Maladeen

Hey guys I have a situation on my hands. I have a 94 civic cx and I'm having a clutch issue. About two weeks ago my civic ran out of clutch fluid and I could start but not shift it into any gears. The clutch felt as limp as ever and just stayed down on the floor, no resistance what so ever. I added fluid and pumped the clutch to the point that I got some resistance back and could shift again.

I drove the car to a local mechanic and figured out that both the master and slave cylinders were starting to go, and replaced them both for 250 parts and labor. Got the car back and had no problems however today I had to take a drive from campus to the twin cities which is about an hour and a half drive and the first time I went to shift down from fifth gear to third because of a change in traffic the pedal seemed to have no resistance all over again.

It slightly grinded coming out of gear and I had to pump the clutch before I could throw it into third. From there I was able to shift back through fourth and fifth to reach my destination. Then on the way back once I reached my exit I shifted out of fifth only for the clutch pedal to feel weak all over again and preventing me from shifting into another gear without pumping my clutch. Pretty much does anyone here have any idea why its doing this?

EsotericImage

iTrader: (8)

did you check to see if any fluids are leaking?

CO671

iTrader: (1)

Did the mechanic really change the slave and master cylinder? You have a receipt?
Check the fluid.
Examine the clutch pedal and the master cylinder rod/seal, see if its leaking in that area.
Check the master cylinder itself if it's leaking, check the reservoir and all other lines.
Check the slave cylinder and see if the nipple i tightened, or not.

Damn, hearing all these "I paid ___ for this" makes me more compelled to just make a compilation of DIY's (older DIY compilations are outdated/have broken links), because that's such a simple change (as easy as changing oil)

EsotericImage

iTrader: (8)

might not have been bled correctly as well

Maladeen

yes i have looked at both the slave and master cylinders and ensured they were both changed before i took the car and paid he showed me the two older ones. I haven't checked the seals behind the pedal i plan on doing that tomorrow, the last two options i will check as well. If everything hold true where would you recommend i go from there?

CO671

iTrader: (1)

Well, if the clutch hydraulics are ruled out (pedal, master, slave, reservoir, lines), then i'd think it's the clutch itself that needs to be checked, but that would probably be going way too far.

Like what EsotericImage said, maybe it wasn't bled correctly. If the fluid is black/dark brown or even low for that matter, it's contaminated/probably has air in it and maybe leaking too (the fluid is dark from eating rubber components). Here's a DIY on bleeding it:
(make sure that "container of brake fluid" you suspend it in isn't the new bottle, just fill up a few tablespoons of brake fluid into an old water bottle, and if you have an extra windshield wiper fluid hose, it'll fit the nipple)

I believe the nipple is a size 8, I used a wrench

Thanks to RonJ@HT
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/98-civic-clutch-hydraulic-bleeding-help-3012991/
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/97-civic-how-properly-bleed-clutch-fluid-2877389/

Maladeen

Fun fact is that before the mini road trip to the cities i checked my clutch fluid and it was as fresh as ever, still pretty clear like it was fresh out the bottle. So im not sure, tomorrow i will double check everything from the master cylinder reservoir to the seal behind the pedal. Also, when it does shift it doesn't seem like it has a problem engaging any of the gears so i don't think its the clutch itself, or am i thinking about it in the wrong way?