a sign of a racing clutch nearing the end of its days?

[thebobs]

Allright well heres the scoop. The lude has an act 3puck racing clutch in it. Im not sure how old the clutch is as it was installed before I purchased the car, but id guess it has 30000 plus miles on it. The problem is that sometimes with the clutch fully engaged i cant put the car into gear, but if I let the clutch out a lil bit it will pop into gear(car is a manual stickshift). Now I had a mechanic tell me once that ludes are notorious for having "sticky clutches." If anyone can relate to this problem, or has perhaps had a similar problem in the past, plz let me know.

[FastGuy000]

Originally Posted by thebobs

The problem is that sometimes with the clutch fully engaged i cant put the car into gear, but if I let the clutch out a lil bit it will pop into gear(car is a manual stickshift).

Well duh................

Well I driven plenty of ludes that are manuals and they seem fine for me, maybey the person who owned it doesnt know how to drive manual and messed up the clutch........ you neva know.

[thebobs]

Originally Posted by FastGuy000

Well duh................

??? What do ya mean "well duh?" Are you saying its normal for me not to be able to shift the car into gear when the clutch pedal is fully depressed? ITs only when i let the clutch out a bit that the stick can even shift into position and put the car in gear.

[Dr_Krisp]

what year is your car?
i have the same problem on my 90 2.0 si but i have a stock clutch, as far as i know, anyways, it probably needs to be replaced.

[thebobs]

its a 98 prelude sh

[Prelewd]

Is this first gear? Or all gears? Most of the time, in first gear, you have to let off the clutch a little to put it in. This is probably due to worn synchros.

Are you getting chatter or slipping when taking off?

[FastGuy000]

Originally Posted by thebobs

??? What do ya mean "well duh?" Are you saying its normal for me not to be able to shift the car into gear when the clutch pedal is fully depressed? ITs only when i let the clutch out a bit that the stick can even shift into position and put the car in gear.

......lol, sorry it didnt come out right, I meant well duh as being a manual car because of what you said changing into gears, obviously its a manual........... you dont manually change gears on auto, thats what I was reprasing and sorry if you dont understand what im writing, I have trouble with it too, i been at the gas fumes all day.

[thebobs]

Originally Posted by Prelewd

Is this first gear? Or all gears? Most of the time, in first gear, you have to let off the clutch a little to put it in. This is probably due to worn synchros.

Are you getting chatter or slipping when taking off?

Its for the most part first and reverse. HOwever sometimes it does happen in other gears, and I have heard before that a probable cause is worn synchromesh in the tranny.

I imagine gettin the synchros replaced is exprensive, but is it necessary?

Im not sure exactly what u mean by "chatter" and "slipping" but sometimes when i take off out of first gear the car starts off fine then a few seconds later the engine changes to a slightly different tone and something in the car mechanicanically "shifts" or "changes" and I experience a greater amount of power through the remainder of the gear.

What I mean by "shift" - you can actually feel a different amount of power, like the car suddenly grips harder or pulls a little harder. THis does not happen all the time. However ,the car not going into first gear and reverse has become a frequent occurance.

[Prelewd]

Originally Posted by thebobs

Its for the most part first and reverse. HOwever sometimes it does happen in other gears, and I have heard before that a probable cause is worn synchromesh in the tranny.

I imagine gettin the synchros replaced is exprensive, but is it necessary?

Im not sure exactly what u mean by "chatter" and "slipping" but sometimes when i take off out of first gear the car starts off fine then a few seconds later the engine changes to a slightly different tone and something in the car mechanicanically "shifts" or "changes" and I experience a greater amount of power through the remainder of the gear.

What I mean by "shift" - you can actually feel a different amount of power, like the car suddenly grips harder or pulls a little harder. THis does not happen all the time. However ,the car not going into first gear and reverse has become a frequent occurance.

Synchro replacement is a bit costly.. It's just something you have to tolerate. I can't imagine they are worn already, but your car is 6 years old.. (If it is the '98 in your profile).

You would know if you had clutch chatter if you felt it. There's no bettter way to describe it. It's almost like wheelhop..

That sudden "shift" you feel might be due to VTEC? Maybe your secondary valves opening in your intake manifold? Remember, Hondas build power at the top end..

[thebobs]

Originally Posted by Prelewd

That sudden "shift" you feel might be due to VTEC? Maybe your secondary valves opening in your intake manifold? Remember, Hondas build power at the top end..

No its not vtec...heh i guess im not coming off as very automotively competent.
Ive been told that its "engine bog", whatever the hell taht means. A buddy suggested that an electronic ignition system might fix it. The bog occurs at low rpm...when i said "take off" in the last post i wasnt referring to dragging, just starting from a stop.

[Prelewd]

What kind of car is it?

[soccmid]

my engine chatters when i am just normal starting from first. i assumed it was just th clutch because its worn as well as my throw-out bearings. what exactly is the chattering?

[ShoofIsLudin]

I have a 94 Si w/JDM h22a and a 4 puck clutch. Sometimes my car won't go into gear when the clutch is fully pressed, and sometimes i have to let the clutch out half way b4 it goes, and sometimes it goes as soon as I start letting the clutch out. My car chatters when i let it out slow, and sometimes it'll scream. But I heard thats just what happens when u put a 4 puck on a daily driver. Same thing happened with my friends civic. My clutch has less than 5000 miles on it, and i'm curious how i'm gonna know my clutch is going before it actually goes out...

[dbebesi]

i've gotta stage three in my lude. does the same sh=t. has for quite a while. i'm used to it... you'll get there.

[thebobs]

thanks for all the replies!

Well I guess Ill just deal with it. Ive gotten used to it, I was just worried that maybe it was going out.

Does anyone know what the tell tale signs are of a clutch that needs replacement?