i have a 2001 base, i took a drive around the capital beltway, tons of traffic, stop and go for about 20 miles...

anyway, when i got home, my clutch seemed to start acting up, i thought there was something going on with it since i bought it about 3 months ago, but now it takes alot to get going from a stop, and it revs up alot of the time too much when i change gears or even hit the gas a little hard too

my main question is.. will it affect the tranny or anything else by driving it until i fix it?? and also how will i know when theres a tranny problem and not a clutch problem???

 

Nope, just wears the clutch disc out more if I'm not mistaken. From my experience if it was a tranny problem, you'd have grinding gears and hard to go in, in all gears. But that doesn't mean that a bad pressure plate won't cause those symptoms either. But usually with that problem you're having, it's your clutch disc going out on you. It's slipping is what it is doing.

 

thanks alot, i havent driven a 5-speed in a little while, which is probably why its going up on me

going in gear is still good, i knew it was getting bad, it took me to release the clutch pedal out further and further to start going

I thank you for the help, since ive bought my Prelude ive loved to drive it, and i joined this site so i can familiarize myself with Hondas a bit more, now ive been doing my own work on it thanks to reading on this site

Clutch is next iguess, shocks and strts will have to wait....lol

 

its not to bad to do a clutch in a garage, I wouldnt try doing it on a drive way tho... Buy your own clutch (exedy, comp clutch, act) and take it to a shop and usally its anywhere between 200 to 350 to install the clutch.

 

I just experienced the exact same thing a month ago, replaced the clutch with help from my friend. See my thread for some insight: https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-prelude-4/97-prelude-sh-clutch-issue-3075753/

I would also caution driving since it could go out and you'll be stuck on the side of the road. Get AAA if you don't have it.

Since you know about the issue early. Take the time to order an Exedy clutch off eBay.

 

i started to lean towards act, but still not sure yet

whats you guys take for a daily driver, lightwieght flywheel, or a "closer to stock" one, im hearing different opinions on the subject??

 

I'd just go with a stock honda OEM clutch to be honest. most of the aftermarket crap is junk and will last about 3 months(haha) and the high grade stuff will eventually put more strain on your tranny and ruin it over time, like a 6puck clutch. the only time you should get something stronger then stock is when youre going to be putting more power down like with a turbo application. even still, the OEM honda clutch can hold quite a bit of HP past stock. when i had a hatch, i got some BS clutch from a reputable shop and a few weeks after breaking it in i got on it and it would spin and slowly catch when id shift quick.

OEM

 

Did you break it in properly? Sounds a bit fishy that a clutch goes that fast.

 

I researched this as well and found that going with a heavier stock was best for a daily driver. The heavier weight gives it more mass and therefore more momentum, let's you start from stop at lower RPMs. Otherwise you will be revving high. High revs put unnecessary strain on engine, etc.

If you were gonna drag or do mods you can consider lightweight one.

 

cool thanks man, yah no racing for me, just the few basic things that make it go a little faster and sound better, the appearance is more important to me but still working on that too

 

yea, i did the work myself and i went to a reputable shop and got a "rhino blah blah blah" clutch supposedly better than stock. i put it on my z6 engine and broke it in properly and had my flywheel machined and everything. thing was just a turd

 

You could have glazed your clutch plate or flywheel

 

whats breaking it in properly????

 

"500" miles or ~1000 shifts up and down avoiding high rpms/heat to mate the clutch and flywheel.

 

500-1000 miles. No racing, no burnouts. Drive like a granny. Don't go over 4000k for those 500-1000 miles. No highways. Only stop and go traffic. Which I gotta do next week when I put my new one in .

 

thats gonna suck for a little while, i cant wait till it runs like it did lol

hopefully thiss weekend ill buy it, ill post pics when i install in the "what have u done" thread

 

betrnsx is right about the flywheel. Stay with the stock flywheel for a driver. A lightweight is good for road racing but you give up drivability to get the car in motion. In the 50s and 60s guys made there own lightweight aluminum flywheels but they were using 750x14 and 15 tires. Late 60 and early 70s flywheels got heavy because cheater slicks came out. We ran 40 lb flywheels in the early 70s. Then in the late 70s first gear ratios started down and flywheels got lighter again. We ran and launch ratio of 18:1 which is 5.57 gear times a 3.25 first gear and didn't need much flywheel with that. For the street its best to have some weight and make it easy to drive. A lot of the aftermarket clutches are not much more than a repaint and rebox so beware.

 

thanks for the info guys, seems like stock is the way to go for me, like i said its my main car to drive

So the Exedy clutch kit plus a oem flywheel?? would i need to buy the throw-out/and the other bearings from the dealer, i heard that stock bearings were recommended, but also heard some kits CAME with the stock bearings so...??

Also (sorry for so many questions) Is there anything else that should be done or at least looked at while im replacing the clutch??

 

I put a 11lbs fly wheel on my f22 and it was a night and day diffrence. It is alittle harder to get going from a stop but when cruzing around is nice. I have done exedy clutches on lots of cars and never had a problem. I do like a stage one just for the little more agressive response from it. The throw outs come with the kits, and never had a problem again. You can get a OEM but be ready to pat some for them, but NSK bearings are pretty good.

 

Replace rear-main seal since you already have it taken apart. That could be leaking, mine was. Clutch kits should also already have throw-out bearings included.

 

try a different clutch slave cylinder. Friend of mine thought his clutch was going, changed the clutch, still did it. sold the car, the other kid changed the clutch again.... still did it. Then he change the slave and it was fixed!!

 

Go with Exedy, OEM replacement or stage 1.

Exedy is made by Daikin which is the company that makes stock Honda clutches.

If you just DD and don't drive harsh, go with the OEM replacement, if you like to have fun, high rev shifts, launching, etc. go with the stage 1.

If you're DD'ing the car, use the OEM flywheel, using a lighter flywheel makes the engine rev up and down faster. The inertia of the heavier stock clutch helps keep your momentum up so you don't have to stay on the gas. With a lightweight flywheel, the minute you move your foot off the gas, the car will slow down.

As to the guy that says aftermarket clutches are junk, maybe he got a bad one, or glazed his. There are so many good reviews of most aftermarket clutches out there, its hard to believe that they're all junk because of one person's bad experience.

 

im soaking this up, will attempt the install this weekend

 

one last question, i ve settled on the oem Exedy clutch kit

as for the flywheel?? OEM or a F1 racing Chromoly flywheel (11.5 lbs)

like i siad, i dont really race, and its my DD, BUT i would like to teach the spanish community here a few lessons from time to time

 

Get the fidanza lightweight it is 3.6 kg and you can change the friction plate if something bad happens like glazing the flywheel