Drive Accord Honda Forums banner
61 - 79 of 79 Posts
I hit 174,000 miles on mine before it had to be replaced. Even then it still had another 15,000 miles left based on the technician's estimation. The clutch pedal itself had cracked so it was flexing and not fully disengaging making it difficult to get out of gear when stopped. The service advisor at the Honda dealership said he's never seen a clutch last more than 120,000 miles. After reading this thread it's clear that there are many other people who know the proper way to drive a manual and get a long life out of the clutch.

.
 
I hit 174,000 miles on mine before it had to be replaced. Even then it still had another 15,000 miles left based on the technician's estimation. The clutch pedal itself had cracked so it was flexing and not fully disengaging making it difficult to get out of gear when stopped. The service advisor at the Honda dealership said he's never seen a clutch last more than 120,000 miles. After reading this thread it's clear that there are many other people who know the proper way to drive a manual and get a long life out of the clutch.
Had the same thing happen. My mechanic insisted I needed a clutch. I resisted. Eventually I pulled the pedal (myself), found the crack and welded it up.

That was 100,000 miles ago now....
 
  • Like
Reactions: derass
My I4MT5 03 Coupe has 270 Mm, and the original clutch seems fine. I've only done one fluid change a few years ago.

However, I do drive it more gently than my years ago youthful treatment of my father's car!!

But a technical question..................

With clutch plate and face plate wear, will we see a drop in the clutch fluid reservoir similar to what we see for brake pad wear? The clutch fluid reservoir is tiny, and I've never seen the slightest decline in fluid level.

Thanks....................
 
With clutch plate and face plate wear, will we see a drop in the clutch fluid reservoir similar to what we see for brake pad wear? The clutch fluid reservoir is tiny, and I've never seen the slightest decline in fluid level.

Thanks....................
NO. Clutch fluid has nothing to do with clutch wear, except if one of the cylinders starts leaking, and air gets in the line, and then the pedal doesn't engage/disengage the clutch itself properly, from pressing on the fork. But you will experience shifting issues before you do any damage to the clutch itself.

The two are completely independent of each other in terms of wear.
 
NO. Clutch fluid has nothing to do with clutch wear, except if one of the cylinders starts leaking, and air gets in the line, and then the pedal doesn't engage/disengage the clutch itself properly, from pressing on the fork. But you will experience shifting issues before you do any damage to the clutch itself.

The two are completely independent of each other in terms of wear.
Please tell me why fluid level and clutch wear are independent. Thanks.
 
Please tell me why fluid level and clutch wear are independent. Thanks.
Because unlike brake pads that wear, where there is a cylinder that moves and adjusts itself to be closer and closer to the rotor as the pads wear away, the fork on the clutch remains in the exact same place, regardless of wear on the clutch. The fork always goes back to the same point it started every time. The clutch master and slave cylinders push the rod at the end of the slave against the fork, which engages/disengages the clutch.
 
Because unlike brake pads that wear, where there is a cylinder that moves and adjusts itself to be closer and closer to the rotor as the pads wear away, the fork on the clutch remains in the exact same place, regardless of wear on the clutch. The fork always goes back to the same point it started every time. The clutch master and slave cylinders push the rod at the end of the slave against the fork, which engages/disengages the clutch.
Thanks,

I'm still puzzled. Does the pressure plate lifting end of the fork not re-position itself on the throw-out bearing as friction material wears on the clutch disc?

If the fork always returns to the same position, and friction material was worn down, then the clutch pedal would increase its initial "load" point, i.e., the load point would get closer to the floor.

I've not experienced a fluid drop nor a load point drop, which might simply mean that I've got nearly 100% of my original friction material thickness intact. But that seems unlikely to me.

Hopefully I never have to get into my clutch to find out!!
 
Thanks,

I'm still puzzled. Does the pressure plate lifting end of the fork not re-position itself on the throw-out bearing as friction material wears on the clutch disc?

If the fork always returns to the same position, and friction material was worn down, then the clutch pedal would increase its initial "load" point, i.e., the load point would get closer to the floor.

I've not experienced a fluid drop nor a load point drop, which might simply mean that I've got nearly 100% of my original friction material thickness intact. But that seems unlikely to me.

