Just a Clutch?
01-31-2015, 02:08 PM
#1
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Just a Clutch?
Hello all, I'm seeking some advice with regards to the clutch in my 04' S2K. I'm the third owner and daily it, and the car currently has just a tick over fifty-seven thousand miles.
Now I occasionally drive the car hard and the guy I bought it from directly seemed like he wasn't that familiar with sports car so I'm not sure how good he was with a manual and I don't know a thing about the original owner or her driving habits. In other words I'm not shocked that the car might be ready for a clutch, but it really didn't feel like it needed replacing until two weeks ago.
I was parked at work on Sunday and while we had some down time a co-worker and I were taking cars. I threw him the keys and when he started it he dumped the clutch with the handbrake on and it predictably lurched and stalled in first gear. It didn't seem like anything was immediately wrong until I drove home and realized the clutch felt off, and has to continued to.
It now grabs right off the floor, with reduced pedal travel before it's fully engaged, and once engaged the pedal seems to sort of just drop back into position after sort of lulling for half a second. Like immediate engagement, the tiniest of lulls, and then returns to position essentially after I've already released my foot from it.
Shifting felt okay but not great but today after a highway drive with some light traffic it felt noticeably stiff and did not want to take gears on occasion on the short residential drive from the highway to my house. I haven't smelled, seen, or felt any slipping and certainly haven't driven it hard in the past two weeks. I'm definitely getting the clutch replaced this week, I'm just wondering if perhaps that shunt could have damaged anything else (pedal assembly, pressure plate, or clutch fork perhaps?) or if my vehicular paranoia is rearing its head over the clutch just reaching the end of its life...
Now I occasionally drive the car hard and the guy I bought it from directly seemed like he wasn't that familiar with sports car so I'm not sure how good he was with a manual and I don't know a thing about the original owner or her driving habits. In other words I'm not shocked that the car might be ready for a clutch, but it really didn't feel like it needed replacing until two weeks ago.
I was parked at work on Sunday and while we had some down time a co-worker and I were taking cars. I threw him the keys and when he started it he dumped the clutch with the handbrake on and it predictably lurched and stalled in first gear. It didn't seem like anything was immediately wrong until I drove home and realized the clutch felt off, and has to continued to.
It now grabs right off the floor, with reduced pedal travel before it's fully engaged, and once engaged the pedal seems to sort of just drop back into position after sort of lulling for half a second. Like immediate engagement, the tiniest of lulls, and then returns to position essentially after I've already released my foot from it.
Shifting felt okay but not great but today after a highway drive with some light traffic it felt noticeably stiff and did not want to take gears on occasion on the short residential drive from the highway to my house. I haven't smelled, seen, or felt any slipping and certainly haven't driven it hard in the past two weeks. I'm definitely getting the clutch replaced this week, I'm just wondering if perhaps that shunt could have damaged anything else (pedal assembly, pressure plate, or clutch fork perhaps?) or if my vehicular paranoia is rearing its head over the clutch just reaching the end of its life...
01-31-2015, 02:37 PM
#2
At 57k your clutch SHOULD have lots of life left in it. The first things to check would be the fluid, pedal adjustment and master/slave cylinders before you go spending close to $1000 on a new clutch
and before you ask - the best replacement clutch is OEM from Honda: Pressure Plate, Friction Disk, Bearings
If you want to upgrade then you can replace the AP2 flywheel with a lighter AP1 flywheel and/or you can get a ACT HD Pressure Plate (H021)
** DO NOT BUY the Exedy "OEM" Clutch, it's junk and will fail on you **
and before you ask - the best replacement clutch is OEM from Honda: Pressure Plate, Friction Disk, Bearings
If you want to upgrade then you can replace the AP2 flywheel with a lighter AP1 flywheel and/or you can get a ACT HD Pressure Plate (H021)
** DO NOT BUY the Exedy "OEM" Clutch, it's junk and will fail on you **
01-31-2015, 03:12 PM
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Thank you both for the input.
Indeed it is relatively premature but then I do drive my car and I can't vouch for the previous owners so I suppose it is what it is. I am curious though in regards to the master/slave cylinders and the pedal adjustment, do you think that lurch could have affected either? The car didn't feel bad before that happened, the clutch didn't feel spectacular but it wasn't grabbing as high and immediately as it is now, and it properly feels like it's bad.
And thank you much for the input as to parts; from what I've gleaned on other posts Honda OEM clutch, fresh clutch fluid, and machined flywheel is the golden ticket. Anything I'm missing? And as for the AP1 flywheel, just how much lighter it is than the AP2? Given I daily the car I definitely don't want anything too light as it does have to be somewhat civilized on the road, but a little more responsiveness never hurts...
Indeed it is relatively premature but then I do drive my car and I can't vouch for the previous owners so I suppose it is what it is. I am curious though in regards to the master/slave cylinders and the pedal adjustment, do you think that lurch could have affected either? The car didn't feel bad before that happened, the clutch didn't feel spectacular but it wasn't grabbing as high and immediately as it is now, and it properly feels like it's bad.
And thank you much for the input as to parts; from what I've gleaned on other posts Honda OEM clutch, fresh clutch fluid, and machined flywheel is the golden ticket. Anything I'm missing? And as for the AP1 flywheel, just how much lighter it is than the AP2? Given I daily the car I definitely don't want anything too light as it does have to be somewhat civilized on the road, but a little more responsiveness never hurts...
