Hi everyone,
I bought an '89 Prelude about 2 months ago, with 170 K miles on it. Some normal wear for the car, and some things I need to work on, but what concerns me now is that I can't get the car out of first gear. When I bought the car, I noticed that the clutch was real tight -not much travel between engaged and disengaged. Yesterday my son was driving it and had trouble shifting, and today, as I said, it's stuck in my driveway and I can't get it out of first gear. In fact, with the clutch pedal fully pushed in, if I didn't have my foot on the brake the car would go forward right into the garage door. Sounds like a clutch issue, but any wisdom on how to proceed from here? I've enjoyed reading the posts and answers here, and I appreciate any help. Thanks!
Clutch Problems - '89 Lude
Moderators: RedRacer, spiffyguido
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spiffyguido
- Moderator
- Posts: 2196
- Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2005 2:55 am
- Prelude Model: 1991 SE-SR
- Location: Alberta, Canada
- Contact:
Re: Clutch Problems - '89 Lude
As you probably know, the clutch pedal activates a hydraulic system similar to the brakes. The clutch pedal is connected to the clutch master cylinder, which presses the clutch line fluid through the clutch lines to a clutch slave cylinder, which in turn moves the clutch release arm. It sounds like your clutch isn't fully disengaging. This would certainly make changing gears very hard, and would make the car creep forward when the clutch is pressed to the floor.
In order for the clutching system to work properly, several things have to be functional:
-The clutch master cylinder must be in good condition, and not leaking.
-The clutch slave cylinder must be in good condition and not leaking.
-The clutch lines must be free of air bubbles.
-The clutch pressure plate must be in good condition.
Pressure plates don't usually go bad before the clutch disc wears out, so you can probably ignore that one. Most likely, your problem stems from the hydraulic system of the clutch. I'd first take a look for any obvious leaks. The master cylinder will leak on the INSIDE of the car usually. Get a flashlight, and stick your head up under the dash on the driver's side. You'll see where the clutch pedal pivots and activates the clutch master cylinder. If there is any leaked clutch fluid around this area, your master cylinder is leaking.
You'll also want to check to see if the clutch slave cylinder is leaking. The clutch slave cylinder is bolted to the front of the transmission housing and will be located adjacent to a large boot that covers the clutch release arm.
I'm going to guess that you won't find any leaks, but if you do, you'll need to think about replacing the suspect parts.
Most likely your problem is caused by air bubbles in your clutch lines. To fix this, you simply need to bleed the clutch line, which is done much like bleeding brakes. If you look at the clutch slave cylinder, you'll see that it has a bleeder bolt on it which can be used to bleed the air out of the clutch line. There can be no air bubbles in the system. Even a small amount of air in the lines will have a crippling effect on the functionality of the system.
Let us know if you need specific instructions on what to do, and by all means, download the manual from our manuals section as it has pictures of the clutch system.
In order for the clutching system to work properly, several things have to be functional:
-The clutch master cylinder must be in good condition, and not leaking.
-The clutch slave cylinder must be in good condition and not leaking.
-The clutch lines must be free of air bubbles.
-The clutch pressure plate must be in good condition.
Pressure plates don't usually go bad before the clutch disc wears out, so you can probably ignore that one. Most likely, your problem stems from the hydraulic system of the clutch. I'd first take a look for any obvious leaks. The master cylinder will leak on the INSIDE of the car usually. Get a flashlight, and stick your head up under the dash on the driver's side. You'll see where the clutch pedal pivots and activates the clutch master cylinder. If there is any leaked clutch fluid around this area, your master cylinder is leaking.
You'll also want to check to see if the clutch slave cylinder is leaking. The clutch slave cylinder is bolted to the front of the transmission housing and will be located adjacent to a large boot that covers the clutch release arm.
I'm going to guess that you won't find any leaks, but if you do, you'll need to think about replacing the suspect parts.
Most likely your problem is caused by air bubbles in your clutch lines. To fix this, you simply need to bleed the clutch line, which is done much like bleeding brakes. If you look at the clutch slave cylinder, you'll see that it has a bleeder bolt on it which can be used to bleed the air out of the clutch line. There can be no air bubbles in the system. Even a small amount of air in the lines will have a crippling effect on the functionality of the system.
Let us know if you need specific instructions on what to do, and by all means, download the manual from our manuals section as it has pictures of the clutch system.
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jimshah
- Prelude Enthusiast
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:31 pm
Re: Clutch Problems - '89 Lude
Thanks for the helpful response, spiffyguido. Turns out that there was air in the lines, caused by a leaking master cylinder. I had that replaced, and it's working great. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to do it myself, but I appreciate the offer of help. I've got a few other questions, but I'll start a new post for those. Thanks again!