Clutch Problems

[JoshW]

Hi all,

Just a quick heads up about some clutch issues I have been experiencing. I have a horrible rattle/grinding sound when in low gears/load on the engine that at first I thought to be heatshield rattle. After a little more development and diagnosis I am now pointing this to the clutch. I have experienced a little gear grinding and the pedal is heavy which I can only attribute to a worn clutch. Also in neutral and all gears is a faint high pitched whine that doesn't change with the clutch pedal in or out. The main grinding sound can be heard in neutral however when rattling but disappears when pushing the clutch in and revving. At the moment I am thinking this could be the release bearing but I took it to Honda and they seem to think it is clutch spring rattle but either is plausable as the car has done 127,000 miles and I have no record of the clutch being changed. As I only purchased the car a month ago from a Honda main dealer, they are offering to fit me a new clutch kit with transmission oil and driveshaft oil seals for £295 which is quite reasonable compared to some quotes I had.

 

[iby_ep3]

Could be valves need adjusting mate.

 

[JoshW]

Hmm I wouldn't have thought it would be valves. I think they were done by Honda on its 125,000 service but they have definitely been done on schedule before. Unfortunately I think I have the common Type-R clutch wear symptoms - heavy pedal, low bite, occasional gear grinding, gear change not as slick. It will be interesting to see how it is when it has a new clutch in, can you tell the difference when you have a new clutch? If it is the clutch though it has done well to make it to 127,000 miles.

 

[grumpyg1t]

My wife's went around that mileage too. It would behave fine one minute, then the next it would feel notchy as hell.
you could also feel the car lurch forward whilst starting it in first gear with the clutch in. New clutch fitted and it felt like a new car. You will definitely notice the difference, the first thing being that you'll probably end up nearly pushing it through the floor the first time you use it.
As you've only had it a month, it may be worth arguing that they should rectify it free of charge ( sale of goods act etc)

 

[JoshW]

Hmm it will be interesting to see what it's like when its got a new clutch in. Can't say i've tried starting in first gear but I will definitely give that a try. To be honest I was fuming that the clutch needs replacement so soon; I can appreciate that the car has done 127,000 miles and it was a risk with the clutch but I didn't expect it to go so soon; not even really been driven hard. Makes me wonder whether I should have noticed when I test drove it but as people say, EP3 clutches don't show the normal signs of failure ie. slipping etc. I didn't really notice how heavy the pedal was, I came from a high mileage Yaris where the clutch was quite heavy on that also. I wish I had been a little more clued up on the Sales of Goods Act; would this entitle me to have a cost free repair?

 

[grumpyg1t]

I personally would argue to have it replaced free of charge as it should be fit for purpose which it doesn't sound like it is ( i.e it is affecting the main use of the goods - driving it!)I suggest getting back to them straight away as your rights reduce the longer you leave it. If it's only been a month, you should have a good case but you may have to persevere. I assume that it went through the workshops prior to sale, which should have shown an issue. It's a fair point if it was missed but they should rectify it now if they have diagnosed it. Good luck and be strong with them!

 

[JoshW]

That's the thing really, I need the car up and running properly as soon as possible. There is a weird whine around 2.5k RPM in all gears & neutral and I'm afraid if I leave it any longer, something bad will happen. The car did go through their workshop prior to sale but they thought the clutch was alright. I have my suspicions but as I say, I've never driven an EP3 before this one, only an FN2 and that only had 40,000 on the clock so the clutch was fine. It's booked in on Tuesday to have the clutch replaced at £295 so i'm a little unsure about what to say really.

 

[grumpyg1t]

Totally understand you wanting to just get it sorted.
If you are happy to pay them to sort it, just go for it but it may be worth you having a quick read of the sale of goods act first so you can make an informed decision. There are plenty of sites that provide easy information on it.
At best, you may be able to get the work done free (or at least cheaper), at worst you may just spend an hour or so reading.

 

[JoshW]

Just had the clutch done and it's nice and light and the gearchange is better. However there is still a dry/grinding sound in neutral when revving past 1800RPM that disappears when you depress the clutch pedal. I have taken it to another Honda dealer and they have said it is most probably gearbox bearings (input shaft bearing) as did Stevie at Grinspeed. It's going back to Honda who replaced the clutch for further investigation...

 

[colinrc]

Just to add my (probably useless) perspective. If I bought a car from Honda and it needed a new clutch/gearbox within one month I would not be happy and Honda would definitely know I wasn’t happy.

From what you have posted, I think all of your repairs should be carried out free of charge. I don’t think you will have too much trouble, I think you just need to say something like ‘this is under warranty isn’t it?’. Then because I’m a spiteful little c**t, I would demand free courtesy cars some kind of compensation for all this inconvenience etc……..

 

[JoshW]

Yeh to be fair I was a little angry at having to pay for the clutch but did so anyway due to it being a wear and tear item. Funny thing is though - they said the friction plate had quite a bit of meat left on it so i'm betting that it wasn't the original clutch anyway.

However I think it's now a gearbox problem and this is where I won't be paying. They've given me a courtesy car to use until it has been diagnosed etc... so I'm just waiting to hear back from them. Hopefully it will all be remedied pretty quickly as I'm not too keen on this Honda Jazz haha...

 

[iby_ep3]

Keep us posted mate. Hope its sorted for you soon.

 

[JoshW]

Well I've had the new clutch put in and the horrible noise has gone. It was the pressure plate springs that were loose and rattling as well as the centre section. Pedal is much lighter now and the gearchange is a little better. As regards to the wierd noise in neutral - the dealership said that is normal to Type-R's. They had another one there and that seemed to make the same noise so maybe it is normal - who knows?