Finally had time to post on AZ. I been MIA since I been doing tons of Maintenance on my car getting ready for a cross country move. Anyways I thought I share some stuff with everyone.

This only applies to OEM/OE clutch replacement. Does not apply to CM, XLR8, and J&R. Since they are not self-adjusting clutches.

Buy your OE replacement at Partgeeks.com
Here was how it came in the mail. 2 bearing and spine 150 shipped since I bought insurance







Now here is where the problem is

The springs are not fully compressed. This means that you will wear down your clutch faster over time since its not fully retraced. Also the range of the self-adjusting clutch is also reduced

Here is where it is marked.



After I had someone do the preset for me.

The press on all the fingers evenly.


This is the result. The spring is fully compressed and the bar is all the way to the right where it should be.


now what does this matter? It matter because most people or shop do not have the LUK pressure plate setting tool. The tool is about 1000 bucks.

Another happy 100K for this clutch.

This only applies to OE replacement. It does not apply to the CM kits since the OEM/OE are self-adjusting clutches.

As a side note. I would order replacement flywheel bolts and pressure plate bolts. its about 30 bucks worth, but that a small price to pay for piece of mind.

Here the tool that honda uses.



Here is video on youtube

So make sure whoever is doing your clutch knows how to do this. Or else your going to end up spending additional money in the long run cuz your clutch died early.

Autozone also has it
OEM/Self adjusting clutch tool kit (27209) | Alignment Clutch Tool | AutoZone.com

As for how no one talks about it here. I am pretty sure its not very common on honda since all the intergra, civic, and rsx use a different clutch and flywheel set up. But a lot of Euro cars do use this set up

BMW Self Adjusting Clutch – SAC – DIY – How To Replace | Bavarian Autosport Blog

No More Guesswork! A Special tool from LuK for the correct installation of Self Adjusting Clutches. | Self Adjusting Clutch (SAC) - Special Tool

more picture and info off acurazine
OEM clutch replacement tool - AcuraZine Community

 

damn, all this just for a clutch??? man, im beginning not to like these cars that much lol

 

well this is interesting. There was a post from somebody on here that spoke to Luk and these are supposed to come pre-loaded. is that the kind of thing that can come undone during shipping?

 

with enough force if it bounces around, yes. You have to be careful even handling the clutch with your hands so as not to spring the pre-load before the clutch is set in place. In transit if it isn't packaged well it can get F'ed.

 

yeah mine was out. Supposedly they do come preset. But you know how UPS/Fedex/USPS and etc treat your package.

So keep that mine when you have your clutch done.

 

Check this out as well. I am still not sure whats going on exactly.

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng86.shtml

 

it only applies to the OEM clutch since it has a self adjusting mechanism

 

Ok, well this is great to know. I'd likely still order from carolinaclutch, but since I'm fortunate to be down the road from them I'll have a chat with them about recommended shops in the area that would install it properly. We do have a Honda/Acura specialist that is likely informed and equipped todo the job, but at least I know about asking right questions. Thanks guys.

 

^ your welcome.
From what I learned. If it is not set properly the clutch will still work, but it will not last as long since the material is getting eaten up faster. the diaphargm adjust itself as the clutch wear down so that you always have a consist pedal feel.

 

I just ordered mines from partsgeek this past Saturday, I need me some some heated leather seats !!!!! Lol

 

I installed mine,without any adjusting. Clutch feels good. Know what?

 

feels good, but it won't last as long. Feeling with a self adjusting clutch is a non-issue. It will be consistent

 

mine just came in a few hours ago, from partsgeek, good stuff, they put bubble wrap inside so everything was tiddy, now i just have to find someone to do it that knows how to do it

 

Just set mine using a hydraulic press today. Definitely had to be super careful to not overstress the parts, as they can easily be crushed with too much pressure. I got lucky and found an old top hat laying around and used that as a die.

Here's how I did it:

1) Carefully mount the pressure plate on the surface that bolts to the flywheel (I don't recommend using the pressure plate-clutch mounting surface).

2) Inspect the springs to make sure they are properly seated and won't bind when you adjust.

3) Hold the screwdriver against the inner tab, and SLOWLY pull down on the press lever until the spring load becomes free to move. I would say it had to go down about 1/2" to release tension. (I used small sockets and other screwdrivers to catch any other tabs and prevent from extending the springs in case my screwdriver against the tab slipped; just for insurance)

4) Push on the inner tab to pre-load the springs/inner assembly.

5) Slowly release the press while holding the tab in place with the springs compressed using the screwdriver.

6) Double check that the springs are not binded or caught on anything

For pics or additional info, follow this write up Mr. Heeltoe provided:

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/eng86.shtml

Patience is the key, GL

OP, I hope you don't mind me posting this on here.

 

and you can change the clutch without dropping the engine right??

