Hi, My clutch has just started slipping... Just in time for the camping season typical. I've a couple of questions. i) Is it possible for a man with mediocre mechanical skills 4 axle stands and a reasonable tool kit to undertake the replacement on the drive? If so will I need any specialist tools and any idea's where I could get the procedure from ii) Can anyone recommend a good independent (no way can i afford main dealer prices) subaru garage in the UK pref in the midlands.
Any and all of your thoughts on clutch replacement gratefully accepted.
David If you pop into uklegacy.com I'm sure you'll get an answer to all your questions; I believe there's a downloadable manual that covers your car's year on the site too. Hope to see you there! Martin
Hi Steve, Thanks for replying. This sounds very interesting. Unfortunately I've not been able to decipher your email address. Could you post it again or drop me a line.
Technically not terribly difficult, but parts are heavy. Coin-toss which is easier; pulling engine or pulling tranny to access. Probably easier to remove engine if working at home; tranny removal/install will require a special support/jack (especially to get it back in place)(unless you're really strong ;-). Also, performing the necessary work lying on your back under the car isn't much fun. Altho it looks like a lot, removal of the Soobie engine is pretty straight-forward. Drain coolant, remove intake plastic, battery, radiator, and hood. Drop Y pipe (no need to remove), undo motor mounts and bell-housing hardware. Disconnect engine snubber, misc plumbing and engine electricals. Dismount and set PS pump to one side, AC compressor to other; sufficient slack in hoses to allow this w/o problems. Connect chain between provided lifting point at rear, and AC compressor bracket, and lift engine until the motor mounts clear the cross member. Support the tranny with floor jack, or chunk of 2X4 between tranny and cross member, and separate engine from bell housing. This sometimes requires a bit of careful pry bar action around the locating pins. Lift engine free of car (A shop crane is best, but any overhead lifting point can be made to work), service clutch components (might also be a good time to put in a fresh rear seal), and reinstall. Helps to have someone turn the tranny input shaft (block one wheel, turn the other, with tranny in gear) to align splines on input shaft to friction plate while you muscle the engine into position. When things align correctly, engine/bell-housing should mate at least as far as the locating pins (no more than ~1/4in gap all around) with little effort. Bell-housing hardware will pull it the rest of the way as you tighten them.
FWIW, my teenaged daughter put a fresh motor in her '92 Legacy while she was home from school last summer. Dad helped, of course, but mostly hung back, swilled beer, and pointed. Disparaging comments about frail females got her past nearly all of the stubborn fasteners, and a 3/8 air impact got the rest of 'em. Took her most of a weekend. She commented that it was _way_ easier than the clutch job on her first car; an old MR2.
Betcha. Builds character, too.
Hope this is helpful.
ByeBye! S.
Steve Jernigan KG0MB Laboratory Manager Microelectronics Research University of Colorado (719) 262-3101
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