Need help with Clutch problem- clutch not disengaging

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3 July 2003
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Location
Hawaii
Last night my clutch went out while shifting from 1st to 2nd. The clutch pedal went soft and I could not disengage the clutch or shift. If I turn off the engine, it shifts fine.

It is a Clutchmaster stage 4 that was installed by Factor X and has only 5,000 miles on it. It has never been abused. The clutch has always made a slight rubbing sound when the engine was running at idle. The sound would go away when I depressed the clutch pedal. When I picked up the car from Factor X the clutch made a squeeling sound when the clutch pedal was depressed. That squeeling sound has dimished to almost zero.

The malfunctioning doesn't appear to be the linkage. When I press in the clutch with the engine off, I hear a sound coming form the clutch area that sounds like a spring rubbing.

Does anyone know what the problem could be? I need to get the car running ASAP.

Thanks in advance for any help!!!
 
a question...did you check the clutch master and slave cylinders to see if they are leaking fluid?
 
No fluid leaks are visible. I think the hydraulics are working fine because I can hear the clutch moving when I depress the clutch pedal. I hear something moving in the clutch that soulds like a spring binding and releasing or just rubbing as it travels.

Any other thoughts???
 
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OK...no fluid leaks are good as this could explain your foot going to the floor when you push the clutch in.

Properly functioning clutches should not make any noise so if you hear what you think are springs let's check on the springs. The service manual (attached below) on pages 12-4 and 5 show springs attached to the clutch pedal and master cylinder. It may be that one of these is not attached properly or has broken.


http://www.nsxprime.com/FAQ/Reference/1991_svcman/1991_svcman.htm
 
Hi Steven - sorry to hear of more misfortune
If the pedal is returning normally unlikely to be hydraulics - sounds more like a problem with the presure plate possibly. You could certainly get access under the car & see if the actuator lever is physically moving when someone presses the pedal (you may need to remove the gear shoft linkage assembly to access it properly)
 
Thanks D'Ecosse,
I removed the shifter covers and found that the clutch slave cylinder and actuater arm are operating properly.
I guess I will have to get the car towed to the shop and open up the clutch to fix the problem. I wonder if there is a flaw with the Clutchmaster clutch or was it the installation?
 
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You have inspected and eliminated the visible, external items that could be causing the clutch operational issue. The remaining alternative is to look inside. Considering your descriptive info (i.e. the clutch has always made a slight rubbing sound when the engine was running at idle and when you picked up the car after the new clutch install it made a squealing sound when the clutch pedal was depressed), I would say that the current problem is related to the new clutch installation; most likely your clutch and/or release bearing has always been slipping a bit and is worn down.
 
I think you're right about it being related to the installation. This isn't the only "installation problem" I've had since I picked up my car from the installer. I have had MANY other "installation" issures. The worst thing about it is that I'm so far away and they won't stand behind their work. I 've already spent thousands fixing their work.
 
If the tranny won't go into gear when the engine is running but will when the engine is off, then that means simply that the drivetrain (mainshaft) is still spinning with the crank even with the clutch depressed.

Thus, it is definately a clutch/pressure plate related issue. Something is binding between the flywheel and clutch disc and is keeping the mainshaft spinning when you step on the clutch.

This is a common problem when:

A) The wrong clutch disc is put in (ie: too thick) - however you would have had this issue since day 1

B) The wrong pressure plate was put in (ie: total depth is not enough) - however again you would have noticed this as soon as you picked up the car

C) Spring has come loose or broke on one of the clutch discs (common problem on aftermarket clutch discs)

D) A tab on the pressure plate that holds pressure on the pressure plate springs has snapped thus the PP doesn't fully disengage anymore

A and B are unlikely as the installer would have noticed as soon as they tried to drive the car for the first time after the install.

C and D are more likely the culprit... easy fix though, just replace the broke disc or PP.

