Hey fellow Civic owners please help me.

I could use some help here, I just bought a Civic today and upon driving it home I encountered an issue with the clutch that I haven't experienced before in a vehicle.

While driving and at a stop sometimes the clutch pedal will just stick about 3/4 down. If i stick my toe underneath it and pull it up it pops right back up and works fine. Mind you this is fairly frequent, about 9 times(maybe more) in the 50-60 miles i have put on the car since I have owned it. Its the stock D16z6 motor and transmission. I am unknown on the last clutch replacement, although when the pedal isnt screwing up the clutch feels ok lets off a little sloppy from a stop but the shifting from 2nd-5th are great, no grinding or slipping.

From what I can tell it's like its losing the hydraulic pressure. Maybe a air in the line?

I'm not sure what it is exactly, I dont claim to be a car guru, I know my fair share but when it comes to troubleshooting and diagnostics I tend to fall back on more knowledgeable persons.

I can provide more information as requested to further help figure out what the problem might be.

Thanks,

Pizzy

 

First step in my opinion is to bleed the clutch. When you pop the hood right on the front of the tranny you should see the slave cylinder with a bleeder nipple on it.

Quite often with time and no maintenance I hear that water can build up in the slave cylinder. So since you don't know if it's been done recently, I would do the two man method so that the waste oil/water can be pumped into a waste bottle. The one man method can suck that gunk back into the slave cylinder and contaminate a good bottle of Dot 3/4 brake fluid. I tend to use Dot 4 just because I don't know if 3 or 4 was used previously and Dot 3 in Dot 4 isn't the best idea while Dot 4 in dot 3 is not a problem at all from what I understand. Anyways, just like bleeding the brakes you crack open the bleeder nipple, have your buddy or spouse push the clutch pedal to the floor, then you close the nipple and then have your buddy/spouse lift the clutch pedal back up. Do this two or three times and top up your clutch reservoir and do another 2 or three times. This will get all the water and air out of the system. Just be sure the reservoir doesn't run dry and once done, top it back up to the full line.

If bleeding doesn't fix the issue you may need either a new slave cylinder, new master cylinder or both. The water can cause rust in the system which in turn can give you problems.

The other thing to look at is in the cabin. Look at where the clutch pedal pushes the rod through the firewall. If it's dry there then that is not the issue. If it's oily with brake fluid then the master cylinder has a seal issue and probably is your problem.

Hope this helps.

 

Mixing Dot 3 and Dot 4 will not give you any problems. Dot 5 on the other hand will if the system is set up for 3 or 4. Dot 5 will ruin all the rubber seals. Pull back the rubber boot on the slave cylinder towrds the passenger fender. If fuild comes out, you have a bad slave. The hydraulic system will usually only malfunction if you have a leak. More times than not it is the slave cylinder that is the faulty component. But, check for a leak before replacing a part.

Like Tom said check inside by crawling under the dash with a flashlight and look for wet spots near the clutch push rod.

Grab a friend or a neighborhood girl you been dying to get to know and tell her you are desperate for help and you would be indebted for a lifetime to her if she could only find it in her heart to help you for ten mins.

Have her pump it up and hold it three times while you release all in her can, I mean catch can. Don't let the reservoir run dry, lubrication is vital in achieving climax. If the pedal is firm you can now slip her the ***** and then take her out for a joy ride.

Tell her Honda Tech loves bringing people together.

 

You don't need to do the pump and hold method.

Pour fluid into the reservoir. Grab something to catch the fluid that will come out of the slave cyl.

Open the slave cyl nipple. Pump away like a maniac...use your hands so you can pull the pedal back up.

KEEP THE RESERVOIR FULL.

Wait till solid amounts of clean fluid start coming out of the bleeder nipple. Push the pedal down one more time and leave it in the DOWN position.

IS THE RESERVOIR STILL NEAR FULL? KEEP FLUID IN THERE.

Close the nipple. Go back in the car and pump the pedal a few times. Open the nipple. Push the pedal down once more and leave it there. Close the nipple.

Keep adding fluid during this whole process. Make sure the reservoir never goes empty and make sure it ends up at the max line when you're done.

Clutch is bled.

 

^^----- Nice one man approach that doesn't mix bad oil with good oil in the bottle trick.... Will remember that. I've always done the standard brake bleed procedure on the clutch.

This is good info to know. Wasn't sure on how Dot 3 in Dot 4 would be but was pretty sure Dot 4 was fine in Dot 3.

Glad I never came across Dot 5, I could have gotten myself into trouble with that one.

 

Dot5 is some weird silicone based fluid that's used for vintage cars or something.

Anyway....the bottle method doesn't mix bad fluid with good. No worries with using that method either.

Or buy a vacuum pump type bleeder. Fairly inexpensive and you'll use it a lot.

 

It's not just for vintage cars, it's for any car that can take it. Some seals don't play nice with DOT5. It's kind of an awesome fluid. Hydrophobic, so you don't have to flush every year, non-corrosive, so it doesn't rip off paint, and it has a much higher boiling point.