Questions and Answers

Chattering Clutch Q. Hello, I have a 2000 Forester manual with about 14,000 miles on it. I've driven stick shifts for about 25 years. The clutch when cold shudders going from first to second gear and sometimes from 2-3rd. After the car warms up it stops shuddering. It does it more in cold weather.

Additionally, in times when the car needs a lot of traction, such as snow, I get a burning smell, like rubber perhaps. (Although the car is not skidding or losing traction). Any guesses?

Thanks,
Peter

A. Clutch chattering can be caused by several different things. But since the truck is still young I think, for the moment, we can discount them as possible causes. Since it only happens when it's cold and goes away when it's warmed up, I would think it is the gear oil.

The gear oil is a type GL-5 that comes in different weights. In cold weather it is recommended that you go with a lighter gear oil like a 75W-90. If that still causes a chatter, you can replace one quart of ATF for gear oil. This will not harm the transmission and will help the chatter and shifting in cold weather.

Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA