lostinthe202 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 ..... is the sound made by depressing my clutch pedal:) '96 LegoBW 2.2L 5spd. 178k I bought this car used at 120k with no service records from the non-original owner so I don't know if the clutch is original. For those of you not familiar, this clutch is cable actuated. The cable broke at around 140 or 150k. I didn't notice any increase in friction since owning the care before it broke, no more then any other cable clutch car I've owned really and it seems like they all have more resistance then hydraulic systems, but I always thought the resistance was... unnecessary. I replaced the cable with one from Napa. It still had good grease showing so I didn't lube it before install. Everything has been hunky dory until about 10k ago when I started to hear just a slight squeeeek when I would depress the pedal. Then the squeeek turned into more of a squeeekeeeeeerrrrrhhh. Then into like squeeeeekeeerrrrrrrrhcccchhhhaaa. I've disconnected the cable from the clutch fork and lubed it a few times now and the noise always went away for a bit leading me to believe it was the cable, like maybe the little rubber grommet/sleeve thing wasn't keeping the moisture out and was causing me problems. But all recent attempts to lube the cable have had no result. Interesting point #1 - the rubber boot around the clutch fork is torn. It wasn't torn when I changed the cable, but since then I haven't checked it out. The tear only appears when an accomplice depresses the pedal and, since I wasn't looking, I missed it. Soooooooo, what I'm thinking is that the noise, and subsequent resistance (or vice versa), is coming from the fork pivot and not the cable. As for related components, my clutch is fine. But something is making noise when the car is in neutral, either the TO bearing or something in the transmission (??), so I don't want to pull the tranny just to lube a fork. Options???? First let me say that the noise, resistance, and sensation transfered to my left foot are enough to let me know that if I can't figure out a solution externally, I'll be pulling the tranny. And if I pull the tranny I'll be replacing the clutch and all wear components since they have at least 50k on them and probably the full 178k. Soooo, with that being said, here is what I have attempted thus far. I've removed the boot from around the fork and put a few carefully placef sprays of WD40 on what I deemed to be the friction points through the bell-housing hole. I was a bit hesitant to do this as I didn't want to coat the friction disc with lube, but I figure I'll have to pull things apart anyway if I can't figure something out so why not eh? Seemed like I was on the right track as the noise/sensation went away for longer then it has in some time. But it showed up again leading me to think that perhaps the WD40 was cooking off as the components heat up. Alright I've rambled on for a bit now. Anyone have anything to say? Similar experiences? I thought of converting to a hydro system since my wife has a weird foot and driving the car for more then a day or two gets painful, so if anyone has anything to ad on that subject it would be much appreciated. Sorry for the long post, talkative night! xoxoxo Will- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 I thought of converting to a hydro system since my wife has a weird foot and driving the car for more then a day or two gets painful, so if anyone has anything to ad on that subject it would be much appreciated. It probably is the original clutch. The groaning and excessive resistance are a sign that the Pressure plate in there is getting old. Replace the clutch components and I'll bet you find the effort required at the pedal will be alot less. Converting it to a hydraulic clutch would be a big undertaking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Thanks Gloyale, I was afraid of that. Looks like I'll be doing a clutch job. Yeah, the hydro clutch switch seems pretty straightforward but fairly labor intensive for possibly minimal returns. The deal breaker is that you have to change the clutch fork which means pulling the tranny anyway hence why I haven't pulled the trigger on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 The cable clutch on the 2.2 has pretty light effort when it is in good shape. I bet you'll be amazed at the difference when you change it. BTW, the actuating fork does wear...it's not a bad idea to change it anyway. Make sure the machine shop machines the proper step back on the flyweel and you'll have a sweet clutch! Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks Nathan, Glad you mentioned that bit about the fork. I saw it listed in 1stsubaru's online catalog and since they seem to only include fairly commonly purchased parts in the menu's, it got me thinking that it might be a wear item too. Since it's only about $15 or so I figured I'd get another just in case. So I'm looking at: Clutch disc, P.P. TO bearing Clips for TO bearing Pilot bearing Fork + boot Cable Missing anything? Make sure the machine shop machines the proper step back on the flyweel and you'll have a sweet clutch! I work in a machine shop so I'll be doing the machining. I had an informative exchange during a thread some months back with one of USMB's old timers (skip) about the flywheel resurfacing so I'll dig up the thread and refresh my memory before I start. The bummer is that I just don't know when I'll have time to do this. I'm going to be taking a cross-country road trip in August. I'm working 12 hour days to clear my notepad before August so I can have a full three weeks. This doesn't leave much time for ripping my car apart. I'm not anxious to pay anyone to do it either as it would cut into the vacation budget. Is this failing P.P. something that can break and cause trouble? It's weird to me that the noise/resistance comes and goes. Thanks!! Will- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankosolder2 Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Thanks Nathan, Glad you mentioned that bit about the fork. I saw it listed in 1stsubaru's online catalog and since they seem to only include fairly commonly purchased parts in the menu's, it got me thinking that it might be a wear item too. Since it's only about $15 or so I figured I'd get another just in case. So I'm looking at: Clutch disc, P.P. TO bearing Clips for TO bearing Pilot bearing Fork + boot Cable Missing anything? I work in a machine shop so I'll be doing the machining. I had an informative exchange during a thread some months back with one of USMB's old timers (skip) about the flywheel resurfacing so I'll dig up the thread and refresh my memory before I start. The bummer is that I just don't know when I'll have time to do this. I'm going to be taking a cross-country road trip in August. I'm working 12 hour days to clear my notepad before August so I can have a full three weeks. This doesn't leave much time for ripping my car apart. I'm not anxious to pay anyone to do it either as it would cut into the vacation budget. Is this failing P.P. something that can break and cause trouble? It's weird to me that the noise/resistance comes and goes. Thanks!! Will- I have to say that the noise sounds more like a throwout bearing to me than the pressure plate, but if the fingers on the PP are uneven, that could potentially cause noise as well. The high pedal effort is probably just a symptom of a worn clutch disc. Throwout bearings can fail catastrophically, but (assuming the clutch is adjusted properly) they're under very little load when the clutch isn't depressed. A "cross country trip" is probably less stressful on the TO bearing than a daily short commute with lots of shifting. You might be able to get away with ignoring it for a while, but it'd be a drag to guess wrong! Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Pressure plates rarely make noise, and if they do it shows up in clutch judder rather than audible. The first thing to do is pull the rubber boot up the clutch fork, out of the transmission. Then dribble some penetrating oil down the backside of the clutch fork, this is the side facing the rear of the car. Work the clutch back and forth a few times and see if it quiets down. Don't just hose penetrating oil in there as you will contaminate the clutch disk and it will die a quick death. If the clutch isn't slipping, I wouldn't worry about it yet. The throwout bearing has been going in my dad's 95 legacy for years now. It rattles bad enough to be heard inside the car and felt through the clutch pedal, but as soon as you put some pressure on the pedal, it quiets down. Hasn't let go yet, and when it does, he can drive it home wihout it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted June 12, 2008 Author Share Posted June 12, 2008 I have to say that the noise sounds more like a throwout bearing to me than the pressure plate, but if the fingers on the PP are uneven, that could potentially cause noise as well. I'm pretty sure the TO bearing is making noise and has been for awhile. This noise is new. Not to say it unrelated, but they didn't show up at the same time. Then dribble some penetrating oil down the backside of the clutch fork, this is the side facing the rear of the car. Work the clutch back and forth a few times and see if it quiets down. Don't just hose penetrating oil in there as you will contaminate the clutch disk and it will die a quick death. Ah, I put some oil down the front side thinking that was the side seeing the action. I'll try the back side when the wife gets back with the car next week. thanks to the both of ya! Will- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 ah yes....i just got around to replacing my clutch cable in my 96 legacy 2.2...i was wondering why the pedal felt so much easier to push in......my subie had the original clutch cable at 192,000 miles....its amazing the difference...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted June 13, 2008 Author Share Posted June 13, 2008 ah yes....i just got around to replacing my clutch cable in my 96 legacy 2.2...i was wondering why the pedal felt so much easier to push in......my subie had the original clutch cable at 192,000 miles....its amazing the difference...... When I replaced my cable after it broke, I didn't notice any difference between old and new which I guess points to the PP or TO being bad and creating more resistance. Well, if the clutch is original, and it's looking like it is, 178k is not a bad run. Would've been nice to keep it going until it actually starts to slip but I don't think I can wait that long. Will- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now