powderhound Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 Recently I've noticed that my clutch is slipping in fourth gear. It only happens around 2800 rpm and only when cold. I'm still not convinced this is what is happening as I've only observed it twice. Q: Is it likely to only slip at specific rpms? And only when cold. It appears the problem goes away after 10 mins of driving. I realize at 122K I'm on borrowed time but I drive this car 14 hours round trip to Michigan every weekend and don't need to be stranded. How long do I have if this is indeed the start of failure? PS. Just drove her 3000+ miles to salt lake and back including 8 trips up Big Cottonwood with no problem. I will agree with Setright though as it feels like my redline NS is already shot. TIA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strakes Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 Is that the original clutch? If so, then you may be at the beginning of the clutch being spent...and you're catching it because you are very very observant of your car's quirks. It's hard to tell you when the clutch will finally go out, but if the problem progressively gets worse then you need to get the clutch replaced before you get stranded. The telltale sign of a clutch going is to drive up to 45-50 miles an hour, make sure it's in 5th gear, keep your foot off the clutch pedal, and then floor the gas. If it slips, then your clutch is about to die soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderhound Posted January 15, 2005 Author Share Posted January 15, 2005 Thanks. Yes it is the original clutch. Along with the original battery that has been cranking hard at -15 the last couple days. I don't have that problem in fifth...yet. Last night I observed the problem again. It is VERY weird. In fourth gear around 2700 or 2800 if I give it gas the tach jumps to 3100 and stalls there while I wait for the mph to catch up...just like a clutch slipping. BUT this only happens the first time I'm in fourth! When it happened I slowed down and tried to repeat it but the the tach and mph both increased in a linear fashion and I couldn't get it to happenn again. WTF I thought. Could this just be a phenomenon of the cold weather? The clutch seems good as it still hooks up strong under load in 1st and 2nd. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 It is possible that extreme cold is affecting the friction co-efficient of your clutch lining. It also possible that the clutch linkage (hydraulic or cable?) is sticking when cold. Ice in any of the linkages could cause the clutch to engage slowly and give you slip during gear changes. The test that strakes suggests is the one to rely on. As a clutch starts to get critical it will slip on the upshift from 1st to 2nd. In general clutch slip will begin at the revs where the engine starts to produce usable torque. Around 3000 sounds reasonable. And always starts in the highest gears. I would expect that the extreme cold thing is a sign of age, but not immenent failure. You say that after slipping once, it won't repeat until cold again. My guess is that the first amount of slip is enough to warm the clutch lining and get things running right. Don't worry about it until it slips in third gear. Every time you accelerate. (Of course a weak pressure plate can also cause slipping, but it wouldn't display your symptoms.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillAileo Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 Powederhound, I believe with a 98 legacy 2.2L you have mechanical linkage for your clutch. I think the best first step for you, after melting off any ice/snow restrictions,would be to confirm the clutch cable is properly adjusted. Slipping can easy occur, particularly in higher gears, when the cable is out of adjustment. Many dealers/repair shops ignore this possibility and immediately suggest replacing the clutch. You might bet many more miles out of your clutch if it only needs a cable adjustment. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderhound Posted January 15, 2005 Author Share Posted January 15, 2005 Yes it is a mechanical cable acctuated clutch. It does need to be adjusted. After the trip to Utah the clutch is disengaging too near the top of the pedal stroke for my liking. Guess I'll wait for it to warm up next week as it is -6F right now. Once again I think Setright has nailed it though. I guess with my harsh driving style I can't believe the clutch has lasted this long. Why do I ever doubt you Suby? What say we...another 50K? I think so. Setright, Why does the slipping occur in the highest gears first? It seems to me the clutch is under more stress in lower gears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillAileo Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 I'll rely on Setright to explain why, but I have adjusted three Subaru's with slipping clutches due to the cable and all three of them started their slipping in high gear. In at least two of those cases the clutches are still doing fine more than 50,000 miles later (and after more than 150,000 miles total). Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strakes Posted January 15, 2005 Share Posted January 15, 2005 If its the clutch cable then definately adjust it first. I assumed you had a hydraulic self adjusting clutch. I'm glad Bill caught that. The clutch slipping in higher gear is because you are asking for a lot of power from the engine to turn/spin a relatively hard gear and the weak link in this chain is the clutch. If you are running out of friction material or the cable is out of adjustment, then the likelyhood of the clutch to slip is higher. For example: it's kind of like trying to bike in the hardest/fast gear up a hill with weak knees. Your knees will give out. Or you can switch to a easier gear and save your knees. With strong knees, you'd probably make it up the hill fine in the hard/fast gear but really tired. I hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powderhound Posted January 19, 2005 Author Share Posted January 19, 2005 I think Setright was right as it has warmed to +10F today and the slipping is gone. I'll be going to the UP this weekend for some lake effect pow pow and will take note of the clutch performance in colder weather. Thanks for all your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felipe01forester Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 I had the same thing in my Forester. That clutch was going on 74K and it kept slipping whenever I tried to accelerate up a hill. $850 later, it works just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Any of you clutch meisters know if a 93 Legacy has one of these adjustable mechanical linkages? I drove one recently that was occasionally slipping in 5th gear. (BTW it also has the tweet from the throwout bearing). The car has about 180,000 miles and the owner doesn't have the $ for a clutch replacement and I'd like to deliver some hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Gnus 92 had the easiest clutch to adjust I have ever seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted January 19, 2005 Share Posted January 19, 2005 Strakes: Yes sir! The gear ratio is what makes slip occur in high gears. First is "easy" for the engine to pull, fifth is a strain. Powderhound: Glad your problem has subsided :-) Brus Brother: The adjustment thingy lives on the cable itself, where it attaches to the clutch fork in the engine room. Middle, rear, top. Two nuts locked together. With no pressure on the clutch pedal the cable should just rest inside the fork, with a little movement side-to-side. If it's pulling on the fork, that means is partially dis-enaging the clutch. A clutch that grabs high up the pedal travel is either a very tight cable, or a very worn clutch lining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bvaillan Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Hello: I have the exact same problem with my '91 4x4 Loyale Sedan (normally-aspirated). The slippage is only in the higher gears, and at lower, winter temps. Recently, however, there is some kind of smell coming out of the engine bay and I am not sure what it is. It smells like brake lining, but I can't hear any scraping sound when I listen to the car on the road. Could the clutch be going out? Maybe one of you guys can tell me. Regards Bert V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Any of you clutch meisters know if a 93 Legacy has one of these adjustable mechanical linkages? I drove one recently that was occasionally slipping in 5th gear. (BTW it also has the tweet from the throwout bearing). The car has about 180,000 miles and the owner doesn't have the $ for a clutch replacement and I'd like to deliver some hope. Being very familliar with the '93 manual clutch, I have this box of hope that you can deliver to your friend. the cable adjustment is indeed two nuts that are tightened together to keep the setting. they are a 10mm and a 12mm (I recomend a pair of box wrenches) at 180K miles, that clutch may be on it's last legs, but loostening the cable a couple of turns will extend the life long enough for your friend to save up the cash for a clutch (parts will be about $250-$300, I recomending gettng the flywheel turned as well, which cost me about $45). Does he do his own work? If not the whole thing should run between $600 and $900. when you adjust the cable, make it a bit sloppy (when you push the fork back by hand, you should have about 1/4" of room when you pull on the cable to check clearance). The '93 has the same adjustment that my '92 has, BTW. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted April 16, 2005 Share Posted April 16, 2005 Hello: I have the exact same problem with my '91 4x4 Loyale Sedan (normally-aspirated). The slippage is only in the higher gears, and at lower, winter temps. Recently, however, there is some kind of smell coming out of the engine bay and I am not sure what it is. It smells like brake lining, but I can't hear any scraping sound when I listen to the car on the road. Could the clutch be going out? Maybe one of you guys can tell me. Regards Bert V Bert, if your clutch is slipping a bit, then what you smell is the clutch burning. Adjust the cable according to my post above. One other thing that may contribute to clutch slippage at cold temps is condensation. That thin film of water on the flywheel wil contribute to clutch slippage until it burns off (which happens fairly quickly) when the engine warms up. This is why there are slots on the clutch plate (to minimise the effects of this condensation). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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