.

I have the FSM to remove the axle, seems like a whole lot more than I should need to do just to get it out of the trans to get it out of the way.

Is there a shortcut here to just pull it out of the trans? Will pulling the ball joint out of the control arm get me enough to pull it out? Or maybe the strut bolts? I'm not sure how long the splined shaft is. I'd prefer not to be buying abs sensors if I don't have to. Odds are its not coming out based on the corrosion on the spindle.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Did you line up the flat spot on the axle with the nut? That overall made the biggest difference. Also, I can't recall on our model, but usually there is enough room to get a wrench on the nut if only to break it loose.

With your area of the country being prone to rust, I would have suggested spraying everything with pb blaster a few days before beginning the work. I really didn't have much trouble with those nuts but I am in Florida and it was a few years ago, everything was basically untouched from the factory on my car.

Also, if you remove the axle you will be dealing with gear oil from the trans, you may want to drain that first.

Did you line up the flat spot on the axle with the nut? That overall made the biggest difference. Also, I can't recall on our model, but usually there is enough room to get a wrench on the nut if only to break it loose.

 

With your area of the country being prone to rust, I would have suggested spraying everything with pb blaster a few days before beginning the work. I really didn't have much trouble with those nuts but I am in Florida and it was a few years ago, everything was basically untouched from the factory on my car.

 

Also, if you remove the axle you will be dealing with gear oil from the trans, you may want to drain that first.

I can get on it with a 14mm 6 pt, a wobble extension and a 20 inch breaker bar and it won’t budge. Sprayed it with pb blaster twice in the last 2 days. The one on the right side was a bear too, using the same setup on the left I can’t budge it. The clutch was done when I bought it, and my guess is the knucklehead used an impact gun when they put the motor in. I hit it with my 700ftlb impact with a wobbler but it wouldn’t budge. I know from past experience that wobbler takes the ‘impact’ out because of the spring in it. That gun should be able to snap the bolt worst case. I can replace it if needs be. For all I know the idiot cross threaded it.

Sounds like I’m going to need to take the axle out. If I pull the strut bolts will that give me enough to get it out? Some cars you can.

I can get on it with a 14mm 6 pt, a wobble extension and a 20 inch breaker bar and it won’t budge. Sprayed it with pb blaster twice in the last 2 days. The one on the right side was a bear too, using the same setup on the left I can’t budge it. The clutch was done when I bought it, and my guess is the knucklehead used an impact gun when they put the motor in. I hit it with my 700ftlb impact with a wobbler but it wouldn’t budge. I know from past experience that wobbler takes the ‘impact’ out because of the spring in it. That gun should be able to snap the bolt worst case. I can replace it if needs be. For all I know the idiot cross threaded it.

 

Sounds like I’m going to need to take the axle out. If I pull the strut bolts will that give me enough to get it out? Some cars you can.

Yes getting the two big strut bolts off should allow the assembly to pivot down and turn enough to get the axle out. I would undo the sway bar link just to keep it from binding the arm.

In case anyone cared this is the extension set I used, I don't have the spring loaded wobble joints just these handy little tools I got from the local Autozone. They work great.

https://www.ebay.com/i/254253013572?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=254253013572&targetid=595069534723&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9012169&poi=&campaignid=2086087614&mkgroupid=76935344043&rlsatarget=pla-595069534723&abcId=1141016&merchantid=114781221&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz8bsBRC6ARIsAEyNnvo0Z8UQWUMqf55uGFkXJyKAOUiJF0wplBb8eb1jSPmopjtFa7ff4RYaAufgEALw_wcB

Mine was brutal to get out the entire way... terrible pervious "mechanic". I just had a longer breaker bar and maybe more muscle:p (just playin). I did mine while standing up, under a lift, so I had some good leverage. A 20 inch breaker bar is pretty short in the world of breaker, cheater and extension bars.

If you can get the socket on there solid enough to get the wobble and gun on without stripping the head, you should be able to get it with a longer breaker, especially if you don't care about snapping it.

Mine was brutal to get out the entire way... terrible pervious "mechanic". I just had a longer breaker bar and maybe more muscle:p (just playin). I did mine while standing up, under a lift, so I had some good leverage. A 20 inch breaker bar is pretty short in the world of breaker, cheater and extension bars.

If you can get the socket on there solid enough to get the wobble and gun on without stripping the head, you should be able to get it with a longer breaker, especially if you don't care about snapping it.

It’s up on jackstands so I only have so much room. It’s definitely not a great angle to get great torque on it. I have a harbor freight in town. I’ll run over get a longer breaker and see. If not I’ll pull the strut bolts and pull the axle out.

Thanks for the replies