High RPM but moving slow, clutch slipping?

[Iounno]

To preface; 2 weeks ago I purchased my first car which is an MY05 RBP with a 5MT. It has a lot of miles at 187k but had a full engine rebuild with a new turbo, clutch, flywheel, etc. at 169k which was all standard OEM parts from the SKU numbers I checked on the paperwork. I've been really enjoying the car so far and can't wait to get the terrible head unit replaced with the JDM unit.

 

Unfortunately, since this is my first car I'm bad with a manual and have killed it quite a few times, shifting improperly and bucking, etc. When coming off a stop I often over-rev on accident and jerk a bit, or I kill the car by not giving it enough gas.

 

So, I'm having two problems:

 

Recently as I've been getting better at not killing the car and bucking (still happens), I'm still finding it difficult shifting into first gear. It almost feels like it isn't slotting into place or engaging properly. I have no easy way to describe this as I'm really new to cars. I was thinking it might be the shifter bushings or synchros? Sometimes I noticed I can't even get it into first while my clutch pedal is shoved to the floor. Like today when pulling into my apartments, I tried to go into first from third after putting it in neutral after slowing down (between 5-10mph at most) for the turn in, and when I tried to put it into first, it just wouldn't slot into gear no matter what I did until I threw it into 2nd and buckled forward.

 

I sat in my coworkers 4th gen WRX and the shifter still had a loose feeling, but actually sliding into gears felt smooth and like it was slotting perfectly into place. He tried my car and said it felt basically the same to him, but I notice how much firmer the WRX felt especially sliding into first gear compared to mine.

 

My second problem is that occasionally - and in the last few days I've noticed it more - in first and recently second, as I press down the pedal, my revs climb fast, but my acceleration is much slower than usual. It also makes a very high pitched 'rrrrr' sound as if it's trying really hard but just not going that fast. Earlier today I was in first and it finally engaged properly and I felt a solid boost in first up to redline (first time ever revving that high) so I know what it should normally feel like, I just have no clue what could make it be fine sometimes and not fine others. I have no problems above second gear, with most of the time second gear giving tons of power. I typically drive to and from work (it's all short back roads) between first and third gear, as I never really go above 40mph. I do occasionally do small pulls along main roads but never really past 5.5k RPM or so.

 

I recently changed my oil using 5W-30 Rotella with the RX-8 Tokyo Roki oil filter through reading on here about a week ago and it went well. I checked all my oil levels for everything today and all was fine except needing some washer fluid which can be taken care of at another time. So I fear that I've burnt out the clutch already and hopefully not the flywheel too as I really can't afford to replace either right now having just purchased the car. Thing is, I don't smell a burning smell when driving which is what I gather I should be smelling if it's a bad clutch. But I have no clue what that actually smells like and my nose isn't the best so who knows.

 

As a side note, I've noticed that under the front dash I hear a gurgling sound. Could this be air in the coolant? The sound continues to happen for about 5 seconds after I turn off the car, but not always. It happened when I wasn't running the AC either, so I don't think it's the actuator motor that I read about on here.

 

Would greatly appreciate any suggestions on what might be the issues here. Thanks for the help.

[Max Capacity]

It does sound like you have killed the clutch.

 

If you can find a repair shop in near you that seems to have a lot of subaru's around it, that should be a good place to take it and have them tell you what's wrong

 

I will also tell you, these cars don't do well in your kind of driving distance. these cars need to run and get fully warmed up to give trouble free driving.

 

Take the car on the highway for 10-15 miles to get everything hot and keep the internals clean.

 

Both my cars see red line or close to it on a normal basis. They also see at least 15 miles highway most everytime they are driven.

You'll want to look into having the car tuned or at least Cobb AP V3 to keep it running safe.

 

If you need a clutch let us know before you buy one.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Max Capacity

[Iounno]

Really didn’t want to hear that but I figured as much. Is that also why I’m having troubles pushing it into first? I live across the water from Portland, OR so thankfully there’s a large Subaru market around here. I’ll try to look up some places after work. Can I still drive my car, just make sure to get out of first immediately?

