Am I being over paranoid?

[nibbles]

So lately I have been noticing that when I start my car up after not driving it for a couple of hours. Right when I start moving in 1st gear and start to gas it a little bit I hear this thud/clunk sound and I feel this vibration on the clutch pedal.

I haven't really noticed it before just when I had my radio off one day and then I heard it.

Anyways back to the point. So after the first initial thud/cluink sound and vibration on the clutch pedal. It is fine and does not make that noise or have that vibration again. Unless I do not drive it for a couple of hours.

Anyone know what is wrong? It bugs the helll outta me.
I drive a 2011 WRX

[daijoubu-yo]

Completely normal dude. People say it is the ABS self check. Japanese cars always make weird mechanical noises that are completely normal. I don't know about the vibration in the clutch pedal because my foot is off by the time mine makes the noise. It makes the noise after I fully release the clutch in first and start moving. Anyway don't worry about it and enjoy your new car.

[nibbles]

So it is normal?
The only reason my foot is still on the clutch is cause I was testing to see if I could hear it if I was going slow and I could.

Self check ABS eh? So I can stop peeing in my pants and stop worrying?

[Clovis]

I also have a 2011 WRX. I haven't experienced anything you've descriped.

Unless you're referring to the incline assist which is where the cause detects it's on an incline and leaves the breaks engaged for half a second after you remove you foot from the pedal. This is to give you a second to rev up and move forward without rolling back.

You should only touch the clutch peddle when you're shifting - otherwise you'll "ride the clutch" and will cause it to prematurely wear over time. Force yourself to drive when your left foot on the floor and only using for shifts.

Also, both hands on the stearing wheel, only take off your right hand to shift then go right back to both hands - You'll notice every profession / race / rally driver does this if you look at the in-cab videos.

I would take it to the dealership for the clutch issue, seems unusual to me.

-Clovis

[Clovis]

Also, make sure that you let your car warm up for a few minutes before you actually drive it. I treat it like I do my sport bikes and I let it run for about 3-5 minutes to normal operating temp before I drive.

Also let it cool (turbo cool) for 1-2 minutes after driving. 3 minutes if you have been driving "hard" or otherwise using the turbo a lot. This lets the oil continue to circulate and cool the turbo because as soon as you turn the engine off, the oil circulation instantly stops.

You can get a turbo timer ($100 or so) to do this for you. You remove the key and it will leave the engine running for a pre-set (by you) time - ie 2 minutes.

I had one on my last turbo car and will get one for this one.

If you plan to leave the car stock, which I recommend unless you want to seriously race it and never sell it (see post about "never buy a modded used wrx/sti threads under car purchasing). I would get only 2 things.

1) A short-throw shifter - kart-boy seems to be the popular choice here.
2) Turbo timer. I've had to factor in an extra 7-8 minutes into my commute to allow for the warming up and cooling down when I go to work. Having to sit in the car for a few minutes to prolong the life of your turbo can be a real PITA after awhile.

$250 for both assuming you can install yourself - figure $300-350 to have a shop do it.

-Clovis

[jd92677]

Also, make sure that you let your car warm up for a few minutes before you actually drive it. I treat it like I do my sport bikes and I let it run for about 3-5 minutes to normal operating temp before I drive.

Also let it cool (turbo cool) for 1-2 minutes after driving. 3 minutes if you have been driving "hard" or otherwise using the turbo a lot. This lets the oil continue to circulate and cool the turbo because as soon as you turn the engine off, the oil circulation instantly stops.

You can get a turbo timer ($100 or so) to do this for you. You remove the key and it will leave the engine running for a pre-set (by you) time - ie 2 minutes.

I had one on my last turbo car and will get one for this one.

If you plan to leave the car stock, which I recommend unless you want to seriously race it and never sell it (see post about "never buy a modded used wrx/sti threads under car purchasing). I would get only 2 things.

1) A short-throw shifter - kart-boy seems to be the popular choice here.
2) Turbo timer. I've had to factor in an extra 7-8 minutes into my commute to allow for the warming up and cooling down when I go to work. Having to sit in the car for a few minutes to prolong the life of your turbo can be a real PITA after awhile.

$250 for both assuming you can install yourself - figure $300-350 to have a shop do it.

