Transmission screwed!

Started by veeman, April 03, 2019, 08:40:22 PM

veeman

I've got a 2017 Subaru Crosstrek with 5 speed MT.  60 thousand miles.  I drive it pretty hard frequently flooring the accelerator.  The car is pretty underpowered so flooring the gas pedal and shifting aggressively is fun.  Today the transmission is all messed up. Car in 5th gear and when I accelerate, the tach redlines.  Burning smell.  Got off the highway and turned off the car and restarted it.  Very slow.  Despite shifting gears, the tach is redlining, and the car is accelerating very slow.

Do I need new transmission?  Man this sucks. 

shp4man

I take it you don't have any extended warranty? Check your owners manual and see if the car has a power train warranty.
The trans could just be low on fluid. Run over anything lately? Big pool of red oil under the car?

CaminoRacer

Your clutch is toast. Just get it replaced and you'll be good to go.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

Eye of the Tiger

2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

shp4man

Quote from: CaminoRacer on April 03, 2019, 08:51:06 PM
Your clutch is gone.

LOL, manual trans...that's what I get for not reading MT. Ya, it's the clutch. Wear item. Probably not covered even if you have a warranty.

veeman

Thanks fellas.  My car is out of car manufacturer warranty based on mileage but the dealership that I bought it from states that they give a lifetime limited warranty on engine, transmission, and powertrain. 

I'm at work.  I have to drive back 50 miles to get home.  Will I royally mess things up if I do? I really don't want to get the car towed.  The dealership I bought it from is at least 40 miles away.

shp4man

Quote from: veeman on April 03, 2019, 09:01:36 PM
Thanks fellas.  My car is out of car manufacturer warranty based on mileage but the dealership that I bought it from states that they give a lifetime limited warranty on engine, transmission, and powertrain. 

I'm at work.  I have to drive back 50 miles to get home.  Will I royally mess things up if I do? I really don't want to get the car towed.  The dealership I bought it from is at least 40 miles away.

It might not make it.

veeman

Well I'll tell you tomorrow morning if I made it :)

Soup DeVille

There's nothing more to mess up if you do though.
Maybe we need to start off small. I mean, they don't let you fuck the glumpers at Glumpees without a level 4 FuckPass, do they?

1975 Honda CB750, 1986 Rebel Rascal (sailing dinghy), 2015 Mini Cooper, 2020 Winnebago 31H (E450), 2021 Toyota 4Runner, 2022 Lincoln Aviator

veeman

Actually that's great to know.  Thanks! 

Eye of the Tiger

Drive slow, but rev high... I mean use a lower gear than usual.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

veeman

OK so I won't put it in 5th.  Hate to be stuck on the highway at 2:00 am but, gotta do what I gotta do.  Living dangerously.  At least I probably won't get raped. 

Eye of the Tiger

Lower gears will reduce the torque on the clutch, so hopefully it won't all turn into smoke. Try to keep it hooked up - let off the throttle occasionally to make sure it isn't slipping.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

veeman

Whew. Made it home.  Kept it in 4th gear on the highway.  Never realized there were that many "hills" on my daily commute.  Every hill where the engine strained made me wince.  Thanks for the advice!

Now I gotta see in the morning what the dealership will charge me for a new clutch.  The Crosstrek is weird because Subaru (not the dealership but Subaru itself) recommends changing the spark plugs at 60,000 miles according to the service manual.  That's a lot earlier than most cars. 

If nothing is covered under warranty, I'll have to see what local independent mechanics will charge if the dealership price seems very high.


mzziaz

A clutch is most likely not covered under warranty as the longevity usually is a function of how it's used.

Have you had the car since new?

Cuore Sportivo

veeman

#15
Quote from: mzziaz on April 04, 2019, 02:55:39 AM
A clutch is most likely not covered under warranty as the longevity usually is a function of how it's used.

Have you had the car since new?



Yeah, I bought it new.  The car is underpowered and I drive it hard so I'm not pissed the clutch failed at 60
thousand miles.  Let's see what the dealer says regarding when I can limp the car to them and how much the cost for replacement will be.

