Throw Out Bearing Blues

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by HaXx

How do you drive to baby your tob?
Does it mean taking your sweet time to make gear changes?
Clutch fully depressed every time you shift?
Basically how do you drive to make life easier for the tob?

Im at 35kmiles in a '13, I know itll go eventually but I dont want to thrash it. But I dont exactly know what that means in terms of how I should be driving though.

Just drive it like normal. The nature of the failure (lack of lube) means if it is going to fail it won't matter how you use the clutch. Just avoid prolonged partial engagement (like you should be doing anyway) and always fully engage when shift (also what should be done all the time).

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by HaXx

How do you drive to baby your tob?

Don't sit with your foot holding the clutch in at red lights. Put it in neutral and leave the clutch out until you see the yellow light from the other direction signaling that your light will turn green soon.

Don't ride the clutch while driving. I have a feeling a lot of the people with premature wear on their clutch parts are riding along with their foot resting on the clutch pedal rather than on the dead pedal where it belongs when the clutch pedal isn't actively being used.

Mine lasted almost 97K miles. I would have expected a TOB to last longer than that, but I seem to have gotten pretty good life out of it compared to the stories I read on here.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Just drive it like normal.

What many people here call "normal," I'd call "bad."

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Don't sit with your foot holding the clutch in at red lights. Put it in neutral and leave the clutch out until you see the yellow light from the other direction signaling that your light will turn green soon.

Don't ride the clutch while driving. I have a feeling a lot of the people with premature wear on their clutch parts are riding along with their foot resting on the clutch pedal rather than on the dead pedal where it belongs when the clutch pedal isn't actively being used.

Mine lasted almost 97K miles. I would have expected a TOB to last longer than that, but I seem to have gotten pretty good life out of it compared to the stories I read on here.

It is a recognized defective part. Blaming people for their driving style was the Subaru cop out excuse.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

It is a recognized defective part. Blaming people for their driving style was the Subaru cop out excuse.

I realize it's a defect. I also know that a lot of people drive with their foot riding on the clutch pedal because they were never taught any better. So it's possible that while a percentage of the failures was going to happen anyway, another percentage may have been caused or hastened by operator error.

Since there's no way to know for sure, wouldn't it be better just to use good clutch technique to be on the safer side?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

I realize it's a defect. I also know that a lot of people drive with their foot riding on the clutch pedal because they were never taught any better. So it's possible that while a percentage of the failures was going to happen anyway, another percentage may have been caused or hastened by operator error.

Since there's no way to know for sure, wouldn't it be better just to use good clutch technique to be on the safer side?

Yep! As I said in my post above.

[extrashaky]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Yep! As I said in my post above.

Then we're in agreement. Stop arguing with yourself.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by extrashaky

Then we're in agreement. Stop arguing with yourself.

Just wanted to make it understood that the only appropriate action is to have the defective part replaced sooner than later. Even the best driving practices will only prolong the inevitable for a indeterminate period.

[HaXx]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

have the defective part replaced sooner than later.

I'll get that done early next summer just as a precaution. Anything else I should have done while they are in there? Something about a clutch Fork?

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by HaXx

I'll get that done early next summer just as a precaution. Anything else I should have done while they are in there? Something about a clutch Fork?

I'd have the transmission front cover replaced before I worried about the fork. Changing just the tob is like running new chain on old sprockets.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by HaXx

I'll get that done early next summer just as a precaution. Anything else I should have done while they are in there? Something about a clutch Fork?

I reckon that would depend on how the other parts (clutch, pressure plate and flywheel) look. Yes, at least grease the clutch fork.


humfrz

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by maslin

Opposite. Foot off the clutch the TOB is sitting still. Foot on the clutch it's spinning.

Don't sit at lights in gear with your foot on the clutch, drop it in neutral and let off. Not sure what else you can really do, you have to shift gears. Shift less?

It's my understanding that the TOB in the twins is "active" (as long as the engine is running the bearing is rotating). However, the only time there is significant pressure on it, is when the clutch is being engaged or disengaged -

So, OP, to eliminate wear on the TOB, just don't run the engine -


humfrz

[maslin]

Originally Posted by humfrz

It's my understanding that the TOB in the twins is "active" (as long as the engine is running the bearing is rotating). However, the only time there is significant pressure on it, is when the clutch is being engaged or disengaged -

So, OP, to eliminate wear on the TOB, just don't run the engine -


humfrz

Good to know

Don’t drive the car, TOB will last forever, and the valve springs will never fail!

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I'd have the transmission front cover replaced before I worried about the fork. Changing just the tob is like running new chain on old sprockets.

Not convinced it would need to be changed if the bearing hasn't melted down. It is actually pretty durable. Even with the severe damage to my bearing I had the shaft wasn't horrible.