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Clunky shifting

4965 Views 14 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  burglebox
I had a rear differential changed recently, and since that my shifting seems to be more harsh than before. I have to be really careful with the clutch and gas, or else I'd get a back and forth clunk between shifts, this is more apparent in lower gears.

Also, when I'm in a stand still and get the car going in first gear, I get a stutter shortly after the gear starts to engage and disappears in about 1/2 second. It only happens in the middle of the shift, this is in 1st and 2nd gear.

At first I thought it was my clutch slipping, but now I think it's coming from the middle about where the driver's seat is.

What do you think my problem could be?
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im having a similar issue. when the clutch lets out there is movement that makes it not smooth to shift. like you can feel it release at one spot before the pedal comes all the way up. im thinking it is the soft motor mounts .so im gonna try the groupn motor mounts since i already have the group n tranny mount.

from a spirited 1st to 2nd gear change the whole driveline seems to lunge forward and bog before ramping back up. hopefully the mounts will help
i have the same problem with my 00 forester. its kind of annoying
I'm thinking of getting some group n tranny, engine mounts, and pitch mount. But I'm not sure if that'll fix the problem.

Does anybody know what a loose propeller shaft feels like?
start with the tranny mount, it helped some. it was noticeable.
Start by figuring out why it is clunking now and wasn't before.

Are all of the bolts holding the rear diff to the crossmember in place and tight? Are the transmission crossmember bolts tight?

It's foolish to start throwing new parts (which, by the way, will increase NVH) at a problem you don't know the cause of.
It's always been like that, either I'm more aware of it now, or it's getting worse.

I took it to a shop today, the mechanic thinks I have a non-OEM clutch, because he said the clutch is a lot heavier, and it engages a lot more aggressive than an OEM one. He owns an 09 Forester X himself.

He also thinks the transmission and clutch is fine, besides a possibly burned pressure plate...
What year is yours? I've driven, literally, tons of Subarus. Clutch feel between a push/pull is noticeable, though not unless you know what you are feeling. Every clutch is going to feel slightly different on the uptake than every other one, and even OEM replacements might feel different than the one they replaced.

Why would he suspect a burned pressure plate? That's not something you can "feel" or diagnose other than visually... which means dropping the transmission and pulling the clutch off. What does he mean "burned"? They discolor almost instantly, but to actually get BURN marks requires quite a bit of tomfoolery, and is almost impossible to do under anything even remotely resembling normal driving. I would question his motives and integrity if he is throwing around something like "burned pressure plate" as a problem.

You say you have always had the problem. So it started when you first got the car? Are there any mods to it? Did you buy the car new? How many miles? Have you replaced the clutch? Have you visually inspected the mounts?

I'd try and locate the problem. Was a "burned pressure plate" the only diagnosis the mechanic had for the issue?
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04 XT, purchased at around 35K miles, now at 50K. Previous owner said he had a VF39 put in and took out for the sale, he said he auto-xed the car a few times.

The mechanic said he wouldn't worry about anything and didn't even offer to do any work on the car. The test drive was free also.

He suspected it because of the hesitation/stutter on take off in 1st and 2nd gear. I also mentioned to him that one time I had clutch half in and gas half in for a few seconds, and it caused a burning smell. He thinks that I burned something in the clutch then.

The clutch is a lot heavier than any other cars I've driven. VW, MB, Toyota, just a few examples. I always thought it's in the pedal adjustment and never bothered, because I like the heavier feel.

I haven't inspected the mounts, it's been raining here the last week. But I'll do that when I get a chance.
I've noticed Subarus to have heavier clutches than almost every car I've driven. Everything from Volkswagens to Corvettes. The clutch in my 98 was heavier than a friends C6 Z06.

You may just be worrying too much. It is possible that the clutch needs replacing if those first 35k weren't friendly. I'd check all bushings and mounts before spending money replacing stuff. That money might be better kept in an account gaining interest until the clutch needs to be replaced.
Good point. I'll check the bushings first. Thanks.
Are you sure the new rear diff is the correct gear ratio? I'd probably not go to that mechanic anymore...

Also what mods are still on the car and is it tuned correctly for them?
Hmm the dealership replaced the rear diff, I'm hoping that they got the right part? How should I check, is there markings on the rear diff somewhere?

No other mods right now except for an axleback and rear swaybar and endlniks. Oh and struts and springs.
im having a similar issue. when the clutch lets out there is movement that makes it not smooth to shift. like you can feel it release at one spot before the pedal comes all the way up. im thinking it is the soft motor mounts .so im gonna try the groupn motor mounts since i already have the group n tranny mount.

from a spirited 1st to 2nd gear change the whole driveline seems to lunge forward and bog before ramping back up. hopefully the mounts will help
I'm having the same problem almost exactly. With the clutch fully depressed in first gear, I can release the pedal about half way without the clutch grabbing anything; I literally apply no gas and the RPMs do nothing. It's like the pedal effects nothing.

Suddenly, just as I hit the half-way point, the clutch grabs fast, and If I'm not applying juuuuuust the right RPMs, the whole car lurches and bogs (kind of like your very first time driving a manual... ah memories).

But this isn't my first time. I've been driving manuals for the last 11 years, tons of them. 98 Saturn, 00 Neon, 02 F150, 04 Corvette, 88 Jeep, 04 VIPER, that's right, VIPER, and NONE of them had this problem. Enter the Foz and I'm nervous at every red light; I've never worked so hard to drive a car before!!!

I took her to a [very trusted] mechanic (bye bye 800 bucks that day) and had them take a good loooong look at the clutch while they were performing other maintenance. They said everything looks great, adjusted my pedal and bled the cylinder, but I have seen no marked improvement.

Double-you Tee Eff???
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