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Yikes ! 2003 something big happened


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Tune in tomorrow for the conclusion. 

At highway speed in the right lane something went bang clank and stuff. Tranny feels like mush. After it happened I pulled over , waiting on AAA now. Started it back up and put it in gear. It felt like a bad clutch. Beforehand I could hear noise when releasing the clutch that I didn’t like. Still drove it because my brain thinks of old school reliability. Guess I should have kept it parked until I could investigate.

 

The noise sounded like metal. Lots of it. Spinning around like cans in a clothes drier or something. 

 

Jackass should have been here already. See you all back soon. 

Back to my reliable 2.2’s !!

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What do your outer CV joints look like? 

I hope the new year brings you some good news! 

Happy new year to all. See you in 2020 very soon (I realise you guys have to wait half a day for it though, worse than Radelaide, they’re half an hr behind but it seems like more than that :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Cheers 

Bennie

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11 minutes ago, el_freddo said:

What do your outer CV joints look like? 

I hope the new year brings you some good news! 

Happy new year to all. See you in 2020 very soon (I realise you guys have to wait half a day for it though, worse than Radelaide, they’re half an hr behind but it seems like more than that :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Cheers 

Bennie

Happy New Year Mr. Bennie! 

Will investigate soon. Maybe not even tomorrow. Have a guest up from NC buying old school parts. 1970’s coolness. 

 

Was up at storage giving him a preview for tomorrow when we go deep into the vault. Dropped him at the hotel and took a hard left which I think exasperated the already weak CV. The highway entrance was just a few feet away and it’s an uphill ramp so I gave it the usual gas. Got about a half mile after leveling off the pedal and staying in the right lane casually , then bang clang metal noise spinning like a jumble kind of noise. Sort of like metal hitting the ground but when I got out - nothing ! Looked like it always does. 

Keep in mind this car was just bought and registered on the 24th. $460 , not a big deal. Worse case it’s got great parts all over. But being a Subaru I’m expecting I’ll have the engine out , do the clutch , reseal all around , timing and pumps , the usual whole deal.

 

Just hoping I haven’t wasted the gearbox. Smelled gear oil for sure just as the tow guy let it down to rest. 

Got in and started it. Let the clutch out and you can hear a whirring noise vrr vrr vrr type of noise. It’ll sort of attempt to grab and move but at that point it’s like a failed clutch.

But since I was just reading that post last week or less about the rear axle issue and it feeling like a clutch , I thought I’d see what you guys think. 

 

I’m pathetically immersed in old school , like stuck in the 70’s and 90’s 2.2 early series 90-94.

Last hydraulic clutch I had was on a motorcycle. And I did the clutch on my friend’s 67 Lotus Elan. And assisted with another local guy fellow Elan owner on his 64 I think.

Also never had a clutch make such noises. Happened so quick and my bad left ear I couldn’t really pinpoint where it all came from. Axle would be too easy. And why would the tranny feel like total mush now ? I guess it’s been a while since I had any clutch issues. I can’t recall having the tranny feel like this just because of the clutch. Of course I mean the shifter and that it just doesn’t feel like it’s engaging anything and it’s sloppy in all directions. So apparently it’s in a gear since it wants to tug ever so slightly. 

Ok sorry to ramble. Need to sleep soon. Check back if I can’t sleep or tomorrow. Thanks all ! 

Happy New Year !!!! 

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If the rear components were faulty, he'd still have drive, because the fronts provide MOST of the power to the road.  At first I'm thinking CVJ failure, but reading more causes me to think throwout bearing..although those make a huge racket LONG before catastrophic failure, something Paul would surely recognize.

Just my 2 bucks

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The clutch disc could have disentgrated. I did that on my EJ22 powered L series running a factory clutch setup... there were 19 pieces and one bit I couldn’t find so who knows where that went! It locked up first, then I drove it another ~350km by rev matching and starting it in gear when needing to do a standing start.

If you need to get the box out, leave the engine in place unless you have other things to do to it like HGs. Drop the box from under the vehicle, much easier. Using a motorcycle jack helps. Driveshafts can be removed as the gearbox is dropped out slowly (and installed as the gearbox is lifted back in - time saver!). 

If box comes out, it’s a good time to assess and reboot the front driveshafts if need be. 

Cheers 

Bennie

Edited by el_freddo
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Thanks again ! Yes those angry leprechaun bastids.

Had zero time today buy as I was on my way out I stopped and gave a quick look only. Should post pics. There’s some funky looking - I want to say it’s makeshift hack - and not factory - item attached to the stub axle. How I didn’t see this must have been the $450 factor. Must have temporarily blinded me.

But I’m an admitted rookie on these. Do the inner joints look way different on a 2000-2004? I’m prehistoric. 

 

Saw some moisture underside on the ground , but that also maybe water from the rain yesterday. What I saw was just a few drops. Rest of the underside looked good at quick glance. Starts and engine runs fine. 

 

Ok Happy New Year you fellow knuckle busters !!! 

See you next year. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

So you all know , I sure don’t have a lot of extra time and I have one good car to use and another back up which only has a lousy hill holder I can’t seem to properly disconnect , so therefore I will indeed take what seems like quite a while to get to this car. 

That makes me feel better.

So here’s where I’m at and my latest questions.

That crazy explosion of metal and all which came to a calm after a minute or so , I’m beginning to think it’s the differential. But you guys review what I tell and let me know your thoughts please.

The car starts and engine runs really well. I have the clutch pedal in because when I lift it there is engagement and the car wants to lunge forward. I’m not sure which gear it is in but I suspect the 5th from when it happened. But given this evidence is it safe to say the clutch disk hasn’t exploded ? Or would it be the opposite of what I’m thinking and there will instead indeed be constant contact and therefore drive because it’s just all mangled up and pieces are causing it to grab ? 

 

If if I have a place to work on it the tranny would be down , engine out too , and i would gladly hunt for whatever I needed for this car. I really like it and want to try to resurrect its shiny arse. 

Thanks again! 

Hopefully soon I have an arrangement for space to work. Usually one of my brothers or a friends place but I’m kind of getting annoying these past few winters it seems , just bad timing , which is a further strain on my friends and family. Condo life. Has its drawbacks. 

 

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Lunging/trying to lurch forward means the clutch is good and the diff is most likely too. 

Sounds like something internally may have shat itself. Have you drained the oil out to see what comes with it and what’s sitting just inside the drain hole? 

Looking at the oil can tell you a lot about the condition of the gearboxes internals - especially if chunks or splinters of metal come out.

Cheers 

Bennie

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My money is on front ujoint in the driveshaft. Slipping clutch feeling is the center VLSD trying to send power to the front. Gear oil will leak out if the slip yoke has fallen out of the transmission (or if the damage is bad enough, it can damage the rear transmission housing). It can damage the shift linkage.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not a real update but I did move the car under its own power. Just let the clutch out and it crept forward on flat ground and made little metal noise. Went about 50 ft into another parking space. Condo life. Have to keep it moving. 

No time for it at all. Continue soon. I hope. 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

No but great news. I just bought a $400 parts car - GT Sedan , manual shift.

Its up where Subafreak does some work. I’ll be bringing my wagon up there soon and he/we will swap over the entire drivetrain with engine too I think. 
 

Parts car has lower miles , one owner always synth oil - not a big deal to me but I guess I’ll stay that route. 
 

Thanks for asking ! 
Hoping to give up one of the 92’s soon after. 

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