allright. after the guy did the swap, and sold me the car, he said take it easy on the clutch. i had no idea what he meant. i've been beating on it pretty hard, and it seems to act like its going out. sometimes it doesnt want to engage all the way, and if i stop somewhere, take it out of gear, and let the clutch out, it makes this odd like almost grinding sound...did the clutch not have time to break in and i just fucked myself or what? if so, any good suggestions about what i should get to replace it? prices on clutch/lightened flywheel would be good too.

thanks

 

so let me get this straight... the guy told you to take it easy, so you go out and "beat on it pretty hard"??? Clutches need to be broken in for a reason. IF you dont break them in (it sounds like you didnt) the contact patches glaze over effectively making the clutch near useless. The reason it seems like it's going out is because it wasnt broken in properly. Basically, go buy a new clutch.

As far as new pieces, depends on what kind of engine you have. I always recommend a stock ITR clutch and pressure plate for under 200 whp (about $250 from www.acuraautomotiveparts.net . Clutchmasters makes a 7.5lbs flywheel that ive heard good things about (about $300 i think).

Hope this helps,
-Nick-


[Modified by B18CivicHB, 1:47 AM 6/14/2002]

 

well, he's a really odd guy, and he says "just take it easy for a little bit with it"

i didnt go out and just bake em off everywhere, but i did do a few power shifts and whatnot...

what are the signs of a bad clutch?

sorry, im only 17 and im good at turning wrenches, but not problem solving

 

I usually break then in with 500 stop and go miles.

art

 

hmm... i would agree with Art, give it 500 miles of stop and go "granny" driving. This means not redlining, no 6000rpm hard shifts, just take it easy. Use some common sense.

HTH,
-Nick-

 

this guy was seriously confusing as ****...oh well, its just a stock gsr clutch, so if its fucked, i was gonna replace it eventually.

what are the signs i should watch out for? it engages ok...it almost seems like my master cylinder is low. i duno. i gotta few things i need to check before i tear into my engine/tranny

 

maybe the clutch was old...and he didnt tell you.Could have been the clutch the motor came with.

 

what should i watch/listen for/be aware of?

 

well #1 not working
#2 grinding/scraping noises. youll know them when you hear them.
#3 burning plastic smell
#4 mushy shifting, like the clutch dosent want to engage.

 

Well, if you baked your clutch, you likely just glazed your flywheel and ruined your disk. The pressure plate is probably OK. You can find a replacement disk, and have your flywheel resurfaced.

As for a burning plastic smell, that's the smell of the disk material burning. Even with my ACT XTSS, I can heat up my SS disc pretty well in reverse. Remember that performance clutches are designed for more power, not necessarily longevity.

 

when will i smell this? when driving all the time?

 

No, when your ride your clutch or do anything to over-heat the disc.

 

i'm not getting any of those signs. the only thing that i have noticed (which it does it all the time) if i get on it in second, and shift to third hard, it grinds just a little bit, and i know that my syncros dying. does changing your MTF actually help? me and nickgsr changed his and it made it shift a lot smoother, and made the grinding a little better.

thanks

 

What kind of MTL are you using? Several ITR drivers have supposedly been using ATR as it binds to the synchros a bit better. I have yet to try this, but 2point6 uses Swepco ATF in his manual 2.6L H22 Accord. I think the majority of the ITR drivers using ATF are using Honda ATF. However, keep in mind that really hard shifting will still damage your synchros.

 

Your stock disc will evently break if you "beat" on it. It's just a matter of time. If you hear rattling or odd noise when you push the clutch down half way something proly broke on the disc.

Organic friction lining is "cookie dough" and will burn if heated (slipped).

My favorite friction materials are Kevlar and Miba sintered iron. You get these and you'll be coo.