Is the clutch shot or is there a fix?
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Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Ft. Myers
Is the clutch shot or is there a fix?
Hi All,
I just purchased my second S2K. I sold my '01 white/red about 6 weeks ago and completely underestimated how much I would miss it! I bought a used red/black '02 with 5k miles on it. When shifting 1-2 and 2-3 in VTEC I think the clutch is slipping. When making the shift at redline the engine drops to around 7800 rpm and the car quits pulling briefly and then the revs drop to around 6500 rpm and the car begins to accelerate normally until the next shift and the same thing happens. Am I in for a new clutch or is there an adjustment that can be made? Thanks for the help guys. It's great to be back.
I just purchased my second S2K. I sold my '01 white/red about 6 weeks ago and completely underestimated how much I would miss it! I bought a used red/black '02 with 5k miles on it. When shifting 1-2 and 2-3 in VTEC I think the clutch is slipping. When making the shift at redline the engine drops to around 7800 rpm and the car quits pulling briefly and then the revs drop to around 6500 rpm and the car begins to accelerate normally until the next shift and the same thing happens. Am I in for a new clutch or is there an adjustment that can be made? Thanks for the help guys. It's great to be back.
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Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Place to be
Spencer, I just went through that. Unfortunately, your clutch is pretty much shot. The more you let it slip, the worse it will get. The dealer didn't cover my clutch, but they did the labor for free. I dropped a full Spoon set-up and the difference is night and day. Btw, I have an '02 also. I think the stock clutch lasted me around 15k miles 
Joined: Oct 2002
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From: Canton, MA
Again, this is not a flame to any of the above.
If you drive your car hard, including launches, you must accept the fact that you are accelerating the wear on your drive line. Honda cannot work miracles. This is why many people only get 10,000 miles out of the rear tires. When you drive hard, something has to give.
Honda has designed this car the way all manufacturers should. The clutch is the weak link. It is much better to replace the clutch, a designed wear item, than transmissions, engine cranks, and differentials (the second weakest component in the driveline). If you get 100k from your stock S2000 clutch, you just aren't driving very hard. That is fine, again, not a flame.
If you only get 5,000, you either beat the crap out of the car, or drive around resting your foot on the clutch pedal, or you don't know how to launch properly, but have tried to do it about 50 times. Also, you may have a faulty clutch. As I said above, Honda does not work miracles. Again, this is not a flame and I know Spencer bought his car used and someone else did whatever happened to the car.
Remember, when you upgrade to a stronger clutch, by definition you are now transmitting greater forces to other driveline components such as the diff and the tranny. Personally, I would prefer to change my stock clutch a couple of times rather than blow my tranny and or diff. As we all know, both of these components will blow on the S2000. Higher force clutches really aren't necessary unless you have increased HP significantly, or you race and do not want to loose a race due to clutch failure. If you are not in these catagories, think about sticking with the stock clutch. Also, think about your launch and shifting style.
If you drive your car hard, including launches, you must accept the fact that you are accelerating the wear on your drive line. Honda cannot work miracles. This is why many people only get 10,000 miles out of the rear tires. When you drive hard, something has to give.
Honda has designed this car the way all manufacturers should. The clutch is the weak link. It is much better to replace the clutch, a designed wear item, than transmissions, engine cranks, and differentials (the second weakest component in the driveline). If you get 100k from your stock S2000 clutch, you just aren't driving very hard. That is fine, again, not a flame.
If you only get 5,000, you either beat the crap out of the car, or drive around resting your foot on the clutch pedal, or you don't know how to launch properly, but have tried to do it about 50 times. Also, you may have a faulty clutch. As I said above, Honda does not work miracles. Again, this is not a flame and I know Spencer bought his car used and someone else did whatever happened to the car.
Remember, when you upgrade to a stronger clutch, by definition you are now transmitting greater forces to other driveline components such as the diff and the tranny. Personally, I would prefer to change my stock clutch a couple of times rather than blow my tranny and or diff. As we all know, both of these components will blow on the S2000. Higher force clutches really aren't necessary unless you have increased HP significantly, or you race and do not want to loose a race due to clutch failure. If you are not in these catagories, think about sticking with the stock clutch. Also, think about your launch and shifting style.
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From: Ft. Myers
I appreciate the input guys. I think Legal Bill has an excellent point re the proper weak link to apply stress on the drivetrain. I just can't belive someone could go through a clutch in 5k miles. It could be when I throw in the cost of a new clutch my good deal ($22k for '02 with full spoiler package/Roja 18's/Injen CAI) becomes only a marginal deal. I had 27k on my '01 and had absolutely no problems with the clutch. I drove hard, lacked the skill to rev match consistently, and dropped the clutch from 5k+ about 20 times over the life of the car. Oh well, anyone know where I can get a good deal on a new clutch?
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