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2009 - Clutch life?

('09-'13) 
12K views 7 replies 8 participants last post by  jp1gt 
#1 ·
2009...5-Speed....about 120,000 miles. (90-mile daily R/T commmute). Curious about others' experiences with clutch longevity.

Lately, when shifting I get a screeching sound (like a slipping belt) as I let the clutch pedal return up. It seems more prevalent in the lower gears, but that could just be because I hear it more clearly at lower speeds. I also have to make an extra effort to push the pedal into the floor to keep from stalling as I come to or start from a stop. Its especially noticeable when I depress the clutch to start the car, even if the shifter is in neutral. When I start it in the garage in the morning, it sounds like a herd of cats under the hood. Screeeeeeeeeeeech!!!!!!

The pedal goes up and down as normal (I think....over the years with other cars, the slow deterioration of a clutch is hard to notice until it reaches a tipping point) and the shifting itself hasn't been a problem.

My last two cars -- both Hondas -- had clutches that lasted roughly to 200K.
Is 120K a fair time to be faced with a new clutch kit install for a Forester of this vintage? Or is this a symptom of something different (or worse)?
 
#2 ·
Hi There , Clutch life varies enormously depending on how the car is driven . A bad manual driver can ruin a clutch within 20,000 or less miles . In other cases the clutch can never need changing . The next problem apart from the clutch is that a lot of modern cars use dual mass flywheels , and these can need replacing when the clutch goes , doubling the cost of replacement .
 
#4 ·
sounds like the throwout bearing. My throwout bearing disintegrated at 90K and I still had plenty of life left on the clutch itself which made it worse. Replaced the whole clutch since it was out anyway and now at 135K my pilot bearing is making a ton of noise. (just replaced a wheel bearing too so bearing in the car don't like me at all).
 
#6 ·
My clutch lasted for 97000 km. It was working perfectly but i pulled out the engine to do some cylinder head work and they found the clutch was going to ask for a change soon, so i changed it to avoid another engine removal.

I bought the Exedy oem replacement (03 2.0XT) from amazon for 150USD aprox. I think i have around 250whps and it works perfect with no signs of slip.

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#7 ·
That sounds like your throw-out bearing going away. I had mine replaced about two months ago at 244K and my OE clutch was down to the rivets. When you have the TO replaced make sure your mechanic carefully inspects the snout on the trans that the TO rides on, they get galled and scratched over time and will destroy a brand new TO bearing (ask me how i know) Most places will replace the pilot bearing as well as the TO, and the clutch as need be.
 
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