Learn me civic clutches

A friend of my wife has a 6th-gen (?) civc -- late 90s, anyway.

The clutch is bad, and she wants to offload the car.

I've never been within 50 feet of the car, and I haven't even talked to her, so I don't know what the problem is -- I assume it's a burned-up clutch disc, but that's just a guess.

I'm the "car guy" here, so it's my job to figure out the best way to get this car fixed and/or sold. I'm not trying to scam my way to a free civic, just trying to help somebody out who could use a hand.

So, people who know civics: --is there a simple problem that it might be (broken/misadjusted/etc clutch cable? Just for example)

--is a clutch job on one of these simple? Need special tools? I'm a decent mechanic (rebuilt my MG's transmission myself, 100K miles ago) but have never wrenched on a honda.

Any other thoughts/suggestions appreciated. Thanks, Matt

Hey Matt, I just sold my '97 Integra after having replaced the clutch. This procedure is nothing that should frighten you unless you have an aversion to Metric. Once you get the axle nuts off, you are done with special (sized) tools.
Some notes: Axles, Exhaust, Air Tube, Gear oil are all removed. To get the gearbox out will require removal of the transmission mounts while supporting the engine. The engine/trans has to be tipped down to clear the frame rail to separate them. With reassembly, the axles must be seated all the way in or the car will act like it is in neutral. The Haynes manual will give all the details, but you will probably have it apart in the time it would take to read through it all. Good luck and be careful!

92+ is a hydraulic clutch, follow normal diag on that guy (make sure the slave moves fully when the pedal does). If it does, then most likely it is the clutch itself. Easy swap, but Honda does not recomend resurfacing the flywheel. You can do it, lots of people do, but then you add downtime waiting for the machine shop.

You should be able to do it w/o removing the exhaust. I just swapped out an automatic on a 92 Civic with the exhaust in. What I can't remember is if there are support braces that run from the block to the tranny are obstructed by the exhaust. It's been a few years since I did a clutch job on a 92+, and my 91 does not have the braces.

I was a helper monkey when Sonic swapped out the clutch/flywheel in my '99 Civic Si. "Hold this up, grab that 12mm wrench, ow my hand..."

IIRC, it took us 5 or 6 hours. I'd describe it as a "bitch" of a process.

Do the later civics still use radius rods? I never got past '91 with the civic platform. If they are the same, here is my basic procedure:

Remove the wishbones from the struts and LCAs. Remove the axle nuts. Seperate the lower BJs. Tap axles through the hubs with a drift until they slide out by hand, then use a pry bar/big srew stick to pop them from the tranny. If that chassis has radius rods that run from the LCAs to the front crossmember, unbolt them from the LCAs and drop the entire member out. This provides much needed wiggle room to seperate and drop the tranny.

This is based on EF(88-91) so it may not be applicable to your chassis. Straight R&R time for this job for me runs about 3-4 hrs if I'm not fighting rusty fasteners. Thats in a garage on jack stands. I've done it on a lift and dropped about 1-1.5 hrs off of that. But I've done a few before, and know the size of all the tools needed, when I need them. . .

92+ don't have radius rods, and you don't have to remove the axles from the hubs. Just pop the lower ball joint and jam a stick between the fender well and the hub to hold the axle away from the trans.

Swapping a 92 automatic took me 2 hours.

Any special tools needed -- or odd sizes? I think my metric sockets go up to 22mm... wrenches, I think I have up to 17mm.

Thanks for the help, everybody. Matt

Apart from the axle nuts, anything you find on the car will be a 10, 12, 14, 17, or 19mm

Axle nuts are 32 or 36 - I don't remember which.

axles are 32mm (but you don't really need to remove them from the hub) pressure plate are 12mm 12pt flywheel are 17mm 12pt

Filling the trans is easiest through the reverse switch hole, you will need a narrow, long funnel. The tranny is pretty light, around 60lbs iirc, so you don't even need a 2nd jack, just a little muscle.

The bitch pin, is, well, a bitch. I think it is 6mm, use a FLAT tipped pin or transfer punch. If you use a taper tipped (center or drift) punch you just flare it out and make it harder to remove.

Bitch pin is 8mm. The BEST way is an air chisle with an 8mm punch machined into it. 2 seconds and it's out. A normal flat faced 8mm punch with a BFH isn't bad. An 8mm bolt and a claw hammer will do, but it starts to earn it's name at that point.

DILYSI Dave wrote: Bitch pin is 8mm. The BEST way is an air chisle with an 8mm punch machined into it. 2 seconds and it's out. A normal flat faced 8mm punch with a BFH isn't bad. An 8mm bolt and a claw hammer will do, but it starts to earn it's name at that point.

There's a company that makes a specific tool for this. Costs about $40, and if you use it twice, it more than makes up the price.

Or if you have a screw driver set that has the replaceable tips... find one of the little square tip pieces that fits inside and use that.

Buying a tool for something so small and easily done (annoyingly sometimes) by something found in many people's tool boxes... just seems a waste.

I'll agree on the no axle removal needed. Prybar or big screwdriver helps pop it from trans though.

I typically remove the lower balljoint and just pull the spindle away to get axle out of the way.
-A removal tip for the lower balljoint. Remove wheel, jack up car, put jackstand under that side pinch rail (passenger side). Remove the lower balljoint cotter pin and nut. Jack the LCA (lower control arm) up until the spring is fully compressed/car is lifting off jackstands almost. Wedge something solid between the bottom of the spindle (right next to the balljoint boot) and LCA... WEDGE it... I use the handle of my breaker bar. Then pop your jack loose and let the spring decompress. If lucky it'll just pop loose, if not a few taps on the prybar or the lca might dislodge it. Don't use a pickle fork... you'll probably just kill the balljoint boot.

I think an easier method is to jack up the spindle under the brake rotor hat then tap the side of the LCA next to the ball joint with a hammer. There are little wings next to the ball joint that work perfect. Usually drops after 2-3 swings.

civic clutches are MONDO easy . nothing at all to worry abuot.

splitime and i have changed a transmission in under 2 hours i believe

xci_ed6 wrote: I think an easier method is to jack up the spindle under the brake rotor hat then tap the side of the LCA next to the ball joint with a hammer. There are little wings next to the ball joint that work perfect. Usually drops after 2-3 swings.

I've had that work... and I've had it never work.

The above format I described has worked 100% for me, with sometimes a tap or retry involved. It is super easy to do also.