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Another clutch query

Joined
27 June 2003
Messages
1,443
Location
Lenexa, KS, USA
I own an '03 w/ 5k miles. I bought it new. I have been driving stick for most of my driving life (started w/'69 Firebird -- latest was '00 s2k).

I rarely dump the clutch; however, when I do, I expect to either gogogo or kill the engine. I find that my NSX frequently does neither and I get a burnt-oil smell. I have never had this type of problem w/ any of my other cars.

The Acura service advisor tells me that the clutch cannot be adjusted. What might the problem be? Any ideas would be appreciated. I live in the Kansas City area and would also appreciate any recomendations for a service operation.

TIA
 
I think this advice in the Clutch section of the FAQ should help:

blip the throttle just before engaging the clutch so that the clutch starts to engage as the engine speed is falling. This will get the car rolling as the engine speed is dropping. Fully engage the clutch at between 1100 and 1500, then apply throttle, or have the clutch almost fully engaged before applying throttle.

Don't ask me why it works, it just does.
 
Mark

When you let the clutch out at high RPM's the surface of the friction material gets instantly hot and in that situation it will just slip. If it did grab it would just spin the tires or break something anyways. There is always a trade off, you could have a clutch that could engage at a high speed differential but it would be impossible to drive normally it would be either on or off.

I experienced a bad slipping clutch once on my NSX. I was making a left turn across a divided highway. As I rolled across the lanes on one side and into the median revving the engine and riding the clutch anticipating small break in the heavy traffic on the other side. When I did fully release the clutch it slipped like crazy.

BrianK
 
Last edited:
So basically, if I am looking for the performance of other clutches, I need to upgrade to a stiffer clutch.

Come to think of it, my s2k clutch (stock) was a lot stiffer than the NSX clutch.
 
There is a difference between a burnt oil smell and burnt clutch material. If you really can smell oil then there may be a leak from the tranny that oils down the disk and causes the slip.

On a new clutch and stock tires it should act as you suggest, burn rubber or stall. I respectfully disagree with BrianK's comments, although with repeated abuse it will certainly get that way.

Brian's experience in the median sounds like a classic case of rapid wear. You can literally trash a disk in a matter of seconds by keeping it partially engaged. It is always difficult to state this in a way that won't offend, but I would wager that a majority of people who think that they are "easy" on the clutch are getting far less mileage from them than they could if they really understood how it all works.
 
sjs said:
Brian's experience in the median sounds like a classic case of rapid wear. You can literally trash a disk in a matter of seconds by keeping it partially engaged. It is always difficult to state this in a way that won't offend, but I would wager that a majority of people who think that they are "easy" on the clutch are getting far less mileage from them than they could if they really understood how it all works.

I had my transmission opened up recently at Acura of Brookfield. They said that they have seen a huge variation in the surfaces of the clutch plates on NSXs recently. Some of them have had uneven scorch marks on the surface, which are signs of abuse - and they belong to some of our local track rats!

Mine was smooth as a baby's
bootyshake.gif
 
sjs said:
There is a difference between a burnt oil smell and burnt clutch material. .....

Not having had a burnt clutch in the past, I described the smell as 'burnt oil' because that was the closest thing to which I could compare the smell. My description was also influenced by a comment from the service advisor that the NSX clutch was a wet clutch. Is this not the case?
 
sjs

No offense taken, I bought my NSX used so I don't know how much abuse it has on it. I have scorched the clutch in my Accord revving the engine slipping the clutch until I let it out and went no ware. When that clutch failed with broken release fingers at 194,000mi I felt I had gotten my moneys worth. I am not all that worried about wearing out my NSX clutch with the limited mileage I drive it and how normally I drive it. ;)


BrianK
 
mbartlett4 said:
Not having had a burnt clutch in the past, I described the smell as 'burnt oil' because that was the closest thing to which I could compare the smell. My description was also influenced by a comment from the service advisor that the NSX clutch was a wet clutch. Is this not the case?

Nope, not a wet clutch. Where did you see that? It is a hydraulic clutch in that it is hydraulically actuated. Perhaps that's what you saw.
 
sjs said:
Nope, not a wet clutch. Where did you see that? It is a hydraulic clutch in that it is hydraulically actuated. Perhaps that's what you saw.

Then the service advisor at the dealership has fed me a line of c**p.

I was also told (the same person) that there is no adjustment for the clutch. I assume this is also a load of c**p.
 
Keep in mind that his claim of no adjustment could be considered accurate. Although pedal free play (having at least a little) is critical, it does not adjust the actual clutch in the sense of gaining back grip as it wears. BTW, some hydraulic clutches do have a threaded actuator rod at the slave end to adjust free play at the fork.
 
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