PLEASE READ AND HELP

So i bought my second ef hatch this summer, a 1990 si with 262800km on it in pretty damn nice condition for $ 1600

Right off the bat i blew my drivers side rear drum cylinder and decided to put in all new pads up front, both brake cylinders in the back with all new hardware, shoes and drums, i put all these in myself so saved money on labour.

Other than that ive had no problems with it, up until monday, when i decided to go for an hour drive from home and have my car **** me over which involved me getting a u-haul trailer for $60 thank god cause a tow truck would've been over $200

Anyway onto the problem and question, didn't hear any clunking, rattiling, grinding, clutch slippage etc, yes i had my radio on and wasnt in full concentration but still, so i was going down this road and decided to turn around, so i pulled off onto a driveway made a sharp turn, didnt see any traffic so used my momentum to go in the middle of the street, i put it in first came off the clutch gave it gas and all the engine did was rev ? figured it popped outta first, saw a car coming so put it in first came off the clutch gave it gas and the engine revved, we pushed the car into the persons driveway where i turned it off turned it back on went through the process and same thing, than i noticed i could put it into any gear with the clutch out yet still had clutch pressure, than i noticed if i put in first and gave it gas the speedo moved abit, than i thought it should move more in 5th because of ratios, so when i gave it gas in 5th the speedo said i was doing 80km

At first i thought i blew my tranny and was ****ED but then i thought my clutch was shot even though its never slipped, but when i brought it home i listened more carefully and figured out if i take my foot off the clutch with it in gear i can hear the gears spin and the speedo moves, and when i depress the clutch the gears slowly slow down, im not that familiar with front wheel drives and i think the problems from the last gear to the wheels, people have told me the clutch is gone and cv joints, im good with tools and somewhat mechanically inclined so bring it to a shop would be my last resort because i ahve people who will help me that have many years of experience with cars.

So if you've made it this far thank you very much for reading my problem and if you can get back to me with your opinion it would be really appreciated

Thanks and Cheers

 

Make sure your passenger axle did not just pop out a bit I've had it happen before just jack it up remove the wheel and hit the end with a rubber mallet and listin for a click

 

i got told something along the lines of that, if the passenger side pops out will both wheels not spin ? thanks for the reply

 

no they wont. could be a axle though makes sense.

 

Either axle could have popped out, C/V axle broke, or something of that nature... I doubt it's internal as your speedometer is moving and this means everything is turning.

 

I had sumthin similar happen to me,it was my axel seal.
I had a wrong one and it caused my axel to pop out at times when driving,with ur same problems u have.When this would happen i would have to coast my way to off the road and put my hand in the bay to push it back in to get me to where i was going.
.It was an easy fix, maybe this could be ur problem.

 

OK so today i got under the car both cv boots look good and intact, when i spin the rotor the shaft spins only on that side, same on the other when i spin the rotor the shaft spins and the cv boot looks clean, the inner boots look good too, BUT when i start the car and put it in gear the output shafts (i wanna call them that, what the otehr side of the axle is connected too) wobble, the wobble a littlebit in 1st and alot in 5th, i grabbed them and they had some play but not much, i tried to push them back into the (i wanna say transaxle) but they seemed attached.

So are the gears in the transaxle ? stripped or what do you think, once again your input is greatlly appreciated

 

The differential could be broke... it wouldn't be the first time this has happened to this chassis style.

 

what do you think would be the best bet if it was that ? replace the diff with one from another honda, how much ould that cost ? or rebuild it if you can even do that, once again how much would that ?

Thanks for your input

Cheers

 

At this point, as long as everything checks out externally, it's time to tear it apart. Cost and time really depend on your skill set, tools/machines you have, and where/how you source your parts... so I decline to comment.

 

Yeah im getting it on stands tomorrow, probably gunna start with removing the axles and look inside the transaxle, will keep you guys posted thanks for the knowledge

 

If one more person trys to convince me on how my clutch is blown im gunna loose it

So i got it on jacks yesterday and figured id start with removing one axle to look insde the transaxle, took off my passenger side which was a bitch and a half.

anyway when i drained all the fluid and stuck my finger inside i felt the outside teeth of a gear where i was geussing i should've felt the inside of a gear wehre the axle goes into, than when i moved my finger left and down i found the inside of the gear that turns the axle and i could freely move the gear around (****ING GREAT), when i looked through i could see the other axle inside its gear and held into place, now im wondering if i took the other axle out would the otehr gear be free and loose or is it held into place.

