your experience: what happened when you lost your clutch...

[cybernsx]

Hi NSXers,

I am looking for descriptions and thoughts regarding what happened and what you heard when your NSX broke...

Specifically, when your clutch failed.

While driving on Sunday, I was shifting from 1st to 2nd at about 6,000. The clutch pedal stayed down on the floor as I shifted into 2nd and didn't initially return. While coasting to the side of the road, the pedal did return to normal position, but when depressed, it stayed down again. The car was in 2nd, but made some metallic racket and shook a bit as I got really slow, no matter whether the clutch was in or out (don't think the clutch was doing anything at this time and the car was stalling from being in gear at low RPM.

I shut it down & didn't try to drive it at all.

Towing was an experience. The flat bed worked fine, but would have rubbed the lower front lip if the driver didn't have a pair of 3 foot long 2x6s to lessen the angle between the ground and the bed.

Now it is sitting at the shop awaiting service.

Any thoughts (besides Ugh!). I hope that the tranny wasn't hurt ... and I'm not in snap ring range, but figured your experiences would help me a bit B4 the tech starts pulling it apart.

Thanx!

 

[ERICKGS3]

That exact thing happened to me but in my 92 300zx. Turns out, it wasn't the clutch but the master cylinder. I had the slave and master cylinder done at the same time and it worked fine after. I remember having that scared feeling like "uhh ohh, I broke it."

erick

 

[Malibu Rapper]

My clutch broke at high RPM. The pedal did not fall the floor like yours. I think the broken spring tang was my issue but it probably isn't yours. Pedal to the floor is a classic master/slave cylinder problem.

 

[therr]

Blaine,

Same thing happen to me a few weeks ago. Ended up being the Master Cylinder.

 

[sahtt]

There are two different systems at work here. The clutch is no more than a plate that transfers force from your engine to your transmission. When a clutch fails, this also fails to occur. A failing clutch begins to 'slip' which literally means it slides instead of catches therefore causing the RPM's to climb yet you don't get any power to the rear wheels, while in gear.

The clutch pedal doesn't relate to the actual clutch disk as much as people assume. Besides the springs on the clutch requiring more force by the user, that's about where it ends. All the pedal does is manipulate the hydraulic clutch fluid system, particularly the master and slave cylinder. So when your clutch pedal looses feeling, changes in pressure, etc. either your fluid is compromised [slowly occurs], or your slave or master cylinder has failed. The average 12-15 year old car needs both cylinders replaced.

a) Check your fluid level in your master cylinder. If it's not full-
b) Fill it and pump the clutch. Watch for fluid leaks; if it's not leaking from the master it's probably the slave.
c) If it is full, the problem could potentially be more complex, but to be sure pump the clutch a bunch and try to see some more fluid leaking as all it takes is a couple air bubbles to compromise the clutch fluid. There are internal components of the transmission such as the fork that can break but that's usually only under racing conditions or due to an improper clutch/transmission/drive shaft install.

 

[cybernsx]

Thanx for the comments so far.

to THERR or others that have had this occur, did you hear any metallic chatter with the engine running as you coasted to a stop or did you just have a dead clutch pedal?

 

[jond]

Is your clutch fluid low?

Same thing happened to my old Type-R. Being my daily driver I just took it to Acura and told them to fix it, and they ended up replacing everything. Thinking about it later, I was low on clutch fluid. I had kept putting off/forgetting to add some.

I took off really hard in 1st gear, slammed it into 2nd and the clutch went to the floor. I'm thinking what happened it the fluid was low enough to where that jolt shifting to 2nd let air into the system.

It was probably a $50 fix that ended up costing me over $1000.

 

[cybernsx]

Fri @ lunch update:

Fluid level was good

Master & Slave were fine, though I will replace both at this time since we're 'in there'

Clutch is the problem. :frown: The metallic chatter was a shattered spring from one of the 2 clutch discs.
Transmission is fine - thank God! :tongue:

Got to see it all apart at the shop today.... pretty cool too

I'll be back on the road soon.

Thanx for the input to those who responded.