 

I definitely give her the beans quite often after I see the gauge warm up, I was just afraid to redline and it’s really hard not to speed haha! I’ll make sure to drive it around more often and further.

 

How much realistically should I expect to be paying? If I remember right from reading I should get a different clutch/flywheel from OEM, the WRX one or something? Thanks for the help.

[Max Capacity]

You should be able to drive the car as long as the clutch is slipping in the lower gears.

 

Normally you first see the clutch going when you go to WOT in 5th gear or 6th depending on the tranny.

 

I have had great luck with Spec Clutches, 2+ clutch. The increase in pedal pressure on your left leg is small over a stock set up.

 

I'll assume the PO replaced the dual mass fly wheel with a single mass from a 2007-2009 LGT. If not you'll want to replace the DMFW. This is the setup my wagon has 07-09 LGT FW and Spec 2+. The clutch will make a howling sound every now and then in 1st gear, but its normal for the Carbon Kevlar material, I asked them about it many years ago.

 

Make sure you buy the 8 each, SMFW mount bolts too. The clutch kit will come with a clutch disc, pressure plate, TOB and Pilot bearing.

 

Your in a good area for local help a few of the members live around you.

 

Add your location to your info in the box to the left, it will help.

 

For 5mt fluid, I use Motul Gear 300 75w-90 you'll 3.8qts for the tranny and .8qts for the rear diff, they get changed ever 30,000 miles. Others have had good luck with Amsoil Severgear. I may go back to that when my Motul is all gone. FWIW I use Amsoil 5w-30 European classic oil and their filters doing 7000 mile oil changes after I had a sample sent off to Blackstone Labs.

 

To help you get a feel for driving a clutch. find a flat parking lot, start our in 1st gear by letting the clutch out very slowly at idle. the car will move as the clutch engages. Do that a couple time to feel where the clutch begins to grab. that's the key to learning how to be smooth. That's how I taught my son 16 years ago in the civic in my avatar. That's him driving it in that picture. He learned to drive it before it had 586WHP.

Edited April 29, 2020 by Max Capacity

[Max Capacity]

http://www.specclutch.com/cars/Subaru/Legacy/2007/Single

 

 

Look around there page, you can email them or call, they have great customer service.

 

You can find the items for lower prices on the web.

 

I currently have a 07-09 Subaru Legacy GT FW and Spec 2+. I have their Aluminum FW for the 05-06 in the shed, it uses the T50+ torx fasteners. I had that in the car from 90,000 miles to 215,000 miles on two different clutches, using the replaceable friction surface. I may go back to that when this 2+ is done. I had a Spec 2 clutch but that didn't last very long at my power level.

[Iounno]

Thanks again for the advice. I called around to PREracing and Superior Import Repair and both said it sounded like clutch slippage. SIR said they wouldn’t allow me to buy my own parts and I forgot to ask PRE, with both quoting me at $1300 to $1600 if flywheel needs replacing (aka surfacing won’t do). But both told me to just go with standard stage 1 instead of stage 2 since I’m completely stock, do you agree? SIR said stage 2 can cause extra wear on transmission as well. PRE recommended me an EXEDY stage 1 that’s slightly more forgiving than the standard one, can’t remember model number though.

 

The part numbers on the rebuild paper for the clutch disk is 30100AA810, clutch plate is 30210AA550, bearing is 30502AA120. Flywheel part number is 12345AA010 (apparently dual mass).

[Max Capacity]

None of us put the Dual Mass FW back in these cars.

 

There is a section down below that is for your area, not sure if that's much help.

 

Depending on your budget and what your plans are for the car, selecting a clutch that will give you room to increase HP in the future is money saved.

 

You'll also find all of us say these cars respond well and are safer when you at least go to Cobb AP stage 1, that is how the car should have come from the factory. My wagon has been on Cobb AP since Dec 8 2004, I was one of the first ones.

 

How many Subaru's do those shops work on ?

 

Looking at this, https://www.preracing.com/ I would tend to go there. Talk with them and tell them your long term plans and ask what happens with a stage 1 clutch if you decide to go stage 2 HP levels.

