Honda clutch just changed, now grinding away!!! Any ideas?

Hey all,

I had my clutched changed two months ago and when I drove away, it
was a dream...it shifted like butter man! Smooth and groovy.

Then came the problem of having a harder time getting into any gear
(especially 1st, 2nd and reverse).

I realize that the clutch needs to be adjusted by using moving the
cable thread to tighten it or loosen it, but that hasn't seemed to
help very much, and the cable thread is extremely hard to move. The
clutch seems to be closer to the floor now as it has been tightened,
but there hasn't been any improvement in shifting abilities. I took
it to my friend who installed the clutch and he couldn't figure it out
either. Does anyone know what the most probable possibility for this
anomoly would be?

Thanks for your insights!

 

Did you change the release bearing?

 

======================

Did you replace the pilot bearing while you had it apart? A binding
pilot bearing will keep drive happening, making it difficult to shift
unless the car / engine is going the exact right speed.

'Curly'

====================

 

(TommyK) spake unto the masses in

If you pull up on the cable at the release fork, will the big plastic nut
pull up off its seat 5/32"? Sounds like you've got too much free play and
the clutch is never disengaging enough to allow the countershaft to stop
spinning.

If the big nut won't move, there's dirt ingrained in the threads or the nut
is cockeyed on the threads, probably from being struck during disassembly
or assembly.

Bet you've got *way* too much free play.

 

Some hondas don't have a pilot bearing, ie my girlfriend's
1987 prelude 2bbl 1.8. Man that was a bugger to find out,
had to get the flywheel off with no impact tools....

terry

 

Ya know, I'll call my friend to see if he did those things to see if
they were at all possible faults to the clutch kit that he put in. It
sounded as though it was an open shut exchange of parts, even a
resurfacing of the flywheel so I'm not sure what he'll say. I'll keep
you all posted...thanks for your inputs!

 

Let me guess, the car is a 88-91 Civic/CRX right?????

If tightening the cable (you should only have 1-1.5" downplay at the the
pedal before clutch starts disengaging) helps, but the problem comes back in
1-2 weeks, change the clutch cable. $30 or so from the dealer, easy to do.

 

On 25 Feb 2004 13:30:59 -0800, (TommyK) wrote:

|Hey all,
|
| I had my clutched changed two months ago and when I drove away, it
|was a dream...it shifted like butter man! Smooth and groovy.
|
|Then came the problem of having a harder time getting into any gear
|(especially 1st, 2nd and reverse).
|
|I realize that the clutch needs to be adjusted by using moving the
|cable thread to tighten it or loosen it, but that hasn't seemed to
|help very much, and the cable thread is extremely hard to move. The
|clutch seems to be closer to the floor now as it has been tightened,
|but there hasn't been any improvement in shifting abilities. I took
|it to my friend who installed the clutch and he couldn't figure it out
|either. Does anyone know what the most probable possibility for this
|anomoly would be?

If your clutch is getting closer to the floor, you are adjusting it the wrong
way.
Rex in Fort Worth

 

|Let me guess, the car is a 88-91 Civic/CRX right?????
|
|If tightening the cable (you should only have 1-1.5" downplay at the the
|pedal before clutch starts disengaging) helps, but the problem comes back in
|1-2 weeks, change the clutch cable. $30 or so from the dealer, easy to do.

While you are at it, check the ground connections from engine/transmission to
the body. Missing grounds is a common cause of clutch cable failer.
Rex in Fort Worth

 

Hey all, thanks for your continued presence on my wee problem.

Yeah, the car is a 88' Civic, but the strange thing is that this
problem seems like the original reason that I changed my clutch in the
first place...however...

I gave my car a new clutch cable just six months ago so I don't think
there's anything wrong with the cable...unless it needs some form of
lubrication perhaps??? I bought the new cable because the screw on
the adjuster had hit the bottom of the thread..no more room. But then
I found out that the whole clutch itself was in need of a change...I
did the (shift into third gear test and drive away from a parked
position) test with my car and assessed that it was in fact in need of
a new clutch.

I asked my friend and he said that he changed all the bearings afore
mentioned and is still working out how it could be acting this way.
He personally said that he had tightened the tension pretty high, then
actually backed it off again. He couldn't make heads nor tails of it.
There seems to be no loose tension in the cable, and my friend said
that he may need to tear the clutch down again to find the culprit.
Damn!



I will let you all know what happens in the near future.

 

(TommyK) spake unto the masses in

No lube!

Have you checked to see if you routed it and connected it correctly? If it
has slipped or come loose somewhere it can affect how the clutch
disengages.

By the way, did your friend use a torque wrench when installing the parts?
Or did he just "snug 'em up"?

 

(Rex B) spake unto the masses in

Funny, he says the cable is 6 months old, yet the nut is hard to turn. The
nut is plastic and cannot conduct electricity. Why do you suppose the nut
would be hard to turn?

 

Look under the dash, there is a bracket that hold the cable sheath end. It
has been known to get weak and start bending.

 

Sounds like the teflon/plastic bushings and spacers in the linkage
are worn out. It gets really hard to move the lever itself, but it
shifts perfectly fine.

 

Huh - where are the plastic bushings? I have a '92 Integra clutch which is
feeling slightly stiff and "unsmooth" - word here was that it's likely a
pressure plate problem??

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??

 

Changed my clutch this morning. Clutch springsin the friction plate were
broken and rattling around where they shouldn't be. VERY odd clutch
behavior, to say the least, difficulty in shifting, intermitant clutch
actuation. Felt like bad hydraulics and worn syncros, and was neither.

Like butter now.
Amazing.