[sls2121]

Hey everyone,
Ive recently taken my car to the shop to have my transmission looked at. There was some whining that was dependent only on speed. After research on here and over at nasioc, I had an idea that it would be a bad gear or a bad bearing. It turned out to be the bearing.
While the mechanic was in there he said the the clutch disc was at the end of its life and needs to be replaced. I have an 05 xt, 5-speed with a modest 225hp and 75k miles. I drive pretty easy on it for the most part, I have launched maybe 5 times in my 25k miles of ownership and mostly in gravel/snow. Throughout my whole time with it I have not noticed any type of slippage while driving.
My question is: does it make sense that the clutch is pretty much dead even though I havent experienced any clutch slipping?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dave5358]

While the mechanic was in there he said the the clutch disc was at the end of its life and needs to be replaced. I have an 05 xt, 5-speed with a modest 225hp and 75k miles. I drive pretty easy on it for the most part, I have launched maybe 5 times in my 25k miles of ownership and mostly in gravel/snow. Throughout my whole time with it I have not noticed any type of slippage while driving.

My question is: does it make sense that the clutch is pretty much dead even though I havent experienced any clutch slipping?

The mechanic didn't say it was pretty much dead. He said it was at the end of its life. I'm just guessing, but he probably looked at the thickness (or thinness) of the friction material on the driven disc.

While you might be easy on the clutch, what about the prior owner? How old was the prior owner? Did the prior owner 'ride the clutch'? Does your vehicle have a trailer hitch? There are a wide variety of otherwise harmless activities that can quickly wear a clutch.

A worn-out clutch on an XT at 75k is not newsworthy, regardless of the number of 'launches'.

 

[sls2121]

Previous owner was a guy in his late 30s/early 40s. No real information about his driving habits... No trailer hitch.
I just had this idea in my head that symptoms may progressively get worse as the clutch nears the end of its use. So it could be normal to have lots of wear (to the point of recommending a replacement) without any slipping?

Appreciate the response. I just wanted to run this through others with more experience and make sure the scenario didnt sound to obscure.

 

[TUGG]

A clutch disk uses friction material to work. It wears out. Think of it this way, your brake pads are made of a friction material and even if you are easy on them, they will still need replacing at some point. The clutch disc works the same.

 

[arbakken]

If the clutch is coming out, you might as well replace it if it's looking a bit worn.

Clutch wear is definitely driver and car dependent. While I was doing an engine swap, I pulled the OE clutch out of my focus at 137k, looked brand new.

 

[sls2121]

makes sense when you think of it as a general wear item.
I guess Im just surprised that I didnt notice anything while driving.

I agree that I might as well get it replaced while they have the transmission pulled away from the engine.
Im also making a fuss about it because I didnt want to be spending so much right now. haha

 

[dave5358]

If the clutch is coming out, you might as well replace it if it's looking a bit worn.

Absolutely. Clutch parts are not deathly expensive. If you have the critter apart, replace the parts.

Clutch wear is definitely driver and car dependent. While I was doing an engine swap, I pulled the OE clutch out of my focus at 137k, looked brand new.

There's another matter that faces Forester XT owners and it goes like this. Your 2005 vehicle's engine was designed years earlier and as an N/A engine. The horsepower was maybe 1/2 of what you now have - maybe even less. The clutch might have been adequate for the engine as designed.

The years role by, the engine is developed, a turbo is added on, other improvements made. . . but the poor clutch stays the same. The Ford Focus clutch might actually be perfect for the Ford engine. The 2005 Subaru XT clutch is really not adequate for your vehicle. It's a cruel world.

---

Years ago, I owned a 1972 MGB-GT. The clutch was really marginal even back when the BMC 'B' engine was first introduced and it was unhampered by progress. By 1972, improvements in the engine meant you could go through a clutch. . . in a year! As delivered, the engine put out about 85hp. Even with my minor tinkering, I got it up to around 110hp. Add a trailer hitch and you measured clutch life in months.

What could possibly be worse? You had to pull the MG engine just to change the clutch.

 

[Amber Foresty]

Previous owner was a guy in his late 30s/early 40s. No real information about his driving habits... No trailer hitch.
I just had this idea in my head that symptoms may progressively get worse as the clutch nears the end of its use. So it could be normal to have lots of wear (to the point of recommending a replacement) without any slipping?

Appreciate the response. I just wanted to run this through others with more experience and make sure the scenario didnt sound to obscure.

Did anyone learn to drive on it? My already-not-amazing clutch began to have issues after I learned to drive in the Forester (I didn't really learn to "drive" it properly until I started driving on my own, and could practice without any pressure).

Also, why is a trailer hitch significant? Like are you just talking the trailer hitch on its own, or is it only an issue if you actually tow stuff? (I know, dumb question, haha... Sorry!)

 

[Goshi]

Did anyone learn to drive on it? My already-not-amazing clutch began to have issues after I learned to drive in the Forester (I didn't really learn to "drive" it properly until I started driving on my own, and could practice without any pressure).

Also, why is a trailer hitch significant? Like are you just talking the trailer hitch on its own, or is it only an issue if you actually tow stuff? (I know, dumb question, haha... Sorry!)

Id think that pulling something behind a manual would make it harder to start from a stop (requiring more slipping/clutching to pull from a stop). Because that's really the only moment (maybe not the only one, but at least the most important one) you're making the clutch slip and wear.

 

[sls2121]

got the car back, clutch and bearing replaced. Good advice to replace the clutch while the tranny was out,
Ill have to post a picture of the bearing. Its amazing how little nicks on two of the rollers can cause so much noise.