Hi everyone. It's been a while since I've posted. And since my car broke down today, what better time than now right? Anyways, I though I'd tap in to the vast knowledge on this forum. Now on to the problem...

I was at the gas station, getting ready to pull out onto the road, waiting in first gear. As an FYI, prior to the gas station, I had been on the road for about an hour and 15 minutes as I work 92 miles from home and was about 15 minutes from home. Now back to the story... As the last oncoming car passed, I released the clutch and stepped on the gas and moved into the middle turning lane. All of a sudden the engine was revving like crazy and all forward movement stopped! I tried every gear and the results were the same. No forward or reverse movement... just lots of engine revving! The only thing i did recentlly to the car was adding brake fluid this morning as my brake light came on yesterday and I noticed my brake fluid was low. Can that have an effect on the clutch? My dad says so... He also said something about the slave cylinder affecting the clutch as well. As you may tell, I'm no expert. I can use all the help I can get.

Now once we figure out what is wrong, what will it take to fix it? And how much will it cost me? Or is this something that my dad and I can tackle? He's a self-taught auto mechanic and is a forklift mechanic.

Thanks in advance for all your help guys! I know I can count on you!

Edit: Forgot to say I have a D15B2. Nothing fancy.

 

well. i have never heard of brake fluid having anything to do with your transmission. especially since its a cable transmission and not a hydraulic transmission. and hydraulic transmissions have slave cylinders, so you dont need to worry about that.

but, your clutch might have gone out. or your transmission took a dump. either way, you could probably tackle the job yourself given your dad's experience, even though it is not with ef's. first i would see if your clutch is messed up, and to do that you have to take the tranny off. if your clutch is messed up, its only like $200 or so for a new one if you install it yourself. but if your clutch appears to be ok, then your tranny's syncros might be bad or something might have broken inside it. either way, a junkyard tranny might be your best bet for the fix, because trannys are expensive and difficult to repair.

when you revved it, was there any resistance? or was it just free revving? and was it hard to get the transmission in to gear? or did it go into gear but just not go anywhere?

 

When I revved it, there was no resistance, it was easy to get the transmission into gear and I was basically going nowhere fast.

If it's the tranny, I might be able to get once from the several u-pull-it salvage yards in the area.

Thanks for your quick reply!

 

yah, I would have to say your trans is shot, do any of the other gears work? did any of them grind before this?

 

from personal experience im pretty sure its ur clutch and not ur synchros or anything else. the "crazy revving" was due to u stepping on the gas and the clutch not enganging cuz its worn out. just a simple clutch change job, u n ur pops should b able to knock it out no problem juss make sure the splines r lined up properly.

 

Your clutch is worn out. You should get a new clutch, throwout bearing, and resurface the flywheel.

 

Ok, I called around to see what the financial damage would be to get the clutch replaced and I'm getting quotes of approximately $500-600 and several days to do it. If me and my pops were to do it, what would I be looking at in terms of cost for parts and also what parts are recommended? How would I go about taking it out if all I have are a couple of jack stands and some ramps? I'm sure my dad and I are competent enough to do it, it's just having the space and right tools.

Thanks again for all those who replied!

 

First time doing it should take around 5 hours its not hard at all just make sure you have a haynes/chilton. Tools you will need are jack stands, 3/8 torque wrench, 12 point socket(think its 12mm), and other basic hand tools. Check out the performance forum for good deals and make sure you get the clutch alignment tool with the kit.

 

Since I have no time to do it myself, my dad's mechanic friend ia hopefully picking up the CRX today or tomorrow and bringing it to his shop to replace the clutch, if that is in deed the prob. Is there anything else. Like I said earlier, it's a D15B2 and I'm not looking to build a race car or anything. Is there anything I should change/mod while the car is being "operated" on? Nothing too expensive or that will keep my CRX away from me for a while. Remember, this is my daily driver that gets me to and from work, so I'll be needing it ASAP.

Thanks in advance and thanks again to all those that replied!

On a side note: I'm borrowing my dad's 92 Civic and the speedometer is crapping out. Gotta check the VSS and the speedo cable at lunch today! What with the problems I'm encountering with Hondas this week? Geez...

