MY VERY FIRST SUBARU EVER

[Mohammad]

Hi Guys

I am pleased to inform you that i finally bought my  first  very own 1998 2.0 GL non turbo Subaru Impreza 5 Door

station wagon.

It might not mean much to many of you, but for me it is, especially when you are limited with cash and you manage to buy your first Subaru cash.

 

so here is the thing, and i need some advise from the Subby experts.

 

I pick up a bearing sound like noise coming from the tranny, as soon as my clutch is engaged its gone.

when i drive in 1st, 2nd 3rd its loud and gets softer in 4th and 5th gear.

 

as soon as i de-accelarate the noise is gone, when i accelarate the noise is back.

 

my concern................its gradually getting louder.

 

Today......... i discovered that the noise is substantially softer when i engage the car in 4WD LO and when the 4WD lever is between HI and LO (neutral) the noise is gone.

 

a Mech told me {Bro you gorra replace you Tranny, she is busted}

 

im hoping he is wrong,,,,,,any beneficial advise you can enrich me with.

 

by the way....i still love this car,,,im amazed with the way this car corners although i dont have the best of tyres.

 

cioa.

 

 

[bratman2]

Sounds like a bad "throw out bearing". The procedure to get to it is the same as a clutch replacement. The bearing itself is not very expensive but there is a decent amount of labor involved. If you have to go that far you may want to check the clutch and rear motor seal also.

 

Mean much to us, many people in the US would love to have that transmission with a high and low!

[l75eya]

We need to be clear on a few things here...
You mention you bought an Impreza...but that it has a dual range 4WD transmission...

Now, this is possible, but only by one of two ways

You either have an impreza that somebody took the time to modify and throw in a dual range 4wd transmission from the early 80s EA series subaru cars, and this should be obvious OR

You're have a european/latin american/pacific asian domestic market Impreza with the REALLY REALLY rare EJ series dual range transmission.

If neither of these are the case, maybe you meant to say you bought an 88 GL and not a 98 GL Impreza?

Anyway, all that being said;

It's not your throw-out bearing. I'm fairly certain. Throw-out bearing should make the noise when your clutch is dis-engaged. (IE when you are shifting between gears. More simply when your foot is ON the clutch pedal)

It sounds like you are saying that your problem occurs when the transmission is in gear and driving (foot OFF the clutch)

Is there any noise when you are decelerating with the car IN gear but with your foot fully depressing the clutch pedal?
If so then how about if you put the transmission in neutral and let the clutch pedal out (foot OFF the clutch)while you're rolling (25ish mph is a good speed to try)
If it still makes noise like that, I bet pushing in the clutch while coasting in neutral and holding it in makes it go away.

You're describing a very very similar problem that my hi/lo 4wd transmission in my 87 GL is making. One that I've been describing to people for ages and still haven't been able to figure out quite exactly what it is. I've begun to think it's the transfer case.

I've been driving with my trans making this noise for a good 10,000 + miles now and it's been fine, other than the noise. I am going to replace it though as soon as I get my hands on a replacement transmission.

This noise happened because I didn't change my gear oil when I got my car and the gear oil that was in there was way old and not quite oil anymore. I then proceeded to drive across the country 4 times. On the 4th time across, it started making the noise.

 

so, my advice is to CHANGE YOUR GEAR OIL immediately. Pay attention to the condition of the oil that comes out when you change it as well. Look for metal shards in the oil (though there wasn't much in mine) and look for metal shards on the drain plug (There was a bit on mine. The drain plug is magnetic and any shards will stick to it)

Replace the gear oil with a good brand gear oil. Mobil 1 is good. From what I've heard around here the absolute best gear oil you can put in it is actually a subaru gear oil called Subaru Extra S. It is only obtainable from a subaru dealership and they don't sell it; you have to talk a tech or parts rep into hooking you up with some. There are a few places online you can order it but I'm not sure of them. Somebody else will probably chime in with that.

Conclusion;

Don't panic; it should be okay like this for a while, just take it easy on the trans.
If the noises are like I asked they are above (that's how mine is) try to approach any slowing situations with the trans in neutral and your foot holding down the clutch.
Keep your eyes out for a replacement transmission. It took about a year before one popped up for me but I'm on the East Coast and they are few and far between out here.

