A friend of mine mentioned that his bug-eyed wrx needs a clutch the other day. I said why don't you bring it to my house and we do it together? What have I signed up for? Any major pains in the ass with this job? How long should it take for a semi novice wrench turner that isn't afraid of most any job on an rx7 or other similar vehicle?
Chris
Make sure he gets the right clutch kit. WRX clutches are different than the standard Subaru clutches.
This vid is for an '08+, but the process is similar. NOT a small job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ySBbpu4tSg
Just did it with a buddy over the course of a day. Not difficult, but time consuming. Soak the turbo heat shield bolts with some penetrant, make sure you have a couple quarts of trans fluid, read the directions front to back at least once prior to the job. There's a small bolt you need to pull the clutch release fulcrum, so make sure you have one of those handy. You're looking at a 8-10 hour job depending on how competent you are. No need to drop the exhaust- you can work the trans around it.
NGTD wrote: Make sure he gets the right clutch kit. WRX clutches are different than the standard Subaru clutches.
Also, while I'm not sure about clutch stuff, some early 2002 parts are different than later cars.
When you reassemble, you might want to put a dab of grease on the bellhousing dowels--I had a bear of a time separating the trans from the engine when I did mine.
I would suggest pulling the engine and leaving the gearbox in the car. That's what I did with the wife's Impreza and my Scoob, piece of cake.
The_Jed wrote: I would suggest pulling the engine and leaving the gearbox in the car. That's what I did with the wife's Impreza and my Scoob, piece of cake.
If you go that route, you might as well do a timing belt at the same time.
I can't recommend pulling the engine. I think you're adding 4 good hours to the job.
If the engine also needs work, i.e. traditional Subaru oil leakage, or a timing belt, you might as well pull the engine. If not, drop the trans.
If you are SURE that all that needs to be done is the clutch, then it is probably easier for a novice to pull the transmission.
One little tip is that you can use one of the battery tie down j bolts to fit into the hole to hold up the clutch lever.
Pull the engine. It's far easier than trying to deal with the driveshaft and exhaust and axles. (Do you have the special axle pin tool? Your life will suck without it) It's really not that bad of a pull. The only difficult parts of pulling the engine involve separating it from the transmission.
Speaking of which. If the engine and trans have been together since they left Japan, you will have a real fight getting the two separated. I have some special thin chisels I use to hammer between the two to get them apart.
I have never once had the clutch shaft plug come out with the internal hex. That always strips out because I think Subaru tightens them to 400ft-lb and Loctites it for good measure. I end up burping the edge with an air chisel to get it to loosen. Need to have the intercooler and starter out of the way to do that.
Make extra, extra, EXTRA sure that the shaft and fork's bore are cleaned out and well lubricated. It seems that a binding clutch fork is the #1 reason for WRX clutch death.
Putting it together is completely awesome, though, because it's a pull type clutch. You get the engine and trans kinda close, close enough to be able to clip the throwout bearing to the pressure plate, then pry on the clutch fork. Sucks the engine right up to the trans 
Woody wrote:The_Jed wrote: I would suggest pulling the engine and leaving the gearbox in the car. That's what I did with the wife's Impreza and my Scoob, piece of cake.If you go that route, you might as well do a timing belt at the same time.
And the oil pan "gasket". Far easier to do it with the engine out of the car.
Heck, if I'm doing a timing belt and an oil pan on the same engine, I just pull the engine out. It really is simple. The wiring harness has bulkhead connectors, the radiator comes out in one piece with the fans and overflow tank, on a turbo you unbolt the downpipe and on a nonturbo you usually just unbolt the exhaust from the heads. The alternator comes off, then you remove the P/S pump and bracket and the A/C compressor and bracket, both as assemblies, and generally speaking, they stay connected.
You have to work slowly for it to take two hours to get the engine out.
Woody wrote:NGTD wrote: Make sure he gets the right clutch kit. WRX clutches are different than the standard Subaru clutches.Also, while I'm not sure about clutch stuff, some early 2002 parts are different than later cars.
Tell me about it!!! I have an early-build (July 2001). I don't think the clutch is different. Brakes are for sure.
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