 

No problem. This is exactly why I posted here since most people don't know that it needs to be preset when they get it. Sure it is preset before shipping but UPS, Fedex, and etc like to bang up the package.

My friend had his friend do the preset for me since he usually does it for the Audi guys. It just so happens that we use similar pressure plate design.

 

Im havig problems finding a shop that knows how to do this, most of them have never heard of this

 

DIY, all the info you need is here, it really isn't that hard... don't go through the massive headache I went through

I even asked a few Honda tech's, and all they told me was that it looks normal, or that it will re-adjust the pre-load on its own after install....

I said F*** it, i'll fix it myself, just like every other unique problem i've been in lol

 

this really scares me cz i got my clutch replaced with a luk and its allreaedy chattering with only 3k on it

 

about 7k into the clutch and it is still going strong. zero chatter and NOM NOM NOM on demand.

 

every mechanic i asked about doing this was like "oh, they come ready to install, no problem," i was like "okay, lol"

they have no idea

 

they do come preset from factory, but during shipping it gets banged up. As you can see from my photo the spring did move. So I had my friend's friend do the preset for me with a press. This is pretty much the only draw back of going with an OEM clutch vs aftermarket in terms of installation.

 

if you get aftermarket, i don't need to do this preset?

 

^ you are correct.

 

When i did my swap i just bolted it up. 200k later and im still on the same clutch

 

Thank you OP for this thread, it gives me a visual on what some drivetrain parts guys told me. They said it comes preset referring to both LUK and SACHs kit. I have a OEM service manual and it mentions using a pressure plate compressing tool, but I do not believe it mentions resetting these springs. That would mean you could install it using this special tool, but not get full life out of clutch.

So if this pressure plate is preset properly, then does this mean the pressure plate compressing tool is not needed to install and torque down pressure plate? I would think so.

I don't understand why this information is not readily available since this is not a new design. Not much documentation out there and these self-adjusting clutch tool kits are expensive and not easy to find. I've been debating whether to keep OEM DMF setup or convert to SMF...but DMF is significantly cheaper and I only anticipate doing this clutch repair once in this vehicle's life. I have 162K miles and one repair should last me to 300K, by then I'll move onto another car.

 

Once you get it set you can install it without the tool.

 

Very helpful thread....thank you!

 

So would it just be worth it to get a non-self adjusting clutch?

I will be changing mine in the near future. This is definitely good information. Thanks for taking the time to document this.

 

Choice is yours. I can tell you the flywheel & clutch kit parts are cheaper for are original setup (DMF).

 

Yea, I have budgeted for a 1400.00 clutch though. Figured it the dealer did it, it was gonna be a 2000.00 job.

Might as well do it myself and spend that money on a good setup the first time.

Plus I will be tearing my motor down for head / manifold work at the same time. So I want a proper clutch the first time.

 

Everyone's requirements are different, it appears you are modifying your car. If so and you have plenty of life left in your vehicle, I'd go traditional SMF (single mass flywheel) setup with sprung friction disc too. It can handle more torque without issues and easier to replace when worn out.

I have 162K miles currently and want vehicle to last me 300K, drive mostly HWY miles, vehicle is stock and I don't plan for mods outside of RV6 HFPC & J-pipe. So my requirements are different, not that I did not consider SMF setup...just does not make sense for me.

Good luck.

 

if your planning to make big power or hate the feeling of the OEM clutch get a SMFW, I decided to do OEM since am just going for N/A power on my accord and so it won't be pushing more then ~300-325 whp and 220-250 wtq (if that is even possible for a 3.0)

 

i recently replaced my clutch and flywheel and rear main seal!
i saw that the pressure plate comes preloaded to the exact same position as the OP, thisazboi88.
my thought is this: LUK have to know, that most mechanics are going to slap this puppy on and not have a second thought.
it is clear that the OP was able to gain a couple millimeters on the self adjusting spring mechanism. BUT....
after the first few clutch pedalings, did his adjusting springs adjust back out to a new (perhaps even further out) position?

There is only one way to verify the actual necessity of this preparation.
-after an hour of driving around on the new clutch.
-pull the starter and peek in to see where the springs rested to.

there is no doubt that this extra step is required,
if all you are replacing is the clutch disc.
but since i replaced the pressure plate, i did it without the tool.

after 300 miles, starting to feel very good,
i'll report back either way to this thread in a year or 2

 

good to know my thread is still helping. I took it to a machine shop and they pressed it.

Luk clutch do come pre-pressed, but during shipping they get jacked up. I have seen some clutches where the pressure plate marking is extended all the way to the max

 

any updates on this one? Say you are ready to do a clutch job and the shop you go to does not know how to set the SAC spring, whats the best way to go?

 

There nothing to update. Car been running on the clutch for about 50-60k now

 

Have been searching every where for this info. Thanks to the OP. This just helped me out a lot.

 

I just checked the new LUK clutch I bought a month or so ago and sure enough, the spring is all of the way extended.