butterbeer

I've done a couple searches on this and am have some direction on things to check but my situation seems a bit more unique so thought it'd be easier to ask here

Clutch related symptoms:
- Clunking noise when shifting into 1st gear (seems like this is normal based on searches but I drove my other friend's S2K and it doesn't have the same problem: There is a bit of a 'thud' and I can feel the car clunk when shifting into 1st from a stop. I've tried holding the clutch pedal in for a bit longer before shifting and it still thuds, it's on and off. If my clutch is worn, could this be a symptom?
- Clutch friction point is super high: I've read you can adjust your pedal, or it might be air in the system. But the difference for mine is that I feel like I have to 'ride' the clutch to shift into next gear. It doesn't feel like it's really grabbing much, I feel like I have to overrev the beginning of the friction point to get a smooth shift into the next gear. I end up having to kind of guess the friction point each time with the gear shifting and ends up in a jerky ride. Is this a symptom of a worn clutch?
- Acceleration feels a bit sluggish and throttle isn't very responsive. I've tried cleaning throttle body it seems to help a little but wondering if having a worn clutch could also cause poor & less responsive acceleration due to less connection between the engine/tranny, or if this could be an engine issue

Other issues: The below 2 I am guessing may be related to transmission fluids and shifter lube, but was hoping someone could confirm if these symptoms are related:
- Trouble shifting gears: It's sometimes hard to find the next gear, I've actually shifted into third instead of 5th at some points by accident. I don't think this is a driver mod because I drove my other friend's S2K and it felt very easy. Sometimes when I shift into a gear it feels like I'm using a bit of force to get it in, it's like I can feel some mechanical aspects of the gears getting into place, almost like some gears are crunching a bit inside to get into gear, rather than a smooth shift
- The gearbox feels very 'hard'. Kind of tough to describe this but say you're in neutral and jiggling the shifter left and right, the walls of the left and right feel like they're hitting a hard wall. It doesn't feel very buttery and I feel like I can feel all the mechanical parts of the gear. When I tried my other friends' S2K it felt like the 'walls' were soft

B serious

What type/brand of clutch? How old is it?

When is the last time the trans fluid was changed?

When was the last time the shifter bushings were replaced or greased? What type of grease?

engifineer

A little confused in your clutch description. You say the friction point is super high in pedal travel? That indicates a worn clutch (less disc material equals the clutch engaging at a higher point). And as this typically gets confused by some, remember the clutch engages when you release the pedal, disengages when you press the pedal, to make sure we are talking the same thing. If the clutch adjustment was fine before, there is usually never any reason to touch that rod again. I have never adjusted one on this car or my other manuals. Because if it is due to a worn clutch when you replace the clutch the adjustment will be off. But you also say you have to "Ride" the clutch to get it to shift. Do you mean you have to press it all the way to floor to get the gears to change smoothly? If so this indicates the opposite of what you first described (that friction point is high in the pedal travel). If even with it depressed fully it feels like the gears want to grind, then that indicates air in the system. If properly bled and the slave cylinder is fine, then maybe check the adjustment. But if engagement is very high in the travel then you would have to depress the pedal less to change gears, not more so trying to clarify the two statements.

butterbeer

Original clutch @ 130K miles according to the old owner- I just picked up this car so I'm going to assume the trans fluid and shifter have not been touched I am going to address those immediately.

Sorry let me try to clarify, when I said high I meant high as in the pedal has to come closer to me before I reach the friction point and the clutch engages. When I ride the clutch I mean I have I have to give it a bit of extra gas before hitting the friction point, because it doesn't seem to be 'biting' upon engagement. The friction point seems to be less of a point and more of a 'range' and feels kind of muddy in general.

I guess I need to do the initial fixes (fluids, bleed, regrease, etc.) and reassess, but was just wondering if these are all symptoms of a worn clutch since I want to budget out some more cash if that's the case.

engifineer

Engaging high in pedal travel is normally a worn clutch. Air in the lines will cause it to be harder to disengage. The hydraulics affect disengaging the clutch but the spring mechanism in the clutch controls how it engages. So you could have no hyrdraulic fluid in the cylinder and the clutch should engage and stay engaged but you would not be able to disengage to shift. this is why when the clutch hydraulics fail the car still moves just fine once you get it going from a stop.

It is possible that some mechanical thing is affecting it not wanting to engage all the way, but most all of those are inside the tranny, meaning you have to pull the trans to fix them and at your mileage it would make no sense to pull the tranny and not replace the clutch. Due to the low tq this car delivers, clutches tend to get slipped a lot and 130,000 miles is actually a lot on this clutch. So honestly, I am leaning towards you needing to plan for a new clutch.

What you are describing (no bite/vague feeling when it engages) sounds like you are describing the clutch is slipping. I bet if you wind it up in gear and shift hard like you are trying to race someone, the clutch slips after you release it and get on the gas? Aka RPM increases and then starts to decrease to normal after the clutch is engaged and you are pressing the gas hard? That would be the clutch slipping. If it is doing it much you likely will smell it as well. Smells kind of like hot brakes or as one person once described "burning lettuce" lol

B serious

At 130K, its worth replacing the clutch with a new factory one.

Disk
Pressure plate (optional)
release bearing
release bearing guide
pilot bearing
urea grease
shifter bushings

Shop at a Honda dealer.

engifineer

Majestic Honda is a great one to check. They tend to have a lot better prices (like 40% less) than the dealerships around me a lot of the time!

butterbeer

Thanks. Yup it sounds like I'm going to plan for a clutch replacement. Dumb question but is the 'shifter bushing' the same as the little plastic pivot ball at the end of the shifter that people regrease? This PN: 54111-S2A-003


Also would worn clutch components lead to the loud thud when shifting into 1st? I'm kind of concerned there are internal issues in the trans but I feel like if other transmission parts are worn, then maybe it could be related

B serious

The thud is just the synchros stopping the spinning shaft.

its normal.

Maybe changing the fluid will make that incrementally better.

engifineer

If the thud has gotten worse, inspect the trans and motor mounts to make sure they are ok. Motor mounts on this car are easy to inspect. They are oil filled, so if bad will likely have a visible tear and possibly even oil on them. If those or the tranny mounts are bad, it could cause more of a thud when shifting.