Clutch squeak, grind, groan TSB released.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Deorio

I am currently diagnosing my problem with the clutch. I believe it’s the TOB that’s giving out but I cant be sure. Any help would be much appreciated. Whenever I shift, there is a very quiet grinding noise when I push in the clutch and when I release the clutch. I am able to feel a very slight feedback in the clutch pedal between every shift that was not there a few thousand klicks ago. It's weird because the noise will get more audible as the engine warms up. I won't even be able to hear the grinding the first few minutes driving around when the engine is cold. Absolutely no squeaks with the clutch actuation and no sounds when the car is sitting idle or when I rev the engine at a standstill. I'm at about 90k km or 55k miles.

All of what you described is the exact opposite of when mine went. I would still be suspicious of the TOB when you get any strange noise while operating the clutch though. The symptoms of failure may not happen exactly the same for all of us.

[Deorio]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

All of what you described is the exact opposite of when mine went. I would still be suspicious of the TOB when you get any strange noise while operating the clutch though. The symptoms of failure may not happen exactly the same for all of us.

Hmm, interesting. I will be getting the clutch and TOB replace in about a months time and I will update the thread with a picture of what my TOB looks like. We'll know for sure then. Might help others out that have symptoms like I do

[Beachin86]

Originally Posted by Deorio

Hmm, interesting. I will be getting the clutch and TOB replace in about a months time and I will update the thread with a picture of what my TOB looks like. We'll know for sure then. Might help others out that have symptoms like I do

Sounds like you caught it early enough that you don't hear the loud squealing yet. I also caught mine a bit early since I was aware that it was a common issue, and I didn't have any loud squealing. Just some vibration in the clutch pedal and more of a "whirring" sound. I could also hear it at idle. It sounded a bit like the second video Tcoat posted on the first page.

As many others have recommended, you should probably replace the clutch fork while you're at it, and be sure you're getting the newer TOB replacement either Subaru or Toyota released. Don't use the TOB that comes with the replacement clutch. I'd also go easy on the clutch if you're driving it around. No hard pulls, keep the RPMs lower when you're shifting.

[kurtf114]

Originally Posted by Beachin86

Yes and no. At first they told me I was out of warranty (TOB qualifies under the 3yr/36k Mile Warranty). I told them to look up the "Elite Protection Plan" I purchased, which is basically an extended warranty. It added 2k to the total price of the car and technically doesn't cover parts that are going bad, but if that part was to fail and result in a "Mechanical Failure" aka leave me stranded, it would be covered. The service rep called to make a claim for me, and they decided to cover it under that. I thought I was suckered into it when I bought it, but a $50 deductible vs a huge hole in my wallet was pretty nice.

As far as getting it fixed under that 3yr/36k mile warranty, it's sort of hit or miss depending on the dealer. I've seen a few posts where they actually covered it, and others where they wouldn't. Good luck!

Nice, I'm glad the extended warranty covered it. I bought my car used and ended up getting suckered into buying a third-party warranty (probably because I was only buying that car because my stock WRX engine sucked a valve), but that warranty obviously doesn't cover TSBs or any manual transmission related problems. I ended up bringing it to a local shop and got my brakes and spark plugs done at the same time, ended up totaling at $2,000. A bit more than I wanted to spend but I'm glad it's all squared away.

I did get the new updated TOB and everything seems fine. Although the Exedy OEM replacement flywheel has a bit more chatter than my original flywheel.

[reeves]

Crap.

Mine's just started to squeal last week. Sounds just like a loose power steering belt when I press down the clutch pedal.. and the sound goes away after the car warms up too.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by reeves

Crap.

Mine's just started to squeal last week. Sounds just like a loose power steering belt when I press down the clutch pedal.. and the sound goes away after the car warms up too.

That's too bad

You may wish to view ol @Tcoats pictures of his TOB and related parts, after he let his squeal a bit too long -


humfrz

[reeves]

Originally Posted by humfrz

That's too bad

You may wish to view ol @Tcoats pictures of his TOB and related parts, after he let his squeal a bit too long -


humfrz

It squeaks and squeals now... like I'm murdering a pig everytime I step on my clutch lol

After getting quotes of $1K+ for a TOB/Clutch replacement, I might try and do it myself. The various Youtube videos for this car's clutch install is very encouraging.. Really the worst that can go wrong is a stripped bolt, or a tranny dropping on your leg.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by reeves

It squeaks and squeals now... like I'm murdering a pig everytime I step on my clutch lol

After getting quotes of $1K+ for a TOB/Clutch replacement, I might try and do it myself. The various Youtube videos for this car's clutch install is very encouraging.. Really the worst that can go wrong is a stripped bolt, or a tranny dropping on your leg.

First off, how old are you?? -

Yep, I understand one can DIY a TOB replacement. Be sure you get the NEW, IMPROVED TOB. I understand that jacking up (supporting) the front of the engine makes it easier.

I remember back-in-the-day, I had a friend that was in the process of a DIY clutch replacement on his 1950 Ford. The transmission slipped and fell on his face, smashing his jaw bone -

Here is the humfrz DIY TOB replacement (when and if the time comes).

Go to the dealer's parts department and purchase the NEW, IMPROVED, TOB. Take that and my car to my local auto shop. Ask them to drive me home. Take a long nap and wait for them to call to come pick me up after the job is finished. Pay them and drive home.





humfrz

[reeves]

Yea normally I'd just take it to a shop, pay the $1K and call it a day.

But I'm on break next week... and I feel ambitious! And the more I watch those 'how-to' Youtube videos, the more inspired I get. There's no electronics/fuel involved, so I feel safe I won't blow anything up.. worst case scenario, I end up towing it to a real mechanic to finish the job.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by reeves

Yea normally I'd just take it to a shop, pay the $1K and call it a day.

