hardcore

So I recently took my car in to the shop to get my clutch replaced, since it was starting to go, and I had an odd ticking noise coming from that area that I was hoping would be fixed.

Here's my log of events that is making me very uneasy, hopefully someone here can explain some of it. I plan on taking the car back in to be looked at again, but just follow along here and see what you think.


The ticking noise:
When at idle, in neutral, not moving, I sit with the clutch to the floor. nice and quiet. I let the pedal off the floor and i start to hear a whirring noise. An abnormal whirring noise. I push the pedal to the floor again, and it goes away. Hmm.

So, I go to take off in 1st gear. I start to accelerate, and i hear a ticking noise sort of like tapping valves, that increase as i go faster. While accelerating, I push the clutch to the floor, and the sound goes away. So it seems to only be while im putting the engine under load. If i take off off the line badly and i lurch, the sound comes with each lurch, and is absent while the car isnt grabbing. After about 20k, I cant really hear it anymore. Probably just because its ticking so fast its become something of a hum.

Sometimes, When I start out, the sound is totally gone.. Nice and quiet and i get all excited that its finally disappeared. Nope, after about 15-20km/h it goes from nice quiet acceleration to POP-ticktickticktick.. as though its slowly engaging something when i engage the clutch, and hten the ticking ensues.

Also as I discovered last night, i was going down the highway at like 70km/h. I push the clutch to the floor and hold it there, and its nice and quiet. I shift into 5th (still with the clutch pedal to the floor) and its silent. Now into 2nd, or 3rd, and i hear the ticking faintly.. (clutch still in). into 5. nothing. hmm, seems to be gear-related.

I just had my flywheel resurfaced and the throwout bearing replaced, which i though it was before. However, the shop i took it to were a bunch of ******** and i really cant verify what they did or did not do.

the first day i had the car back from having the clutch replaced, the sound seemed to be still there, but ALOT better, and alot quieter. The clutch pedal was a million times softer to push to the floor (i could do it with 1 maybe 2 fingers). Then after the day of driving, the pedal started to stiffen up, and i have to use like 4 fingers to push it to the floor now, and the ticking is quite loud again. Did they maybe not bleed the lines? At first when I got in while picking it up, it felt like the lines were empty, it was so soft. I chalked it up to not being used to that soft of a pedal, as my last clutch had quite a bit of pressure..

On my way home, i slipped the clutch a little to get over a speed bump (lowered) and the car started to shake really violently. Like the clutch was chattering. My passengers didnt really notice as the music was on, they were talking etc. I pulled into my parking lot and slipped it on purpose to try to get it to happen again. It did. I parked the car and went inside for the night.

the next morning I came out and when i started my car it was obvious something was wrong. It was ticking REALLY loudly, like a SUPER bad valve ticking, almost like someone was holding a metal object into a fan.

Pissed off I opened the hood, and it sounded as if it were coming from the clutch area (left of the valve cover, underneath the header sort of). The ticking increased as i revved it.

Got in the car and decided to gun it down the road. At the end of the road i pulled over and listened again. Sound was gone. Hmm...

Now, when i slip it, i can occasionally feel a LITTLE chatter (Especially in reverse) but nothing like the last time.

My pedal is getting quite a bit stiffer again, and the smooth gear engagement i was starting to enjoy is disappearing, and its engaging quite hard and quick, making smooth starts a real pain. I some what chalk this up to the pedal getting stiffer.

Now I think that the stiff pedal is attributed directly to needing to bleed the lines on the clutch, but what would the rest of the problems be because?

Please help! I fear for my cars life!

4doorRS5spd

As far as the ticking noises coming from under your hood, I would think that was some valve noise. Have you had your valves adjusted lately? Another thing is to use a motor oil that has a different viscocity grade than the 5W-30 people normally use. Try a 10-30 or a 10-40 and see if that makes any difference.

Also, change your tranny fluid and use some genuine Honda MTF. The people who replaced your clutch may have used motor oil if they changed the tranny fluid. Just my $.2 Also you may want to change your clutch fluid as well. Good luck with figuring out the problem.


[Modified by 4doorRS5spd, 9:35 PM 8/19/2002]

hardcore

Hm yeah I'm going to do all that. However, Doesnt it seem odd that the ticking only occurs when the clutch is engaged and i am putting the engine under load? like, if i rev the engine with the clutch in, i dont hear it. valves would still be present in that case..

Thanks for the input though

lsvtec4door

do u have a lighted flywheel

hardcore

Negative. I got them to machine mine, but i dont know what it ended up coming to... ? I didnt get it 'lightened' though. and its still the oem one.

CivicEx95

bearings on the mainshaft and/or countershaft IMO from what you've described. You don't hear it when you push in the clutch because the tranny is no longer connected to the flywheel, and not moving. And you hear it while the clutch is in and the car is moving because the axles are turning the tranny. It's not going to be the clutch