 

Alright....

Looks like I will be tackling this clutch replacement job with my dad and my cousin, who used to own a CRX and has experience swapping out clutches. I've got a 90 CRX, D15B2, 5 speed manual tranny. What do I ask for when I call the parts store? Since we are planning on doing this today (my cousin leaves for home tomorrow), should I call the local Honda dealer or parts store like Napa/Autozone? I'm not looking for a race clutch, just something reliable that will get me back on the road. Thanks again for the help!

 

When you call the parts store they'll need to know the year(1990), model(CRX/Civic DX), motor(D15B2), what you need(clutch kit including the pressure plate, throw out bearing, pilot bearing, clutch disk, and it should contain a Clutch alignment tool). Pay attention to how the clutch comes out because if you don't put the disk back in the same way it won't work. Your best bet is a stage one organic clutch from ACT or Exedy (Daikin) it's got great holding power and is about the same price as a new/stock Honda clutch (just as reliable, but manufactured stronger). Which should be your other choice. Don't put a Dyna Pak or cheap clutch in because you'll end up replacing it again in the near future (you'll get what you pay for). I'm not sure but I think the Flywheel in the 90/91 Si is different so <U>if they can only get an Si</U>, try to find a salvage Si Flywheel and both will bolt right up.

 

Just wanted to add-- before ya go yanking out the tranny, best to figure out exactly what's wrong with the car.

Have you ruled out the possibility of the shift linkage(s) being screwed up? Quite possible, and easy to fix.

Broken driveshaft (should be pretty obvious... but could possibly just strip in side the boot and you wouldn't know)?

Other things are possible like broken flywheel, broken crankshaft, spun a hub, etc.

To check the clutch: put it in gear, take the starter out (2 bolts, 12 & 14 i think), turn one wheel by hand and see if the flywheel (the teeth in there where the starter was) is spinning... if it's not you've got clutch issues.

To check the tranny: jack up one front tire, put the car in gear, and give the tire in the air a spin... if the crankshaft/flywheel don't move you've got tranny issues. Basically the same as checking the clutch... but the tranny will probably make obviously bad noises if it's busted.

 

when this happend to me I shatterd my diff!
I made a right turn I was pulling into a parking lot so I made the turn then slowwed down car is really low put it in first gear release the clutch I nothing??? got it towed tore it apart & diff was in peices when u put it in gear does the speedometer move???

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civic_dork &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Just wanted to add-- before ya go yanking out the tranny, best to figure out exactly what's wrong with the car.

Have you ruled out the possibility of ... Broken driveshaft (should be pretty obvious... but could possibly just strip in side the boot and you wouldn't know)?</TD></TR></TABLE>

So, guess what? After going to the parts store and buying a Sachs clutch kit, and then lugging it home, my cousin and I went to work on the car. Low and behold, once we removed the passenger side tire did we find the broken drive shaft! No wonder I wasn't getting power to the wheels. The driver's side is fine. Luckily I was able to find a used one for $30. And damn the wheel hub nut! I broke 2 socket wrenches trying to loosen the damn nut!!! Any suggestions other than soaking it in Liquid Wrench?

Moral of the story? Check every possible thing that could be wrong before you go posting on an internet forum and buying parts you think you need.

civic_dork...where were you when I originally posted this on Wednesday?

Hamstr323...when I put it in gear, the speedo doesn't move at all, only the tach.

 

"Moral of the story? Check every possible thing that could be wrong before you go posting on an internet forum and buying parts you think you need.

civic_dork...where were you when I originally posted this on Wednesday?"

It's easy for people on the internet to tell ya to replace the most expensive, and hardest part to get at... they're not doing the work or paying for it.

Wednesday... i was helping little old ladies cross the street.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civic_dork &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's easy for people on the internet to tell ya to replace the most expensive, and hardest part to get at... they're not doing the work or paying for it.

Wednesday... i was helping little old ladies cross the street.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Although I agree somewhat with your point, all in all I believe that their is goodness, like your walking old ladies across the street, in their hearts!

Thanks again for the tip on the drivesahft!