Early 1.8L awd clutch replacement question

[D51208]

Hi everyone. I just bought a 1993 impreza L, 5mt 1.8L AWD. There is
pretty much no clutch, it engages only when the pedal is all the way out
and slips really bad whilst driving. I was looking at new clutches but I
stumbled upon a few posts mentioning early 1.8L awd's having a fwd
clutch.



Can I put a regular 1.8/2.2/2.5 clutch in it and not have to worry about
it? Or will I have to put in another 1.8? Any way to tell if it has
this "odd" clutch in it?



I was thinking about using a 2.5 rs clutch due to it's better specs, clamping force and whatnot. Resurfacing the flywheel because it is lighter than the others, stock.



The 1.8 is only a temp motor, 2.2 is being dropped in eventually.



I can't find any posts elaborating on the 1.8 clutch differences just the people have ran into trouble.



Thanks

[Fairtax4me]

There were differences in clutch disc diameter and the spline count for the input shaft. Some were 7-7/8" diameter, some were 8-7/8" diameter. And either of those could have either a 21 spline or a 24 spline hub.

You probably need to pull the trans or engine and check to see which clutch you need before ordering. Measure the outside diameter of the disc and count the splines in the center.

 

The lightweight flywheel isn't really a good thing for a street driven car, especially with AWD. A heavier flywheel carries the momentum of the engine and makes clutch engagement much smoother when leaving from a stop.

 

If you have the larger diameter clutch disc, then the 2.5 clutch kit will work as long as its for a non-turbo.

[Twitch de la Brat]

You'll have to check your flywheel diameters, because the FWD clutch setup is smaller than the AWD clutch setup, therefore it would be lighter.

But before you buy a new clutch, check your cable adjustment, its on top of the transmission directly behind your throttle body.

If you tighten it, you push the engagement further up in the pedal. If you loosen it, the engagement will be lower in the pedal throw.

I'd loosen your cable a bit and see if that changes the way your clutch works for you.

 

Twitch

[D51208]

tried adjusting the cable but to no aval. Helped in regards to the pedal being depresed more when clutch engages howevr it is still slipping while driving. Not as bad I can get going faster but I'm prob gonna pull the engine today and post the clutch flywheel info here.

[Twitch de la Brat]

tried adjusting the cable but to no aval. Helped in regards to the pedal being depresed more when clutch engages howevr it is still slipping while driving. Not as bad I can get going faster but I'm prob gonna pull the engine today and post the clutch flywheel info here.

 

Sounds like the previous owner ran it for too long with the clutch slipping.

It probably glazed the disc from over heating.

If you are willing to work at it, you can get the car up to speed and the "burn" the clutch into a downshift.

This creates a reverse of the friction the clutch would normally see and can help extend the life of your current clutch.

Its essentially "resurfacing" the clutch and recreating those friction points..

 

Twitch

[D51208]

Got the engine out. It is a 24 spline. The clutch o.d. is just below 8-1/2". Is this the standard awd size? If not can I swap in a awd clutch flywheel and maybe starter?

[Fairtax4me]

You should be able to bolt an AWD 2.2/2.5 clutch to your flywheel.

[D51208]

Hi everyone, I got the job done. Swapped in a ej22 and threw a 2.5rs clutch in it too. Thanks for the help, I wouldnt have been able to do this without your help!