Hi guys,
Hope everyone is getting ready for the holiday season. I had dropped in the last time with a problem with my 1990 Accord 2.2L 4 door stick shift sedan not starting in the summer and thanks to all the people who helped me out here got the problem to be the main relay. So I was doing ok until this new problem crept in.Initially my car was making very slight noises whenever I pressed the clutch.Saw the fluid level was below the minimum and so filled it to the level. Two days later,my clutch went in all the way and didnt come back to its original position so I had to pull it back . Then I saw some smoke coming out from under the hood. Showed my car to a mechanic. He said my clutch plates have gone bad and said it will cost me around 550 bucks (parts+labor) to replace them and said some stuff about cutting the flywheel !!!!!!....thats some serious money there! My car makes noises every time i shift gears and some times my gear box doesnt allow me to change gears. Only after struggling does it change to the next one. My mechanic also said that the smell the car gave off when it was smoking was the 'asbestos'???? My car already has 270,000 miles on it. Plus Im a full time Grad student so its really not possible for me to put $600 on my ride. My case rests with you experts! Please help!
Thanks a lot for your time (in advance!!!)


90 Accord 2.2L stick shift 4 door sedan

 

The only way to get it cheaper would be if you knew somebody who could do it on the side. ( a buddy ) I mean you could shop around, buy your own parts, but most of the time the shop, or garage will not warranty the job if you get your own stuff.

 

If your clutch fluid is low, then you have a leak somewhere. Your clutch problem is likely to be related to the loss of fluid.

Try to find where the smoke is coming from. The hydraulic fluid may be leaking from the slave cylinder and getting on the exhaust. Pull the rubber boot back on the slave cylinder to see if there is fluid in there.

Check for fluid under the master cylinder (under the clutch reservoir) in the engine bay. Also look where the master cylinder goes through the firewall and connects to the clutch pedal under the dash for fluid stains on the carpet.

You can easily replace (or rebuild) the master and/or the slave cylinder.

 

Thanks for your reply PAHonda and 99accordFX. I checked out the slave cylinder and the master cylinder. I don't see any sign of fluid leakage. I also checked under the clutch pedal. No stains there. My gears are becoming progressively difficult to change and the car turns off sometimes when the clutch pedal is engaged for gear changing. So does this mean that the clutch plates have gone bad? If so, what parts should I have to buy to take care of this. I might sound like an idiot when I'm asking this but I'm new to this. Sorry for the delay in responding.

Thanks a lot!




90 Accord LX 2.2L stick shift

 

A worn out clutch plate would make your car seem like it is not in gear. It should not make your car stall out like you didn't push in the clutch pedal.

With the loss of fluid that you mentioned, I think that the easiest thing to fix or replace the the master and slave cylinder.

You can rebuild the master and slave cylinder easily. Just buy the kit from oreillys or advance auto parts and get a pair snap-ring pliers. When you pull out the old parts, keep them in order, so you can reinstall the new parts in the correct order. Coat the new parts lightly with brake fluid before you put them in. The internals will be spring loaded, so make sure that they do not fly out.

Reinstall everything, and bleed the system of any air at the valve on the slave cylinder.