Welcome to the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club Friday March 29, 2024
Home Forums Images WikiNASIOC Products Store Modifications Upgrade Garage
NASIOC
Go Back   NASIOC > NASIOC Technical > Transmission (AT/MT) & Driveline

Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!
Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.







* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads. 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-08-2003, 03:21 AM   #1
BigKuma
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 13060
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Longmont, CO, USA
Vehicle:
2000 Impreza 2.5 RSt
Silver

Lightbulb Sticky clutch pedal fix $3

NOTE: Read the 2012 post. You can have a $0 fix, by removing the Subaru assist spring.

----------- Bellow is left for reference or people who have weak calves ------------------

Lots of wasted time to fix the sticky clutch pedal problem,
but I got it!
Skip down to the pictures if you just want to see the fix.

Otherwise, there is my sad story:

On my MY00 2.5RS, I had an ACT clutch from a previous owner. It finally start slipping. I had "Clutch Specialties" http://www.clutchspecialties.com/ put rebuild my ACT pressure plate using a stock contact metal surface ($100). They also hooked me up with an extra tough clutch disk ($150).

I got an Excedy Flywheel and installed all the stuff in my garage over a course of a month (I am very slow).

I was very disappointed when I found that the clutch pedal sticks to the floor. It did not do that before !

I found the possible problems from numerous forum posts:
1) Bleed the clutch
2) Adjust the screw on the pedal
3) Sticky pedal mechanism
4) Bad slave cylinder
5) Bad master cylinder
6) Bad hose connecting the two
7) Bad pressure plate (that is what the dealership mechanic said)
8) Snout is worned out.

1-6 did not require taking car apart.
1) Bled the clutch a few times. Even put in fancy synth break fluid. Result: no change.

2) The metal braket was all the way up, I screwed it down
to the middle. That transfered the sticky point into the middle
of the pedal travel. Reslut : Drivable, but very annoying.

3) Sprayed lots of white Li grease on the springs and the
mechanical components around the pedal and the master cyl.
Results: greasy footwell, same clutch feel.

4) Changed the slave cylinder to CNC one from
http://www.pitstopusa.com/CNCSLAVECYLINDERS.asp
I'll make another thread about that.
Result: Easier to press the clutch, but still sticky either on the floor or close to the floor. Worst then before. But, the stickiness comes in when the engine warms up. So, you think you had it working, but ...
http://www.pdmturbos.com/ has a slave cyl for $129,
this one was $50 + $13 for adjustable rod (see the future thread)

5) Could not find a horizontal mounting holes aftermarket one,
ordered the stock one, not yet here.

6) Got a metal hose from the same place as slave cyl. Part of 4)

7) Don't have $300 for a new pressure plate, as I spent some money on the cylinders. Todo.

8) $129 for a metal ring from http://www.pdmturbos.com/ ?
Why do they hate us so much ?
But I will get it when I get the new pressure plate.

----------------------- $3 fix -----------------------
Go to autostore (Autozone), get a Pedal Return Spring. I found
"Help!" brand, part #29003 (or #29002). It is a 3 - 4 in coil, with a hook on one side and a straight long metal rod/wire on the other. You have to make your own hook on the straight side (don't loose and use the little plastic pin cover). $2.99.

Cool thing: there are already holes for a spring on the pedal and under the dash ! Simply cut the straight side and make a hook that suits your additional return pedal pressure needs. Start with a length that will just hold the spring in place when you hook it between the pedal and the dash.


This is the overall view:

Red arrow marks the spot where you might have to improv some noise reduction device (Ducttape ?). It is pretty quite though.

Connection to the pedal:


Connection to under the dash:


Result: it works surprisingly well. Since the new clutch cylinder makes it easier to press the pedal, the spring does not make pressing the clutch a workout, it's actually a negligible addition to the down force. On the return trip, the pedal feels much better, no noticeable sticking (but since I know where it should stick I can feel a small slow down in return speed).