MX793

Regularly applying a lot of throttle won't cause clutch wear.  Even aggressive shifting shouldn't cause much clutch wear.  Slipping the clutch a lot (keeping the pedal partially depressed while driving, not pushing the clutch all the way in while stopped) will wear a clutch out.
Needs more Jiggawatts

2016 Ford Mustang GTPP / 2011 Toyota Rav4 Base AWD / 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS
1992 Nissan 240SX Fastback / 2004 Mazda Mazda3s / 2011 Ford Mustang V6 Premium / 2007 Suzuki GSF1250SA Bandit / 2006 VW Jetta 2.5

veeman

Yeah...  I dunno about my manual shifting skill level.  Seriously.  I dunno.  I've regularly driven a  manual for 5 years and when I turned in my Beetle for dieselgate at 75 thousand miles, the clutch was fine.  Getting through my snow/ice covered driveway for two winters I probably didn't let off the clutch as soon as I should but I rarely smelled burning.  Pretty routinely I rev hard from 1st through 5th gears, ratcheting the shift hard.  The car is so underpowered you can do that without ever losing grip on dry ground or having any loss of control. 

FoMoJo

Quote from: veeman on April 04, 2019, 08:15:50 AM
Yeah...  I dunno about my manual shifting skill level.  Seriously.  I dunno.  I've regularly driven a  manual for 5 years and when I turned in my Beetle for dieselgate at 75 thousand miles, the clutch was fine.  Getting through my snow/ice covered driveway for two winters I probably didn't let off the clutch as soon as I should but I rarely smelled burning.  Pretty routinely I rev hard from 1st through 5th gears, ratcheting the shift hard.  The car is so underpowered you can do that without ever losing grip on dry ground or having any loss of control. 
Chances are that the clutch just wore out through normal usage unless you ride the clutch a lot on hills, etc.  Also, when revving hard, do you slowly engage the clutch or just let it pop?  Slowly engaging while flooring it in any gear is likely to cause more wear.

Kind of a pricey item on a Subaru, for some reason.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

veeman

I don't ride the clutch at all on hills. I usually just shift to neutral and use the brakes as needed. It's not San Francisco hilly where I live so I don't wear out the brakes doing that either.

I'm pretty sure I don't slowly engage the clutch when shifting. 

Let's see what the dealer says.  They said to drop it off today.  Unfortunately no free loaner with Subaru.  I have the backup Camry so not a big deal. 

CaminoRacer

Either you rode it too much while taking off from a start, or it might have been out of adjustment. Or Subaru specced a clutch that's too small or slick.
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

BimmerM3

Probably just slips it a lot to get going. Crosstrek is so unpowered it's understandable.

veeman

Yikes.  Dealer called after looking at car and said 4 things need to be replaced.  Clutch, flywheel, some sort of plate, and something else.  I think he said torsion something.  $2175 plus tax.  For kicks I asked him to have Sales take a look at the car and see what they would give me for it. 

CaminoRacer

Pressure plate and throwout bearing?
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: veeman on April 04, 2019, 11:18:34 AM
Yikes.  Dealer called after looking at car and said 4 things need to be replaced.  Clutch, flywheel, some sort of plate, and something else.  I think he said torsion something.  $2175 plus tax.  For kicks I asked him to have Sales take a look at the car and see what they would give me for it.

Clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, maybe the pilot bearing. This is an $800 job, parts and labor. Torsion what now?
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

Eye of the Tiger

Quote from: CaminoRacer on April 04, 2019, 11:22:18 AM
Pressure plate and throwout bearing?

Don't throw out the bearing, he needs that.
I mean yeah, replace throwout bearing.
2008 TUNDRA (Truck Ultra-wideband Never-say-die Daddy Rottweiler Awesome)

veeman

The last thing he said I didn't fully catch on the phone.  When Sales calls back with a price  I'll ask to speak with the service guy again and have him tell me again what needs to be replaced.  Then I'll call a local shop I've had good experience with to see what they would charge me to replace those things. 

veeman

I texted the service guy for what needs to be replaced.  He said clutch, flywheel, pressure plate, and release bearing. 

FoMoJo

#28
Quote from: veeman on April 04, 2019, 11:18:34 AM
Yikes.  Dealer called after looking at car and said 4 things need to be replaced.  Clutch, flywheel, some sort of plate, and something else.  I think he said torsion something.  $2175 plus tax.  For kicks I asked him to have Sales take a look at the car and see what they would give me for it. 
According to this, the average cost is The average cost for a Subaru XV Crosstrek clutch replacement is between $1,204 and $1,384. Labor costs are estimated between $686 and $866 while parts are priced at $518. Estimate does not include taxes and fees.

Apparently, clutches typically last about 60,000 miles.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

shp4man

Quote from: FoMoJo on April 04, 2019, 12:39:39 PM
According to this, the average cost is The average cost for a Subaru XV Crosstrek clutch replacement is between $1,204 and $1,384. Labor costs are estimated between $686 and $866 while parts are priced at $518. Estimate does not include taxes and fees.

Doesn't include flywheel, which is being replaced because of heat damage.