But I'm on break next week... and I feel ambitious! And the more I watch those 'how-to' Youtube videos, the more inspired I get. There's no electronics/fuel involved, so I feel safe I won't blow anything up.. worst case scenario, I end up towing it to a real mechanic to finish the job.

Well, good on ya, reeves ..

Yep, the last time I replaced a clutch, was back on the farm, in a barn, with a dirt floor and my "transmission jack" was (2) 4x4 stacked up and a 2x4 for a lever, with a cement block for the counterbalance.

NO! @Ultramaroon , it was NOT snowing and uphill both ways!


humfrz

[ermax]

Originally Posted by reeves

Yea normally I'd just take it to a shop, pay the $1K and call it a day.

But I'm on break next week... and I feel ambitious! And the more I watch those 'how-to' Youtube videos, the more inspired I get. There's no electronics/fuel involved, so I feel safe I won't blow anything up.. worst case scenario, I end up towing it to a real mechanic to finish the job.

Do it! I assume you have 4 jack stands, a floor jack that rolls easily. A 2x6 to place between the jack and tranny. A torque wrench and a pump to get oil back in the tranny. You could buy all these items at harbor freight and still come in under $1000. Oh and a paint pen or bright nail polish to mark the drive shaft position before unbolting it.

It’s really not a bad job at all. When I get to a computer I will compile some notes. I assume you’ve seen that video where the guy drops it in 20. The one were he spends 10 removing a stripped bolt. Maybe I will use that as a reference and make notes that point to timecodes in that video. One thing that guy does is not drain the fluid. I was almost able to pull that off. If I recall a 32mm socket fit in the tail to keep it from draining. But at some point it slid out without me noticing and made a big mess on my driveway. So I wouldn’t bother trying that, just drain it.

[reeves]

Originally Posted by ermax

Do it! I assume you have 4 jack stands, a floor jack that rolls easily. A 2x6 to place between the jack and tranny. A torque wrench and a pump to get oil back in the tranny. You could buy all these items at harbor freight and still come in under $1000. Oh and a paint pen or bright nail polish to mark the drive shaft position before unbolting it.

It’s really not a bad job at all. When I get to a computer I will compile some notes. I assume you’ve seen that video where the guy drops it in 20. The one were he spends 10 removing a stripped bolt. Maybe I will use that as a reference and make notes that point to timecodes in that video. One thing that guy does is not drain the fluid. I was almost able to pull that off. If I recall a 32mm socket fit in the tail to keep it from draining. But at some point it slid out without me noticing and made a big mess on my driveway. So I wouldn’t bother trying that, just drain it.

Thanks, any tips will come in handy! Like the one about the paint pen, totally forgot about that. I'd already bought some tools & jack stands a while back, knowing I wanted to tackle repairs like this in the future. As long as it doesn't involve electronics or fuel, I feel more confident. The 20-minute tranny drop video was the most inspiring! I'm sure it'll take me a whole day (or two) to finish, but I'm lucky I have a few days off to work on it.

My only regret is I dont' have time to wait for online orders to get shipped to me, so I have to resort to buying the [more expensive] parts from the dealership. There's a few performance shops around here, but all they sell are extreme clutch upgrades, like stage 2 or racing clutches.. I wouldn't mind trying out a stage 1 Exedy clutch, but anything above that is too much.

[ermax]

Originally Posted by reeves

Thanks, any tips will come in handy! Like the one about the paint pen, totally forgot about that. I'd already bought some tools & jack stands a while back, knowing I wanted to tackle repairs like this in the future. As long as it doesn't involve electronics or fuel, I feel more confident. The 20-minute tranny drop video was the most inspiring! I'm sure it'll take me a whole day (or two) to finish, but I'm lucky I have a few days off to work on it.

My only regret is I dont' have time to wait for online orders to get shipped to me, so I have to resort to buying the [more expensive] parts from the dealership. There's a few performance shops around here, but all they sell are extreme clutch upgrades, like stage 2 or racing clutches.. I wouldn't mind trying out a stage 1 Exedy clutch, but anything above that is too much.

Took me about 4 hours but I literally spent 2 hours trying to man handle the tranny off the lower studs because I didn't support the front of the engine. If you don't support the front of the engine it will tip forward (nothing harmed, just leans forward on the mounts) when you unbolt the tranny and then binds on the lower studs making it literally impossible to slide off. I finally pushed the jack out of the way and bear hugged it to the ground (not smart). When I put it back on I realized where I went wrong and got the jack out of my trunk and used it to jack the front of the engine. The tranny slid back on in one push. I also wasted a bunch of time on the boot that covers the shift linkage. I couldn't get it to pull off so I thought you had to take the center console apart to release it from the inside. Turns out you can't release it from inside. You just have to use a ton of force to pull stretch the rubber boot all the way over the linkage. When I put the boot back on it ended up ripping. Next time I do this job I'm just going to cut the boot off and throw it in the trash. The other end of the linkage doesn't even have a boot covering it so I really am not concerned about it.

All that said I think I could get closer to that 20min video if I did it all over again. I also think you could do it in less than 4 hours with good instructions.

Next time I pull mine apart I'm going with this:
https://www.amazon.com/CLUTCH-CHROMO...70_&dpSrc=srch

OEM clutch but with an 11.7lbs flywheel. I know people always bitch about light flywheels on this car but people bitch about light flywheels on all cars and I've had a light flywheel on all my cars and have never regretted it.

You may also want to replace this part while you are in there:
https://parts.toyota.com/p/Scion_201...U00303853.html

[ermax]

Also, when you get the TOB, make sure you get the new version:
https://parts.toyota.com/p/Toyota_20...U00307349.html

They are still selling the old part number last I checked. You need to not tell them the car you are ordering for but tell them the actual part number you want.