Richard T

Just following up on this in the event someone else makes it this far down the thread, although it may be pointless because there was no real pinpointed diagnosis. Ended up replacing clutch assembly (including TOB), flywheel and shift fork. No more noise.

Sorry, had to check out for a bit over the holiday weekend. Haven't had a chance to check the heat shields, but I have been able to notice a couple other characteristics: Max Capacity, when I push the clutch in and rev the engine it doesn't necessarily get louder, the frequency of rattle increases simultaneously and evenly with the engine, but up to maybe 1200-1500 RPM, then no longer audible. Also, it does not make the sound when the engine and transmission are cold. Had a couple co-workers standing by after work the other day so they could hear it before we left. Nothing. Made a quick loop in the parking lot but still nothing. I'll keep narrowing it down and reporting back. Any further insight in the short term is very much appreciated!

Thanks, FJuan, for the sound description. I would most certainly not describe what I'm hearing that way. I would describe it more like (but not the same as) the deceleration rattle after the ACT clutch and WRX flywheel install. Either way, I'll keep an ear out for any changes. Anyone want to buy my wagon? Kidding, of course. The car is starting to wear on me a little bit after 12 years and 180k miles of ownership. And it's waaaay overdue for a suspension refresh. Cheaper than a new car, I suppose. I digress. Thanks again, Max Capacity and FJuan.

Thanks for responding, Max Capacity, your posts have been extremely helpful to me over the years. I'm with you there on that sort of chattering, experiencing it for years going back to my Galant VR-4 days in the late 90s. I guess I probably should have been more specific in my inquiry. In this particular case/scenario with potentially bad TOB, is chattering likely synonymous with the rattling? I get no squeak, just what sounds like a light metal rattle when clutch is depressed, and increases in frequency/speed with the engine until clutch is engaged. Not sure if I'm making any sense here.

I know this is a 7 year old thread, I didn't find anything else I thought was as specific. Apologies if my searching skills suck. Can anyone elaborate on "chattering?" I'm not experiencing any "squeaking" but I do get a little bit of what I would describe as rattling only when the clutch is pushed in. Not exactly sure when it started. I can only hear it with the windows down and I am close enough to something for the sound to bounce off. Car history: 196k chassis miles, 196k transmission miles (new viscous coupling about 45-50k miles ago), 27k engine miles (new Suby shortblock), resurfaced WRX flywheel 27k miles ago (originally installed probably 130k miles ago), new ACT clutch 27k miles ago. I did the clutch myself the first time around and used the TSK3 TOB. The second clutch was done by the shop who put in the new engine. TSK3 TOB was not installed at that point. Any insight? I stumbled across a thread where m sprank mentioned not having to pull the transmission all the way out to do the clutch, which I wish I would have known the first time around. Definitely bookmarked that thread.

The only thing I can think of at the moment is maybe finding a helping hand to hold the hub assembly while you maneuver from the other side. Or vice-versa? Have you tried threading the bolts in the hubs without them on the car just to be sure everything does fit? Not trying to be a smart ass, just running through what I would try. Maybe poke some narrower bolts through a couple of the holes just to get them generally aligned and try to get a proper one threaded? Once you get one, the others should be easier, I reckon. All I got right now.

While I've never pulled the motor, I'd be stunned to learn it would be a preferred method. I did it the old fashioned way, rolling around on the concrete driveway 4th of July weekend 2011. Hope it all goes well!

I'm with you, Sparkey. No FB account so I've more or less fallen off the face of the local LGT earth. I'd love to hit some meets or gatherings, but this thread has become an afterthought. I only have myself to blame for not keeping up with the rest of the world, but I rather enjoy my life w/o any social media accounts whatsoever. It's a known and accepted trade-off.

Thank you for your crazy-prompt responses, fine Sir. The thought crossed my mind, but I thought I should reach out to you guys first to make sure there wasn't something blatantly obvious I was missing. edit: It worked! I had to finesse (ie apply careful, but decent force) the joint bolt out because there technically isn't enough clearance to pull the bolts out from from either joint in the linkage, which I presume is why the pin/shaft approach exists to begin with. I'm probably wrong, but it seemed logical given the clearance. Nonetheless, thanks again!

