I don't know if this is weird, but there is an obvious sound difference between when the clutch is pressed and released at idle. If I start the car with the clutch in, it sounds fairly quiet... if I let the clutch out to let the car idle in neutral it does sound like a scraping or some audible difference like dragging. Again, I do not know if this is normal...

 

hmmm .... so they changed the cylinders and fluid and there are still issues?? Did the tech test drive the car? After Jim's lesson on clutches, I'd say that his original assesment of dragging is correct. I appologize for not being aware of this problem with manuals. Like you, I am on my first, but I have studied the internal workings before.

Jim, I'm still wondering, when you change the clutch, doe you change the friction plate as well or just the clutch itself?

 

Grrr... this wasn't my usual Honda service station either.... they just happened to be closer and could look at it sooner.... .... If I leave as is, am i basically going to have the same problems again sooner or have to replace inner parts again?

 

and if my clutch is dragging, how to fix? Is this something a know-nothing know-it-all like me can do, or should I just explain to Hona what they need to do?

 

If it is dragging, I'd expect it would wear the clutch and eventually fall apart inside the tranny casing ...... not good. Let's see what Jim thinks though ..... I think if the pressure plate breaks, it could kill you by getting lodged in a gear and locking up your wheels while driving.

 

I don't mind the car dying horribly on the highway, but preferrably with me not in it. i'm too beautiful to die, hee hee.

 

Lets see, there's a few things to answer here...

The check-engine light is unrelated. A manual tranny doesn't throw any error codes. There's DIY threads about reading the error codes stored in the engine's ECU.

When you replace "the clutch" it's the clutchdiskthat you're replacing. That's the disk you normally see pictured as a clutch. I guess I called it a friction disk or whatever. It's a thin-ish disk covered on both sides with material like brake pads.

Most people recommend also replacing the pressure plate, but some folks don't because of the cost. The pressure plate bolts onto the flywheel, and sandwitches the clutch disk inbetween.

The noise can be a tranny bearing (difficult$$$) or a worn throw-out bearing (normally included when replacing clutch). I'll write something about that stuff in a bit.

Before you run off & replace the clutch, make sure you mean it, because the labor is expensive. Remove tranny from car, etc. etc... I'm gonna read back thru the whole thread so I'm not missing too much of the story. Catch-ya-later.

When you describe rough shifting over the web,then say this is your first manul tranny, you'll have to excuse me for wonderinghow rough is it REALLY. I'm not trying to be mean, but there's no substitute for a first-hand test drive.

It is 16 years old, after all, so maybe you wanna tolerate some roughness. It may be that the 1st-gear synchro is getting worn, and that's life. (Get a shop to quote dismantling the tranny & then decide how much the car is worth.)

Or put genuine Honda MTF in there & see whether it gets better. (or the shop already did that???)

 

HondatechAV6, TexasHonda, & JohnL all started talking about dragging clutch, back on the first page. First you have to rule out the easy external hydraulic system (master & slave cylinders) & I guess you've done that now. If you no longer have to fight to get into gear, I'd say the majority of your problem was the hydraulics. However, I don't see a definitive list of WHAT THEY DID. Did they change the actual tranny oil with genuine Honda MTF?

If the clutch is dragging, the worst extreme is when it won't disengage at all. In that case your brakes will still easily overpower the engine so you can stop (& stall the engine). It's not like the car turns into some fiend & drives you off a cliff. I don't see it locking up all your wheels either.

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Now for the noise in neutral...
There's a throw-out bearing which pushes against the clutch's pressure plate whenever you press the clutch pedal. That bearing has a habit of getting noisy, but here's how to tell whether it's a tranny bearing...

Idle in neutral, with the clutch engaged (that means pedal is UP). It's making the noise, right?

Just begin to press the clutch pedal, only a few mm down. Does the noise stop?
- (if it stops, it would be the throw-out bearing)

If it's still noisy, let out the clutch pedal.
Now with the engine still idling, press the clutch pedal all the way, suddenly, quickly.
If it's a bearing inside the tranny, you'll hear it take a second or more tocoast to a stop. (a noisy throw-out bearing would stop instantly)

Either way, the tranny has to come out. But a throw-out bearing usually gets replaced along with a new clutch, & doesn't require dismantling the tranny.

 

You people are missing the real problem which is the Honda Dealer did not fix the problem.

Eckhart shelled out money for a job that was either never completed, never started, or misdiagnosed.

The dealer should refund the money.

 

What does a car do when a clutch drags? I read thru this forum because I am having my own issues but I would appreciate someone clarifying that for me. Thanks!