 

That's where most of us live at. These cars are great bang for the buck at that HP level. You want a little extra in the clutch because it's not cheap to upgrade later on.

[Max Capacity]

You can go to the clutch manufacture's web site and review what the different torque holding levels are for each clutch. You should be able to find a happy medium.

 

PRE's site has a link to the clutches they sell.

[Iounno]

I’ll check tonight. I’m gonna head over to a local shop called DJ’s Automotive after work and he’s going to try out my car to see what’s wrong. He quoted me at $800 for clutch + installation, which isn’t terrible at all. That was with an EXEDY OEM+ (I think or he said Stage 1+) clutch. Other shops all were quoting me $1300 or more for same work.

[Max Capacity]

That $800 price is for the parts. The labor is going to be about $5-600 on that job.

 

 

Is that Clutch kit and FW ?

[Iounno]

Surprisingly the $800 is including parts and labor. He said it was about $400 for the clutch, $400 or so for the labor. Every place I called said they'd likely just resurface my flywheel unless it's in pretty bad shape. So I assume with a flywheel it'd be more like $1300?

[Iounno]

Turns out I did not burn out my clutch and I'm just an idiot! The guy took it for a test drive, redlined it in basically every gear, did a 0-60+ pull and all was well. He said if someone brought this in to purchase he'd tell them it's great, so that's reassuring.

 

We think what might be happening is me slipping the clutch too much and overheating it causing it to keep slipping. On my drive home I practiced holding the clutch in first to roll and whenever I did that I had no problems. If I notice it again he told me to just give the clutch some time to cool down then try again.

 

I'll likely get my shifter bushings redone because he did say they were really bad. Is this something I can do myself as a first-timer or should I go to them? He quoted me around $200 in labor since the LGT is apparently more work than the WRX, but I can bring my own parts if I use them.

[08SpecB_DE]

I never put the car in 1st gear while the car is moving, I was always told it's a big no-no. The bushings aren't hard to do but it depends on your mechanical ability. I normally drive through neighborhoods and parking lots in 2nd gear. You can take 2nd gear down to 5mph and slowly accelerate out without issue. The more you drive the car, you'll pick up on what it likes and doesn't like. I would think the only way you'll get the car into 1st while going 5-10mph is to bring the rpm up a little bit. There's a sweet spot where the shifter will basically fall into gear, try to find that area while paying attention to speed and rpm.

[Infosecdad]

Turns out I did not burn out my clutch and I'm just an idiot! The guy took it for a test drive, redlined it in basically every gear, did a 0-60+ pull and all was well. He said if someone brought this in to purchase he'd tell them it's great, so that's reassuring.

 

We think what might be happening is me slipping the clutch too much and overheating it causing it to keep slipping. On my drive home I practiced holding the clutch in first to roll and whenever I did that I had no problems. If I notice it again he told me to just give the clutch some time to cool down then try again.

 

I'll likely get my shifter bushings redone because he did say they were really bad. Is this something I can do myself as a first-timer or should I go to them? He quoted me around $200 in labor since the LGT is apparently more work than the WRX, but I can bring my own parts if I use them.

 

I've got a slightly used set of shifter bushings/linkage if you are interested. Just PM me if so.

 

http://turninconcepts.com/driveline/tic-5mt-linkage-update.html

 

http://turninconcepts.com/driveline/tic-5mt-lever-pivot-bushings-wide-839.html

 

https://www.kartboy.com/collections/2005-legacy/products/subaru-front-shifter-bushing-5spd

[Pleides]

Really didn’t want to hear that but I figured as much. Is that also why I’m having troubles pushing it into first? I live across the water from Portland, OR so thankfully there’s a large Subaru market around here. I’ll try to look up some places after work. Can I still drive my car, just make sure to get out of first immediately?

 

I definitely give her the beans quite often after I see the gauge warm up, I was just afraid to redline and it’s really hard not to speed haha! I’ll make sure to drive it around more often and further.

 

How much realistically should I expect to be paying? If I remember right from reading I should get a different clutch/flywheel from OEM, the WRX one or something? Thanks for the help.

