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Not too sure if my gearbox or clutch is normal

Dan J B

Dan J B

Messages
20
Hi,

I've had my EP3 now for about 5 months and i have always wondered whether my gearbox or clutch is normal, i did test drive others but didn't get to drive any of them for an extended period so have nothing to compare it to. With previous cars i have had if you were off the throttle and pulled the gear lever out of gear it did so smoothly, my civic doesn't seem to do this and it almost feels like it is being held in.

The reason i found this out is due to the fact that unless you put the clutch to the floor when changing gear it feels like it doesn't want to come out easily. This is usually most evident when trying to quick shift and maybe not getting the technique quite right. The biting point isn't on the floor though and the pedal is smooth, i have recently just bled it. There is no clutch slip either. I am wondering if this is usual for an EP3 or if i should start replacing bits like the master/slave cylinder or bushes etc.

Any info anyone can provide would be excellent.
 
What's the mileage mate? And has the clutch been done previously?

Symptoms sound very likely that its the clutch to be honest.
 
How many miles has the car done?

Typical symptoms of clutch wear is difficulty changing gear particularly at high revs. The clutches don't tend to slip to be honest when going as there isn't enough torque to let it slip.
 
Thanks for the replies, its done 74k, seems fine when the clutch is in though which is odd, only when you don't depress the clutch fully. At high revs it changes really nicely and i never have any issues putting it into gear. Just seems odd that it seems to hold onto gears and comes out of gear with a knock when the clutch isn't in. Have you tried the metal bushings for the gear shifter? Do they make a difference in shifting feel?

Dan
 
If it hasn't had a clutch previously, it'll be that. Guaranteed.

Save spending money on pointless bits to try to mask/cure it and bite the bullet :)
 
How much travel have you got in the pedal before you get to the bite? If it's an inch off the floor then that could be another indication that you need a new clutch.

Whereabouts are you based?
 
If you are in the North West I can recommend Grinspeed for a clutch. He did mine back in August at a very competitive price.

I got my EP3 with 88000 on the clock. The clutch bite point was very low. I was always extremely vigilant when stepping on the clutch at high revs and made sure I was not lazy through the changes. I had it checked out by a number of people and got mixed reviews. Albeit, I experienced no problems what so ever and eventually got it replaced at 135000 miles. I must admit though, I noticed one heck of a difference when it was done.
 
No, it's was more that you put up with it for that long. One thing I hate about a dying clutch is the PITA gear change, which on a Honda you have to do fairly frequently!
 
Just got used to it to be honest geezer. After the mixed reviews i didnt know what to think. What is PITA? Forgive my lame-ness....
 
Fair doos, you're right though it's just a case of not being lazy and changing gear in the space you've got - which ain't much!

PITA - Pain in the arse. :D
 
Sorry yes, i have worked PITA out before. Failed on this occassion. It could have been gearbox talk for all i know!
 
Sorry for the late response I've been snowed under with Uni work, all done now and time to earn some money to spend on sensible things (for my EP of course). So i found a thread online relating to clutch adjustment and thought i would give it a go. A few places stated that as the clutch wore out the bite would get higher and higher which seems logical, however mine was very low. I adjusted the rod length which looks very easy but in practice was actually a bit tricky due to there being no room to move the 12mm spanner on the lock nut. I've moved the bite up to the middle and now it feels amazing, the changes are miles smoother, 2nd doesn't clonk as i put it in slowing down and quick changes are much easier. I'm under no illusion that the clutch is in good condition as it now has 78k on it but i'm extremely impressed at the improvement that this "simple" adjustment has made.
 
Dan J B said:
Sorry for the late response I've been snowed under with Uni work, all done now and time to earn some money to spend on sensible things (for my EP of course). So i found a thread online relating to clutch adjustment and thought i would give it a go. A few places stated that as the clutch wore out the bite would get higher and higher which seems logical, however mine was very low. I adjusted the rod length which looks very easy but in practice was actually a bit tricky due to there being no room to move the 12mm spanner on the lock nut. I've moved the bite up to the middle and now it feels amazing, the changes are miles smoother, 2nd doesn't clonk as i put it in slowing down and quick changes are much easier. I'm under no illusion that the clutch is in good condition as it now has 78k on it but i'm extremely impressed at the improvement that this "simple" adjustment has made.
Click to expand...

Might give this a go...mine sounds quite similar to yours...I'm on 62k miles, I will be replacing my clutch but can't spare cash at the min due to a money draining holiday booked in 5 weeks :mad: so might use this as a temporary/quick fix... on a scale of "0-F*ck doing that again" how tricky would you say it is?
 
im thinking about changing mine also. Bought it a week ago and to be honest its getting more and more difficult to drive. the bite is quite high and it almost feels like i have a loss of power when i first put the foot down after letting the clutch out. dunno if thats something to do with a clutch though? anyone got any recommendations on whether to buy just a standard clutch or to get an uprated one?
 
Dan: From what I've read, a high biting point shows the clutch is wearing out but it can also be that the clutch pedal rod is too long, not much help there am I sorry.

Grim: it took me 20 minutes of thinking #### this ####, I'm torching the ####### car and buying a new one, feeling like me arm was up a cows #### in a ridiculous position. Once the lock nut was slackened off and I was able to adjust the rod I happily would have done it a few times and gone for test drives in between each length. The difference is amazing, I'd say the clutch feels like its fine and it wasn't fully disengaging previously.
 
Dan J B said:
Dan: From what I've read, a high biting point shows the clutch is wearing out but it can also be that the clutch pedal rod is too long, not much help there am I sorry.

Grim: it took me 20 minutes of thinking #### this ####, I'm torching the ####### car and buying a new one, feeling like me arm was up a cows #### in a ridiculous position. Once the lock nut was slackened off and I was able to adjust the rod I happily would have done it a few times and gone for test drives in between each length. The difference is amazing, I'd say the clutch feels like its fine and it wasn't fully disengaging previously.
Click to expand...

Lmao, You couldn't be a gent and point me in the right direction to this rod? I'm a novice-learning-quickly lol my experience is mainly stuff I've read!
 
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