Civic EG

Hi.

I have the most unexplicable problem there can be.
I will start off with the history. I really need you to read it all, because it may help find the problem. It is a real mistery! I am sorry for the novel I wrote, but... no other way.

Two years ago I replaced my clutch. I bought a brand new exedy stock clutch off ebay. Everything was great, I bought the full set. /
I had to replace it, because the clutch was skipping and it was engaging too late. Also, sometimes while I was driving /I tend to keep my foot just over the clutch pedal, not pressing it, just feeling it under my foot/, the pedal would actually go up a bit / 1/4 inch or so/, like it was "released". So I decided, that I need to replace it and got it done.

I did the repair just before hitting the road for a vacation, so I had the opportunity to run it in. I drove very carefuly more than 600-700 miles. I had only 1 or 2 more "violent" downshifts /from 5th to 3rd/, but nothing excessive.

So, summer was over. I had already returned home and did another 500 miles on the car, when one day it began. I had my girlfriend and two friends in the car. We arrived at the location all four in the car, and after an hour or two we left. The car was now cooled. We all jumped in and I manoeuvred out of the parking lot, which was a small one, for no more than 20 cars. The parking lot's exit was on a different level than the street /you know, like on the sidewalk/, so I had to slowly climb down. When the front tires were safely on the street and the rear end was still up, I slowly released the clutch and a very very strange sound appeared. I thought I dragged the car's bottom on something. The sound was like metal dragging. So, no major problem - my mistake, I thought.
But when I drove down the street I had to stop on a red light. When I was taking off again, the sound appeared again. Now it was strange. I noticed that it sounded while the clutch was engaging, before I release it completely. So I tryed to simulate the conditions and make it sound again - no success.

A few days went by, but no trace of the sound. So, I decided, that it was some temporary problem. But then it did it again. This time even louder! Now I noticed, that the car's behaviour changed - it was not accelerating that fast, it was like I was dragging another car and was carrying 3 more persons. Also, the clutch started to engage on the very top, and the engine's sound was louder. So, nothing weird for now - you'd think that I wasn't lucky and I bought a defective clutch.....

But the problem wasn't consistent! For most of the time, the car seemed broken, but then out of no where, for no appearant reason - the issue seemed to have disappeared! The car was normal again - the clutch engaged lower, the accelaration was as I know it, the engine was quieter and... no sound! Then... again, no reason at all - bam! It came back and so on and so on and so on! I tryed to figure out when exactly the problem comes or goes away... no luck at all. No matter how I accelerated, how I started the car, how I engaged the clutch... it just didn't do it when I wanted it to. This was very annoying, because I went down to the shop to get it professionaly analized, but when I got there - the car was perfetct - no problem what so ever! One day I managed to "catch it in action" so I recorded a short video, showing how I release the clutch and it sounds.

Here is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x7c0WbcDQw

The sound is present ONLY when the clutch si pressed half way - semi-engaged and not fully released! Also, only when engaging 1st and 2nd gear - never in 3rd, 4th or 5th.

I replaced the slave cylinder a few months later, because it was leaking but... no luck, the problem is still present, going on and off whenever it decides! We bled the system - no luck.

The car is as stock as it can be! Not even the air filter is changed!

I need you guys, I need to know what the problem may be, so when we take the tranny off, we can know what to look for! It costs $100 in my country JUST to take if off the car, so I need to know. I can't begin to explain how irritating it is! It comes and goes whenever it wants, it sounds like the car is about to explode, the acceleration is as if I am driving a 1.1 liter, 200 000kg. car!

I hope anyone would read my novel.
Please, any advice will do! If you have no idea, but read it all - post an answer to the topic, it will help too!

Thanks in advance!

maybe a main input shaft bearing...... or the shift fork assembly going bad

could also be clutch release bearing

or problem with your clutch as well

also have seen broken springs on the clutch disk the dampener springs.




regardless your probably going to have to remove the transmission to find out what is going on exactly.

ikon wrote:maybe a main input shaft bearing...... or the shift fork assembly going bad

I was going to guess this one too. It sounds like part of either (a) your clutch assembly, or (b) your transmission bits are dragging against something ... maybe a little of both. Time for a tear down and inspection.


