Car information:

- 2010 Subaru Forester 2.5x Manual

- Replaced clutch in 2017 when car had ~127,000 miles on it

- Car currently has 159,000 miles

Summary of issue:

Approximately 3 weeks ago my car started having issues shifting into reverse first thing in the morning. The other gears seemed to work fine at first. Throughout the day I was able to get the car into reverse, and then at the end of the day there wasn't an issue.

Over the course of the last 3 weeks it has gotten progressively more difficult to get my car into gear in the morning. It started getting harder with gears 1 and 2, now all gears are almost impossible to shift into first thing. I end up letting my car run for 20-30 minutes prior to driving.

I find that after driving for a while throughout the day the shifting becomes easier and easier until (after approximately an hour of driving or standing with the engine on) the gears shift almost effortlessly. It's as if there isn't a problem at all.

I checked transmission fluid levels and they within acceptable range. The winter has been very cold all year; the problem just popped up weeks ago. My mechanic is very experienced and usually works on high performance cars, I have no reason to doubt the quality of his work.

Does anyone know what would be causing these issues with the clutch only having 30,000 miles on it?

Just guessing, but it sounds to me like a new transmission problem unrelated to the clutch change.

1 minute ago, jonathan909 said:

Just guessing, but it sounds to me like a new transmission problem unrelated to the clutch change.

Thanks for the reply Jonathan. I wasn't very clear with my title, it's a new clutch, the transmission is original, I just wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the transmission.

Easy to phrase ambiguously.  In case I wasn't clear, I meant "New problem with the transmission unrelated to the clutch change."

Oh okay, I see what you mean now. I'll look into that too. Thank you!

Yeah, it just strikes me that if there were a problem with the clutch work, it would have shown up a lot sooner than 30K miles.  I'm always extremely suspicious of "coincidental" failures - if you have two problems at the same time they're probably related.  But that's an awful lot of time and distance for the two to be related problems; more likely "unfortunately neighboring".

May be as simple as adjusting the clutch.  My old Dodge truck has a hydraulic clutch and I can always tell when the slave cylinder needs replaced as it becomes a bear to shift gears, especially reverse. 

Was the fluid changed when the clutch was done?  (trans fluid)  

If so they may have put a too thick, conventional oil in it.

Try running a thinner, full synthetic trans oil.

15 hours ago, FerGloyale said:

Was the fluid changed when the clutch was done?  (trans fluid)  

If so they may have put a too thick, conventional oil in it.

Try running a thinner, full synthetic trans oil.

Oil thickness was my thought too. Especially if colder weather is happening. I’ve personally not had an issue with mineral oil in my gearbox. 

Cheers 

Bennie

sounds like the clutch doesn't fully disengage when cold.  with the engine off, is it easier to shift into gear?  if so, likely nothing wrong with the transmission.  

bleed the lines and check the pedal adjustment.  if it's a push clutch, sometimes the fork cracks and bends causing these issues.

This is a clutch hydraulics or fork problem. Check for leaking slave hose, or deflection in the fork. Does it squeak? It is very common for shops to not grease the fork pivot or not notice a cracked fork leading to premature failure. 

GD

check clutch slave cylinder and hose and fork like GD said, they crack and have intermittent issues before complete failure.  also fluid can change shift characteristics  - proper weight sytnhetic all the way.  also the slaves can be notorious for bleeding/air bubbles if air is introduced but i wouldn't suspect the increasing symtpoms like you described with that. 

 

47 minutes ago, GeneralDisorder said:

This is a clutch hydraulics or fork problem. Check for leaking slave hose, or deflection in the fork. Does it squeak? It is very common for shops to not grease the fork pivot or not notice a cracked fork leading to premature failure. 

GD

It's a good guess.  It does happen.  It could be the case.

But in this case, since he says it's better if not gone after warming up, I think it may be a fluid issue.

Cracked fork wouldn't work better warm.  Air bubbles in Clutch slave wouldn't go away after driving.  Unless their failure was so slight, that normal drag from cold gear oil would be too much and push it over the edge of not shifting (input shaft still spinning too fast, even with clutch in)

 

definately should inspect the clutch fork, and slave, just to rule things out.

Edited March 23, 20197 yr by FerGloyale

Yeah could be a fluid issue too. Or the hydraulics pumping up after a period of use and warm up. I've definitely seen both. Best to use the Subaru HPGO or Motul Gear 300. Both shift well at low temps. 

GD

I had a similar issue I had my clutch replaced a year ago. Then I had the fluid replaced with Mobil 1 synthetic, and while it ran well in the winter with the 75-90 weight, as soon as it started getting warmer here in Texas it was having all kinds of shifting problems. 

I went back to regular 80-90 weight, even the Walmart brand not the valvoline I used to use, and boom it runs fine. But the clutch and clutch cable that’s an ongoing thing. Also one thing I neglected when I got the clutch changed was to get new bushings for the shifter though I did change fork etc.

the grease they recommend for the fork seems rather particular also it seems they recommend two different ones? I doubt my economy mechanic knew much about that.

’97

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am going to try to bleed the clutch fluid tonight to see if there is some air being trapped in the system but I think all the other suggestions are our of my mechanical capabilities.

One other symptom came up this weekend while I was out of town. Now when the car is off, the shifter moves into each gear without any resistance, without pressing the clutch pedal. As soon as I start the engine, it is extremely difficult to get the car into gear.

37 minutes ago, crimpingup said:

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am going to try to bleed the clutch fluid tonight to see if there is some air being trapped in the system but I think all the other suggestions are our of my mechanical capabilities.

One other symptom came up this weekend while I was out of town. Now when the car is off, the shifter moves into each gear without any resistance, without pressing the clutch pedal. As soon as I start the engine, it is extremely difficult to get the car into gear.

 

Right.  

With engine off, the upper shaft is not spinning at all.

 

Please followup once you nail it down.  I want to know if my answer was completely out to lunch.

7 hours ago, crimpingup said:

Thank you everyone for your replies. I am going to try to bleed the clutch fluid tonight to see if there is some air being trapped in the system but I think all the other suggestions are our of my mechanical capabilities.

One other symptom came up this weekend while I was out of town. Now when the car is off, the shifter moves into each gear without any resistance, without pressing the clutch pedal. As soon as I start the engine, it is extremely difficult to get the car into gear.

That's classic clutch hydraulics problem. 

GD

Just for clarity’ sake my response above was for a 95 legacy non-hydraulic clutch.