Fixing 9-5 Againn

[Sam]

Well she's been apart for a few months and I finally have time to put things back together. Meanwhile the parts list has grown.

Dave Kennedy lightened flywheel
clutchnet custom disc and pressure plate
new front and rear bumpers
new non-rustball control arms. I wanted to powder coat the old ones but the bushings are impossible to get off without ruining the aluminum housing.
GS braided clutch line
New brake booster (old one was leaking)
New belt/tensioners
New scantech subframe bushings.
Blast & Paint subframe
Aero swaybar front and rear (J Code sports chassis). The front one I got new, the rear from a junkyard off a 2007 since the 06+ car all use the uprated rear and differ only in the front.

Using universal prothane sway bar bushings in the front.
New starter - old one was not disengaging quickly enough.
New sway bar end links - MOOG is now korean crap apparently. The adjuster screws these have are a joke and there is a LOT of play in them. Going to try Deeza end links and ball joints this time.

Upgrade to Aero exhaust system. Got one in perfect shape for free off of SaabCentral!

[Crazyswede]

Let us know how much you hate that clutch I hear the 6 puck clutches are not as harsh as the 4 puck units but the puck clutches can be a real bear to drive.

[Jordan]

I'm sure he won't hate it enough to do another clutch job on that thing.

[Crazyswede]

I'm sure he won't hate it enough to do another clutch job on that thing.

He might not have a choice. Geoff's experience with the 4 puck clutch on the C900 was interesting. The clutch eventually came apart, as I recall, and pretty much ate the surface of the flywheel in the process. But that might be a 4 vs 6 puck deal. I do hear the 6 puck units a are a lot easier for daily driving.

[Geoff]

Yeah, there was NO slipping the 4 puck clutch. It was also hell on the front motor mount from a start because the car was either in or out of gear. One of the coil springs eventually broke and jammed the clutch so I had to drive 45 mins home from the middle of a city without the clutch. It did chew up the flywheel a bunch. 6 puck should be better for drive-ability though. It will never slip.

Sam, that is a huge box that your bumper is in. How did it ship? I can't imagine UPS or FedEx delivering it.

[Sam]

They shipped them through greyhound pretty reasonably. I found a deal on ebay that i could not pass up. I paid 75 per bumper and then about 200 in shipping including that awesome box. The seller built the box himself and really did a nice job with it. It was a bit awkward getting that huge box out of the bus depot. Its completely enormous. and will make a nice spot to paint and whatnot.

[Sam]

To answer jordan's comment yes - this has been a huge pain. I don't know why I don't just rebuild a c900 instead of the 9-5 as a DD. One day I will do that. The experience I had dismantling 900s and the 99 was much better. I thought this would be a lot easier. I have no idea why transverse fwd cars have taken over. They practically design them to be crushed at 100k miles because they are so annoying to work on anything big - IE clutch, seals, belts, etc.

[Geoff]

Its because a 9-5 is more rust resistant and, compared to a C900, is a much more refined ride. Face it, you're an old man now

[Sam]

Ha yeah my refined ride on H&R coil-overs.

[matt]

the spec 6 puck I had in my aero sucked. chatter, harsh engagement etc. but it was better than the full disc spec I put in the subaru that chattered, had harsh and super inconsistent engagement and generally pissed my off everytime I had to go from a stop.

you will enjoy a lightened flywheel though, so there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

[Crazyswede]

In the future look into the multi clutch setups. Quartermaster sells them and there is another. They are compact and have nicer drive-ability.....less spinning mass too.

[Geoff]

Ha yeah my refined ride on H&R coil-overs.

At least the body doesn't flex nearly as much.

Matt, I thought all Subaru clutches chattered?

[Sam]

I thought spec was known for having really random durability. There's a pic somewhere of a drag car w/ a spec clutch kit sawing a hole through both the bell housing and the hood before exiting the engine compartment completely. This 6 puck i got is pretty moderate compared with most of the clutchnet offerings. Since they modified the stock pressure plate i'm expecting a compromise performance/drivabaility. The clutchnet stuff is quality. you can see by the way the springs are reinforced, and the thick stamping of the steel spindle that they make them to last. I think luke has one too. Not sure what car is using it at the moment.

[Geoff]

I think my 4 puck probably came from Clutchnet (via MSS). That's the one where the coil spring broke, exited, and jammed operation.

[matt]

the stock clutch on my wrx doesn't chatter and the stock one from the outback didn't chatter either (until I tried to set it on fire) Sam, you were there.