01-31-2015, 03:29 PM
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01-31-2015, 07:19 PM
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Thank you both for the input.
Indeed it is relatively premature but then I do drive my car and I can't vouch for the previous owners so I suppose it is what it is. I am curious though in regards to the master/slave cylinders and the pedal adjustment, do you think that lurch could have affected either? The car didn't feel bad before that happened, the clutch didn't feel spectacular but it wasn't grabbing as high and immediately as it is now, and it properly feels like it's bad.
And thank you much for the input as to parts; from what I've gleaned on other posts Honda OEM clutch, fresh clutch fluid, and machined flywheel is the golden ticket. Anything I'm missing? And as for the AP1 flywheel, just how much lighter it is than the AP2? Given I daily the car I definitely don't want anything too light as it does have to be somewhat civilized on the road, but a little more responsiveness never hurts...
Indeed it is relatively premature but then I do drive my car and I can't vouch for the previous owners so I suppose it is what it is. I am curious though in regards to the master/slave cylinders and the pedal adjustment, do you think that lurch could have affected either? The car didn't feel bad before that happened, the clutch didn't feel spectacular but it wasn't grabbing as high and immediately as it is now, and it properly feels like it's bad.
And thank you much for the input as to parts; from what I've gleaned on other posts Honda OEM clutch, fresh clutch fluid, and machined flywheel is the golden ticket. Anything I'm missing? And as for the AP1 flywheel, just how much lighter it is than the AP2? Given I daily the car I definitely don't want anything too light as it does have to be somewhat civilized on the road, but a little more responsiveness never hurts...
01-31-2015, 07:40 PM
#7
You might have a clutch fluid leak somewhere.
Or you may need a new slave or master cylinder.
If the fluid leaks or you have bubbles in the fluid, you won't be able to fully depress the clutch.
While 58k isn't insanely low for a S2000 to need a clutch, it differs from person to person. My girlfriend once had an AP2 with 90k original miles on the clutch with plenty of life. My friend's AP2 clutch lasted over 100k miles WITH track time!
Parts I buy for typical clutch replacements:
-Honda genuine disk, TOB, pilot bearing, and release bearing guide.
-Honda urea grease
-Honda rear main seal
-Honda drain plug and fill plug washers
-Honda orTorco MTF.
Resurface the flywheel or buy an AP1 flywheel (for AP2 owners).
Clutch fluid isn't a bad idea either.
Or you may need a new slave or master cylinder.
If the fluid leaks or you have bubbles in the fluid, you won't be able to fully depress the clutch.
While 58k isn't insanely low for a S2000 to need a clutch, it differs from person to person. My girlfriend once had an AP2 with 90k original miles on the clutch with plenty of life. My friend's AP2 clutch lasted over 100k miles WITH track time!
Parts I buy for typical clutch replacements:
-Honda genuine disk, TOB, pilot bearing, and release bearing guide.
-Honda urea grease
-Honda rear main seal
-Honda drain plug and fill plug washers
-Honda orTorco MTF.
Resurface the flywheel or buy an AP1 flywheel (for AP2 owners).
Clutch fluid isn't a bad idea either.
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01-31-2015, 07:57 PM
#8
You might have a clutch fluid leak somewhere.
Or you may need a new slave or master cylinder.
If the fluid leaks or you have bubbles in the fluid, you won't be able to fully depress the clutch.
While 58k isn't insanely low for a S2000 to need a clutch, it differs from person to person. My girlfriend once had an AP2 with 90k original miles on the clutch with plenty of life. My friend's AP2 clutch lasted over 100k miles WITH track time!
Parts I buy for typical clutch replacements:
-Honda genuine disk, TOB, pilot bearing, and release bearing guide.
-Honda urea grease
-Honda rear main seal
-Honda drain plug and fill plug washers
-Honda orTorco MTF.
Resurface the flywheel or buy an AP1 flywheel (for AP2 owners).
Clutch fluid isn't a bad idea either.
Or you may need a new slave or master cylinder.
If the fluid leaks or you have bubbles in the fluid, you won't be able to fully depress the clutch.
While 58k isn't insanely low for a S2000 to need a clutch, it differs from person to person. My girlfriend once had an AP2 with 90k original miles on the clutch with plenty of life. My friend's AP2 clutch lasted over 100k miles WITH track time!
Parts I buy for typical clutch replacements:
-Honda genuine disk, TOB, pilot bearing, and release bearing guide.
-Honda urea grease
-Honda rear main seal
-Honda drain plug and fill plug washers
-Honda orTorco MTF.
Resurface the flywheel or buy an AP1 flywheel (for AP2 owners).
Clutch fluid isn't a bad idea either.
Here's what happened to my exedy recently..
01-31-2015, 08:02 PM
#9
I'd highly recommend it. Its $30.
They distort over time...and I've seen ones with as little as 50k miles that make the clutch start to "stick". If it starts doing that....the trans needs to be dropped to replace it :'(
They distort over time...and I've seen ones with as little as 50k miles that make the clutch start to "stick". If it starts doing that....the trans needs to be dropped to replace it :'(
01-31-2015, 08:02 PM
#10
I'd highly recommend it. Its $30.
They distort over time...and I've seen ones with as little as 50k miles that make the clutch start to "stick". If it starts doing that....the trans needs to be dropped to replace it :'(
They distort over time...and I've seen ones with as little as 50k miles that make the clutch start to "stick". If it starts doing that....the trans needs to be dropped to replace it :'(