i've posted many topics for help in the past but this one takes the cake.....driving home from a store and i started hearing nasty noises coming from the rear differential and the frnt part of the tranny. pulled in my garage to try to pin point where the noise was coming from...no luck.....decided to run around the block to listen for the noise again....pull out of the complex...put the car in 2nd and KABOWWW. it felt like a bucket full of parts spilt on the street. towed the 98(flat bed) tothe dealer w/26k on the odomtr. the service guy can't say whether it will be covered on warrenty b/c i have installed a ACT clutch!!!!!!!!!
he stated that this clutch grabbed too much causing the trans to fail. i believe this is complete crap....if i was running ss/turbo this might be the case....but blaming the failure of the tranny to a strong clutch boggles my mind!
what i do know that subaru changed the trans-linkage fr 98 b/c of weakness problems--99's have a stronger design and more bolts connecting the tranny to the engine. can i use this to my advantage??????
also the service guy also stated that all over the u.s. rs owners have experienced problems w/ ACT clutches saying that the tranny can't handle the extra torque put forth from the clutch....whatever. i have yet to see anyone post problems with their ACT's as of now(many of ACT owners aren't even N/A!!!!!!)
what would you do?
i need some fresh ideas going in to the dealership when i argue my side of the story.
ANYBODY???????

ANYBODY?????

I think you're hosed. Magnusson-Ross ain't gonna help here, it's up to you to build a case that the clutch didn't contribute to the failure of the tranny. Your odds are not good.

I agree, there isn't much you can do. No matter what you say or do, you still put the clutch in and it was more grabby and it did transfer more torque where the stock clutch was designed to slip. *shrug* I hope you can get it resolved but I don't see it happening, myself...

Not a good situation http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/frown.gif

Don't they have to actually *prove* that the clutch is the culprit?? Otherwise, they can blame any performance parts like a turbo from craking the front windshield under acceleration or a broken MAF because of vibrations from harsher tires. That makes no sense, there is no proof that the ACT actually destroys trannies.

In my humble opinion, I know that a stronger clutch on an AWD drivetrain makes it harder on the tranny but hey, I am putting things in another perspective. Car makers need to take security margins when building machanical parts. A stronger clutch on a NA car should fall into that margin. I am sure other dealerships would be pleased to fix your problem.

Which ACT setup did you go for?

JF

They do have to prove that the aftermarket part caused the problem, but it may be hard to argue that a stronger clutch didn't cause the tranny problem. I don't think that it did and I would certainly argue with them (I have the ACT clutch by the way), but you are directly downstream of the modification.

If they claimed that the clutch caused a problem with the sunroof, that would be a different story. I would definately try another dealership.

I did a quick search just to see how many people have the ACT clutch and compared it to how many problems were reported with the ACT clutch. There are definitely more people that have them installed than have reported problems.

Steve, you should ask the service guy to give you specifics on who had problems, year model of the car, conditions of the problems, etc. Gather all the information you can about this. I don't think running a street performance clutch would have been enough to cause a major failure. There are several factors that unfortunately may work against you. First, the fact that you autocross the car. I know this isn't like major drag racing or road racing. That doesn't matter to a dealer. As soon as you say "race", they get a mental image of what the car is going through and close their ears to your pleas. Granted, there are exceptions to this rule. But, the majority of dealers are not so forgiving. Second, do you do any drag racing? If the '98s do have a weak nose cone, linkage, or whatever, this in combination with the clutch might have aggravated the situation.

I sure hope that you can resolve the situation soon. I don't know what I'll do without you there to beat me in STC!! http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/tongue.gif
Come on out this Sunday, even with the rental. It should be decent weather. Good luck buddy. Let me know if I can help out with anything (like installing a new tranny http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/wink.gif ).

Adam

if your car is na.. how much more force can the ACT clutch put on your tranny?! i have the ACT clutch ready to put in my 98.... hm... ya got me worried now. Did you beat on it? drive it really hard? hard launches? chirp gears?

They can't deny warranty coverage because you didn't use a "genuine" Subaru part! Just make sure you refer to the ACT clutch as a "replacement clutch", not a "performance clutch". Plus the people above are correct, Subaru must prove that the clutch caused the failure. If you want more info about warranty issues concerning mods check out SEMA (http://www.sema.org) , and definitly try another dealer!

http correction http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Opie (edited May 02, 2000).]

i have an update

Hey Steve!! Thanks for calling with the update. But, don't leave everyone hanging!! Fill everyone in on your good luck, you dog! http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/wink.gif

Adam

after 43 days and some availability problems it turns out that i am getting a brand new tranny covered by warranty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the only bad thing is, besides waiting 43 days is tht the tranny is coming from PERU.
i have missed two scca races where i was tied for 1st place b4 my car broke. will have alot of catching up todo.
westside subaru in houston has been great.
they are going to put STI mounts in the car......no charge!
see all you scoobies at the scca race at the blimp base 6/4. steven

Westside Subaru? You mean West Houston Subaru? Was that your Silverthorn(?) RS 2.5 with the demolished second gear, yellow tint, and yellow "SUBARU" across the top of the windshield? I was talking to Bruce (service manager) and he told me that car had a NOS kit in it.

And yes, West Houston does rule...they're fixing problems I had with my transmission as well. As far as the clutch being too grippy, after 6 months of regular (non abusive) use, the Clutchmasters Stage-4 (puck-type) killed quite a bit of the tranny...it was still good enough for me to take it in.

I'm going to be assisting them with some computer installs and helping them get "in the know" in performance parts.

If Bruce showed you the Turbo Outback Sport they had there...it's mine. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/wink.gif
-Geoff

How did you manage to get them to give you STi mounts?

He probably bought them and had them do it afterwards...I was thinking about doing the same thing, but the last thing I want to do is add more stress to the tranny. I'll do the Anti-Lift kit, but I don't want a bone jarring ride...hence, no mounts...but yes, they'll do the install...they're great over there.

RidinLow & SabreLion, according to Steve he bought the mounts from Teagues. He was talking with the mechanics about the tranny when it came up. They thought they could repair the internals but after a closer look they decided to junk the whole transmission and order him a new one. He's getting pretty lucky considering they are replacing it under warranty!

Steve's car is a green '98 with gold/amber tint and a yellow Subaru banner.

Adam

Yeah, that was his car I saw then. They're doing the same thing for me...I had my car in a few weeks before his RS came in...been waiting ever since. Car should be done by next week, hopefully...it'll be good to have 'er back. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smile.gif