bkw2410

I have to replace the clutch on my wife's 2004 Acura TSX 6spd. The car itself has almost 210k miles on it and on the OEM clutch. I am personally surprised it lasted as long as it did. We took the car to the Acura dealer to have it diagnosed last week and the "stealer" repair sheet they handed me left with me a $2100 estimate to replace the clutch. And that wasn't including possible flywheel replacement or re-surfacing. Breakdown was basically around $475 for the actual OEM clutch parts and another $1600 in labor.

I myself am pretty mechanically inclined and do a lot of my own work on our cars unless it's something major or something I don't have the time or tools to complete. I am wondering if anybody can offer some information on the difficulty and process of this job and any websites or information outlets that might offer a good step by step break down of the actual process of replacement. Also does this job require any goofy "acura only tools"? I don't want to get into this job and find out I need some stupid japanese wrench or something that you can only buy online and costs something severe.

I ordered the Exedy OEM replacement clutch kit w/flywheel off of ebay for $256, which I thought was pretty reasonable. I'm not looking to get another 210k miles out of this car just enough to be in a better postion in the next year or two to purchase my wife a newer vehicle.

Any help you guys (or gals) can offer me would be greatly appreciated.

I do have access to a nice in garage car lift and all the normal shop tools as well.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Jarvo1

Should be no different than any other front-wheel drive transverse-engine car. It does get a little tight up there, but if you have a lift and 'basic' tools you should be fine. The only single-use tool you should need would be the clutch-centering tool. I'd recommend replacing the throw-out bearing while you're in there. If you've never replaced a clutch before, plan on spending multiple hours (days) on it. I wouldn't start the project on Sunday evening with the expectation of driving it to work on Monday morning.

bkw2410

Thankfully, We have access to another car so she can continue working, so I'm not in a time crunch to finish it. I just want to know if there are any specific "suprises" that I need to be aware of. I've seen some individuals say that you have to drop the subframe, some say that you dont need to if you pull off the tranny and twist it. I'm sure it'll be a pain to do, but that's not going to deter me.

Simba91102

You could try searching around on here for a DIY (the search is pretty crappy, so good luck). Not quite sure why anyone would call this job basic. From what I've seen (and read), the whole front end of the car has to come off to access the transmission and removal of the clutch. This is I'll assume why the labor cost (and hence the estimate) you got was so high. I can remember seeing private shop estimates lower, but still in the $1600 range. I'm pretty mechanically inclined (mechanic in an earlier life), but this job looks like way too much of a hassle for me. Getting older comes at a price in a variety of ways I guess.....

gftgrill

I would recommend you pick up a shop manual for this job if you decide to DIY. I bought mine new from HandA-Accessories.com a few years ago for 75 shipped

Here is a quote I got about 6 months ago from a local honda performance shop in kansas city.

otherwise if you do a search there are a couple of good walkthroughs and plenty of member help around here if you run into problems along the way.

DIY: https://acurazine.com/forums/1g-tsx-performance-parts-modifications-126/diy-manual-transmission-clutch-replacement-removal-833245/

TexasHonda

automanualsource.com has a good OEM emanual for $21.99. I'm very happy w/ mine.

Check youtube videos for Accord clutch replacements. I think you'll find plenty of videos and tips. Here's one example:
good luck