So from here we figured out i need to take the side of the tranny off and get inside, once again im not that familiar with front wheel drives can someone explain to me how the power is transfered to the axles in a trans axle.

Also how do you think i should tackle this job, are transaxles seperate or is the whole tranny one thing

Once again thanks and cheers

 

The differential is somewhat part of the transmission, the transmission has to be completely pulled apart to get to it.

Was there any metal flakes in the fluid? The trans has to be spinning if the speedo is moving. So its either the axles or trans. If the axles were all the way pushed in and none of the boots on the axles are twisted then the problem is in the trans. Judging by your skill level (not meaning any disrespect) I would say pull the trans and take it somewhere and have it built. Or find a used trans somewhere.

 

If it's not your daily then deffiantlly tinker with it yourself.

 

no metal flakes i looked for them but ive been looking at diagrams and it looks like a gear is loose on the differential but the whole damn thing is part of the tranny (****ING FWD) and no disrespect taken im not that "skilled" and having a problem at the bottom of the tranny would be a lets say fun side project if this wasn't my daily driver but it is, well i geuss WAS

i do know people who are skilled and have been helping me but my next question was do i have to pull the engine to get the transaxle out or does it drop straight out with the removal of a bunch of ****, because my best bet was to try and find an SI tranny and plunk that bitch right on, ive found a few on craigslist and im going to go from there

also ive read that d15 trannys bolt upto d16 but there gearing is **** compared to the si tranny, just wondering if this is true, i dont know the exact code of my engine but its a 1990 SI hatch i think its a d16z6 but please correct me if im wrong

Again thanks a million you guys have been alot of help

 

You can just drop that tranny right off its not that hard if you got a few people to help you. This is how i do all my clutch jobs. You will have to remove both cv shafts (witch you done YAY! cause one of the hardest parts) then you need to get under to your shift linkage and unbolt it from the frame and unbolt the shifter stabilizer as well. Next put a jack and bored under the rear of the tranny and undo all the bell houseing bolts and take off the starter, and your speedo cable (if you have one) pull the slave cylinder arm off (if its hydraulic or undo you cable line if its cable) and pull it off and drop it down. Getting it back on is going to be a littler more difficult because you have to get the input shaft lined up but its nothing major.

As for using a d15 tranny yes you can, any d series tranny will work just make sure you get hydraulic or cable depending on what you have now. D15 trannys are also geared taller. Wont be as fast but you will be pushing lower rpms on the highway, depends on what you want and how you drive.

 

Thanks man thats gunna help a ton, one more question, does anyone know if a 1990 SI hatch has a cable or hydro clutch ? im pretty sure its a cable but how can i make sure,

Also what would be a good price for a transmission in decent shape, ive priced them from 150-300 on craigslist

Thanks

 

All '88-91 Honda's were Cable Clutch. The Hydraulic clutch started in 1992.

(Obviously Integras and such are different... but we are talking Civics.)

 

thank you all i needed to know

 

Ok got an SI transmission narrowed down for $ 150 gunna take a look at one of these days coming up what do i need to look for on a used transmission ? it has 160k and the seller says its in good condition but im not going off that

Also i got everything off the tranny (shift linkage, starter, drive shafts, electrical etc) now all i need to do is support the engine unbolt the transmission get it out bolt in new one hook everything up and off to the races

What would be my best bet on lowering the transmission out, i was thinking of a hydraulic jack but ive heard people say get a creeper and lower it onto your chest just want to ehar your guys opinion

Thanks

 

Personally I just pick them up by hand and lower them down... I am tall and beefy though...

Just so you know - be sure to match the clutch components to the transmission.

 

Same here. If you cant get it buy yourself you can always call a buddy or two over and have them give you hand.

 

Been sitting on the car for a while but im swapping transmissions this weekend what do i need to get on top of the transmission, gaskets, seals fluid etc, also i was wondering about doing the clutch while iw as in there waht should i do in taht case

Thanks

 

That should be everything. You will need grease for the axles ends to if you dont have any. And i would probably do the clutch since you have the tranny off. Its not hard at all, a clutch kit will come with everything you need to put it on.