Questions Regarding '84 GL Clutch Replacement

[Neosapian]

1984 GL Wagon, 4WD 4MT, 1800cc engine (as apposed to the 1600cc version? unsure of engine name), 160k miles on engine and gearbox, 264k miles on the car.

 

My brother bought this a while back for a daily commuter and the engine runs fine, but the clutch went out. His description was that the clutch is stuck - stuck engaged, and the peddle simply doesn't move or disengage from the transmission. He had previously replaced the clutch cable, hoping it would solve the bad symptoms but obviously that wasn't the problem and he's guessing the throwout bearing is bad.

 

I personally have no idea what the problem may be, as I'm new to Subies and cars in general; But I've been offered this car for free and would like to fix the clutch so I'm curious as to:

 

- What the cause of the problem may be,

- what parts and budget should I consider,

- and where can I find clutch parts?

 

I've searched the forums and found helpful information about the general steps involved in replacing a clutch, but what I didn't find was a diagnosis of this specific - but rather vaguely described - problem with a GL transmission. Any help here would be appreciated.

 

. . .I do have access to the proper tools and experienced mechanics, luckily.

 

Thanks.

[Salty]

I don't know for sure but it may be like my 85 clutch. The clutch fits in a recessed area on the flywheel and can get jammed by dust worn from the clutch disc. It isn't real difficult we just replaced our clutch and the only problem was getting the right parts. We pulled the engine and it seemed easier than trying to pull the tranny and drive shafts.

 

 

This is the easiest engine I've worked on.

[Neosapian]

Salty,

 

Thanks for your time. . .I think I'll just arrange to pull out the clutch and just replace whatever doesn't look right. The hard part will be finding the parts.

[torxxx]

carquest and shucks m&o both had clutch kits for EA82s cars for 150 bucks this last spring and winter...

just an idea..

 

they come with pressure plate, clutch disc, throwout bearing and pilot bearing

[SuBrat84]

Yeah, I got a clutch kit from AUTOZONE! for an XT6! to put in my 88 RX.. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding a clutch kit for exactly what you said "A 1984 Subaru GL 4WD 1800 (ea81)" The parts shop guys don't know what an ea81 is though.. that's your engine code.

 

It sounds like what your saying is the pedal is stuck to the floor and wont come up? That's what happened when I shattered the clutch in the RX.. except I could pull the pedal back up. Had to start it in gear and rev match to shift...

 

I've changed a lot of axles... so I prefer to drop the transmission for a clutch job.. it'd be a lot easier with a proper tranny jack though. Make sure you do a good job lining everything up before you tighten it down all the way or it's impossible to get the tranny back in. (Clutch alignment tool comes with most clutch kits.)

 

Edit: Check the clutch fork on the top of your transmission (near the back of the engine bay) Make sure the cable is properly connected to it.. it should have just a little bit of freeplay.. and if the clutch is bad you could probably move it around pretty freely. if it is STUCK and WONT move.. the cable is probably too tight or you have some kind of meltdown inside that thing

[Neosapian]

$150-200 for a clutch kit is about half of what I expected. . .That's nice to know. But yeah, the clutch pedal is stuck down and you have to dry shift it...Otherwise the car runs fine. Next month I'll be rounding up the necessary items to get a new clutch in there, whether by pulling the engine or transmission depends on the tools available...I may just have a Subaru tech do it, to save the hassle. Then again I dont wanna have to pay labor.

[Bobby_boucher]

Are you the one that was trying to sell the wagon on Craigslist???

[Neosapian]

Nope .