Eventually, when it will be time to change the clutch again, I will definitely get a new pressure plate and that snout thing (hope it drops in price).
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

Last edited by BigKuma; 05-08-2012 at 02:28 AM.
BigKuma is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.
Old 08-08-2003, 07:11 AM   #2
tmeh
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 30800
Join Date: Dec 2002
Chapter/Region: E. Canada
Location: Ontario
Vehicle:
2000 .7 RS

Default

wow. thats pretty interesting. i just had my clutch replaced and it took out the small stick zone, but props for finding this band-aid! i'd make sure you won't repeatedly pinch wires with that spring, might cause elec issues.
tmeh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2003, 12:41 PM   #3
BigKuma
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 13060
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Longmont, CO, USA
Vehicle:
2000 Impreza 2.5 RSt
Silver

Default Sleve

I think I am going to try one of those plastic electrical wire protective sleeves around the entire spring length. I just need to find a smooth one, not the ribbed kind. That would also take care of the rubbing point in Pic 1.
BigKuma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-28-2007, 01:31 PM   #4
gnliskey
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 143573
Join Date: Mar 2007
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: Virginia
Vehicle:
2002 WRX
Silver

Default Great Idea!!

This is a great idea. I had been using an elastic cord to accomplish the same thing but it rots over a year, this would be a permanent fix.
gnliskey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-23-2012, 06:03 PM   #5
BigKuma
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 13060
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Longmont, CO, USA
Vehicle:
2000 Impreza 2.5 RSt
Silver

Default $0 fix to sticky clutch pedal

I swapped in a transmission from JDM v8 STI. New Clutchnet clutch kit. New superlite flywheel. New SS line (from the old master). I was looking forward to not needing my extra spring. Well, I was wrong, $5K+ in mods doesn't solve this problem.

So, just as I did 9year ago, I contorted myself under the dash for 2h playing with the length of the master->pedal linkage. Nothing: If you shorten the linkage, the clutch doesn't fully engage. If you make it longer, the clutch sticks to the floor.

So, it's 1:30am, I decide to look at this from a different angle. What is pushing the pedal into the floor ? Some sort of assist spring. That late, it seems like a good idea to remove it. In the back of my mind I had two doubts: 1) Why would the Subaru designers put that in if it is not needed? 2) Is that 1"+ wide assist spring going to shoot me in the eye ?

I told my inner voice to shut up, took out the crow bar and start prying at the pin holding the top of the assist spring to the pedal. (First I pulled off the retainer washer with pliers). 15min of wiggling the pedal and applying pressure to the pin, I had the pin out. Pedal mysteriously was still attached to the assist spring. I pried some more and it came apart. Now, the pedal was loose when not connected to the clutch master. I removed the assist spring and the piece that connected to the pedal. Piece connected to the floor I left there.

I made the master link longest, connected it to the pedal and went on a test drive.
It's near perfect. About 1" travel is required to disengage the clutch. It comes back smoothly as expected. Slipping from 1st is simple. The only drawback is the full range push required to start the car (clutch switch): that requires some level of strength. Overall, you get a pure race car feel (I am guessing).

Next, I will try to adjust the clutch switch.

Thinking back to my old helper spring fix, I now realize that it was simply counteracting the assist. What I don't understand is why the assist spring was stronger then the clutch plate at the bottom of the travel (And that is in two different setups).
BigKuma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2012, 07:22 PM   #6
hayesm2m
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 318253
Join Date: Apr 2012
Chapter/Region: Tri-State
Location: PA
Vehicle:
2002 WRX
Black

Default Pictures

Do you still have pictures of your $3 fix. We are having issues now with it not going into gear when the car is running. The clutch is farily new so we are going to replace the clutch master & slave cylinder and will do this also
hayesm2m is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2017, 06:05 AM   #7
Ools
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 177894
Join Date: Apr 2008
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: San Diego
Vehicle:
99 2.5 RS
silver

Default

URmaiHIRo!
Ools is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-18-2018, 09:10 PM   #8
jdmwrx93
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 286036
Join Date: Jun 2011
Chapter/Region: NWIC
Location: Portland!!
Vehicle:
93 impreza wagon
satin black

Default

Good sir I think you've found my issue
jdmwrx93 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-19-2019, 01:31 PM   #9
04jbpwrxkc
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 477067
Join Date: Nov 2017
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Kansas City MO
Vehicle:
2004 wrx
Java Black Pearl

Default

So I believe I may have this same issue but with my car the clutch pedal sticks to the floor at full acceleration only and then continues to stick into the next gear. The clutch engages and disengages fine but this is causing my BOV to stay open due to the clutch pedal being nearly full depressed and I'm therefore not able to make more then 5 psi of boost at full throttle. I have replaced the clutch master and clutch slave and this seemed to improve the issue for a few weeks but not fix it. I also no longer have the assist spring but that would most likely make this issue worse in my case.
04jbpwrxkc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2019, 03:02 PM   #10
ctimpreza96
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 506661
Join Date: Sep 2019
Default

Great idea. I had a similar issue with the gas pedal and will have to see if it was a spring issue. When in neutral it would self rev if I was running it hard and then come to a stop. I have not had the issue for over a year now, but it would hover between 2 and 3k and then drop to idle.
ctimpreza96 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-16-2019, 12:14 PM   #11
mrxwormxsayz
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 462844
Join Date: Feb 2017
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigKuma View Post
I swapped in a transmission from JDM v8 STI. New Clutchnet clutch kit. New superlite flywheel. New SS line (from the old master). I was looking forward to not needing my extra spring. Well, I was wrong, $5K+ in mods doesn't solve this problem.

So, just as I did 9year ago, I contorted myself under the dash for 2h playing with the length of the master->pedal linkage. Nothing: If you shorten the linkage, the clutch doesn't fully engage. If you make it longer, the clutch sticks to the floor.

So, it's 1:30am, I decide to look at this from a different angle. What is pushing the pedal into the floor ? Some sort of assist spring. That late, it seems like a good idea to remove it. In the back of my mind I had two doubts: 1) Why would the Subaru designers put that in if it is not needed? 2) Is that 1"+ wide assist spring going to shoot me in the eye ?

I told my inner voice to shut up, took out the crow bar and start prying at the pin holding the top of the assist spring to the pedal. (First I pulled off the retainer washer with pliers). 15min of wiggling the pedal and applying pressure to the pin, I had the pin out. Pedal mysteriously was still attached to the assist spring. I pried some more and it came apart. Now, the pedal was loose when not connected to the clutch master. I removed the assist spring and the piece that connected to the pedal. Piece connected to the floor I left there.

I made the master link longest, connected it to the pedal and went on a test drive.
It's near perfect. About 1" travel is required to disengage the clutch. It comes back smoothly as expected. Slipping from 1st is simple. The only drawback is the full range push required to start the car (clutch switch): that requires some level of strength. Overall, you get a pure race car feel (I am guessing).

Next, I will try to adjust the clutch switch.

Thinking back to my old helper spring fix, I now realize that it was simply counteracting the assist. What I don't understand is why the assist spring was stronger then the clutch plate at the bottom of the travel (And that is in two different setups).
Bumping up an old thread. I have the exact same issue but I'm not sure what spring OP is referring to here. Anyone have a picture? I'd like to attempt this fix this weekend.

The spring fix helped and it sticks less but I still feel the slowdown there.
mrxwormxsayz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-28-2020, 03:28 AM   #12
Ools
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 177894
Join Date: Apr 2008
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: San Diego
Vehicle:
99 2.5 RS
silver

Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by mrxwormxsayz View Post
Bumping up an old thread. I have the exact same issue but I'm not sure what spring OP is referring to here. Anyone have a picture? I'd like to attempt this fix this weekend.

The spring fix helped and it sticks less but I still feel the slowdown there.
Often an after-market clutch can damage the snout of the transmission, causing a hang-up in the return actuation of the throw-out bearing.


Usually this happens when the high pressure clutch pp causes the fork to crack and bend.


Have someone actuate the clutch pedal and get some eyes in the bell-housing area. Inspect the slave cylinder, the fork, and the snout if you can see that deep.
Ools is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
sticky clutch pedal 99Lcoupe Transmission (AT/MT) & Driveline 3 12-28-2004 03:09 PM
Cold weather=Sticky Clutch Pedal? poopysnaps Transmission (AT/MT) & Driveline 5 10-31-2003 10:47 PM
Sticky clutch pedal Ken Normally Aspirated Powertrain 9 10-01-2003 11:05 AM
Wheel bearing/ sticky clutch pedal getting serviced ajday Normally Aspirated Powertrain 18 08-11-2003 07:41 PM
Sticky clutch pedal? slowme Transmission (AT/MT) & Driveline 11 12-05-2002 10:53 AM

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:45 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Copyright ©1999 - 2019, North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club, Inc.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission
Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.