Subaru Outback Clutch Problem
Got stuck in traffic on a bridge for an hour and a half with a manual
transmission 2010 subaru outback. Had to ride the clutch to stay on the
bumper of the car in front of me or else people kept cutting in front of me and
I wasn't able to gain any ground (yes, parkway bridge in NJ). Clutch smoked
then the clutch peddle stuck at one point. Then the car kept stalling every
time I depressed the clutch. Put it in neutral and coasted down the other side
of the bridge to save the clutch. Was able to drive the last 45 minutes without
traffic and got it home. Clutch now feels very (tight?), making noise every
time I depress the clutch and stalls when depressing clutch sometimes. Is
the clutch toast or is there something I can do to save it? Don't really have
the money to have clutch replaced (looks a little over my head for a DIY).
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
7 Answers
You had to "ride the clutch"???? This is NOT a good idea anytime. Should have used the brakes... doesn't your car have a hill holding option...mine does..why didn't you use that? Yes, I think you probably did ruin your clutch from where you said. I would take it to your mechanic for an evaluation. If you continue to drive it then it will cause further damage.
Read this, if you don't know how to properly operate a manual transmission , then , sorry, maybe you need an automatic ....... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill-holder
You fried you clutch. Next time use your brakes to hold the car, not the clutch.
TheSubaruGuruBoston answered 6 years ago
Oh Christ, Grasshopper, leave this guy alone! You very clearly don't know how to operate an OB stick, nor how to address his problem. Guru92... Stalling with full clutch depression indicates incomplete separation, probably because of failure of the simple slave cylinder (about $50), or more rarely the master cylinder. It's actually possible to take the slave apart and polish its piston, and possible even reuse its seals; you then have to bleed the clutch upon reinstallation of either cylinder. So don't sweat this...yet. If you've determined that both the master and the slave are ok (pedal feels normal, and idles ok when fully depressed), try driving normally on a flat surface. If ok, then ascend a mild, longish hill, getting to about 30-35mph in 4th and then GUN the motor! If the motor's RPMs blip up...or worse, runaway...then indeed you've fried the driven disc, and need to replace the clutch pack (all 4 parts). Figure 4 hrs labor with an experienced wrench and $250 parts. But if if the clutch holds on hills when FULLY released maybe you're ok. A related test that may NOT be pertinent here is to notice how much the clutch pedal needs to be depressed before slippage occurs. If very minimal, then indeed your driven disc is on its last legs. If you cannot get full release, or the clutch grabs way DOWN too near the floor, then either you've air in the hydraulics or the clutch's pressure plate springs are "tired" from lots of use (city driving, idling with clutch depressed too often), and can't quite get full release...and is noticeably "hard" to depress. So attack this from the cheap hydraulics angle before you commit to a $600 clutch. More generally, realize that the 2.5i motor is enormously torquey near idle, EASILY shredding its clutch when abused by riding it or engaging at anything above about 1500 rpm. That means you DO have to patient with takeoffs, and sometimes, yes, let interlopers squeeze in. Therein the CVT (auto) is the much better urban or hill-climbing tranny. Good luck.
Sanfranandy answered 6 years ago
Thank you very much for the detailed response. Getting prices of $1100 to $1500 to replace the clutch so hopefully I can get away with a cheaper solution. Thanks Again.
TheSubaruGuruBoston answered 6 years ago
The quotes you're garnering are from wrenches who are just quoting the puffed-up dealer prices. An experienced wrench can crank these out in 3 hrs; flat rate allows 5 hrs...which is easy, plus about $250 for all parts. Keep searching for a $700 price.