HTH
 
Just happened to me yesterday. After reading about the problem I am sure it is a busted clutch.
 
Yes, it does seem to be "busted clutch". That will cost about $2,600 to replace. I wonder if the squeeling noises that the clutch made when it was first installed or the rubbing noises it made had anything to do with it going bad. I'll find out more after the car gets towed to the shop they open it up.
 
you are correct Steve...a properly installed new clutch should operate quietly
 
Bad news: Yesterday I called Mike at Factor X to ask them to help diagnose the problem. As usual, they did not return my call.

I removed the shift linkage cover and peeked in at the clutch to find that the fingers of the pressure plate were bent.

Good news: I decided to replace the clutch with an RPS. Chris at SOS was able to find a clutch (that wasn't even in his inventory) and he got it to me (3,000 miles away) in less than 24 hours.

GREAT JOB CHRIS!!!

I WISH ALL VENDORS COULD BE AS PROFESSIONAL AND REPUTABLE AS CHRIS AT SCIENCE OF SPEED!!!
 
stevenlee said:
Bad news: Yesterday I called Mike at Factor X to ask them to help diagnose the problem. As usual, they did not return my call.

I removed the shift linkage cover and peeked in at the clutch to find that the fingers of the pressure plate were bent.

Good news: I decided to replace the clutch with an RPS. Chris at SOS was able to find a clutch (that wasn't even in his inventory) and he got it to me (3,000 miles away) in less than 24 hours.

GREAT JOB CHRIS!!!

I WISH ALL VENDORS COULD BE AS PROFESSIONAL AND REPUTABLE AS CHRIS AT SCIENCE OF SPEED!!!

Would it be possible to post pictures of what you find when removing and replacing the clutch? Photos may help me and others understand the cause of the failure and help prevent similar situations in the future.

Bob
 
The Clutch Master clutch was replaced with the RPS. The ClutchMaster clutch had a coil spring that broke loose and was under one of the fingers of the pressure plate. There was relatively little overall wear on the clutch but I did notice a lot of disc powder in the tranny's clutch housing. I know that this came from the Clutch Master unit because I ran the car in my garage before taking it to the shop and there was a lot of clutch dust on the garage floor under the clutch.

I did not see the defective clutch in the car before it was removed. When I got to the shop, they had already assembled the pressure plate back to the flywheel. I have not taken it apart to look at it yet.

The best I can explain the failure is that, somehow one of the center coil springs got loose and may have lodged itself between the clutch components.

My comments on the RPS clutch after driving only 30 miles on it.......
The engagement is silky smooth! (No shudder at all.)
The engagement is more abrupt than an OEM clutch requiring more precision from the operator.
The pedal pressure is much stiffer than a stock clutch. (My left leg will get bigger.)
 
Hmm this sounds like what my car is currently doing. Did you need to service the linkage as well, or was it in good condition and the clutch was the sole culprit?
 
The likely cause if this is that Clutchmasters took a used disk and resurfaced it. Maybe this is why I hear so much trouble with those clutches. You MUST take NEW disk(s) from Honda and send it to the rebuilder for resurfacing with a rebuild. It costs more, but well worth it. I am pretty sure what happened here is that one of the tangs that holds one of the springs broke off the disk plate, quite a common failure.

Enjoy the RPS:).

Regards,
LarryB
 
I did have the clutch slave cylinder changed while we were working in that area.
While adjucting the clutch pedal I noticed thet the master cylinder shaft was damp and a drop of fluid had run down the wall so I will also change the master cylinder in the near future.

I love the RPS clutch. It is a pleasure to drive. My left leg must have grown stonger in the past few days because the pedal pressure is beginning to feel "normal". A Viper owner sat in my car tonight and told me that the pedal pressure seemed very heavy to him (compared to his Viper.)

I think Larry's diagnosis is right.
Note: The RPS clutch looks like a much higher quality unit than the Clutchmaster.... and I'm sure that it is!!!
 
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