Hey guys. So this has been an issue the last little while.

Car: 1998 Acura EL 5spd - D16Y8
KM's: 335,000 ish (295,000 on engine)
Tranny: Complete Stage 2 Clutch/Flywheel assembly (apparently. bought car off friend)
Power Supply: New battery, and I believe the alternator is going because the car loses a bit of power if idling for too long (Like 30 minutes). Ex. I rev the engine and the heat will become powerful again.
Note: I don't have power steering or A/C. And I just recently install a sub and amp and now this problem occurs even when my car is cold.

Problem: When the car is all warmed up nicely, I put the car in gear, release the clutch to the engagement point, and the RPMs essentially start to drop to the point where it frightens me to where I will stall. Either I have to work the clutch by pushing it back downwards and re-releasing since I have started to move slighty and that momentum give the car enough RPMs to engage (About 300-400). Or I ever so slightly feather the gas at 1000 RPM to have a smooth and reliable engagement (Which I don't like doing). The car idles between 700-900 RPM when warm.

Now, is this issue because I need to replace my clutch disk? It hasn't been done in quite awhile and I haven't taken apart my tranny to check it all out. Or is this caused by my alternator not giving my car enough power?

*SIDE NOTE* My car is weird, and I found when I am no longer on the brakes, my RPMs rise a bit. And if I were to pump the brakes, my RPMs go as high as 1,200. Is this odd?

ALSO No matter what I do, my car WILL NOT start when all the doors are closed. At least 1 door has to be open for my car to fire up. If not, the car acts as if the clutch is not pushed down when the key is turned all the way (This has been happening ever since I blew a fuse fixing the instrument cluster lights fuse in August). I have owned this car for a year now, put about 7,000 KMs on it and it has a bunch of little problems that baffle me and other people

If anybody can help me with any of these issues I would be very thankful. Any questions or comments please feel free to give an input.

 

(Im not an expert)

Your RPM will have to rise after you release the brake pedal because it is the engine that essentially builds pressure for the brake system. Try pumping the brake pedal before you start the car, then fire it up with your foot still on the brake pedal. You should feel the pedal start to rise a bit.

I dont think this is your clutch. If it connects the transmission to the engine, it is doing its job. My bet is you got a weak engine (due to various malfunctions) and/or something mechanical in your transmission/drivetrain/wheels is slowing you down.

You say that a door has to be open for it to start. I have no Idea what this is but a voice in the back of my head whispers ground/electrical bug.

Is it possible that the fuel pump is not getting the required voltage? (uses vehicle body as a ground wire back to battery).

Did your friend have this problem?

Have you considered problems with;
•Fuel delivery? (pump, lines, filter, regulator, injectors)
•Ignition? (plugs, wires, distributor, etc.)
•Mechanical performance of the engine? (300K clicks is a lot, have you done a compression test?)
•Intake related issues? (i.e. vacuum leaks?)
•Exhaust related issues? (i.e. clogged cat.)

(I hope this helps)

 

May I inquire how long you have been driving a standard?

I ask because I always give it gas to the point of being in the 1200-1500 rpm range when I feather the clutch. Higher RPM when I plan on dumping the clutch (2000-3000rpm).

Anything below 1000-1200 rpm is just no torque to handle clutch engagement and you bog the motor.

For the most part you give it gas (not floored of course) to release the clutch.

Just so you know idle is about 750 rpm not 300-400 (engine will likely stall at 300 rpm). Engaging the clutch at idle is really hard on the motor and crank bearings. It's called lugging the engine.

Don't be afraid to give it some gas when you release the clutch.

Sounds to me that you are not giving it gas when you want to release the clutch. Thus my curiousness to your experience with Standards.

 

Its normal for your RPM to rise if you pump the brakes. You're stealing engine vacuum via the brake booster.

Your stage 2 clutch and flywheel are probably the cause of your erratic take-off situation. Or you haven't been driving a manual transmission for too long. Or both.

 

Also keep in mind, the cars redline is at least 7200 rpm (not quite sure if it's that or higher on the D16Y8). Bringing up the RPM to 1500 rpm to let out the clutch is only about 20% of the cars RPM.

If your RPM is dipping into the under 500 range when you are releasing the clutch you are definitely not giving it enough gas.

Don't be afraid of 1500-2000 rpm to let the clutch out. That's how it's supposed to be done and what the clutch material is made for.

Being hard on the clutch is popping the clutch (releasing the clutch pedal as fast as you can) at 6000 RPM. But is what you do on the drag strip with super sticky tires.

Normal driving you release the clutch at or above 1500 RPM typically. And you release the clutch smoothly while then adding a touch more gas as it engages.

Not liking to release your clutch at 1000 rpm because you think it's too high of an rpm is being really hard on the motor's bearings.

Hope this is helpful to you.

 

There are a few problems that could be related to those, yes. Such as voltage, and last time I scanned my ECU, I have a few codes related to my O2 Sensors. I haven't done any extensive testing on this car, I bought it for 700$ safetied and e-tested off a friend so I could get back and forth to work and it does that just fine. I just wanted to inquire to make it more reliable and decent for re-sale. I'm not really in the position to spend money, really. But whatever small things I could DIY I would keep an open mind about. I will keep these in mind thank you so much!


I have been driving standard for 2 years, and I've driven all sorts of standard cars from different manufacturers. And anytime I get in the car, I always completely engage the clutch just fine and it hooks right away before I give any gas. And any one I know does the same. (I thought giving the car gas puts extra wear on the clutch but what you say does make sense, thank you)

The only time it drops low is when the car is warm and I'm on level ground. As the clutch engages is drops to 3-400 before I feel as its about to stall. Sometimes It would even push about 100 RPM and I have to rev it with the clutch depressed to prevent it from stalling. This issue only started happening about 6 months into owning it, hence why I thought the clutch was finally going because the same clutch has had 3+ owners (All my friends). I drive pretty conservatively. Like I said prior, this car does have a handful of little problems and 1 or more could collectively encourage the issue, but it's not a huge deal. Thank you for the help though!

To add to my prior replies, I think the main reason why I dislike giving gas is because I have an exhaust and hearing it makes me feel like I'm a noob who's worried about stalling. Even though 1000 RPM actually isn't much (Thank you for pointing that out)

 

And would you guys know why my hand brake light comes on when the clutch is pressed all the way down? My hand brake is tightened and the cables lock the brakes fine, it's just the light on the dash comes on. These problems I have been dealing with have only occurred over the last 6-8 months. My power locks are also funky.

 

Check the fluid levels in the brake and clutch reservoirs. I think only the brake reservoir has a sensor though.

The parking brake light indicator is to indicate low fluid in the brake reservoir as well as that your parking brake is engaged.