Pull the transmission and try to wiggle the input shaft ... if it moves your input shaft bearing is bad. You also might, while it's off, want to check for abnormal wear on the clutch disk, fly wheel, and pressure plate.

But if a bearing was going bad, wouldn't it be bad all the time?

I am getting the transmission off the car, that is for sure.

The problem is, that I can't have my car undrivable for a long period of time, since this is my only ride. If I want to open the gearbox, I would have to pay a gazillion dollars, so I probably will do it on my own. And then there is the problem with the tools - I don't have a torque wrench, and even the most basic tools. So, I was wandering if I should replace the whole gearbox.

But then it comes to mind - shouldn't I tune it a bit, replace some gears on it? I am with a stock transmission box for a D16Z6. What do you think I can do, what transmission box can be a donor? I want a good milage outside the city. With the current, stock transmission, I manage to take it as low as a fuel tank for 500 miles. I would like to keep it that way, or even lower

A friend of mine told me, that if it was the transmission, it wouldn't be in the middle of broken/unbroken, but it would brake at once.

But your answers are good enough. Now I have somewhere to start!

I was wandering, could it be the main clutch cylinder? It isn't leaking or something, but could it be stuck or something like that?

if i was u i would look for another transmission to put in it for now and tear that one apart when u have the time u can run as short of gears as u want and leave 5th alone and ur gas mileage will be the same

If you do tear into the transmission, label everything. Take pictures of everything and every step you make.

Transmissions aren't toooo horribly confusing if you aren't replacing gears/synchros, but once you bust loose the main/countershafts it can all pile up really quickly. Just make sure you have the factory service manual right there next to you so you know the exact stack order and the way each gear, bearing, synchro, and washer faces.

I am planning to buy a D14A3 gear box, with all bearings changed.
But I can't seem to find any info if the gearbox is different. I don't won't to loose any of the current characteristics of my car, so I need to know the specs on the box, but no info on the net what so ever. I am currenty with a stock D16Z6 tranny, do you think there will be any major change?

Also - if I take both transmissions apart, can I tell which synchros are better than the other? Is there a way to tell?

Honestly, I don't know shit about the D-series transmissions.

To tell whether or not the synchros are bad, look at the teeth. If they are rounded, or there are burs on the underside of the synchro (flat part, not pointed part) then you should replace the synchros.

your problem is a bad throwout bearing. you bought the clutch off ebay and they gave you a shit one. as you come off the clutch does it like sound like metal giving off a high pitch moan?

His problems are not necessarily indicative of a bad throw out bearing. That would be a gnarly grinding/screeching noise EVERY time the clutch is disengaged. And chances are the clutch won't disengage then. And it would screech when shifting through all gears rather than just 1st and 2nd. Now he COULD have a bad throwout bearing. But that should be replaced any time the transmission is on the ground just for good measure. Within reason of course.

I'll revise my last statement and say that it could very well be the clutch disc. Considering the fact that I'm not there to check out your car, it could be something totally different.

my nissan se-r spec has a very minor problem with the throwout bearing and it gives off a moan if you ride the clutch for way to long so unless we get a sound clip this is impossible

ShEfA wrote:I am planning to buy a D14A3 gear box, with all bearings changed.
But I can't seem to find any info if the gearbox is different. I don't won't to loose any of the current characteristics of my car, so I need to know the specs on the box, but no info on the net what so ever. I am currenty with a stock D16Z6 tranny, do you think there will be any major change?

Also - if I take both transmissions apart, can I tell which synchros are better than the other? Is there a way to tell?

assuming thats the Carb'd motor right? those gears are going to be longer.
if it has something to do with the transmission it self it would be cheaper to replace the trans then to rebuild it. ( atleast over here in the states its usually like that with D series parts)

@SpecV03 - I did post a video, containing the sound.

@asianrob - It is the same way over here. It is really cheaper, but I am aiming for some improvement.

By the way, I see that the clutch fluid has dropped a lot.
As I said, I rebuilt the slave cylinder /the one on the clutch pedal/, so It can't be it, I checked it yesterday.
Could it be the master cylinder? How can I check if it is it? Could it be jamming or something?

Master cylinder is the one attached to the pedal. Slave cylinder is the ont bolted to the transmission.