Subaru Newbie: Some Questions

[simoneves]

I recently bought my very first Subaru... a '97 Impreza Outback Sport... as temporary family transportation between returning a lease car and moving back to the UK in a few months' time.

 

It's well used (161K and half it's life in Alaska) but it was "only" $2,300 US.

 

I bought it from a guy at work who's had it from a year old, and it has quite a lot of service history (regular oil changes etc.), and had a timing belt and water pump at 130K, but the clutch (original) is definitely a weakness.

 

It didn't seem that bad when I test-drove it (sigh) but it does slip quite badly on hill starts or when changing gear quickly, and makes a nasty smell if you make it work hard (like manoeuvring on our steep driveway).

 

I don't know whether to be worried about that or not, as a friend's '02 WRX was equally smelly after hard hill starts even new.

 

Also the clutch pedal seems very "squishy" with not very much travel. It bites about halfway up but you really have to toe it quite hard into the floor for changes otherwise you can feel the gearbox synchro objecting.

 

It's the same distance off the floor as the brake pedal, though, so maybe that's normal, and I'm not sure if it's cable or hydraulic, or what the symptoms would be (in terms of pedal height, biting point etc.) of it having been adjusted to compensate for the slip.

 

Obviously I'd prefer not to have to have it changed, as we only plan to have the car for a few months, but maybe it would be prudent, and allow me to feel better about selling it, perhaps even getting some of the cost back.

 

Thoughts, anyone?

 

As for changing it, there's no way I can do the work myself, and I've seen various guide prices on this forum from $500 to $1100. Can anyone narrow that down a bit, or should I just bite the bullet and get some quotes?

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Simon

[idosubaru]

$700 for a clutch is about normal. but it can vary alot depending on who you know, dealer, city, rural areas....that's the variance.

 

first - have it adjusted if at all possible. i'm not sure if it's clutch or hydraulic either, but i just pulled a motor on the exact same car, a 1997 OBS and i thought for sure it's just cable driven, no hydraulic cylinder involved.

 

practice shifting without using the clutch, works fine in the older subaru's. obviously does you no good from a stop. it's tricky and seems hard at first, but once you figure it out and learn how to match the rpm's just right it's a breeze and kind of funny. won't help you much in city driving, but i do it all the time on my mostly highway trip to work.

 

eventually the car can lock up and leave you stranded if it wears out too bad. baby the clutch and it may last awhile, although smelling it doesn't sound good.