[l75eya]

Another thing of note;

 

Though I mentioned my trans is fine, other than the noise, there IS one more side effect I've noticed, maybe yours does it too
5005
When my car is cold (starting up for 1st time of the day, etc) and it is warming up, I keep my foot on the clutch (pushed in) the whole while so that my transmission doesn't make the noise. If my car is idling at it's cold idle (2,000 RPMS) and I suddenly drop the clutch while the transmission is cold, it will put a load on the engine and the idle drops about 500 - 600 rpms. If I'm on level ground and the emergency brake is off, it will even start to slowly roll forward even though it's in neutral. Doesn't do this when it's warm though, only cold, and the colder it is, the more evident it is.

 

[bratman2]

                    Posted Today, 02:01 AM                                    

 

 

"I pick up a bearing sound like noise coming from the tranny, as soon as my clutch is engaged its gone"

 

I thought he meant when the clutch pedal was out the noise went away. But after reading it again I am not sure anymore.
.

[ThosL]

Congratulations on your first Subaru and good luck!  I hope you find a trustworthy mechanic nearby who is not too expensive.

[Fairtax4me]

Another thing of note;

 

Though I mentioned my trans is fine, other than the noise, there IS one more side effect I've noticed, maybe yours does it too

5005

When my car is cold (starting up for 1st time of the day, etc) and it is warming up, I keep my foot on the clutch (pushed in) the whole while so that my transmission doesn't make the noise. If my car is idling at it's cold idle (2,000 RPMS) and I suddenly drop the clutch while the transmission is cold, it will put a load on the engine and the idle drops about 500 - 600 rpms. If I'm on level ground and the emergency brake is off, it will even start to slowly roll forward even though it's in neutral. Doesn't do this when it's warm though, only cold, and the colder it is, the more evident it is.

 

 

The is because gear oil turns damn near solid when its cold. Hard as hell for the engine to turn. Think about it like trying to stir molasses with a spatula.

The colder it is, the thicker the gear oil gets. And it gets so thick that it actually transfers enough torque to the output shaft to make the car start rolling even if its not in gear.

It won't hurt anything though. If you had the car in the air on a lift or jack stands and everything totally warmed up with it in neutral and the engine running, there is still enough torque transfer to make the wheels turn. They wouldn't turn very fast, but they would turn.

 

The noise from the transmission is probably the mainshaft ball bearing. It's a common failure on the EJ trans. Replaceable if you have a press.

[1 Lucky Texan]

fairtax, is that the same as an 'input shaft' bearing?

 

seems like in the old days, noise clutch in vs noise out would help decide between throw-out and input shaft bearings but i can never remember which way. I don't have the experience you guys do.

[Fairtax4me]

fairtax, is that the same as an 'input shaft' bearing?

 

seems like in the old days, noise clutch in vs noise out would help decide between throw-out and input shaft bearings but i can never remember which way. I don't have the experience you guys do.

In the case of Subaru, yes. The Mainshaft is also the input shaft.

Many transmissions have a separate input shaft and mainshaft.

 

The mainshaft roller bearing is spinning whenever the clutch is engaged (pedal out). So if you push the pedal in and the noise goes away, there is a good chance it is a bearing or gear associated with the mainshaft. Mainshaft bearing noise will change with engine RPM when the clutch is engaged.

Occasionally the release bearing will make noise when the pedal is out, usually when the clips that hold it to the lever break. It will make a rattling/chattering sound as the bearing bounces around between the pressure plate and the release fork.

The way to differentiate between release bearing noise and mainshaft bearing noise is to put slight pressure on the cluth pedal. Only push it about an inch. If the rattle goes away, probably the release bearing.

 

If you have a whirring or grinding noise with the clutch disengaged (pedal down) this is typically a bad release bearing, but can be other things depending on if the car is moving when it makes the noise. If it makes the noise when sitting still, mostly likely the release bearing.

[1 Lucky Texan]

ok, that makes sense now.

[Mohammad]

I have received realy helpfull comments and opinions.

 

Thanks for all your participation.