Arghhh...they better not be right - Honda Prelude Forum

GroverzVTEC · 03-13-2006, 05:30 PM

So for a few months now the clutch on my 97 base 105k Lude has chattered when cold in first and second gear. It'd clear up after a mile or two. The drivetrain would noticeably shudder as I engaged the clutch during any gear change.

Driving home last Thursday and suddenly it started chattering even when warm, and it was noticeably harder to shift gears...had to give it a good shove. NO GRINDING though.

Take it into a local shop that's done well by me before, I trust them as much as I can trust a shop...so naturally not a whole bunch.

They call today saying they didnt notice the chattering but found it hard to change gears, so they felt it may be the synchros...

I balked like a madman...how could the synchros cause clutch chatter? How could all the synchros go out on all gears at the same time? I feel a bad clutch could easily make it appear the tranny isnt working right.

Thoughts? I won't know for sure till tomorrow when they take clutch/tranny out...

Artifex · 03-13-2006, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GroverzVTEC

They call today saying they didnt notice the chattering but found it hard to change gears, so they felt it may be the synchros...

I balked like a madman...how could the synchros cause clutch chatter? How could all the synchros go out on all gears at the same time? I feel a bad clutch could easily make it appear the tranny isnt working right.

Thoughts? I won't know for sure till tomorrow when they take clutch/tranny out...

LOL, those guys are retards. No way it can be syncros. Are you sure you want them removing your tranny?

My money is on the Throw Out Bearing, or you busted a spring on your clutch. Both are common problems.

Shifting gets bad if your clutch has trouble engaging.

Dyno_PreLude · 03-13-2006, 06:31 PM

Maybe you needed to flush out the old tranny fluid or the tranny fluid was too low. I donâ€™t think itâ€™s the synchros or the clutch but hey, I am no mechanic.

GroverzVTEC · 03-13-2006, 06:42 PM

Thanks for the quick responses guys!

I am certainly no mechanic myself, but I have a strong hunch it's not the tranny...based on my understanding of a manual trannsmission, everything looks to be a dead clutch...especially since it'd been chattering away when cold before.

The tranny fluid was a bit old, but why would that cause chattering? I'll make sure they swap out both clutch and tranny fluids.

I'm trying not to feel relieved yet, but if they claim tranny again tomorrow I may have it flat-bedded to another shop and just eat the cost in the name of peace of mind.

-Drew

Xander · 03-13-2006, 10:14 PM

Its your clutch. Flat bed it to dallas, and I'll cut a deal on the clutch and flywheel replacement.

GroverzVTEC · 03-14-2006, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xander

Its your clutch. Flat bed it to dallas, and I'll cut a deal on the clutch and flywheel replacement.

Oh man...48 hours ago and I would have taken you up on it!

Car came back today, new clutch installed...it's like driving my girl's civic, the action is a lot lighter than it used to be. Gear changes are 99% normal, and I expect the last bit to clear up as the clutch breaks in.

Total cost was about $975 with taxes. They replaced the clutch disk, resurfaced flywheel, replaced the pressure plate, throwout bearing, and the rear main seal. In addition they had to replace the release fork and spring.

I have the clutch plate now and I'll take pics tomorrow, and post here. Near two of the springs on the plate you can see ripping and some gouges...apparently the spring for the release fork started to fail, causing the fork itself to get out of shape, which made the plate/throwout bearing mate unevenly with the flywheel.

I understand where the shop was coming from...too often they have to quote one part replacement and the customer goes nuts when they find the real story under the hood. Next time I wish they would throw in a few more "maybes" before saying 'they think its your clutch and tranny, we'll repair for $2900'.

BLEH! The plate itself still had about 20k or so worth of usage left in it...chalk this one up to total mechanical failure instead of wearing out.

Thanks for the help and quick replies guys, helped me feel a LOT more at ease this morning waiting for the word on my synchros. Should have had them just do the 5/Reverse synchro while they had it apart...oh well

GroverzVTEC · 03-15-2006, 12:35 PM

Interestingly enough, suddenly two other problems that had bothered me are fixed too:

1) Alarm started working again, before it had gone to just keyless entry mode
2) Steering wheel vibration is gone too...before I had slight shaking of the wheel as it returned to center

Well, suddenly a grand spent seems almost worth it lol

Dem1K · 03-15-2006, 12:37 PM

glad to hear everything worked out....get those pics up when you can too

GroverzVTEC · 03-15-2006, 09:09 PM

Here's a link to a pic of my clutch plate. The other side looked worn but intact. Check out the damage around those springs...twisted and ripped off like it was made of paper.

ImageShack - Hosting :: badclutch9pi.jpg

Never hosted an image here, let me know if it doesnt work or sucks.