Clutch

[badtl1000s]

I am not new to the board but I am nw to the "NSX owners club" !!
I finally got mine 91 Red NSX 81K miles GREAT condition. Simmons wheels ( 18X10" - Back 17" - front)
Timing chain and snap rign both replaced so I am very happy.
But ...Alas... I have found the FIRST of the "fixes"needing to e done. The clutch is slipping.

i took it to my local Acura dealer and they quoted me $2600 installed. OUCH ! (welcome to the world of cool, exotic cars !)
I went to my local speed shop and they quoted me about the same for a high performance clutch (Aitech sp ?)
I promised myself that I would not work on this car... but WOW $2600 dollars ! So... am I stupid ? should I leave it to the perfessionals ????
I have put a clutch in a car before. I have a 1987 MR2 that I completely rebuilt the engine, clutch etc..... but a $1200 MR2 is A LOT differnent than a NSX !!!
Should I try and tackle the job ?

Anyone else out there done this ?
1. Can you do this without dropping the engine ?
2. How many speciality tools do you need

Thoughts ?
Badtl1000s
Todd

 

[MarkB]

You can change the clutch w/o dropping the engine. Beyond that, anyone else want to chime in.

 

[hlweyl]

I believe you have to undo a few motor mounts but you don't have to drop the engine.

The procedure is located in the service manual on the main page.

 

[nsxtasy]

Replacing the clutch is not an easy job. It takes 8+ hours for an experienced professional who has done one before. And there are specific procedures that are needed, such as for clutch initialization; we have heard some reports of botched installations that resulted in problems. So there are lots of reasons to leave it to the professionals.

If you want to do it yourself, go ahead. But if I were just learning how to replace a clutch, I wouldn't do it on my NSX to start out.

Incidentally, roughly half of the cost of the clutch replacement is for the part, not the labor, and you're not going to get around that. I would stick with the stock clutch if your priorities are reliability and street-friendliness. Those who get aftermarket clutches tend to do so for cars with big power enhancements (supercharger, etc). If you're still considering an aftermarket clutch, at a minimum I would strongly recommend driving someone else's NSX with that clutch installed before committing to buying one yourself.

If your car is in the snap ring range, this would be a good time to replace the snap ring and upper transmission case, if it hasn't already been done.

If the prospect of a $2600 repair comes as a shock to you, it sounds like you didn't do much research before buying your NSX.

 

[badtl1000s]

Thanks for the help

I don't plan on doing any MAJOR engine work (i.e. turbo or supercharger). I have heard that some upgrades to the throttle bodies and intake help out a lot. I will probably limit myself to those types of basic mods.

As far as research I actually did quite a bit but I guess most of my research was about the actual car. When it was made , Major defects/recalls. I knew that the car was considered an exatic, so in many ways I am not at all shocked.

Thanks for all the help...
Next stop.. my local Acura dealer !!!

 

[nsxtasy]

I have heard that some upgrades to the throttle bodies and intake help out a lot.

Actually, no, they don't. But exhaust and headers are a good place to start for minor mods...

 

[ibDursty]

Does anybody have a price breakdown (regular dealer pricing) for clutch replacement? I'm thinking I'll need a new one in the next year or so and need to gather some data.

 

[Viper Driver]

I just got through "replacing" my clutch this past week because my mid-plate on my 1 1/2 year-old Centerforce disintegrated at the track this past Sunday.

This is a job I never entertained doing and always figured that I'd leave to the professionals. However, I had some help from another NSC owner (NSXT) who made the job a lot easier.

There is a LOT of work involved in doing this no matter how you look at it. It involves taking out a lot of bolts, undoing both sides of the driveline/suspension, and disconnecting a lot of wiring connections on the driver's side of the motor. If you are timid at all about taking things apart and putting them back together, then I would leave this to the pros. Just the simple process of pulling the transmission out and putting it back in is a definite two-person job and was made a lot easier by having someone who's done it before helping out. If you're mechanically inclined, have someone who's done this before that can help you (or is within phone range), and have more time than $$, then you can do this yourself. At a minimum, you'll need a clutch, throwout bearing, pilot bearing, and the high-temp Honda urea grease to do the job. Also, if you are using a rebuilt twin-plate (Centerforce, Clutchmasters, etc.) or a stock clutch, it would pay to download the Dali Streetracer clutch install instructions on the Dali Racing web site. It has a lot of tips/tricks that make the install process go a lot smoother.

Like I said, last night I torqued the final bolts on my tranny after doing the install in my garage, and I'm confident that I did as good a job as any NSX Tech would have done. Just pay attention to the instructions in the NSX Manual, and you should be fine. We did notice that the instructions in the 1995 manual differed a bit fromt he 1991 manual, though. If you have access to a 1995 manual, then it is updated and more intuitive than the 1991 one. Also, the torque settings on several bolts are different from the old manual to the new one.

If you need any help or advice on this, please feel free to PM me or e-mail me.

Chuck

 

[nsxtasy]

Does anybody have a price breakdown (regular dealer pricing) for clutch replacement?

Figure on eight hours of installation labor. The clutch for the five-speed lists for $1389; some dealers may discount that, some by up to 25 percent or so. The clutch for the six-speed costs a lot more.