05 Impreza Wagon clutch shudder

[Stewart DIBBS]

I've had the '05 (100K km) for about 4 months. The dealer replaced the
clutch with a warrantied Subaru recon assembly, including flywheel grind
just before I bought the car. So ... when the engine is hot, and mostly
during start-stop traffic, the clutch often has mild to heavy shudder. I do
not ride the clutch. NEVER does it when cold, and also not when I took a
dealer mechanic for a drive. It had of course exhibited shudder on the way
to the dealer. Also had shudder a couple of days ago on the way home from
work when the it hit 31C here.

The dealer salesman (totally non technical type) has been unwilling to let
me drive another 05 (though they have 3) to compare operation and vehicle
feel, which just thrills me NO end. His attitude is "take it to the
technicians to diagnose" and "driving another one won't help". The
technicians are helpful, but cannot do anything until I can demonstrate the
problem.

I remain completely unconvinced that this shudder is a "Subaru quirk", and
in fact I suspect that the recon unit is faulty. Good thing it has a
warranty.

And so to my question...

Does anyone have issues with mild clutch shudder in 05 or 06 wagons?

Stewart DIBBS

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I've had the '05 (100K km) for about 4 months. The dealer replaced the
clutch with a warrantied Subaru recon assembly, including flywheel grind
just before I bought the car. So ... when the engine is hot, and mostly
during start-stop traffic, the clutch often has mild to heavy shudder. I do
not ride the clutch. NEVER does it when cold, and also not when I took a
dealer mechanic for a drive. It had of course exhibited shudder on the way
to the dealer. Also had shudder a couple of days ago on the way home from
work when the it hit 31C here.

The dealer salesman (totally non technical type) has been unwilling to let
me drive another 05 (though they have 3) to compare operation and vehicle
feel, which just thrills me NO end. His attitude is "take it to the
technicians to diagnose" and "driving another one won't help". The
technicians are helpful, but cannot do anything until I can demonstrate the
problem.

I remain completely unconvinced that this shudder is a "Subaru quirk", and
in fact I suspect that the recon unit is faulty. Good thing it has a
warranty.

And so to my question...

Does anyone have issues with mild clutch shudder in 05 or 06 wagons?

Stewart DIBBS

I do not in my 06.( I do frequently have some jerking at take-off,
caused mostly I think by my desire to not slip the clutch too much. I
CAN drive more smoothly, I just don't!) The was a problem with some
earlier models I think. They called it 'judder' so you might try a
search with that term.
I think you may be stuck until you can demonstrate the problem to a tech
and/or confirm it isn't just a break in or driver induced problem by
driving another car.

Carl

 

[Chico]

I've had the '05 (100K km) for about 4 months. The dealer replaced the
clutch with a warrantied Subaru recon assembly, including flywheel grind
just before I bought the car. So ... when the engine is hot, and mostly
during start-stop traffic, the clutch often has mild to heavy shudder. I do
not ride the clutch. NEVER does it when cold, and also not when I took a
dealer mechanic for a drive. It had of course exhibited shudder on the way
to the dealer.  Also had shudder a couple of days ago on the way home from
work when the it hit 31C here.

The dealer salesman (totally non technical type) has been unwilling to let
me drive another 05 (though they have 3) to compare operation and vehicle
feel, which just thrills me NO end. His attitude is "take it to the
technicians to diagnose" and "driving another one won't help". The
technicians are helpful, but cannot do anything until I can demonstrate the
problem.

I remain completely unconvinced that this shudder is a "Subaru quirk", and
in fact I suspect that the recon unit is faulty. Good thing it has a
warranty.

And so to my question...

Does anyone have issues with mild clutch shudder in 05 or 06 wagons?

Stewart DIBBS

I had it with my 03 at the beginning. But only when cold. Once
warmed up it was fine. Subaru replaced it at 40,000kms. I still get
some very mild shudder every now and then, but pretty rare. Your
problem sounds different. Your dealer sounds like a jerk too.

 

[Stewart DIBBS]

..The was a problem with some earlier models I think. They called it
'judder' so you might try a search with that term.

On the 00-02 Foresters according the the Subaru tech. Yes, judder is the
(British) term, shudder is also very common ('cause it sounds like
judder...)

SD

 

[kaboom]

I do not in my 06.( I do frequently have some jerking at take-off,
caused mostly I think by my desire to not slip the clutch too much. I
CAN drive more smoothly, I just don't!)

**Well, that's a bit reassuring. I had an O5, but didn't have any
clutch shudder problems as far as I know. I have an 08 now and, as
with the 05, I have some jerking at take-off for the same reasons as
you. With the 08, you really do have to spin up the engine a bit for a
smooth take-off I try to find the happy medium. I miss my 05 a ton!

Question: What is clutch shudder exactly?

kaboomie

 

[Stewart DIBBS]

Question: What is clutch shudder exactly?

Clutch shudder (or judder) is a moderate to severe vibration on take off
that causes the entire engine/transmissoin to jump about on its mounts. It
can occur if an engine mount is loose or broken (and can break mounts) , but
the main cause is the clutch driven plate and pressure plate surfaces are
not parallel. As the clutch is slipped to take off, the high points on the
surfaces grab.

Non parallel surfaces can occur when
- the driven plate is grossly overheated and warps.
- one or more of the driven plate springs is broken. You may hear some
"chattering" noise in this case.
- the pressure plate is warped, or warps with heat. This is what I suspect
is happening to my car.
- a new clutch was fitted and the flywheel surface was not ground or ground
incorrectly.

SD

 

[kaboom]

Clutch shudder (or judder) is a moderate to severe vibration on take off
that causes the entire engine/transmissoin to jump about on its mounts. It
can occur if an engine mount is loose or broken (and can break mounts) , but
the main cause is the clutch driven plate and pressure plate surfaces are
not parallel. As the clutch is slipped to take off, the high points on the
surfaces grab.

**Okay, now I'm visualizing clutch shudder better.

Non parallel surfaces can occur when
- the driven plate is grossly overheated and warps.
- one or more of the driven plate springs is broken. You may hear some
"chattering" noise in this case.
- the pressure plate is warped, or warps with heat. This is what I suspect
is happening to my car.
- a new clutch was fitted and the flywheel surface was not ground or ground
incorrectly.

**Excellent! Many thanks for your reply, Stewart.

kaboomie