SENATOR

I just bought my 6 speed manual CL-S, and while I know the transmission problem seems to be limited to the autos, has any one had a major problem with the manual?

The only thing I am seeing, is that the clutch fails to engage smoothly. This makes every shift feel like a clutch burn, or the opposite, where it almost stalls and instead lurches the car forward. It's annoying.

Is this just the result of the abnormally long clutch pedal that Honda likes to use, or is it just me? I've been driving manuals for 14 years, and have never had a consistent problem like this.

Thanks!

Dan

Syncros-CL6

fails to engage smoothly???
the clutch burn i assume you are referring to the fact that the rpms tend to drop slowly....and when shifting fast you almost drag the engine speed down a little as the clutch engages (assuming you dont wait for it to drop on its own)
the clutch is not linear, it grabs quickly at high positions and little before that...

spdy0001

You will get a custom to the clutch soon enough

I felt the sameway when I got mine, the clutch feels as if its engaged or not no inbetween, but I have found that it works well in quick acclerationsl, just not for smoothly crusin around

paulff3

you'll get use to it. my 6sp shifts great except for the well documented 2nd gear notchiness.

Slimey

There was one member (Jake, I think) that had his clutch replaced very early and when they tore it apart it was quite abused and worn. I think that his car was bought slightly used (under 1K miles) and the thought was that the previous drivers abused it. Someone else had oil leaking onto their clutch assembly which caused some burning, but was easily fixed.

My clutch engagement has been smooth and consistent since day one. It engages close to the floor (about 1.5 - 2") in the early part of pedal travel. I did have to get used to this clutch, like one would with any, but that didn't take too long.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Mines the same way. It took a while for me to get 2nd gear smooth. I find the car shifts alot better when you shift fast, & at higher RPM's. I also found if I'm just crusing shifting slow, I leave the clutch down though the whole shift, & then slowly release it, it becomes very smooth.

cls-6mt

It took me about 3 weeks to get used to the clutch. There's nothing like shifting into each gear and feeling the precise 'click' as the gears engage.

I wouldn't go ever back to automatics transmissions- even in sucky LA traffic!

DDT-TypeS

At nearly 12grand on the odo, I am going to tell you opposite of what I have said in many many previous posts:

THE TRANSMISSION IS NOW SMOOOOOOOTH.....probably cause of the warm weather..it seems to really dig warm weather...butter smooth..from 1st to 2nd to 3rd and 4th..all very smooth..notchy feel is there only when the car is completely cold...warmed up and it's butter smooth...

I'm no longer bitchin' about that...it's wonderful now The clutch is normal as usual...1.5" engagement from the floor...smooooooth as butter baby!

Oh yea..absolutely NO RATTLES NOW....well, except for that sunshade thing...but I keep it closed anyway...

Titand19

I'm with Fuzzy

paulff3

my GSR was the same way. Took 15k for 2nd gear to settle down.

Syncros-CL6

my clutch engages fully a lot higher than the 1-2 inches from the floor....

mine engages pretty high.

Slimey

I don't have the Helm manual here at work, but I'm pretty sure it specifies the clutch engagement point and I recall that it was consistent to what my foot feels (about 2" off the floor). The clutch is self-adjusting so that point should be constant throughout the clutch life.

? Maybe you should take it in to see if you're up to spec.

I am RobG

i love our clutch, i beat the piss out of it all day at the track and it grabs hard every time. And i have 28k miles on it. ANd it shifts smooth you just gotta get used to it

SENATOR

Thanks guys, it sounds pretty normal. I agree with those who said that this car is geared for quick acceleration, because if I am letting her fly, the clutch is perfect. But when I'm driving my girlfriend around, it's a little clumsy feeling.

I guess "it's all in the hips...it's all in the hips..." Just need to ease the tension.

stejus

Ditto all the way (even the sun roof)! This clutch took about two days to get used to. Now I can rock and roll through the gears!

Slimey

OK. I got a PM about my clutch engagement. I've always thought that it engages (or technically, disengages, depends how you look at it) about 2" off the floor. It seems that I'm wrong, or at least the Helm says so. Sorry.

From the Helm on clutch pedal specs:

• Clutch Pedal Stroke 142.5-152.5mm/5.6 - 6"
• Clutch Pedal Free Play 10-18mm/0.39-0.71"
• Clutch Pedal Height 190mm/7.48"
• Clutch Pedal Disengagement Height 79mm/3.11"

So it seems that it should engage 3" off the floor and complete its engagement stroke within 6". Hmm --- I seem to sense a tighter setup, but I guess my propriception is off.

and that fish I caught was this long

spdy0001