I already tried to search, but it keeps repeating that my search failed and that I need to try again later. My question is how do you know when you need to replace your clutch? I was driving in San Francisco yesterday, and while I was stuck in uphill stop and go traffic I noticed a horrible scent. Reminded me of fish or something. Anyway I'm pretty sure that smell was coming from my clutch, because this is the second time it's happened in the past month. I was wondering how do I know that the clutch needs to be replaced and how do I prevent that from happening again? I drive a 1996 Acura Integra GS-R with 143,000 miles. Thank you.

 

Sounds like you were just riding the clutch a little too long. Is it still holding well enough? How does the clutch pedal feel?

 

The pedal and everything feels normal now, like it did the first time I ever smelled this, but I'm not going to be surprised if this clutch does need to be replaced because according to the original owner when I bought the car at 133,000, the clutch has never been replaced.

Also, the first time I smelled this was when I was in San Francisco and was on a hill that was steep enough for my car to not move at all no matter how high I reved the engine, I never felt any friction on the clutch and ended up having to turn around and go down the hill. I figured if I had a new clutch I would've been able to go up that hill.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by IamPhil &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">was on a hill that was steep enough for my car to not move at all no matter how high I reved the engine, I never felt any friction on the clutch and ended up having to turn around and go down the hill. I figured if I had a new clutch I would've been able to go up that hill.</TD></TR></TABLE>

errr, yep. If you can't make it up a hill, your clutch is shot.

UNLESS something else is messed up keeping the system from working right (slave cylinder, that sort of thing).

 

But it was a really steep hill, hence why I'm not sure if I need to replace my clutch. Are there any other signs that show when you need a new clutch?

 

Ahh. In your first post you never mentioned that you couldn't make it up the hill

 

When it slips really bad.

 

Time for a clutch.

 

The hill I couldn't get up was from a month ago, in stop and go traffic yesterday I made it up, it just smelled bad. Good thing too, I was worried that if it got steep enough I couldn't move and would've been pissing off people already annoyed by the traffic. Right now my clutch doesn't slip really bad, but now there are hills I avoid. So should I replace my clutch for the sake of those hills?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by IamPhil &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">But it was a really steep hill, hence why I'm not sure if I need to replace my clutch. Are there any other signs that show when you need a new clutch?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well, let me say that if the road was intended for use by an automobile, your integra should have had no problems climbing it. Really steep or not, doesn't matter.

Regarding other signs, where is the engagement point on your pedal, and how abrupt is it? Typically, as the clutch/pressure plate age, the engagement point rises higher and higher on the pedal, until you barely even have to push it in an inch before it lets go. Along with this, that engagement point starts to get really small and hard to modulate. This makes it tougher and tougher to operate the clutch withouth lurching the car.

 

If that's the case, what does everyone recommend and where can I get it? I've browsed the forums and it seems like ACT clutches are ideal but a mechanic I talked to recommended getting one from the Acura dealership.

 

Depends on your goals for your car. My car has a basically stock powertrain. I wanted my pedal to remain as soft as stock. So I went with an organic full face set from NKK, and I'm very happy with it. Stay with the full face clutches if you're stock or mild, unless of course you want the chatter, stiff pedal, and immediate grip of a puck-style disc with an heavy duty pressure plate.

 

My car is stock, and the only problem with buying the clutch from the dealership is that I don't expect it to be cheap. What you have sounds expensive but I'll look into it. Thanks for all your help.

 

Well of course this varies quite a bit from place to place, but expect to pay about $250-300 for parts (clutch disc, pressure plate, throw-out bearing, pilot bearing, tranny fluid), and about $600 labor at a reputable shop. This job can be DIY if you have air tools, multiple jacks, and big gonads. I did it for the first time a couple months ago. I did it, and it came out great, but damn it kicked my *** for over 15 hours.

 

Oops, I just hit edit instead of reply. But I meant to say thank you to everyone, especially Rainmaker.