Fatenarr Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 I have a 96 Subaru Legacy L that I will be doing a lot of work on here soon. It has 255,000 miles and needs cam seals, valve cover gaskets, crank seal, and timing kit. I am thinking I'll pull the motor to get at the oil separator behind the fly wheel because I suspect it's the original plastic one and is leaking oil. My main question is, while I have the motor out should I just go ahead and service the clutch? I'm second owner and have put 65,000 on this clutch and I'm not sure when it was last serviced. If rather just deal with it now if it makes sense to do so. I'm not sure the signs of an aging clutch that could or should be replaced? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravitate Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 (edited) If you can afford it I would say go for it. I found a Exedy Clutch kit online for 150 shipped and it cost me $25 to get the flywheel resurfaced. If you are going thru the effort of taking the engine out and removing the flywheel anyways then why not? If a aging clutch has and signs of issues it's definitely time to replace it. That being said I have reused a clutch when I was in a pinch. If you can still see the grooves in the clutch and there is no uneven wear or hot spots on the pressure plate or flywheel then you could probably get by with it. I just did the same work to my 99 with all the seals, clutch and that dang oil separator plate. BTW make sure not to use too much sealant on that plate. Edited March 8, 2016 by gravitate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 (edited) With the car warmed up set the parking brake and put the car in 5th gear. Rev the engine while letting the clutch out, if the engine stalls out immediately when the clutch grabs, it's in good shape. If the engine slowly drops in speed, or you can even keep the engine running with the clutch released, the clutch is bad and should be replaced. I've seen this test done poorly a number of times, you need to use a good bit of throttle or the engine will obviously just stall immediately no matter what gear you chose. You can release the clutch in first and it'll stall, too. It's not a test unless you actively try to keep it from stalling while releasing the clutch. Obviously this test can be harmful to the clutch and you should only do it once... If the clutch is in good shape it doesn't really do any damage, if the clutch is worn out you'll be putting a lot of extra wear on it. Be sure you're in a position to order the parts and replace the clutch. Edited March 8, 2016 by 987687 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Not much point putting an old clutch back on IMO. Might as well replace it since you have to take it off to get to the separator plate anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatenarr Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 How important is it to resurface the flywheel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatenarr Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Or should I just get a kit that comes with a new flywheel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdventureSubaru Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Some of the ebay kits don't cost much extra with the flywheel. Exedy is most trusted but I have done a few bahnof clutches with good results so far.. Some will say resurface it but I have had no issues with wiping a flywheel clean and installing the clutch kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravitate Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I think it's pretty important myself. I think all clutch kits without flywheel won't warranty it if you don't get a new or resurfaced flywheel. If you are even considering not resurfacing it just make sure that you don't have any weird discoloration on the FW like blue spots which means it got too hot. Also if your clutch has uneven wear then you can bet your FW has issues too. If it's even slightly damaged you can get clutch chatter which sucks. I had clutch chatter so bad on one clutch I did that the clutch disc eventually separated from the spline and left me stranded in the freezing winter on a mountain. No fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 I was in a pinch to replace the clutch on my GL (on a roadtrip...) I just sanded the FW with some heavy sandpaper and called it good. There were no hot spots or cracks or anything and it worked fine... I wouldn't recommend it, though. If the thought of taking your engine out next weekend to put a new flywheel in it makes you think about things such as: lighting it on fire and collecting insurance, or driving it off a cliff, probably a good idea to replace the flywheel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Depends on the flywheel. The original flywheel on my 96 had a step on it where the clutch disc made contact. Not much of a step, it was only about .005" higher, but it was enough to be noticable. After 165k miles the flywheel was worn down lower than the step height, so the flywheel needed to be resurfaced to restore proper clamp force for the new clutch. If you can feel that the flywheel is worn where the disc rides, have it resurfaced. If it isn't worn, scuff it up to remove any glazing and it should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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