Clutch/flywheel problems? - Honda Prelude Forum

Jjones4730 · 01-21-2012, 04:30 PM

Hey guys! I have a 2000 sh built na. most of you guys already know me but if you dont: hondata s300, type s pistons, sk2 flat face valves, sk2 pro 2's, pro series vt, dsm 450cc's, wabro 255, aem v2, etc. etc.

Anyways this isnt an engine problem. I'm getting a weird metal scraping sound (not wheel bearing) from underneath my car while moving/ accelerating. The problem is that its inconsistent so whenever i get help diagnosing, it stops. Basically the harder i press the gas pedal the more my car shakes and the metal scraping becomes just a clunking noise. Its annoying as hell. I searched every little millimeter of my suspesion and havent found anything wrong aside from a torn axle boot which of course led me to checking my axle, the axle is fine.

I decided its probably a clutch/flywheel/tranny problem. Im kind of a ***** in traffic and i rest my foot on the clutch pedal (yes i know thats what the dead pedal is for lol) and im wondering if it might be a throwout bearing or a warped clutch/fw? Does anyone know the symptoms of a warped clutch/ flywheel or a way to diagnose something like this?

Sorry for the novel, I've just been driving on it for weeks now (hoping, of course, it might just go away (yeah right) or i might just get some kind of new symptom but no cigar) hopefully someone has seen this before and can help. I'll post a video on youtube if it will help.

Thanks in advance guys. Ive done extensive research and diagnostics so if you have any questions about the finer details of the problem, let me know

StylezSH · 01-22-2012, 06:43 PM

How did all tht only make 150 whp......anyhow wats your clutch and flywheel setup. ? Does it squak when the clutch is fully de-pressed?

Jjones4730 · 01-24-2012, 01:26 PM

It made crap numbers cuz i had a rip off tuner that didnt really know what he was doing.
But the clutch and flywheel are stock, and it doesnt make as much noise with the clutch all the way in but still a little bit (you have to have the window down to hear it). But this is only lately, when the problem first started, neutral or having the clutch in stopped the sound completely

Jjones4730 · 01-24-2012, 07:12 PM

Update: This proves the inconsistent part.
At first, it would vibrate and clank for a day and then be just fine the next day or two, then start clanking again for a day, then stop, etc. etc.
Today I drove for like 20 minutes to the store and back and it drove perfect the whole time, maybe the slightest scraping noise when the window is down but thats it, you have to really listen hard to hear it. Thats quite an improvement from what it was.
The vibrating annd scraping noises generally turn heads its so loud and it feels like im driving on a nasty dirt road in the mountains or something.

nsbsalt · 01-26-2012, 01:39 PM

Does taking turns affect the noise?

Jjones4730 · 02-17-2012, 11:14 PM

Update:
Srry I thought i replied before but it was on my phone and its kind of a pos sometimes. No, turning has no effect.

So I pulled up to an employees house to give him his tax return. I parked on some ice and when I attmepted to leave I got a whining noise, the same as when you are on ice and a tire is spinning. i pushed it off the ice to no avail. The car still made the same whining noise, so i assumed it was on some black ice, pushed it onto 100% dry ground, still the same noise. pushed it back and fourth for about 20 minutes and played with it and finally it moved.

So i made it home, atleast to about 10 feet from my parking space and tried to back it in, it started doing the same thing: whining like it was on ice but it was on dry street. I pushed it in and then played with it. Now I notice you can leave it in gear and let out the clutch without gas (parking brake on or off) and it doesnt move, just idles. It does that from 1st to 5th and the speed just goes up, rpms stay at idle.

So can a clutch just all of a sudden crap out like that or is it an axle/bearing/something random along the drivetrain?

Gamble_N/ALude · 02-18-2012, 12:05 AM

so your in luck, ive had noises like this a few times, however not with just preludes.

it sounds like the clutch material (which is riveted onto a metal plate in most applications) has come off. ive seen the rivets break a few times, and it will give you a "grinding" type noise, ussually starting with stop & go, then progressing as the rest of the plates weaken. and ONCE ive seen them fall off. this caused a huge "slipping issue" which was somewhat like a traction noise... but more like a bare metal clutchplate eating the flywheel.

that may be a possibility.

i had a cavalier that had an issue like what you described, it turned out to be the differential the spider gears had completely dissintergrated

ive had a bad throw out bearing in a WRX, it made some noise, but never gave me an actual driving issue.

it doesnt sound like an axle, when outer CV axles go bad, you get a clicking when your cornering the oppsite direction of the CV, if an inner goes bad, you get the jeep death wobble, and it feels like the front end of your car is gonna fly off the road with each wheel headed a different direction

easiest way to find out is to pull the trans. i find it easier to pull the engine and trans at the same time, with a freind and an engine hoist you can do it in about an hour. and once its out of the car, its easier to work on/seperate.

if your clutch turns out to be alright, check the throw out bearing, if thats good, you might be looking at your nexct mod being a LSD <3

also, if im right and the clutch is destroyed, its very possible BEFORE it started making noise, you were slipping on the dyno... which might explain your low numbers. if not, have you tried a compression check?

