How can you tell if the Clutch is going bad?

[Kroze]

I'm looking to buy this car as a daily driver but the thing is that the clutch doesn't engage until I'm almost to the point of letting go of the pedal. Compare it to my current car the clutch engage almost instantly right after I release the clutch pedal.

Is that a sign that the clutch is going?

 

[thomsbrain]

Not necessarily. Cruise in top gear and floor it. If the engine revs faster than it should for the amount of acceleration, then your clutch is going.

 

[BW86]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Not necessarily. Cruise in top gear and floor it. If the engine revs faster than it should for the amount of acceleration, then your clutch is going.

beat me to it

 

[doan]

The 90 civic has a cable clutch, I might just need to be adjusted.

 

[IronWing]

How can you tell if the Clutch is going bad?

It starts slacking and hanging around with ricers. 😉

 

[marvdmartian]

Yep, that's pretty much it. Last time I had to change a clutch, that's how I figured it out. Tried to speed up in 5th gear, pressed the gas, heard the engine rpm's go up, took much longer for the speed increase.

Luckily, unless you're racing it, it still means you have some clutch left, so you don't have to replace it tomorrow. When mine went out, the only shop that had the clutch parts carried only factory parts, and wanted >$250 (this was back in 94). Everyone else was asking maybe $100 less, but didn't have the parts in stock, and would take close to a month to get them (I lived on the island of Guam at the time).
I called my dad back in NY, told him what I needed, and he stopped around the corner and got the parts for me. Parts plus core charge (wasn't like I could return it there, ya know?) plus shipping came out to ~$125. 🙂

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: marvdmartian
Yep, that's pretty much it. Last time I had to change a clutch, that's how I figured it out. Tried to speed up in 5th gear, pressed the gas, heard the engine rpm's go up, took much longer for the speed increase.

Luckily, unless you're racing it, it still means you have some clutch left, so you don't have to replace it tomorrow. When mine went out, the only shop that had the clutch parts carried only factory parts, and wanted >$250 (this was back in 94). Everyone else was asking maybe $100 less, but didn't have the parts in stock, and would take close to a month to get them (I lived on the island of Guam at the time).
I called my dad back in NY, told him what I needed, and he stopped around the corner and got the parts for me. Parts plus core charge (wasn't like I could return it there, ya know?) plus shipping came out to ~$125. 🙂

Core charge? On clutch parts? That's a new one to me. Or did you buy a refinished flywheel too?

ZV

 

[jagec]

Could just be poorly adjusted, as others have mentioned.

How many miles on it?

 

[marvdmartian]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: marvdmartian
Yep, that's pretty much it. Last time I had to change a clutch, that's how I figured it out. Tried to speed up in 5th gear, pressed the gas, heard the engine rpm's go up, took much longer for the speed increase.

Luckily, unless you're racing it, it still means you have some clutch left, so you don't have to replace it tomorrow. When mine went out, the only shop that had the clutch parts carried only factory parts, and wanted >$250 (this was back in 94). Everyone else was asking maybe $100 less, but didn't have the parts in stock, and would take close to a month to get them (I lived on the island of Guam at the time).
I called my dad back in NY, told him what I needed, and he stopped around the corner and got the parts for me. Parts plus core charge (wasn't like I could return it there, ya know?) plus shipping came out to ~$125. 🙂

Core charge? On clutch parts? That's a new one to me. Or did you buy a refinished flywheel too?

ZV

No idea, nowadays. Shoot, like I said, that was 14 years ago. These days, I'm lucky to remember 14 DAYS ago!! :laugh: