'99 Civic EX 5spd lacking torque - what to check?
02-19-2009, 01:58 AM
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'99 Civic EX 5spd lacking torque - what to check?
I have a '99 Civic EX with 130k miles on it and a manual transmission. I've looked at several different threads with people asking this same question but my dilemma is a little bit different. I've already bought an OEM Exedy clutch kit and I'm going to get it installed in a few days for $350, but I feel like something else might be causing problems as well (see possible clue below) and I'm not sure what else may need to be checked.
Symptoms:
-My shifts are sort of jerky unless I move the clutch pedal calmly back out
-Doesn't smoothly move into first gear from a dead stop (the RPMs stay steady for a few moments and then drop down but I don't hear any abnormal sounds)
-The clutch pedal needs to be pressed rather far before I can change gears
-The pedal also doesn't feel as springy as other clutches I've felt
-In all gears the car is lacking a lot of torque, but the RPMs have never spiked when I push it hard
Possible clue:
For two weeks I had an ebay short shifter installed that was EXTREMELY stiff and difficult to move. While it was installed, my torque magically came back, though going into first from a dead stop still seemed to take a little extra effort. The bearing broke a week later due to lack of lubrication -- guess I shouldn't have waited nine months to install it!
I then replaced it with a B&M short shifter with properly lubed bearings and the torque dissapeared again. Makes me wonder if the transmission was pushing back on the ebay shifter, but it was so stiff that it didn't give way and that somehow fixed it?...
The question finally:
SO, since I already bought the clutch I'm going to go ahead and install it either way, but is there anything else that I should specifically tell them to check that might -also- be the cause? Linkage issues, clutch master cylinder, etc? I find it strange that a stiff shift stick would correct most of the symptoms of a bad clutch, but I'm just a hobbyist with no tranny experience whatsoever.
Any input would be greatly appreciated, and sorry for the long post!
Symptoms:
-My shifts are sort of jerky unless I move the clutch pedal calmly back out
-Doesn't smoothly move into first gear from a dead stop (the RPMs stay steady for a few moments and then drop down but I don't hear any abnormal sounds)
-The clutch pedal needs to be pressed rather far before I can change gears
-The pedal also doesn't feel as springy as other clutches I've felt
-In all gears the car is lacking a lot of torque, but the RPMs have never spiked when I push it hard
Possible clue:
For two weeks I had an ebay short shifter installed that was EXTREMELY stiff and difficult to move. While it was installed, my torque magically came back, though going into first from a dead stop still seemed to take a little extra effort. The bearing broke a week later due to lack of lubrication -- guess I shouldn't have waited nine months to install it!
I then replaced it with a B&M short shifter with properly lubed bearings and the torque dissapeared again. Makes me wonder if the transmission was pushing back on the ebay shifter, but it was so stiff that it didn't give way and that somehow fixed it?...
The question finally:
SO, since I already bought the clutch I'm going to go ahead and install it either way, but is there anything else that I should specifically tell them to check that might -also- be the cause? Linkage issues, clutch master cylinder, etc? I find it strange that a stiff shift stick would correct most of the symptoms of a bad clutch, but I'm just a hobbyist with no tranny experience whatsoever.
Any input would be greatly appreciated, and sorry for the long post!
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