I recently acquired a 2000 Civic 5-speed and am learning to drive stick in it. My dad's been teaching me and I'm getting the hang of it. I do have a question on the clutch though. It's not technique related really, but the clutch seems to grab right at the end of the stroke. I have heard from a friend that Honda clutches are a little peculiar compared to other clutches. This car probably has the original clutch on it, so I was wondering if all Honda clutches are like this. The reason I ask is because we test drove another Civic (with less miles on it) before buying this one, and the clutch grabbed a lot sooner.

 

You can adjust this at the pedal to make it grab sooner.

 

every honda i've owned had a clutch that grabbed at the top.

 

How does one go about adjusting the clutch so that it grabs sooner? I've heard that it should grab around the middle. Excuse my ignorance; I've only been driving stick for 2 hours so the clutch is a little new to me.

 

Is there a way to adjust it? Like at the pedal?

 

Move the seat back. Get on your back and look at the back of the pedal.

 

Yes.
Get under the dash so that you're looking up at the pedals' hinges (very uncomfortable position). Shine a flashlight and look at the top of the clutch pedal. After observing, you'll realize how the pedal pulls a metal rod in and out of the firewall when you press the clutch. On the other side of the firewall (engine bay) there's the clutch cylinder.

What you do is loosen the nut that keeps the metal rod from twisting. Then twist the rod a few increments (maybe 1 or 2 turns). Tighten the nut back and try it. Repeat until you got the clutch engaging at a desirable point.

Notes:

• I don't remember which way you need to turn the rod. Just look at the whole thing and visualize in your mind which way the pedal would adjust if you turned one way vs. the other.
• Sometimes there are issues that will prevent you from getting the pedal adjusted to your liking (bleeding issues, component wear, slave cylinder, etc). Don't assume you can always fix the issue with pedal adjustment, if you have to do several turns (example: turn the rod all the way in one direction) to get to your desired pedal engagement (or close to), chances are your problem is elsewhere and you might be introducing other issues.
• The rod can usually be turned with your fingers (after the nut is loosened). You can use pliers too, but careful not to damage the thread).
• Don't forget to tighten the nut when you're done.

Good luck, let us know how it goes and congrats on learning to drive stick.

 

Sweet! I'll give this a try when I get home. And thanks for the congrats. I've been really wanting to learn stick for nearly a year now so you can imagine how thrilled I am to be able to shift my car on will.

A couple questions though. I've learned a lot about the D series engine and all, but I don't know anything about clutch symptoms. What symptoms can I look for that would typically indicate that I need to bleed the clutch? And if I have a master or slave cylinder problem, what symptoms should I be aware of?

 

No problem, enjoy.

Hmmm... besides obvious symptoms such as leaking cylinders (look at them), one other I can think of is that the clutch pedal is adjusted but the clutch doesn't disengage properly when you press the pedal. Meaning, the gears don't go in smoothly and/or tend to grind and you're pressing the pedal all the way. Also, check the fluid level.

 

Cool deal, I'll make sure to remember those when they happen. As for the clutch pedal adjustment, I decided to keep it where it was because I really don't want to mess anything up. Since this is really my own car, I really want to avoid ANY potential problems.

 

Adjust the clutch pedal height exactly as recommended in the service manual because if you don't, there's a risk of burning up the clutch prematurely.

 

So I see! I'll make sure to include that in all the car maintenance I'm doing today. Thanks for the heads up!!