Gamble_N/ALude · 02-18-2012, 12:10 AM

just realized its an SH, the SH trans is pretty complex, and ive only seen ONE. so... if its not the clutch...

maybe you DID break an axle...before you pull the trans... check them again. it may be an inner CV that was making some noise and then just let loose. but like i said, when mine went bad i had it towed to work and put it on a lift to see what i destroyed in the front end lol.

Jjones4730 · 02-18-2012, 09:37 AM

Thanks for the reply, I was thinking along the same lines. But the clutch was never slipping, that dyno was well over a year ago. I had a bad clutch on my old 89 lude that slowly started slipping more and more, but this problem seems completely different. Im going to get under it this morning and look carefully at the cv's and axles and everything, and atleast try to figure out which side is bad
I noticed last night that the right axle and bearing were trying to turn, they were kind of jerking. So i'm wondering whether the good side is the side that doesnt move at all or if its the side thats trying to move.

zfinatic · 02-18-2012, 10:03 AM

has it gotten harder to shift gears at all or get it into first or reverse? is the clutch pedal getting stiff? I just changed the clutch on my sh and it feels like a completely different car. The whining noise could be the throwout bearing? That's what mine would do, and it just crapped out on me one day....couldn't shift above 2k or it would grind, lost the ability to down shift, had to skip third and play with 4th and 5th. was not fun.

Jjones4730 · 02-18-2012, 08:44 PM

Nah, clutch feels the same and everything is normal except the noises amd vibrations.

I ended up replacing the driver side axle this afternoon. The inner cv was ****. Just fell apart, all rusty and broken. But no cigar, car still wont move.

Im now thinking i might have just fixed my vibration and clunking problem, but that coincidently my clutch went to **** at the same time and i have to replace it. Like you were saying lol

I shouldve trusted you

Jjones4730 · 02-18-2012, 09:03 PM

Also, any recommendations on a good clutch will be appreciated. Worst case scenario i go to honda or napa and get a stock
So let me know asap, act stage 2 im thinking?

bouckarooo · 02-18-2012, 09:14 PM

Centerforce dual friction is the greatest clutch for the daily driven lude. With correct break in that clutch will last forever in a stockish enegine(even in a "staged 2" engine"). It has great pedal feel that is slightly stiffer than stock but has just as smooth of engagement as stock.

Also, on a few occasions i have chanegd out noisy clutches on different engines and seen that the spring inside the hub was busted or the tabs holding that spring in were broken. In those instances the slutch would still work but onyl at low rpm and it made noise, not chirping like a throw out bearing but a grinding like noise.

If you do chaneg the clutch make sure to true your flywheel or replace it with new one.

As new ones go, i would go with the spec FW over the fidanza or any other brand.

89Sibro · 02-18-2012, 09:14 PM

Hey man, if you want, i have an exedy clutch set ill give you for $65 brand new

my97lude · 02-19-2012, 01:34 AM

89Sibro: I thought you had 3rd Gen... will your exedy clutch work for his 5th gen SH?

bouckarooo · 02-19-2012, 01:37 AM

^ only if the clutch is for a h22. The third gens come stock with b20a, so unless he swapped his car to H/F series.....

Gamble_N/ALude · 02-19-2012, 08:52 AM

To be honest, Im running one of those NO-Name Ebay Stage 3, 6 puck carbon kevlar clutches. i got mine for 10 bucks off a friend that didn't trust ebay. resurface or buy a new flywheel, and make sure you torque it correctly. my clutch grabs like a mad bastard, but im into that whole "Race car" drivability
if your not breaking the 200 whp mark, id recommend an Exedy O.E replacement, they grab Slightly better, but act like stock. also a big fan of act clutches, my friend had a stage 3 in his speed protege, and that felt pretty stock to me too.

in retrospect, a clutch is a clutch. you don't really need anything more than a stage one, unless you like burnouts, or just the occasional chatter of a race clutch like i do.

When you replaced the CV, did you do the axle seal? When i blew my inner, i drove for a week before realizing my car was leaking gear oil. the vibration from the bad inner blew the seal out. ( not saying yours is, just sharing exp.)

Jjones4730 · 02-19-2012, 09:18 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys. Im going to go pull that cover plate right now and look in there, maybe i'll find something. I'll let you know

As for the flywheel, i figured id just have it machined, and as for the clutch I want something a bit more harsh, thats why I was thinking stage 2 atleast. I have big plans for the car so i maybe I should go all out and get something crazy?

Gamble_N/ALude · 02-21-2012, 05:14 PM

i believe my six puck is good for 300 wtq, if your looking for more than that, i would probably consider a stage three. and remember, build the car to support future mods. you dont put the turbo on, dirve it for a while, then go get the block sleeved.

digiforce · 02-24-2012, 05:10 PM

For that clank sound, seems to be the same issue i was having with mine. turns out the flywheel wasnt mounted properly on the block. Make sure your torquing the flywheel bolts to 76 and apply lock tight. if not they screws will start to come out and the flywheel will be whobling all over the place in your house. I have had two h22's and both of my setups were fidanza with centerforce dual clutch, they last freaking forever plus you dont get harsh engagements, but do get the holding power. I wouldnt be surprised if that is what was wrong. Mine would randonly rub depending on if the flywheel had whoobled itself back into sync or not.