August 21, 201312 yr Hi, The clutch pedal on my 98 OBW no longer disengages the clutch. This problem cropped up suddenly. There are no signs of hydraulic fluid leakage. The pedal play is very soft with greatly lessened resistance. Any ideas? Thanks, Damien
August 21, 201312 yr A bad master or slave cylinder, my bet is the slave. Before you start replacing parts though make sure you fluid level is up and there is no air in the system.
August 21, 201312 yr Author Well the fluid level was there...no signs of leakage. I didn't think it was the internals (pressure plate, flywheel, etc.) but my suspicion was that those components may be getting a bit 'long in the tooth'. Is the slave the small one that sits on top? Thanks, Damien
August 21, 201312 yr The slave sits on the trans and is what pushes the fork. The master bolts to the firewall and connects to the clutch pedal. The slave cylinders seem to go out more often than the master cylinders There should be a way of testing it, but I don't know how.
August 21, 201312 yr Inspect the lines for rust. The lines typically rust through where the plastic clips secure them to the body. Edited August 21, 201312 yr by MilesFox
August 21, 201312 yr Author Well, it got towed to the shop today....I'm guessing it's the slave. I'll find out tomorrow...
August 22, 201312 yr If the pedal returns all the way it's not a hydraulic issue. Probably a cracked release fork. They can crack near the pivot point and will flex rather than disengage the clutch.
August 22, 201312 yr Author Well ok but the failure was somewhat gradual and not sudden. When happens when other components fail...pressure plate, flywheel, etc. ?
August 22, 201312 yr If the pedal returns all the way it's not a hydraulic issue. Probably a cracked release fork. They can crack near the pivot point and will flex rather than disengage the clutch. That may not be always true, it takes a lot of hydrolic pressure to release the clutch, not so much to push the pedal back. I have seen several slave cylinders go out with the same symptoms as this one and the pedal returned just fine
August 22, 201312 yr Author Well the pedal returns fine it's just very soft...not very much resistance at all when pushed. The failure was gradual but occured over the course of a few hours...another thing I noticed was the reservoir fluid has gone from a light yellow to almost brown.
September 5, 201312 yr Author Just got back from the shop...the fork was cracked and bent. Also the flywheel had uneven wear and that was why there was so much chatter/shudder. New clutch kit...used fork...10 days of waiting and 600 bucks later, 'tis done. (They had to take the engine out twice cuz they screwed up the first time.) Cheers! --Damien
September 5, 201312 yr Used fork?!? Are you in the middle of Egypt (rhetorical) and there are no dealers nearby?!? The clutch fork is a $35 part brand new. Pretty sure every dealer stocks them too because its a fairly common failure.
September 5, 201312 yr Author Well...some of the mountains around here are shaped almost exactly like them (when viewed from the correct angle). But we aren't Jihadists. Thirty-five bucks saved is thirty five-bucks earned. Sometimes only cold, card cash can separate factories from parts anyway and all I make is $1.37 an hour! Allah Akhbar! --Damien
September 5, 201312 yr Take off slave cly remove the piston clean around the bore with 600 grit snadpaper or hone lube with brake lube reassemble and reinstall drain syestem and use dot 4 fliud it has higher boiling point so works better on hot engine. have been finding the slave sticks half way back up and will not let fliud move into the slave. Have fixed 4 or more in last cupple months is mostly peadal sticking to floor problem
September 5, 201312 yr Not saying I've never done the same, but going with used on certain parts can end up costing a lot more in the long run when they fail again. Ive had plenty of gambles wih used parts and most of the time they work out fine. But the clutch release fork is cheap enough I wouldnt even consider used. The forks wear out and break with age and use. Unless you're in a position to pull the engine or trans yourself and replace it again (free, except for a few hours of your own time), saving $35 could end up costing you another $500 in labor 6 months down the road if/when the replacement fork cracks.
September 6, 201312 yr Author Take off slave cly remove the piston clean around the bore with 600 grit snadpaper or hone lube with brake lube reassemble and reinstall drain syestem and use dot 4 fliud it has higher boiling point so works better on hot engine. have been finding the slave sticks half way back up and will not let fliud move into the slave. Have fixed 4 or more in last cupple months is mostly peadal sticking to floor problem No it was a cracked fork...he showed me it. That clutch really chattered so years of it caused the fork to crack prematurely. The other theory is nuclear decay played a role. If you've ever stared at a tornado and wondered how 'they' can fit 200 mph winds into such a tiny space...you'd believe it! Cheers! --Damien
September 7, 201312 yr Hopefully it holds up. They tend to crack at or near the pivot point. Years of use cause wear at the pivot which causes thinning and "work hardening" of the material which leads to cracking. Basic metal fatigue at work. Someone posted a picture not long ago where the dimple for the pivot had worn through and the pivot stud actually went through the fork. The fork looked almost like it had a bullet hole in it.
September 7, 201312 yr I still don't get the prices of clutch jobs. The shops I go to, which are both Subaru specialists, do a clutch job for $200 labor. And parts are usually around $200. But good to hear they guarantee their work.
September 7, 201312 yr Author Hopefully it holds up. They tend to crack at or near the pivot point. Years of use cause wear at the pivot which causes thinning and "work hardening" of the material which leads to cracking. Basic metal fatigue at work. Someone posted a picture not long ago where the dimple for the pivot had worn through and the pivot stud actually went through the fork. The fork looked almost like it had a bullet hole in it. It should...for what it's worth, it was a 'Valeo' branded clutch kit. I think that kit is also branded as a 'Luk' and a couple others. I'm guessing those all come out of the same factory... At least the chatter is finally gone! --Damien
September 7, 201312 yr Well...they guarantee their work. :-/ Ain't much I can do... They might guarantee the work, but I doubt they guarantee the parts - especially used parts.....just sayin...
September 8, 201312 yr Author They might guarantee the work, but I doubt they guarantee the parts - especially used parts.....just sayin... Well...I'd rather have a used Subaru genuine part in there than an iffy aftermarket one. I've already had back luck with Chinese stuff.
September 8, 201312 yr Well...I'd rather have a used Subaru genuine part in there than an iffy aftermarket one. I've already had back luck with Chinese stuff. No one was suggesting you should buy cheap chinese iffy aftermarket junk... Used fork?!? Are you in the middle of Egypt (rhetorical) and there are no dealers nearby?!? The clutch fork is a $35 part brand new. Pretty sure every dealer stocks them too because its a fairly common failure. I do believe that Fairtax was referring to Subaru Dealers in the above statement... I personally would have gone with the brand new, $35 genuine Subaru clutch fork and been done with it for a very long time. Dont know what you spent on the used one, but it is already partially worn - how long will it hold up? Pretty hard to say...
September 8, 201312 yr Author No one was suggesting you should buy cheap chinese iffy aftermarket junk... I do believe that Fairtax was referring to Subaru Dealers in the above statement... I personally would have gone with the brand new, $35 genuine Subaru clutch fork and been done with it for a very long time. Dont know what you spent on the used one, but it is already partially worn - how long will it hold up? Pretty hard to say... I hear ya...but it isn't my call. Those guys know right away what a good part is and besides a good driver should be able to anticipate failures months (sometimes years) in advance. You'll get subtle little warnings...believe me...it's not very difficult to get insurance like that. Cheers! --Damien
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