Please help: is this a clutch problem ?

Dak Jones · 07-26-2009, 02:02 PM

Please help me, I have found one other thread that sounded like a similar issue. I bought my third wrx about 2 months ago. This one is my first STI. It's a 2004 with 26000 miles. The previous owner invested around 15k in mods. It was tuned by TopSpeed of Atlanta GA. On the dyno this car made 454 awhp and 457 awtq. I think my clutch may have gone bad or is going bad. My last 03 bug eye WRX had 126000 miles on it when I sold it and made about 300 hp at the crank. I drove the car very hard and never had a clutch issue. It was a little soft but still okay. When I purchased this car I did notice that the clutch felt soft but I thought it would be okay.

Okay now here is the problem. 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear pull just fine but just recently I have noticed that a 4th, 5th and 6th gear pull from 3500 to around 4800 rpm the car pulls but weaker than it should. Once I hit about 5k the revs just fly up to redline with no pull as if I engaged the clutch. I am very upset about this to the point that I am losing sleep. Someone please tell me what the issue is and what I need to do? I found another post that sounded the same but the guy said that when this happend to him he could smell clutch burning. I don't smell anything but I do know that this just started all of the sudden and at fist it was periodic but seems to be consistant now. I am under the miles for my powertrain warranty but with all the mods will I have a chance of getting it fixed under warranty work?

basco · 07-26-2009, 02:07 PM

It sounds like your clutch is shot...and with all the mods theres almost no shot it'll be covered under warranty

Dak Jones · 07-26-2009, 02:18 PM

Man that sucks. I need a 500hp capacity clutch. What should I get?

basco · 07-26-2009, 04:00 PM

The Exedy Organic clutch kit...or the ACT HD Street kit will be more than enough to suit your needs

Dak Jones · 07-26-2009, 06:17 PM

Are you sure. Do you know how much this will cost?

basco · 07-26-2009, 06:38 PM

the clutch should be about 550-600 depending on where you buy it...and I've always installed my own so idk how much labour will be

Dak Jones · 07-26-2009, 09:58 PM

How about the F1 stage 3 clutch and flywheel set. I found one on eBay for $535. It is rated for 570 hp. This is about my flywheel hp. Do you think this would be a good choice? I searched for the other but this includes the lighter flywheel. The install of the flywheel shouldn't change labor cost to much because they are in there already, do you think it will? if so I'll just get the clutch done

basco · 07-26-2009, 10:26 PM

well I've never heard of them I found this thread on NASIOC about them
F1 Racing flywheel - NASIOC
it seems like people are satisfied with the flywheels but the clutches wear out fast...and I got my Exedy Clutch and Gruppe-S lightweight Flywheel combo from GRUPPE-S for $650 and have been running the ball out of it for the past 20K miles and it still feels like the day I installed it...and no I can't see why a shop would charge additional labour to install a flywheel

Trigger · 07-27-2009, 01:45 AM

I had exactly the same problem 4 weeks ago, took it to subaru, they changed the clutch (for which maintenance wouldn't cover) and now its perfect again

Dak Jones · 07-27-2009, 09:05 PM

One more question basco, and by the way. Thank you so much for all your help. I am going to go ahead and do what I need to do. I am going to go the direction that you sugested but I need some feedback as to what the difference between these two ACT clutch kits.

This first one is the (ACT F1 STREET CLUTCH KIT 04-07 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI) this one is the cheaper of the two @ $500 but the description says Torque Capacity: 515 ft/lbs. It does not specify if this is at the wheels or flywheel. My car is making aprox 570 at the flywheel so this may not work. On the other hand if this capacity is based on wheel TQ than this one will do fine.

The next one is the (ACT F1 RACING 6 PUCK CLUTCH SET 04-08 IMPREZA WRX STI) What does 6 puck mean? This one is only $20 more and says Torque Capacity: 659 ft/lbs / Clamp Load Increase: 40%

This one has a much higher TQ capacity but as a daily driver I want the best comfort and reliability.

Help please

Thanks

03 CrazyTaxi · 07-27-2009, 10:05 PM

The 6 puck has a harsher engagement and really sucks in stop and go traffic. On the track, it's absolutely perfect though. On the drag strip, I could launch so hard that I couldn't breathe and went cross eyed for about 1/2 a second. The organic is going to be better for daily driving but won't hold up to abuse at the track like the 6 puck will.

If you are wanting to save some money and have some mechanical ability, here's the write up I did on how to replace your own clutch with the help of a friend.
Replacing your clutch

mosc · 07-27-2009, 11:11 PM

I went with the Exedy stage 1. Works well. I'm not making your power levels though. I'd go Exedy stage 2 in your setup if it's a daily driver or stage 3 if you use it more for the track (the stage 3 is very stiff and your foot won't like you for driving around town every day on it).

http://www.exedyusa.com/race/15951

Dak Jones · 07-28-2009, 07:42 AM

Thanks for all the feedback. I know that I can't but I would like to have the best of both worlds. My car is driven hard and I do plan to go to the local track at some point. *EDIT*

I my other subies I would fequently launch from 5K. They werent 570 HP, I have not had the confidence to do so in this car yet and it's a good thing because I sure the clutch would be completly gone if I had done so. I want to be able to launch the car hard with confidence. With my power levels and a stage 2 clutch can I have a daily drive and a weekend race car? If not I will sacrifice comfort and go with the stage 3, 6 puck ACT kit.

Stage 2 is rated around 515 TQ capacity but it does not specify wheel TQ or crank TQ. How stiff is the stage 3, 6 puck? Am I going to regret it? But will a stage 2 break after a few hard launches?

mosc · 07-28-2009, 09:24 AM

Look, I drove a stage 3 clutch for about .5 miles. It was really ####ing annoying. I couldn't drive a car like that every day. To me, it's a no brainer. Unless it's a trailer queen, a stage 3 clutch is too much.

VisiX · 07-28-2009, 10:11 AM

Please try not to street race in populated areas, you don't want to hurt someone.

This may help: Clutch Buying Guide

Exedy includes a lot of information in their catalog including WTQ ratings. Check out pages 36 and 54 for the information you are looking for (exedy stage2 pt#15951 rated 364WTQ). I'm sure that number is very conservative.

Hope this helps.