Hi primers! My 92,000 mile 1991 has potential clutch issues. I've owned the car for over 2 years now and noticed very early on that clutch pickup was very harsh and crude, not at all progressive as I would expect after driving other NSX cars. I asked two trained technicians to drive the car and both came to the conclusion that the clutch was fine, no slippage, and perhaps an aftermarket clutch that behaves with a brutal engagement (i.e narrow friction point, almost on/off).
I then had both slave and master clutch cylinders replaced with OEM parts and transmission oil changed with the proper Honda stuff. In the following days I noticed the clutch slipping which was normal since the bleeding continued after the install and clutch pedal free play worked its way out, I then realized that the pedal required more than free-play adjustment to be closer to the recommended specs in the service manual (stroke, height, etc), although making accurate measurements didn't seem so evident to me. Turned out there was way too much travel, mainly the upper bump (clutch switch) was set all the way up; adjusting it forward, reducing pedal travel, and adjusting free play with the new setup, totally transformed clutch engagement, now much more progressive.
Now that the context is outlined, my main concern at this point is first gear engagement. When the weather is hot and the car has warmed up, I occasionnally have a hard time fully engaging first gear, the lever makes it half way and blocks there, as if one of the synchros engaged but not the second one (not sure this is a correct technical charactarization, just my best description). I know a classic worn clutch symptom is difficulty to engage first gear, but I can't explain why mine will sometimes "half" shift into first and stop there. It is only occasional, but annoying nonetheless.
My clutch doesn't slip at all and the transmission never produces abnormal noises or grinds, but I'm wondering whether any of this could show that my clutch is on its way out or is in need of further adjustment. Feedback would be appreciated!
I then had both slave and master clutch cylinders replaced with OEM parts and transmission oil changed with the proper Honda stuff. In the following days I noticed the clutch slipping which was normal since the bleeding continued after the install and clutch pedal free play worked its way out, I then realized that the pedal required more than free-play adjustment to be closer to the recommended specs in the service manual (stroke, height, etc), although making accurate measurements didn't seem so evident to me. Turned out there was way too much travel, mainly the upper bump (clutch switch) was set all the way up; adjusting it forward, reducing pedal travel, and adjusting free play with the new setup, totally transformed clutch engagement, now much more progressive.
Now that the context is outlined, my main concern at this point is first gear engagement. When the weather is hot and the car has warmed up, I occasionnally have a hard time fully engaging first gear, the lever makes it half way and blocks there, as if one of the synchros engaged but not the second one (not sure this is a correct technical charactarization, just my best description). I know a classic worn clutch symptom is difficulty to engage first gear, but I can't explain why mine will sometimes "half" shift into first and stop there. It is only occasional, but annoying nonetheless.
My clutch doesn't slip at all and the transmission never produces abnormal noises or grinds, but I'm wondering whether any of this could show that my clutch is on its way out or is in need of further adjustment. Feedback would be appreciated!