Hopefully the images uploaded ok. In one photo you can see where the pin is out, and in the other, blurry as it is, you can see the shaft is able to slide within the linkage. But I can't pull the linkage off the shaft coming out of the transmission. It's like it's getting hung up on something.

I really appreciate the write up, but I'm running into a problem no one else seems to have mentioned, so i can only conclude i'm doing something wrong. Upon the removal of the pin for the shift linkage, the two shafts slide freely within one another, but I can't slide the linkage off the shaft coming out of the transmission. It's like something is catching it, preventing it from sliding out all the way. Am I making any sense?

Edit: Good thing I'm better with cars than computers. Huge thanks for this write up! As usual, the right tools make all the difference. Thankfully, my wife is cool with me buying necessary tools as I take on these projects. Passenger side took way too long to admit, but I could only hit it for an hour or two every other day or so. Roadblock #1. Big enough breaker bar to take off the axle nut - thank you Harbor Freight. Roadblock #2. Overcoming the weak-ass threads for the rotor extraction bolts. Because I was replacing pads and rotors anyway, I used the method of a threading a long bolt through a nut in the brake caliper mounting holes and forcing the rotor off. I'm probably wording that horribly. Nonetheless, thank you YouTube for the tip. Roadblock #3. A good tool to pull the hub off. The idea of a slide hammer just freaked me out, so I pulled the trigger on a Craftsman gear puller after reading the mixed reviews of the Harbor Freight units. Roadblock #4. Lost a caliper bolt! Doh! Thank you local Subaru parts department. Once I had the right tools and the experience of doing the passenger side, the driver side took just a couple hours. I feel bad for you east-coast guys with all the corrosion. With the exception of the rotors, everything came apart relatively easy on my 150k mile CO car. Amazing how much more quiet it is in the wagon now. I can hear my exhaust better and now it's especially clear my tires are about shot (loud!). Again, big thanks for this post!

Looks like fun. Gonna try to swing it.

Some of us don't have a FB account. A quick post here would be much appreciated.

Still don't know if I'm camping that weekend or not, but I'll be there if I happen to remain in town.

^ That's how I feel, and my rims are debatable. Very few Leggys around here worth officially showing, imo. I'll try to make the event at least spectate if I'm in town that weekend.

We wrapped up a couple hours ago. Ultimately, we ended up jockeying/tilting the motor for and aft along with a similar technique at the back of the transmission. Same approach on the way in. Notes: - I can't imagine doing this alone. - 1/2 inch socket and drive set are essential. - We were able to remove the flywheel bolts with the standard (non "Plus") torx T50, albeit **very carefully**. I would have preferred the Plus but could not find them locally - bad planning on my part. - Used a transmission jack, but it only tilted for and aft, not side to side. - Actual work time was 14 hours. We consciously took our time and were extremely organized. - Biggest obstalce is transmission separation and realignment, followed by turbo placement. These can be overcome with patience and ingenuity. Thank you all for contributing to this thread and to Scruit for making an awesome how-to!! Off to continue break-in... Cheers

Making great progress with the assistance of the videos - thanks, Scruit. We ran into a snag within the last half hour, though. Separating the transmission from the motor is proving to be the most difficult part for us thus far. We've wiggled, shook and pried where we could. Not budging thus far. Edit: transmission now separated from engine.

Gosh, I'd love to meet up with you guys, but unfortunately I committed to a Rockies game that night. Have fun and take some pictures!

Bummer, I was looking forward to catching up with you. I'm sure we'll cross paths at Bandi this year, though.

Ben, what's the good word? Are you still in? If so, want to mini-convoy from our neck of the woods?

You guys may have talked me into it.

Ben, you're going to drive all the way up there to convoy? Seems a little out of the way, but I won't entirely discount it yet. What time do you plan on leaving your neck of the woods? Apparently I'll be taking my wife to the airport at like 4am on 4/10... grrr. Better than paying for 10 days of parking, I suppose.

Any of you planning on meeting up with the AWDPirates Aurora/South Denver RR convoy? http://www.awdpirates.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=52319 That's likely where I'll start.

I'll be there for sure! Should be fun.