Time for a clutch

[VoodooGTR]

are you fracking kidding me! The jerks quoted me 600 and charged me 800. then I used my "military" trump card and paid 700. That was only Labor. Luck you!

[TSi+WRX]

Parts (SB5 HDMM, ACT "Modified Street" - and 12342AA090, OEM '06/'07 WRX fly) arrived today. Order was placed Tuesday AM with Jeremy at Fred Beans.

I've used them once before, and they continue to get the job done, with an e-mailed tracking as-promised, not a single thing missed, including great service attitude.

We'll see how the install goes with my dealership! Yes, I'm kinda chewing my nails.....

[john]

I gotta ask - why a dealer install?

[havanisda]

Still under warranty? I know you're less than 60k or is that irrelevant cuz a clutch is a wearable part?

[TSi+WRX]

It's really the most convenient option for me - that's really about it.

My buddy currently doesn't have the time (and won't, for at least another month - and it's starting to become a safety issue, with the car not holding power in virtually any gear, once I tip into boost), and I haven't ever tackled a clutch-job on a Subaru before....

As for warranty?

I decided, long ago, that this would be "pay to play." Gotta be honest about it, right?

[TSi+WRX]

OK, just done.

Only the some 4 miles back home, through afternoon rush traffic - all stop-and-go, as-usual, so there's really not much to say, yet.

I stalled her coming out of the dealership's parking space. Yep, barely 3 ft. traveled. My clutch's been "getting there" for such a long time, I think, that I was totally ill-prepared for a properly catching clutch.

Did fine after that, although I'm still figuring things out a bit, and it's, of course, still breaking in. A couple of rather harsh engagements, but Anna didn't complain.

Aside from where the clutch engages in the pedal travel, there's honestly not much difference between it and the stocker, in terms of feel. Slightly higher pedal pressure, but I'm a bad judge of that, as I never complained of the ACT2600, even in the daily grind of stop-and-go.

I tried to think about how people who don't have over-developed left legs might fare with this setup, compared to stock, and honestly, I don't think that anyone would mind.

More to come.

[TSi+WRX]

Still a couple of rougher-than-usual 1-to-2 shifts here and there (more reflective of my technique, or lack thereof , than anything else), but overall, break-in has been going very well. I'm definitely getting much better at the 1-to-2, in terms of smoothness, but I'm still trying to learn the 2-to-3 heel-and-toe.

No chatter in 1st any more, either.

My left leg still has yet to complain. I actually figured that after a weekend's worth of not driving her I'd notice the change, but if anything, it's made me think that this clutch's pedal pressure is even closer to stock than what I thought, before.

I'm close to the 100-mile mark.

[john]

Thanks for the update. I'm looking forward to my replacement. The OEM part hasn't started slipping yet, and I'm actually "using" it from time to time.

My daughter's boyfriend has a body kit'ed 91 honda or acura, RWD. He wants to drift with it. He revved on me so I let him smell my exhaust. A lot of it.

As an aside, he's looking at an EVO 8. I have been gently encouraging him...

How bad was your 1-2 chatter? No input shaft noise due to getting rid of the dual mass part?

[TSi+WRX]

^ If there's extra noise, I don't hear it - but my hearing is bad on the order of my butt-dyno being bad. It's not reliable, at all. So it's either there is a little noise, and I'm not hearing it, or, alternatively, it's not there at all.

I've been keeping my ears peeled, though. No stereo, windows up, low AC (boy does it get hot, for a fat guy like me!). But my tires are rather loud, and my exhaust is, ironically, its loudest/boomiest when at lower revs.

Chatter in first gear wasn't bad at all. My daughter didn't even go "what's that?" which she'll do, if she hears/feels something really strange (i.e. when I stalled out). Even if it had continued to chatter like that, I wouldn't have said that it would've been unacceptable for a daily-driver, especially as it only happened when I was really trying to creep along with rush-hour traffic, say, if a grandma who couldn't lift her foot off the brakes was in front of me. Over the last two driving sessions, I got a better feel for where things are, and I can now creep along with no chatter at the start of the roll, with little to no throttle input.

