Hi all, first time posting, long time lurker on honda-tech (used to frequent 7thgenhonda before the site was taken over by spam bots).

Anyway, I have a 2001 Civic EX that has developed an intermittent "stick" in the clutch pedal when pressed and released. I can't seem to find what causes the problem to occur, and what causes it to operate smoothly per usual. The pedal feels as if there is a bit of resistance about an inch or two above the floor; the rest of the way it engages smoothly. With the car off and the hood open, I can hear a creaking noise coming from the engine when I actuate the clutch, but can't tell directly where it's coming from... likely need another set of ears to diagnose that. Car doesn't stall or hesitate when starting, clutch doesn't slip (did the "floor it up a hill in 5th gear" test multiple times), and will shudder on the verge of stalling out when attempting to start in 3rd or 4th. I'm also not leaking any clutch hydraulic fluid (level in the reservoir has been constant and haven't seen any leaks). Additionally, I used some Lucas Red N' Tacky grease to lubricate the rod that leads from the pedal through the fire wall into the master cylinder, and just changed the clutch hydraulic fluid: no difference in "stickiness". With that in mind, I feel that I've ruled out an issue with the friction plate, and from what I've gathered by reading other posts with similar symptoms, I may be looking at my pressure plate wearing prematurely, although I'm hoping it's more of a master and/or slave cylinder issue... certainly easier and cheaper to fix. Any insight is appreciated!

For reference, here's a little pertinent history on the car: About 30K+ miles ago, I had the clutch replaced with an OEM Exedy friction plate/pressure plate/flywheel, and it's been giving me no problems up until now. I regularly change the clutch hydraulic fluid, and my tranny fluid was changed with genuine Honda MTF < 10K miles ago. I did have a ruined input shaft bearing/throwout bearing, but that was remedied well over 50K ago but a reputable shop, so I'm confused as to why I'm running into this problem when the major wear items of the transmission have been recently replaced. Again, any help is appreciated!