davis Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I just took my car into a dealer. I suspected that my clutch was slipping, and they say I need a new clutch. They also say that I need a new ECU. Does this make sense to anyone? It is a manual transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Model/year/mileage/symptom(s) please -- specifically, what made you think the clutch is slipping? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 Model/year/mileage/symptom(s) please -- specifically, what made you think the clutch is slipping? 2001 Legacy GT: 130,000 miles. The dealer said I need a new clutch. I thought something may be wrong when it seemed under powered and sometimes revs really high for no reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 When in gear, if the engine RPM goes up without a related increase in road speed, then the clutch is likely slipping. Depending on your (or any previous owner's) driving style, at 130,000 miles the clutch could easily be worn enough to need replacement (and may have already had that job done one or more times before). On the other hand, if the engine RPM and the car's road speed increase for no apparent reason (causing ''unintended acceleration''), that would be a wholly different (and serious) concern. I'm not aware of a particular relationship between clutch slippage and the ECU, but if the engine is unexpectedly increasing in RPM from another cause, perhaps the dealer is concerned that the ECU might be malfunctioning. The only specific issue I know of with the '01 Legacy ECU relates to a re-flash of it that addresses an EVAP problem. What reason did the dealer give for the ECU needing replacement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 When in gear, if the engine RPM goes up without a related increase in road speed, then the clutch is likely slipping... This is the scenario. Just the occasional rev without an increase in road speed. I first noticed it after a shift while going up a hill. I figured the clutch probably had one foot in the grave. I have been the only owner of the car, so I am happy to hear that the clutch has lasted a relatively long time. What reason did the dealer give for the ECU needing replacement? They said that the computer gave a fault code of P1507 and Subaru recently had some bulletin (but not a recall) to replace ECU's giving this fault code. Thanks very much for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 [...]They said that the computer gave a fault code of P1507 and Subaru recently had some bulletin (but not a recall) to replace ECU's giving this fault code. Thanks very much for the help. You're welcome. A P1507 code indicates an Idle Control System Malfunction, and puts things in a fail-safe mode. That will definitely affect performance. Before anything else is done, verify that the dealer has checked the transmission neutral position switch operation, since malfunction of that switch is a known cause of P1507. In addition, at 130,000 miles there could be an actual problem with idle control -- it might be that the IACV (Idle Air Control solenoid Valve) needs cleaning, for example. Furthermore, apparently there's a re-flash (reprogramming) for the ECU available if no other problem is causing the P1507. Unless the dealer is providing the ECU at little or no cost, I'd exhaust the other possibilities before paying for a new (likely quite expensive) ECU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davis Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 This is super helpful. Thanks very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.