cmnsnse

I had never heard of exactly the problem you were having, I would have drove up to NJ just to look at it - my curiosity sucks sometimes -

Glad to hear that its taken care of, long before I turned my thoughts to cars I was fed up with the shops just saying things like well well have to tear it down and then go from there?! What? they are supposed to know whats going on, and Im the one catching their mistakes, like leaving the timing belts one notch off after changing the oil pump(subaru)

anyway, I hope it stays fixed

djohnston

*@%#%$!@(!!!!!

I spoke too soon! It is not fixed, I just hadn't given it the proper chance to go bad on me again, and last night it did.

So now I'm scheduled to leave the car at the dealership for two whole days so they can have ample time to play with different solutions. Of course I'm going to take the advice given here and attempt to fix it myself first. Think the first thing I'm going to try is the simplest; bleed the clutch thoroughly just in case there is air in the line that the dealership techie hasn't gotten out.

Anyone have any advice on bleeding procedures? It looks simple enough, I just need a length of hose to attach to the bleeder screw, a jar, and lots of brake fluid (DOT #4 or 5 I think).

cmnsnse

I seriously doubt bleeding will do anything for you at this point but make a mess. If you feel you must I recommend a mighty vac system about 36 bucks(you can do your brakes easily too), it lets you put vacuum on the bleeder screw before you open it - its a pain to do it by yourself otherwise.

More simple is to adjust the pedal first, shouldn't need much, maybe 1/2" at the bottom of it(towards the floor)
prolly need a 14mm and/or a 12mm wrench

I re-read your problem very slowly and carefully, I cant believe at this point that it is hydraulic, just because every time you let off the clutch it 're-adjusts' itself. The pedal height is really the only way to adjust throw.

Two adjustments, first is to loosen the pushrod connected to the pedal arm, next to adjust stopper screw to change pedal height, then re adjust the pushrod so its just a little loose when pedal is all the way up.

Hope it works.

PS ***DO NOT MIX DOT 5 AND DOT 4, only 3/4 are compatable, DOT 5 in a 3/4 system will cause eventual failure of the rubber seals.
certain rubber compounds will absorb different solvents/oils expand and eventually deteriorate ***

djohnston

Thanks cmnsnse. I do have a helper (girlfriend) to pump the clutch pedal while I crack open the bleeder screw, so it shouldn't get too messy. Oh and I meant to say it's DOT 3 or 4 brake fluid they recommend for the clutch.

And I will try adjusting the pedal/pushrod as well, but I really think it is a hydraulic issue because of the temperature factor: this only happens when the car is warm or has been driven at least once that day already, which leads me back to my theory of an air bubble in the clutch line somewhere, which moves into either the master cylinder or slave cylinder piston areas when the fluid is warm.

I'll post more as I make progress, or don't...

djohnston

OK I think I've finally fixed it! Of course I won't know until a few days go by and the problem doesn't reappear, but this feels like the end.

cmnsnse, I took your advice to heart and got out my utility light, crawled under the dash and took a good hard look at the clutch pedal adjustment. Then I compared the clutch action in my S2000 to that of my Integra, and I noticed there was no "free play" at the top of the pedal travel in the Integra, as there was in the S2K. So I thought about what you said, that the master cylinder pushrod should be a little loose when the pedal is all the way up, and so I adjusted the pedal travel a little higher so there was some free play in the pushrod, and, knock on wood, that seems to have been the problem.

In retrospect, it does make sense. Because there was no free play in the pushrod, the clutch was re-adjusting itself to where it thought it should be based on where the pedal stopped at the top of travel. When any heat was present, it caused the clutch to readjust itself wrong, so that the engagement points were all cockeyed.

Why the "master technicians" at Acura of Denville didn't/couldn't figure this out, I'll never know. Maybe I should get a job there...

cmnsnse

I really hope thats it, I unfortunatly just fried my tranny - Ill post details later

But the free- play is essential, I personally like the least amount, however.

You may still need to adjust pedal height - It would be good to at least check it with a spec from a manual- Im thinking the pedal stroke was too much - and can ba aggrivated by to free play. But if it is fixed for good I wouldnt mess with it - its not always true that if some is good more is better.