my clutch on my 2000 rs is going out at 40,000 and i dont drive it hard at all. is it possible to get it covered under warranty? i realize it probably isnt likely but im just wondering if its possible.

 

at 40k, that would be a negative

but, while you got the tranny down, might as well throw LSD in it

 

Holy Moly - clutch going out at 40k?

Have you checked that it is adjusted to spec? Easiest way is to feel how much freeplay there is on the pedal.

I would want to see the old clutch disc if they do insist on doing a new clutch on it. If its not warn right down ask many questions.

If the rear main seal or tranny seal has leaked causing the clutch to slip then it should be under warranty - and 40k miles for an unabused clutch seems way too low.

 

Nope clutches are like brake pads.. they don't replace them for free...

Unless it isn't a clutch wear problem as dgknight said...

-DE

 

maybe the clutch isnt going bad. it holds just fine when driving but you can tell its not as grabby when starting from a dead stop. it hasnt gotten any worse since i first noticed the "problem" about a month ago. i like how the suggestion of adding an lsd progressed to doing an sti swap. btw, i know of somebody that went through a clutch on a brand new vehicle in 9 months and the dealer told him they would have replaced it under warranty except he already had to replace the driven tires because he thought it was cool to do burnouts from every stop and no lift shifts.

 

If it just doesn't feel sharp on release (i.e. not holding as easily) thats definately a sign an adjustment is in order as it might be clamping, but not with the full expected pressure.

LOL about the burnouts - your buddy was lucky - thats exactly why you can never usually get a clutch on warranty .

Good luck with it and Happy New Year .

 

is an adjustment on a subaru something that a neighborhood mechanic could do?

 

Yes - but before entrusting your baby to anyone, try to check for a needed adjustment yourself, even if you are not comfortable to adjust it yourself. It is literally a 5 second job:

Push the pedal - is there any 'free' movement before you feel the resistance of the clutch mechanism kick in? If there is none it needs adjusting for sure, if there is some free movement try to measure it with a ruler - while pushing the pedal by hand. I believe the standard freeplay amount should be in your car's manual.

On mine (which is ancient compared to yours and cable operated) freeplay should be 10-20mm. Mine had no freeplay at all before I adjusted it, and slipped on very steep hills when setting off. Adjusting it took 5 minutes with an 8mm wrench and a 10mm wrench, all done from above the engine.

For reference my Miata (which is a hydraulic unit) has a freeplay of <5mm and needs to be adjusted by having your head under the dashboard on the pedal end .

 

ill have to do that knight. today i pushed the clutch in and it stuck to the floor for half a second then was slowish to come back up. it was about 5 degrees when this happened and the engine bay was cold and the problem went away after everything warmed up. did this happen because it has a hydraulic clutch line(2000 rs)?

 

Hmm - that seems strange. Sounds like something binding in the mechanism - did it just do it once, or many times till the car warmed up?

In any case this does not really tell me whether its cable or fluid - it might help someone with more knowledge of how cold weather affects brake fluid(used in most hydro clutches) flow - but with my limited knowledge the mechanism could bind on either in cold weather. The easiest way to check is in the owners manual or to find the clutch components under the hood and see if they have pipework/fluid reservoir or just a plain old cable.

 

the problem occurred everytime i pushed the clutch in until the engine warmed up. it also happened again the next day(yesterday). its a lot warmer today so ill see if it still happens.