 

If you'd like, I'm in Portland, OR (Wilsonville, actually) and can drive your car to help you diagnose. I can't go into first in my car without revving it up a bit unless I'm going less than maybe 3 MPH.

 

Also, our cars buck a little if a clutch job has been done in their lifetime because almost all owners replace the stupid dual-mass flywheel assembly that these cars come with and opt for a regular solid flywheel from am 07 Legacy GT/08 WRX instead. That doesn't dampen slight errors in shifting very well. I can count on my hands how many perfect 1st to 2nd shifts I've had in my car since I bought it December 2018. The rear diff moves around a lot in these cars, even with upgraded bushings, so you're gonna get some drivetrain bucking. This doesn't happen nearly as much in FWD/RWD cars, especially with ones that don't use drive-by-wire throttles.

Edited April 30, 2020 by Pleides

[Max Capacity]

FWIW, the STI rear tranny mount is about $70. it made a huge difference in holding the 5mt steady. I did that mod back in Aug 2004, I bought the mount from a dealer at the Wicked Big Meet when it was at a ski area in MA.

 

 

On the Spec B it didn't make much of a difference.

[Pleides]

FWIW, the STI rear tranny mount is about $70. it made a huge difference in holding the 5mt steady. I did that mod back in Aug 2004, I bought the mount from a dealer at the Wicked Big Meet when it was at a ski area in MA.

 

 

On the Spec B it didn't make much of a difference.

 

I actually did that mod and it did help a lot. Lots of NVH increase though if you have an aftermarket turboback, which I do. I did some Whiteline rear diff mount bushings and those helped a bit too. I've driven a few manual Subarus and have always felt that they were a little clunky, so maybe just a Subaru thing. Haven't driven one that wasn't throttle by wire though.

[NORULZleggy]

I have a stage 2 Spec Clutch I will make you a killer deal on if you need one. It's Brand new. You will need you own stock fly wheel.

[rhino6303]

I have a stage 2 Spec Clutch I will make you a killer deal on if you need one. It's Brand new. You will need you own stock fly wheel.

For 06+ single mass flywheel?

[Iounno]

I've been really busy this week and haven't had a chance to respond, sorry about that.

 

I think I'm getting the car down a bit better and I really appreciate the help everyone. Notice a few of you in Portland/Vancouver which is cool to see! I'll have to go to a car meet once the world settles down a bit.

 

I'm not sure I need a rear tranny mount or if just shifter bushings would do the job. Maybe replace the shift linkage as well. I'm thinking of just doing front and rear bushings and seeing to see if that fixes the problem first. Is this something I should have a shop do or would a jack and tools suffice? I'm seeing from videos online I have to get under the car and just take off a few bolts basically. Videos always seem easier than the real thing though. Never done anything before except the oil change myself.

 

As a side note: I've been looking at how to get an AUX cable, and my two choices are the JDM Din unit or buying the adapter thing and running an aux to my center console. Which do you guys think is the better option? I have tan interior and the JDM option doesn't look the best if I'm being honest. Was thinking of wrapping the silver plastic pieces matte black to match or trying to find some black ones if those are available. My buddy also gave me his old amp and subwoofer that I need to install. Not really sure where/how I'm going to mount that stuff. Was thinking some wood cut out for the trunk I could leave a slot for the sub to fit into so it won't slide, then drill the amp into the wood? Would look super jank though. Just don't want to drill into my trunk if I don't have to.

Edited May 3, 2020 by Iounno
Forgot a question

[Max Capacity]

Do you have a good floor jack and at least two jackstands. Those cheap floor jacks will only lift the car 14" that will make it tight. The $90 ones from Harbor Fright are much better floor jacks. I have two of the bigger floor jacks and one of the small jacks, but I have been doing this for a long time.

 

A nice set of steel ramps come in handy now and then too.

 

If your going to do shifter bushing, might as well look at a Short throw shifter too. It would be just a bit more work to install.

 

I know, it easy to spend other peoples money... My wagon had the STS installed at the dealer before I pick the car up late June 2004. It still shift great all these years later. I just have the STI rear mount.