-Clovis

Subaru turbos are water cooled, no need for a timer. And not to be arguementative, but I think you are over-doing it when it comes to warming up. Unless it is REALLY cold, a minute or so is all you really need but you don't want to drive hard until the oil is fully up to temp, which could take ten minutes or so, but as far as normal driving, you don't need to wait that long, you're just wasting gas.

[Drews]

Subaru turbos are water cooled, no need for a timer. And not to be arguementative, but I think you are over-doing it when it comes to warming up. Unless it is REALLY cold, a minute or so is all you really need but you don't want to drive hard until the oil is fully up to temp, which could take ten minutes or so, but as far as normal driving, you don't need to wait that long, you're just wasting gas.

But just because the engine is at operating temp doesnt mean your oil is. Do you know how long it takes a car to run out of gas at idle? A looooooooong time. Warming your car up is never a bad thing.

[jd92677]

But just because the engine is at operating temp doesnt mean your oil is. Do you know how long it takes a car to run out of gas at idle? A looooooooong time. Warming your car up is never a bad thing.

Right, that's why I said when the oil is up to temp, not the engine. Wasting gas is wasting gas, whether it be a little or a lot, it's all money out of your pocket

[hcancino]

I argee with jd92677 a turbo timer is a waste of money and gas however tho about warming her up I read in the manual and it says warm it up for atleast 10 minutes. I don't know about 10 minutes but a warm up is necessary

[daijoubu-yo]

Mine only makes the noise on initial start up while going from Reverse to First.

[ElVerde]

1) The sound you are hearing is normal, and is a sound I hear every single time driving my 2011 as well. It is either the ABS check or the hill start assist being a bit cranky while disengaging after sitting for a while. Many owners have documented this and my service guy confirmed it is totally normal (he said it was the hill start assist).

2) A turbo timer is completely and totally unnecessary for these vehicles. The turbo is water cooled and will continue cooling automatically after engine shutdown.

3) Warm up doesn't need to be extreme, but warming up your car will never HURT the car. As others have said, just don't drive the piss out of her without allowing the oil to properly warm up and you should be fine.

[Clovis]

I stand corrected on the cooling; I wasn't aware the subbie's turbos are water-cooled. Nice to know.

For warm ups - what I've been doing is waiting for the RPMS to drop to 1k -- on a cold start the engine will hover at 1500 and slowly drop down. This generally equates to about 3 minutes.

-Clovis

[dbya rx]

i have a 2010 wrx hatch, and my car makes the same thunk sound every time i back out of my drive way and shift into 1st and start moving forward. annoying, but nothing to freak out about.

if you live somewhere similar to clovis, like colorado, i would agree, may you want to warm your car up for a few mins in sub freezing temps, but sometimes that is just not realistic. start you car, drive it really easy and stay out of boost until the temp gauge has been at the normal operating temp for the coolant, and then wait a few more mins, b/c oil takes longer to warm up than coolant.

ideally, i would love to warm my car up for 5-10 mins before i drive every single morning and/or after the car sits for a few hours, but its a little unrealistic. as long as you are not driving really hard when the entire powertrain is cold, you will be fine.

its a car, not fine china.

[nibbles]

Okay couple things to clarify here.

When I said I hold in the clutch I am not holding it in and mashing my accel pedal. It is the initial start up of the first gear then I let go of the clutch. That is when I feel the vibration/hear the noise.

Second: I do let my car warm up. I let it warm up until it is at the 1K rpm then I start to head to school. I also let it cool down even after a regular drive.

I am in no way abusing or trying to abuse my baby =[[

EDIT: I also have the OEM short shifter but would like to just swap it out with a kartboy and get some bushings while I am at it (won't happen for a little while unfortunately =\ ).
And as said previously. I do not need a turbo timer because they are water cooled.


Ok now that is sorted.

So the sound/vibration thing is normal? It is not like I am on an incline when I park my baby. Its on a flat surface. Is it still the ABS check / hill assist being cranky?

[2:43AM]

Paranoid Floyd,

Why don't you make a visit to where you bought it and ask a Subie Tech? Say that it has a weird vibration when letting out the clutch. After all, that's how TSB's get their start...a steady stream of customer complaints and technical issues. That would be my advice. After all, this is a 2011 model you're talking about, not an old 02-03 WRX that has been steadily reverse-engineered for the last 8 years.

And yes turbo timers are joke, only made popular by fear and uncertainty.