HELP! Manual clutch dies hrs after purchase!
#1
TL Owner
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Grand Forks AFB, ND
Age: 42
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
HELP! Manual clutch dies hrs after purchase!
So I've been checking out these forums for a while and decided my next car would be a TL six speed. I find one 5 hours away and make the trip friday night. Saturday I trade in my truck and get the car. It was raining when I test drove the car so I didn't drive it hard and thought nothing of the clutch feeling a little light. To make a long story short, 2 hours into the trip back home the clutch started smelling really bad and it felt very light and would not engage 1st or 2nd without a lot of help. 2.5 hrs later the clutch completely fails and nothing will go into gear and the clutch pedal is stuck to the floor. 1.5 hrs later and the car is towed to the nearest honda dealer. I called the dealer that sold me the car and he told me it should be covered under my platinum warranty. My question to you guys is 1) has this happened to any of you and 2) are the cluches in these cars weak or was mine just beat to hell. I'll find out the damage on monday until then I'd like to hear what you guys think.
#2
Unofficial Goat
iTrader: (1)
So far the 6mt has been very reliable. I've seen 1 or 2 threads about clutch issues but those could be anything. there are a few S/C'd 6spds and they have not reported problems and that is where I would expect to hear about it first. Sounds like yours had been beat on.
#5
People, if you read his sig it is an 04.
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. It seems as though previous owner tore that clutch apart, as you were having some sense of a light clutch when you test drove it. I would suspect the previous owner sold it because they began noticing the clutch failing. I am sure your warranty should cover it as though it had not even been 24 hours since purchase. Did you buy from acura dealership?
Sorry to hear about your difficulties. It seems as though previous owner tore that clutch apart, as you were having some sense of a light clutch when you test drove it. I would suspect the previous owner sold it because they began noticing the clutch failing. I am sure your warranty should cover it as though it had not even been 24 hours since purchase. Did you buy from acura dealership?
#6
TL Owner
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Grand Forks AFB, ND
Age: 42
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the replies. Yeah I bought it from baierle acura in Minneapolis, MN. I bought the platinum warranty so it should be covered. The car has 55,000 miles on her.
#7
94 DC4 RS LSV/Turbo
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: New York City | Stuck in Traffic
Age: 38
Posts: 11,734
Likes: 0
Received 11 Likes
on
11 Posts
as menitoned above previous owner probably either did not know how to drive stick well or beat it up hard...
it is good you bought the warranty because you get to get a brand new clutch and break it in to your driving style
it is good you bought the warranty because you get to get a brand new clutch and break it in to your driving style
Trending Topics
#8
55k is not bad for clutch wearout-
these cars can be driven by all experience levels, and downshifting without intent to be in the correct gear to exit the corner on the throttle--- is a waste of good clutch material!!!
Brakes are to slow the car- the clutch/transmission is not designed for that
Have a good read of the owner manual and be extremely careful in learning the hand position for each gear- shifts that accidently catch 2nd gear at speed will cause an overrev thats about $2500++ to fix and is not covered under any warranty- customer fault
these cars can be driven by all experience levels, and downshifting without intent to be in the correct gear to exit the corner on the throttle--- is a waste of good clutch material!!!
Brakes are to slow the car- the clutch/transmission is not designed for that
Have a good read of the owner manual and be extremely careful in learning the hand position for each gear- shifts that accidently catch 2nd gear at speed will cause an overrev thats about $2500++ to fix and is not covered under any warranty- customer fault
#9
Registered Member
Originally Posted by 01tl4tl
55k is not bad for clutch wearout-
these cars can be driven by all experience levels, and downshifting without intent to be in the correct gear to exit the corner on the throttle--- is a waste of good clutch material!!!
Brakes are to slow the car- the clutch/transmission is not designed for that
Have a good read of the owner manual and be extremely careful in learning the hand position for each gear- shifts that accidently catch 2nd gear at speed will cause an overrev thats about $2500++ to fix and is not covered under any warranty- customer fault
these cars can be driven by all experience levels, and downshifting without intent to be in the correct gear to exit the corner on the throttle--- is a waste of good clutch material!!!
Brakes are to slow the car- the clutch/transmission is not designed for that
Have a good read of the owner manual and be extremely careful in learning the hand position for each gear- shifts that accidently catch 2nd gear at speed will cause an overrev thats about $2500++ to fix and is not covered under any warranty- customer fault
#10
Unofficial Goat
iTrader: (1)
Originally Posted by SouthernBoy
If by "55k is not bad for clutch wearout" you mean that getting 55,000 miles from a clutch before replace is acceptable, no way. Unless there is some extraordinary driving/usage/mechanical flaw going on here, you should expect at least 4 times that mileage before having to do a replacement.
#11
Your Friendly Canadian
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Age: 31
Posts: 17,431
Received 1,485 Likes
on
1,049 Posts
It sounds like the clutch was pretty beat up an abused. If so, you might want to check the entire drivetrain for an other related problems that could have happened during the abuse of the clutch.
congrats on the purchase, though!
congrats on the purchase, though!
#13
TL Owner
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Grand Forks AFB, ND
Age: 42
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
When the service department takes a look at the car, I will be sure to have them check everything that could possibly be related to clutch abuse. Hopefully they can squeeze me in on monday.
#14
Mike's Silver Bullet
There have been multiple instances of experienced MT drivers experiencing failed clutches on the TL. Mine was one, at 18k miles. Others have been as early as 5k miles.
#17
TL Owner
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Grand Forks AFB, ND
Age: 42
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
*update*
*UPDATE* So the tech at the Honda dealership thinks that it is a broken flywheel, but to find out they will have to drop the tranny to take a look. The estimate $2000, but luckily it is covered. My dealer wants his service manager to talk to the Honda guys before they rip it apart, so I have to wait until tommorow. I'll update this thread as I find out what they're gonna do.
