From: gedwards@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM (Gordon Edwards)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Clutch Problem on '91 CRX...
Date: 3 Jan 93 23:04:06 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: NCR Engineering and Manufacturing Atlanta -- Atlanta, GA

In a few days I'm going to take my '91 Honda CRX to the dealer (for the
third time) to let them test drive and hopefully experience the clutch
problems I'm having... I'm posting here first to hopefully get some
ideas of what could be the problem before taking the car back again...

o Since I bought the car the clutch has always seemed to engage rather
  roughly (more so than my '83 Prelude which I traded in for the CRX), to
  me it seemed kinda 'grabby'.  The feel of the clutch doesn't seem to be
  consistent.  I just assumed this was the way the clutch for this car
  behaved, until I drove another CRX identical to mine purchased two weeks
  after I got mine, and it didn't have this problem.

  Also, when I let the clutch out slowly the car will start to shake/shudder
  until the clutch has fully engaged, really annoying...

Over the past few months the clutch started doing other things...

o Part of the time the clutch seems to start engaging almost immediately
  after I start releasing the pedal.  Other times the clutch engages after
  the pedal has traveled a reasonable distance...

o Other times the clutch pedal, or something it's connected to, seems to 
  'stick' when I have the clutch pedal fully pressed and start to release
  the clutch.  The spring on the clutch that helps release the clutch always
  overcomes the 'stick' but it causes a hesitation when the clutch is 
  engaging. 

o And other times it seems the clutch starts to engage later than it "normally"
  does and doesn't seem to engage all the way until the clutch pedal is 
  release all the way.

I've really only noticed the above when starting from a stop in 1st gear,
but it may do it in the other gears, I just don't notice it since I'm already
moving.

The first time I took the car to the dealer about this problem they adjusted
the clutch (it was noticably out of adjustment, from the looks of the free
play in the cable the guy showed me under the hood).  

The second time I took the car in mechanic test drove the car and couldn't
reproduce the problem, and only adjusted the clutch again (I don't know if
it was really out of adjustment, he might have done this just to see if 
I didn't like the way it was adjusted).

'They' don't seem to wanna tear parts of the car apart to see if thats the
problem, they're just going by my description of the problem, and if they
don't feel it when they drive the car then I guess it's not really there.

The car has about 23,000 miles, many of them highway miles.

Any ideas as to what the problem with the clutch might be?  I'd like to be
able to supply possible causes if they say they don't experience the problem
when they drive the car.  Could any of these problems have caused any 
damage to the clutch that might give me problems later when the car is out
of warranty?

Thanks for any comments and suggestions...
    Gordon

=============================================================================
Gordon Edwards, N4VPH              |         "Nothing Unreal Exists"
NCR Engineering & Manufacturing    |
gedwards@ncratl.atlantaga.ncr.com  |  Kiri-Kin-Tha's First Law of Metaphysics
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech