Clutch slipping on brand new 2000 NSX-T ??

[johndoh]

Just bought a 2000 NSX and I've been noticing a wierd behavior with my clutch. This only happens in 1st gear on a launch.
Rev the rpm to about 3-4k and then I slowly release the clutch. Once reaching friction point, I give it more gas. As rpm rises I completely release the clutch pedal. The car doesn't accelerate and take off(it's a very slow accleration or coasts), but the rpm keeps on revving high. Then I hold down the clutch and release the gas to bring the rpm back down. Once rpm goes back to around 2k, I tried to engage the clutch "normally" and all is well. About now, I can smell burning metal. Is this normal behavior by design to protect the clutch @ high rpms?
I called the dealership and they told me that I should try to engage the clutch in 2nd gear on a slight incline and see if the clutch grabs and if I notice any slipping of the clutch. If I don't, then everything should be fine. I tried this and all is well, the clutch grabs just fine. Another test I tried was to rev the engine to 3500-4000 rpm and dump the clutch. Clutch grabs just fine, tires smoke and there's no noticeable slipping of the clutch.

Anybody experience similar "problems" or is there something wrong with my car and should have it checked out? Any insight to this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[akira3d]

I can't say I've noticed any abnormalities to the clutch on my '00 NSX-T...and I've never noticed anything that even remotely smells like "burning metal" (or anything else burning for that matter). All I know is that the clutch struck me as really easy from the get go...so I suspect something may be wrong.



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--akira3D ('00 NSX-T red/black #113)
"Reality is better than the dream..."

 

[GruppeM]

I also found some 'problems' for my clutch. Well, I am not sure what's going on but here is the deal.

This only happens in the 1st gear, when I try to engage the clutch, at the friction point, the clutch starts to shake, feels like passing thru small bumps, and after that point it's all fine for the rest of the gears. I figured it's probably because of my clutch being worn out, but then it doesn't happen to other gears, including reverse. The clutch is also significantly heavier than my friend's stock NSX clutch, but that shouldn't be an issue since the pressure is adjustable right? Anyone has any ideas?

 

[ChopsJazz]

Why are you letting out the clutch at 3-4K RPM? That seems pretty high for everyday driving conditions. I just spent the morning tooling around town and checked my RPM at almost every start. I found my clutch engagement to be no higher than 1500 to 1800 RPM under normal conditions. Back off! your clutch will live longer!

 

[G-man]

Originally posted by ChopsJazz:
Why are you letting out the clutch at 3-4K RPM!

I am afraid I have to again agree with ChopsJazz. My 2000 NSX (yellow) is flawless and I learned long ago that the key to both long life and good times does not mean you have to dump the clutch at 4,000 RMP. I experience similar numbers as Chops and will now let him drive my car anytime.

Reading through these posts, I am really glad I got my car brand new.

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Gordon G. Miller, III
Y2K NSX #51 Yellow/Black

 

[akira3d]

On my way to work, I paid attention to when I engage the clutch. Like G-Man and ChopsJazz, I never engaged higher than 2K RPM. And, as I said, I've never experienced anything even remotely like what you've discussed.

 

[johndoh]

I appreciate the helpful responses. Even with this wierd behavior, I have no regrests or buyer's remorse on buying the NSX. One thing I want to make clear is that I take very good care of my car and baby it very much. If you read carefully, the dumping of the clutch and burning the tires(done only once w/ TCS off) was a test to verify that that clutch was still good with a pretty good load on it. Just very odd that it's only happened at friction point & in 1st gear. Could the traction control have anything to do with it?

How often do you guys drive with the TCS disabled?

 

[Lud]

I'm not going to try and diagnose this over the Internet based on your description... but I would suggest that you really shouldn't be slowly engaging the clutch in 1st at 3000-4000 RPM and feeding it even MORE gas as you reach the friction point. I wouldn't worry about what the clutch does in that situation because you should never put it in that situation.

If you want to drag race, rev it up to around 3000 with TCS off and release the clutch very quickly. This isn't great for the clutch but it's better than slipping it for a long time at 4000+ RPM.

If you are just doing a normal start, fully engage it closer to 1000 RPM and then get on the gas (heavy throttle if you want to get going in a hurry, normal if you're just driving).

What you describe does not sound like TCS since when TCS is kicking it the RPM will not continue to rise. You can verify this by simply disabling TCS.

 

[ChopsJazz]

Man, I love you guys! Yes, slipping the clutch at 3-4K RPM is a recipe for trouble. If it's TCS you're talking about, then you're only going to experince that during HARD acceleration exiting corners or during drag race burnouts.
To answer your TCS question, I almost always disable my TCS for "spirited" driving. I like to control my own wheelslip and oversteer with my right foot, not a computer.

 

[dswartz]

I drag race my 98. In fact, I just won the NIRA Spring Nationals in Comp 6 (normally aspirated 6 cylinder- best time 12.97 @ 109 MPH). My experience with the stock clutch is that it does slip and smells as described. THe service manager at Greenwich Acura (largest NSX dealer in USA) states that the cluth is designed to slip to protect the drive train. He suggested I use the Comptech Street/Strip Clutch. I did and it works. A little harder on the leg, but no slip or smell.