#18
AZ Community Team
55K miles is way too early for a normally operated clutch. The only Honda/Acura I know of tjhat had severe premature clutch wear was 5MT 1G Legends from 1986-1988. Apparently the clutch was redesigned, but I know someone with a Legend from those years who only got 100K out of the clutch and Acura replaced it for full cost even out of warrenty.
All the Acura/Honda clutchs I've replaced lasted at least 150K miles, most making 200K miles.
All the Acura/Honda clutchs I've replaced lasted at least 150K miles, most making 200K miles.
Originally Posted by import racer
So I've been checking out these forums for a while and decided my next car would be a TL six speed. I find one 5 hours away and make the trip friday night. Saturday I trade in my truck and get the car. It was raining when I test drove the car so I didn't drive it hard and thought nothing of the clutch feeling a little light. To make a long story short, 2 hours into the trip back home the clutch started smelling really bad and it felt very light and would not engage 1st or 2nd without a lot of help. 2.5 hrs later the clutch completely fails and nothing will go into gear and the clutch pedal is stuck to the floor. 1.5 hrs later and the car is towed to the nearest honda dealer. I called the dealer that sold me the car and he told me it should be covered under my platinum warranty. My question to you guys is 1) has this happened to any of you and 2) are the cluches in these cars weak or was mine just beat to hell. I'll find out the damage on monday until then I'd like to hear what you guys think.
#19
TL Owner
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Grand Forks AFB, ND
Age: 42
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
*update*
*UPDATE* So the guys at the Acura dealership are sending there service people up on thursday to flat bed my car 300 miles back to Minneapolis, fix it, and then flat bed her back early next week. They'll also pay for a rental car so I can't be too bad. Thanks for the replies guys, I just can't wait to drive my car again.
#21
TL Owner
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Grand Forks AFB, ND
Age: 42
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Good News!!
I got the car back today and it drives great. I ended up getting a brand new clutch out of the deal. I took it on the highway and this car is def faster than I first thought. Overall a very good experience with Buerkle Acura, they hooked me up. Next up is wash/wash and pics. Glad to finally become a REAL member of the TL community.
#22
Suzuka Master
iTrader: (2)
Originally Posted by 01tl4tl
55k is not bad for clutch wearout-
these cars can be driven by all experience levels, and downshifting without intent to be in the correct gear to exit the corner on the throttle--- is a waste of good clutch material!!!
Brakes are to slow the car- the clutch/transmission is not designed for that
Have a good read of the owner manual and be extremely careful in learning the hand position for each gear- shifts that accidently catch 2nd gear at speed will cause an overrev thats about $2500++ to fix and is not covered under any warranty- customer fault
these cars can be driven by all experience levels, and downshifting without intent to be in the correct gear to exit the corner on the throttle--- is a waste of good clutch material!!!
Brakes are to slow the car- the clutch/transmission is not designed for that
Have a good read of the owner manual and be extremely careful in learning the hand position for each gear- shifts that accidently catch 2nd gear at speed will cause an overrev thats about $2500++ to fix and is not covered under any warranty- customer fault
#23
Originally Posted by 01tl4tl
55k is not bad for clutch wearout-
I got over 200,000 miles out of the original clutch on a Saturn - still shifted great when I traded it. Also traded in a CRX with over 150,000 on the original clutch. Heck - even my 1975 Celica still had usable clutch at 125,000 miles when 5th gear exploded due to previous owner abuse. My wife's Scirocco had 185,000 on the orginal clutch when she sold it. Etc.
55,000 miles on a $30,000+ car? Clutch shoud be just broken in, IMO. Seems that it was driven very hard and the clutch will only be the beginning of a long, beautiful, and expensive relationship with your mechanic.
#24
TL Owner
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Grand Forks AFB, ND
Age: 42
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks for the feedback guys, However like I said the car drives great now and maybe the original clutch was beat on but now I have a new clutch and the dealership checked the transmission as well so I do not foresee anymore problems in the future. I've been driving performance cars for the past 6 yrs so I think I may have a feel for them. The clutch should have lasted alot longer, but I wouldn't expect it to last as long as a clutch in a econo-car.
#25
Racer
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Feasterville,PA
Age: 45
Posts: 418
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Hokie TL-S
Uh - OK
I got over 200,000 miles out of the original clutch on a Saturn - still shifted great when I traded it. Also traded in a CRX with over 150,000 on the original clutch. Heck - even my 1975 Celica still had usable clutch at 125,000 miles when 5th gear exploded due to previous owner abuse. My wife's Scirocco had 185,000 on the orginal clutch when she sold it. Etc.
55,000 miles on a $30,000+ car? Clutch shoud be just broken in, IMO. Seems that it was driven very hard and the clutch will only be the beginning of a long, beautiful, and expensive relationship with your mechanic.
I got over 200,000 miles out of the original clutch on a Saturn - still shifted great when I traded it. Also traded in a CRX with over 150,000 on the original clutch. Heck - even my 1975 Celica still had usable clutch at 125,000 miles when 5th gear exploded due to previous owner abuse. My wife's Scirocco had 185,000 on the orginal clutch when she sold it. Etc.
55,000 miles on a $30,000+ car? Clutch shoud be just broken in, IMO. Seems that it was driven very hard and the clutch will only be the beginning of a long, beautiful, and expensive relationship with your mechanic.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
jamestheunderdog
3G TL Problems & Fixes
11
07-19-2016 07:58 PM
mugen_kid
Member Cars for Sale
7
11-13-2015 10:38 PM
HydrasunGQ
Member Cars for Sale
0
09-14-2015 10:14 PM