Hopefully I never have to get into my clutch to find out!!
The answer to your question is: No.

Today's clutch material is sooo much better than it used to be. Back when I had a 77 Accord, there was a time when I needed to adjust the engagement point on the pedal because it had moved closer to the floor. (I have no idea how the car was driven before I got it with 130k) It was only a few thousand miles after that, pulling a snowmobile in a trailer, the tell tale sign of the clutch going started, the rpms would rise but my speed never changed in 5th gear. That was the last time I pulled anything with that car, and I never replaced the clutch.

When I had my '94 Prelude VTEC, I made many modifications the motor, keeping the stock clutch, and eventually the spring housings on the clutch wore out, essentially breaking out of their brackets. The clutch surface itself was still good. 90k later on an ACT Stage II Clutch, with MUCH stiffer springs, twice as many springs, and an obviously better design, I sold the car to a guy who asked how recently I had replaced the clutch. He was shocked to hear I had gone that far on it, as it still looked and measured very close to new specs (According to him, he parted it for his own needs apparently).

So, again, the two (clutch fluid and clutch surface) are independent of themselves, in terms of wear. Unlike brake pads and brake cylinders on the calipers.

It is very possible if you don't slip the clutch between shifts, and don't do a lot of hard launches, by letting the clutch slip at take off while letting the rpms climb above 2k, your clutch may last forever.
 
The answer to your question is: No.

Today's clutch material is sooo much better than it used to be. Back when I had a 77 Accord, there was a time when I needed to adjust the engagement point on the pedal because it had moved closer to the floor. (I have no idea how the car was driven before I got it with 130k) It was only a few thousand miles after that, pulling a snowmobile in a trailer, the tell tale sign of the clutch going started, the rpms would rise but my speed never changed in 5th gear. That was the last time I pulled anything with that car, and I never replaced the clutch.

When I had my '94 Prelude VTEC, I made many modifications the motor, keeping the stock clutch, and eventually the spring housings on the clutch wore out, essentially breaking out of their brackets. The clutch surface itself was still good. 90k later on an ACT Stage II Clutch, with MUCH stiffer springs, twice as many springs, and an obviously better design, I sold the car to a guy who asked how recently I had replaced the clutch. He was shocked to hear I had gone that far on it, as it still looked and measured very close to new specs (According to him, he parted it for his own needs apparently).

So, again, the two (clutch fluid and clutch surface) are independent of themselves, in terms of wear. Unlike brake pads and brake cylinders on the calipers.

It is very possible if you don't slip the clutch between shifts, and don't do a lot of hard launches, by letting the clutch slip at take off while letting the rpms climb above 2k, your clutch may last forever.
Thanks again.

Some of my early vehicles go back to cork friction inserts in the clutch plate, which often made for a slipping clutch, a hair clutch, a juddering clutch, and sometimes all three ills. And certainly short life. So I too appreciate modern friction materials.

I'm a bit obsessed about my remaining clutch life as I'm often very remote and far from dealership alley and would like to avoid being stranded.

I consulted the 4000 page Honda workshop manual for 03 to 07 Accords and on page 12-4 it reads....

"The clutch is self adjusting to compensate for wear"

I'll try to attach that page.

If wear compensation is not achieved by the transfer of fluid from the master cylinder reservoir to the slave cylinder, then there must be some form of mechanical automatic adjustment outside of the hydraulic system.

If you are familiar with this mechanical automatic adjustment, perhaps you can advise on how this works so I might be able to judge how much adjustment range is remaining.

Let's see if I can attach that workshop manual page,
 

Attachments

I don't know where that self adjusting feature is, never heard of it. I don't find anything in my service manual that references that either, except for that one bullet you have pointed out. My service manual only talks about service limits and how to measure them.
 
I don't know where that self adjusting feature is, never heard of it. I don't find anything in my service manual that references that either, except for that one bullet you have pointed out. My service manual only talks about service limits and how to measure them.
Thanks.

I'm laying out September plans for Yellowstone. Considering its elevations, maybe I can just coast home if my clutch goes.
 
Discussion starter · #73 ·
A quick update on this thread... I purchased my 2004 Honda Accord 6-6 with 76,000 miles, and sold it with 145,000 miles last February (if I recall the precise milage); all on what I believe to be the original clutch. Not to mention, my 2004 Accord was also the car I (in addition to my significant other) learned how to drive a manual transmission on, so it saw quite a bit of hard use from the learning process. Additionally, I never really got the hang of driving a manual transmission entirely smoothly on that particular car, as I found the six-speed transmission was extremely temperamental and cumbersome (seems to be a common issue with the 6-6 model). With all of that being said, the only issue I ever experienced was a failure with the salve cylinder, and that occurred only a few months before I sold the car.

Fast forward to my current 2006 Accord I4 with the 5 speed manual transmission, I am sitting at 108,000 miles with hopefully (knock on wood) a lot more to go before any issues start to appear. I find this car considerably easier to drive, and feel like the shifts are much smoother compared to my old Accord. I definitely try to make sure that I don't give the car too much throttle at a stoplight when I take off (no more than 1,500 RPMs). Occasionally I may accidentally give the car a little more throttle by accident (1,800 RPMs maximum), but never for the purpose of doing any sort of "launch." To make a long story short, I hope this car does just as well, if not better, than my old car.
 
I am at 179k miles on my I4 now. My clutch engagement point is super close to the floor. I am not sure if this is how it has always been or if it is something recent. I stopped driving it for about 2 months due to a injury.
 
I am at 179k miles on my I4 now. My clutch engagement point is super close to the floor. I am not sure if this is how it has always been or if it is something recent. I stopped driving it for about 2 months due to a injury.
My clutch engagement point went to the floor around 230k miles. At About 265k miles i discovered the clutch pedal was actually broken.... Was an easy fix with a good weld.

Check it out before you let anyone convince you to swap out the clutch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WDHewson
Additionally, I never really got the hang of driving a manual transmission entirely smoothly on that particular car, as I found the six-speed transmission was extremely temperamental and cumbersome (seems to be a common issue with the 6-6 model). With all of that being said, the only issue I ever experienced was a failure with the salve cylinder, and that occurred only a few months before I sold the car.
Probably due to the check valve in the slave - I really have no idea why they implemented that. It makes shifting inconsistent because of the inconsistent engagement.

For anyone coming to this thread, here is the "how to" for removing it.

https://www.driveaccord.net/forums/...x-6spd-clutch-delay-valve-device-removed.html
 
Discussion starter · #77 ·
Probably due to the check valve in the slave - I really have no idea why they implemented that. It makes shifting inconsistent because of the inconsistent engagement.

For anyone coming to this thread, here is the "how to" for removing it.

https://www.driveaccord.net/forums/...x-6spd-clutch-delay-valve-device-removed.html
I think the check valve was definitely the problem. I owned that car for six years, and I never was able to shift into second gear smoothly. I almost considered getting an automatic for a while because I figured that I just was never going to get the hang of driving manual transmission while I had that car. I realized that it wasn't my fault after I test drove my 5 speed Accord for the first time.
 
2003 I4 2.4 Accord clutch

WOW! That has to be some kind of record....
Hi Rick,

I have a 2003 I4 2.4 Accord, which I have owned from new, that I KNOW still has it's original clutch. Ten days ago it passed 355,000 miles, yes THREE hundred and fifty five thousand miles!

BTW I learned to drive in a manual transmission, and passed my road test in a manual transmission. I have never owned an automatic, though it is getting tough to find new cars that aren't automatic. My wife also owned and drive a manual when I first met her, and when she bought a new car in 2017 it was another manual Accord.


FWIW The shocks and springs are also original, as is the muffler system, except for the cat. The alternator lasted until about 335,000 miles. The brake pads were last changed 275,000 miles ago. I don't know why the OE pads only lasted 80,000 miles - I suspect I was conned by the dealer service dept.
 
I picked up my 6-6 about three months ago. And the clutch was slipping when I bought it. It had 185500 miles on it. I’m not sure if it had been replaced before. But there was nothing (and I mean NOTHING) left to the disk when I changed it. It’s entirely possible the car had the original clutch. But then again, I could see some evidence that the transmission bolts had been removed. So who knows....
 
61 - 79 of 79 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top