The car has 19,200 miles on it.

I had about a 70 mile trip from my home to a friend's house Saturday October 10, 2009. On the way up there I tried to use cruise control and it would keep failing. It would engage for a few seconds and then cancel itself. I thought it was odd but forgot about it. I noticed no other oddness on the way there.

On the way back things seemed normal for the first 25 miles or so. Then I noticed that the car was revving high for the speed I was doing - about 65 MPH and it was up to maybe 3500 to 4500 RPM. I was in 6th gear the entire time. I knew something was wrong but I had no idea what. I pushed down on the gas and it went a bit faster but revved up way too quickly for the speed. I dropped down to fifth then back to 6th thinking maybe it would reset or catch or whatever but it didn't help. The car was slowing down but revving higher (maybe around 6000 RPM in sixth) at all of 45 or so MPH. I went into neutral and managed to get over to the side of the road. There was a noticeable burning smell by this point.

The dealer said there is NOTHING other than abuse that can cause this when obviously that's not the case. I've been accused of driving like a grandpa which is not far off. I've been driving manual cars for 20 years and I've never seen or heard of anything like this. Any ideas? I saw the post about the defective flywheel and they said that's not what happened here...

 

You've never launched it? Power shifted? You'd have to do it on a daily basis. No idea man.

They must keep some sort of RPM log to assist them in fighting off waranty claims..

 

I've never done any of that which is how I *know* something other than abuse caused it. Sadly, I don't know enough about cars to know how to counter the "you abused it" mantra they keep throwing at me. How can I prove I never drove it hard? I don't know. They want to charge me $1500 and they said that abuse isn't covered by warranty.

 

Oh that sucks. Did you buy the car new? I do know of people that kill clutches prematurely, namely my step-brother. It's because, he rides his clutch all the time.

 

It's a lease and yes it was new (it had maybe a few hundred on it.) I had an RSX Type S before that with no issues but Acura dropped it so I switched to the SI. Needless to say I won't be going with Honda (at least not that dealership) if they don't help me out here.

As I said, I've driven stick for 20 years now and I've never had clutch issues. I don't ride the clutch and I don't even downshift. It also strikes me as odd that this happened after a day of all highway driving. Why after 25 or 30 miles of all sixth gear highway driving did it start having such a massive issue? Bizarre.

 

There is a possibility that the clutch was defective. I have read of some issues on about this but, I'm not sure how easy to prove that the clutch was a POS.

 

I'm also no mechanic, but would there be any other parts wearing out prematurely from abuse, to show them you haven't been driving it hard?

 

It's abuse or driver error. I know you don't want to accept that but....Ever loan your car to anyone???

The honda dealer is not your problem.

Manufacturers or dealers never do warrant the clutch, it's always been that way.

Clutch and brake pads are usually the first thing they say they don't warranty. Because they have no way of knowing how people drive.

And everyone thinks they are a pro at driving stick so just because you say you drive a stick for 20 years doesn't tell me much. You may have been driving a stick badly for 20 years.

You may have a defective clutch but it is unlikely. So good luck trying to prove it

 

Having read through many of the posts on here, I was expecting this post and I understand your point.

I certainly don't recall every letting anyone so much as move it out of a parking spot but it's possible I did let someone drive it at one point although it would have been a year or two ago. Can one time way back then cause what I described?

I'll absolutely admit I'm not a "pro" at driving stick, but I am cautious and reserved when driving and shifting. I can't prove that though, and there in lies the issue. I do know I had a crappy old Sunfire for 8 years with no clutch issues after 100,000 miles and I had an RSX for three years before this with no issues. It's possible I was just lucky with those two but I rather doubt that.

"Clutch and brake pads are usually the first thing they say they don't warranty. Because they have no way of knowing how people drive." You are likely very correct about this and I'd accept something reasonable here, but certainly not $1500. In fact, they have already offered to go down to $800 but that's still too much.

I appreciate the advice - as I said, I'm not an expert which is why I'm here to get ideas.

 

Assuming you genuinely do not feel responsible, I would call Honda America with records handy of service done on both the RSX-S you had and the Civic SI. Oil changes, clutch changes, etc and ask them to cover the repairs.

 

I dunno. I paid 750 for a clutch and used flywheel for half price from a honda dealer for my 98' civic.

And the rsx that you had I think used a similar if not the same clutch as our si's.

Say about 90 bucks an hour for labor nowadays. I'd guess it's a 5 to 8 hr job and they probably quoted you with changing the flywheel too. And good chance the flywheel needs at least machining if not replaced after smoking a clutch. That's why dealers typically have higher repair costs. Because they don't mess around and try to skimp on a part while they're in there such as the flywheel. It's not worth it for them because you'll be back in a week after the repair saying your clutch is chattering or skipping up engagement because you said to leave the old flywheel in.

