Bad Clutch, Bad Synchros, or Bad Tranny

MasterOfNone_ · 01-01-2021, 08:19 PM

2012 Subaru WRX Stage 2+
Torque Performance Stage 2 tune
119k miles

Hi i'm not too sure what is causing the issue, but this is what's going on.
20k miles ago I had a gasket blow and while the engine was out I put in a new Stage 1 Exedy clutch and a new oem flywheel. Car shifted great, but for some odd reason my clutch pedal started to get stuck halfway up. This started happening about ~200 miles after the new clutch. I ignored it since it didn't seem to have any effecton the car. The clutch was not engaged when clutch pedal it would get stuck and I could just use my foot to bring the pedal back up. About 10k miles later my transmission started to feel real notchy and shifting at high rpms became a bit hard. I couldn't shift "fast" anymore. I did a tranny and diff. fluid change using motul 300 gear oil. After the tranny fluid change it felt really good and I was able to shift fast at high rpms again.

Fast forward to 5k miles after the fluid change I went stage 1. Now, I always read to never launch these cars and I said I would never do such thing. However, I'm young and dumb. I set up launch control on my accessport and launched. I did 4 launches. After the 4th launch the car did not want to go into gear any more. It felt as if there was a wall in all gears. After a couple of tries I got into first and went home. On the way home it was very difficult to change gears. With the car off it went into all gears smoothly. The next day I was able to get into all gears but it still felt really notchy and hard to shift. No grinding issues. Just felt like there was a wall in between gears. And at high rpms I'm not able to shift "fast" anymore. It feels difficult to get into the next gear when im up in the higher rpms.
Sometimes I can't even get into first or reverse.

I decided to try another fluid change with subaru S line gear oil and changed my shifter bushings. It felt a bit better, but the issue is still there at high rpms and sometimes i cant get into first or reverse.

I believe my problem may be my clutch. I read about bad pressure plate symptoms and the clutch not disengaging properly anymore. I dont believe its my synchros since I dont have any grinding issues. The problem is getting worse because even shifting past 4500 rpms is starting to get a bit difficult.

So before I order another clutch I'd like to get other people opinions on what the issue could be.

TLDR; Launched my car and couldn't go into any gear after. I believe I may have killed my clutch. No grinding issues. Its hard to get into gear at mid and high rpms.

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MasterOfNone_ · 01-01-2021, 08:56 PM

I would like to add that my clutch pedal feels extremely soft half way down. It feels almost loose. you cant feel the clutch until half way down and thats usually where it get stuck.
now im starting to believe that it may be my slave cylinder that is going bad

viper_crazy · 01-01-2021, 09:46 PM

Probably the clutch fork. OEM clutch fork is fine for the stock clutch (even then they have been known to break), but since you upgraded the pressure plate, there's more spring force pushing back on the fork.

From what you describe, it sounds like a broken clutch fork. Verus has one for Subaru 5 speeds. They have a compatibility section and 08-14 WRX is listed. I have it installed on my 2008 WRX.

https://www.verus-engineering.com/sh...08?category=24

MasterOfNone_ · 01-02-2021, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viper_crazy

Probably the clutch fork. OEM clutch fork is fine for the stock clutch (even then they have been known to break), but since you upgraded the pressure plate, there's more spring force pushing back on the fork.

From what you describe, it sounds like a broken clutch fork. Verus has one for Subaru 5 speeds. They have a compatibility section and 08-14 WRX is listed. I have it installed on my 2008 WRX.

https://www.verus-engineering.com/sh...08?category=24

I'll get that checked out

MasterOfNone_ · 01-03-2021, 01:22 PM

For anyone else having this issue, my mechanic adjusted my clutch engagement and now its working perfectly. Shifts are as smooth as butter. Not sure if its a temporary fix or if something moved when I launched and needed adjustment. But its working again.

01-01-2021, 08:19 PM	#1
MasterOfNone_ Scooby Newbie Member#: 514824 Join Date: May 2020 Location: Palmdale, CA Vehicle: 2012 WRX Black	Bad Clutch, Bad Synchros, or Bad Tranny 2012 Subaru WRX Stage 2+ Torque Performance Stage 2 tune 119k miles Hi i'm not too sure what is causing the issue, but this is what's going on. 20k miles ago I had a gasket blow and while the engine was out I put in a new Stage 1 Exedy clutch and a new oem flywheel. Car shifted great, but for some odd reason my clutch pedal started to get stuck halfway up. This started happening about ~200 miles after the new clutch. I ignored it since it didn't seem to have any effecton the car. The clutch was not engaged when clutch pedal it would get stuck and I could just use my foot to bring the pedal back up. About 10k miles later my transmission started to feel real notchy and shifting at high rpms became a bit hard. I couldn't shift "fast" anymore. I did a tranny and diff. fluid change using motul 300 gear oil. After the tranny fluid change it felt really good and I was able to shift fast at high rpms again. Fast forward to 5k miles after the fluid change I went stage 1. Now, I always read to never launch these cars and I said I would never do such thing. However, I'm young and dumb. I set up launch control on my accessport and launched. I did 4 launches. After the 4th launch the car did not want to go into gear any more. It felt as if there was a wall in all gears. After a couple of tries I got into first and went home. On the way home it was very difficult to change gears. With the car off it went into all gears smoothly. The next day I was able to get into all gears but it still felt really notchy and hard to shift. No grinding issues. Just felt like there was a wall in between gears. And at high rpms I'm not able to shift "fast" anymore. It feels difficult to get into the next gear when im up in the higher rpms. Sometimes I can't even get into first or reverse. I decided to try another fluid change with subaru S line gear oil and changed my shifter bushings. It felt a bit better, but the issue is still there at high rpms and sometimes i cant get into first or reverse. I believe my problem may be my clutch. I read about bad pressure plate symptoms and the clutch not disengaging properly anymore. I dont believe its my synchros since I dont have any grinding issues. The problem is getting worse because even shifting past 4500 rpms is starting to get a bit difficult. So before I order another clutch I'd like to get other people opinions on what the issue could be. TLDR; Launched my car and couldn't go into any gear after. I believe I may have killed my clutch. No grinding issues. Its hard to get into gear at mid and high rpms. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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01-01-2021, 08:56 PM	#2
MasterOfNone_ Scooby Newbie Member#: 514824 Join Date: May 2020 Location: Palmdale, CA Vehicle: 2012 WRX Black	I would like to add that my clutch pedal feels extremely soft half way down. It feels almost loose. you cant feel the clutch until half way down and thats usually where it get stuck. now im starting to believe that it may be my slave cylinder that is going bad

01-01-2021, 09:46 PM	#3
viper_crazy Scooby Specialist Member#: 298403 Join Date: Oct 2011 Chapter/Region: W. Canada Vehicle: 2008 WRX Premium Spark Silver	Probably the clutch fork. OEM clutch fork is fine for the stock clutch (even then they have been known to break), but since you upgraded the pressure plate, there's more spring force pushing back on the fork. From what you describe, it sounds like a broken clutch fork. Verus has one for Subaru 5 speeds. They have a compatibility section and 08-14 WRX is listed. I have it installed on my 2008 WRX. https://www.verus-engineering.com/sh...08?category=24

01-03-2021, 01:22 PM	#5
MasterOfNone_ Scooby Newbie Member#: 514824 Join Date: May 2020 Location: Palmdale, CA Vehicle: 2012 WRX Black	For anyone else having this issue, my mechanic adjusted my clutch engagement and now its working perfectly. Shifts are as smooth as butter. Not sure if its a temporary fix or if something moved when I launched and needed adjustment. But its working again.