The rough shift up to second was purely because I was too *****-footed and didn't give her enough throttle, total problem of technique.

Like I've said before, bro, I love the three-pedal dance, and I've been driving manuals for as long as I could drive...but I'm still learning, every day.

[kagenmateer]

So have you dumped it yet?

[TSi+WRX]

^ Not yet.

I'm low-mileage...all city driving, and my commute is only about 10 miles a day.

Although that should help accelerate break-in, I'm still taking it easy.

[kagenmateer]

How 'bout now?

[havanisda]

Originally Posted by kagenmateer

How 'bout now?

[TSi+WRX]

I haven't side-stepped it, yet.

Slip-launched it once from 4.5K, the car now feels like new.

And in-retrospect, I definitely had started to get some slip in 5th, rolling on the throttle from 3.5K into boost. The car now drives like it was, new, on the highway.

It's now been about 500 miles. I've gotten *a lot* better at the 3-to-2 heel-and-toe, I love the single-mass fly.

I've also gotten a lot smoother around town.

No chatter (as long as I'm not the one making the mistakes), no noises.

About the only time that I still have trouble is backing up.

[kagenmateer]

Sounds like it all worked out. Good job broseph.

[BigNickGT]

I just ordered the ACT Modified Street Clutch.

http://www.raceinspired.com/p-9818-a...2005-2006.aspx

and I'm thinking I should just get my stock flywheel machined. Has anyone ever heard of the stock fly wheel being warped and not machinable?

[Dookie]

You can have you flywheel turned just like your rotors, but then again it comes down to how many miles do you have on it. If you have alot of miles, I would recommend a new flywheel for safty reasons just like your rotors.

Remember that your flywheel generates alot of heat too.

[L3gacy]

(Dont mean to hijack your post, just trying to find some answers)Stock clutch got worn out over time, after a lot of research I decided on ditching the DMFW and going with an Exedy stage 1 clutch and ACT streetlite SM flywheel. Was great for a while (other than the classic cement mixer sound you get from the LWFW) than, started to get the telltale TOB chirp(dissapeared when clutch was depressed) and engangement began to get real shuddery. Brought it in to the shop, they tore apart my tranny and it turned out there were some bearings in my Diff that were bad. New pilot and TOB along with the bearings, still went easy on the clutch until I got to about 600 miles or so. Slowly began to slip more and more, so I bring it in a second time, flywheel and clutch both have improper wear and are completely fried. They told me that the parts were from a WRX and incompatible. As I stated before, I did my research and there are many posts on the same car, with the same setup and all have worked well. I purchased another stage 1 organic, with an Exedy LWFW thinking maybe their was some inconsitiencies between EXEDY and ACT parts. After the New parts were installed, immediatly got the same TOB- like chirp, and engangement just recently has begun to get worse (still in break in period, still have been very gentle with RPMs) I am now getting the same whirring/chirp like sound, but this time while in gear at low RPMs as well as idle. I’m pretty frustrated at this point, really dont want to spend another $1000 on ANOTHER clutch and flywheel. I would really like to stick with SMFW and a beefier clutch so I can handle future modifications, however this is getting pretty ridiculous. I do have a cobb short shifter installed, I have had the shop look over it quite a few times now and they say everything looks normal, though I would like your guy’s input. Is there anyway the shifter might have something do with the issues i’m having however unlikely? Could there be some important differences between a 2005 or 2005.5 model legacy gt wagon? Everything I have read online, and even Rallysportdirect says that the WRX parts should work perfectly. I love this car, and shes only got 73k on her, but these clutch problems are driving me mad and making me want to get rid of her. Thanks guys, any help/ tips would be greatly appreciated.