So with flywheel 450-720 for labor and roughly 200 just for the clutch and another 300 for a flywheel. The parts maybe more I dunno. 800 from honda sounds ballpark to me. More if you need a flywheel.

Find a reputable local general practice mechanic and you could probably do it for 500-800

 

i've never done any k-series clutches, but afaik it's quite involved to get the trans out of the si vs. your typical b/d/h setup in a previous gen chassis.

not sure.

OP, i understand and believe you.

i would call honda and see if you can get in touch with the area service representative who oversees the dealers in your area. it might get to the point where you can have the work performed and then they decide what caused it.

 

Just to clarify...3k is not unusual in 6th gear at 65mph.

Was your left foot accidentally riding the clutch?

 

Yeah, I was ballparking from memory (it was late at night too and I know I was getting tired until I knew there was a serious issue and adrenaline kicked in), I suspect it was more toward the 4500+ side of that 3.5k to 4.5k range I gave earlier. In any event I could tell it was higher than normal; it just 'felt' very wrong and it wouldn't accelerate at all. When I started to pull over it was well above 6000 RPM at 40 something in 6th gear with my foot off of the clutch. That was a bit scary.

BTW, I leave my foot and that foot rest thing (I'm sure there's a term for it but I'm lame and don't know what it is) all the way to the left of the pedals when in sixth and/or not shifting in general. I'm not saying I've never ridden the clutch a bit when I know I have to make a series of shifts but in this case and unless I'm actively shifting, I use that foot rest.

Thank you all for the advice; I sincerely appreciate how responsive everyone here is.

 

The term is, "dead pedal".

 

sounds like maybe the clutch got stuck and wasn't fully engaged.....

i'm going to guess you were using cruise control right? if so, how long had you been driving at this constant speed without ANY use of the clutch?

 

Actually, I tried to use cruise earlier in the trip but it wouldn't engage. It would work for a second or two then cancel itself. I tried four or five times and gave up. I noticed that on the way up and, frankly, forgot about it until after all this happened. I never even tried it on the way back.

I'd say I was in 6th gear without touching the clutch for at least 25 to 30 miles at between 60 and 65 MPH.

 

Maybe you accidentally disengaged the cruise control, and that caused something to happen with the clutch.

 

Sitting there waiting for the tow truck I was wondering if the cruise control incident I had earlier had anything to do with it. It seemed like an interesting coincidence that I have issues with the cruise the same day my clutch goes out. I honestly don't know but now I'm curious.

 

First off, I have never driven the current generation Civic Si.

But, on my DC2, if the clutch pedal is depressed, the cruise control disengages, like it does if you hit the brakes. I would imagine most Hondas do the same.

I wonder if the cruise control issue was simply a result of the clutch issue, and not a separate thing.

 

If you firmly believe you are not at fault, call Honda USA Customer Service and challenge the claim denial. The number is in your Warranty Manual. They still may not cover the clutch replacement completely, but if you are persistent, they might cover some percentage of the repair as good faith.

The really is that you "could" have had a defective pressure plate or disc. Although it is not common, there have been some factory defect clutch replacements covered under warranty for these cars.

Good Luck

 

i am rather positive that when the cruise control was engaged the clutch was slipping thats why it kept shutting off. so you drove roughly 40 miles with a badly slipping clutch. every time the cruise control was on and you were going uphill or downhill the ccu would modulate the throttle and most definately make the clutch slip horribly. Most likely the clutch was starting to wear and slip before you started the trip and using the ccu during your trip made the clutch wear out way faster than it should.

 

Yes! The cruise control will disengage with the slightest tap of the cluth, which still makes me believe his clutch pedal wasn't all the way out.

 

If you can find a used clutch out of a RSX it will work in your trans. Also i went though this with Honda with my 1st clutch. They wont cover it (learned from experience). and like others have said they call it a "wear item" and cant tell how your driving habits are. Your best bet is to just go ahead and have it replaced. You will also need a Flywheel because i am sure you have gotten it too hot by now a glazed or has hot spots in it and this usually can not be machined out. If you look around i am sure you can find someone else to install is for cheaper and just avoid honda and ever letting them know it has been replaced. Also if you feel froggy and want to DIY i made a write up on 8th gen last year with step by step directions and pics of every all the steps as well i will post the link on here for you. Good luck

 

don't you have to also use a rsx flywheel in order to use a rsx clutch? i don't think that you can use a rsx clutch on an si flywheel (correct me if i'm wrong).

i've seen a few reports of defective flywheels on 8th civic, though this isn't a common problem. i think a couple people actually had their clutch and flywheel replaced under warranty after the techs saw the flywheel.