1995 Honda Accord LX 5spd clutch

Ok, I have a 1995 Honda Accord LX with 115K miles with a 5 speed clutch
living in NC.
Last year, I drove it into the shop because I could not get it in gear,
especially 1st, but reverse seemed to be all right.
The mechanic took the clutch all apart and could not find anything
wrong with it, and it worked. Unfortunately for me, the next day, he
told me that the clutch cylinder was leaking, and replaced both the
master and slave clutch cylinder for $800. About a month afterwards, I
was experiencing the same [but not as severe] problem, but it went
away. I think he said the work was guareenteed for a year, but he put
nothing in writting.
Now, about 14 months later, I am having the same problem, the car will
not let me push the clutch in gear, even reverse.
Should I have him look at it. Obviously, he will find something else
wrong with the clutch as well. This is my big question!!
The dillemma I have is that I have been sinking $1+K/year into this car
for the last five years. Some of it was to replace the timing belt at
70K as a preventative. Unfortunately, I let the dealer talk me into
replacing the fuel pump, also as a preventative measure. Does it need
that?
I had the exhaust worked on 3 times by 3 different mechanics, most of
them were crooks.
Last month, the breaks needed to be changed.
Three months ago, the CV joint and parts needed to be changed for $1K.
At what point do I just scrap the car? I guess I should have scrapped
it about a year ago.
BTW, the AC has a leak, which cost me another $20 to have the AC
recharged, not including the fact that I brought in my own coolant.
I remember looking at www.ebay.com for parts. I think I can get more
for the parts than at a junk yard, where I got $100 for a Plymoth Colt
'91 with a problem in the exhaust and a deterirating clutch?

 

Deodiaus wrote:
<snip sob>

dude, find a decent honest independent mechanic. they exist. at this
vehicle age, some expense is to be expected. once it's done, if the
repair is honest and competent, it should last another 10 years. $1000
per year is still cheaper than depreciation on a new vehicle.

and don't post this stuff to all those other irrelevant groups, like
alt.home.repair. pointless.

 

5 speed transaxle.

Sounds high for a master and slave replacement, but a leak at either
*would* cause difficult engagement into gear.

You push the shift lever to select gear(s). You push the clutch to
facilitate gear engagement. Which part wasn't moving properly, the
clutch pedal or the shift lever?

Any possibility they suggested you replace the *water* pump? Yes, a
water pump is a good idea to replace along with the timing belt on that
vehicle.

Unnecessary and biased info with no supporting argument.

Likely the brakes. No surprise at ~115K miles.

Too vague to comment on cost or likelyhood the parts should have
failed.

A 1995 manual trans Accord with only 115k *could* be in great shape if
it was properly maintained. They are not money pits by design, rather
very reliable cars.

Sounds scary. "my own coolant"? "$20"? How is this related?

What?

Toyota MDT in MO

 

I don't find $1k a year outrageous for car maintenance. My logic is;
what could I buy for $1k a year that I would like as well. I drive old
cars, my newest one is an '87 pickup. I seldom spend more that $1k per
year on any of them, but I can do my own repairs. Sounds to me like you
want a new car and are looking for support to justify the idea. As to
the E-bay idea, A car is always worth more for parts even when they are
brand new. When I worked at a dealership they took a new pickup apart
and sold it over the parts counter @ 4-5 times the retail of the truck.
But, it is a tremendous amount of work and if you are not mechanically
inclined enough to replace a clutch cylinder, how are you going to do
at taking one completely apart? I have problems getting things apart
sometimes, and I have a lift, torches, air tools and a lot of specialty
wrenches / tools.

 

I'll give you $101 for the Accord if you deliver it.

 

I'll raise him to $104 and a jug of hooch.


And if I had a dollar for every time I've heard "the mechanic is a
crook/trying to rip me off" I could buy a whole fleet of these aging
civics.

-phaeton

 

The hand knob is hard to manipulate, and does not want to engage.
The thing is I had this exact same problem last year, so would have
expected the mechanic to have fixed it. Should I take it to a dealer
who might be more familiar with the clutch on this particular vehicle?
This year, it has cost me a lot more to repair this vehicle. I think
I am pushing $2K already this year before the clutch job. The car is
valued at $3K tops, especially because it is scratch up and the AC is
leaking as well.

 

If it happens primarily going into 1rst gear and to a lesser extent 2nd
gear, I would suspect the 1-2 synchronizer hub and rings are worn.
This would require a fairly expensive overhaul to repair. On an Accord
with 115K miles, I would guess lack of trans oil changes would be the
cause of that. Second guess would be too many aggressive shifts with
improper clutch timing. These are not known for wearing out that early
in life.

Misalignment of main and counter shafts is a remote possibility, but
you would probably have some horrible bearing noises to accompany the
hard shifting.

Otherwise something wrong with the clutch pedal adjustment (RARELY
needs to be tampered with on your vehicle) or a broken component
somewhere in the clutch/hydraulic linkage could cause insufficient
clutch release and resulting difficulty in shifting.

They will be able to diagnose it properly as would any competent
mechanic. I trust you shop on price alone based on your previous
comments, so good luck to you.

Toyota MDT in MO

 

Ok, the mechanic had me pump the clutch while he adjusted some controls
on the front. He thinks there is still a leak, but it seemed to fix
the problem for now. I should have asked him to demonstate, so that I
could fix it myself. I didn't want to lean against the car because I
was too well dressed today for automotive lessons. I'll see how this
hold out. Does anyone know of any web pages or manual which describe
how to do this?
BTW, in 1979, I removed the transmission on a 1970 Dodge Dart. Too bad
I could put another one back in place. I am competent enough to be
dangerous.
He is a neighboor auto mechanic, and I trust him somewhat.
I try not to base these purchases based on price alone. I took my
Accord to the Honda dealer, but felt that I was talked into the fuel
pump. The real reason I have my apprehension is that I never heard of
replacing that fuel pump, until the last posting regarding the water
pump. BTW, if the water pump has failed, wouldn't that show up as the
engine registering too hot. It seems that they should have an alarm
for it.
Another time years ago and far away, the problem with the exhaust was
that I can't believe 3 mechanics needed to work on it before fixing it.
The last one, I asked the parts when he was done, but he claimed that
I told him to throw them out. That was BS. Unfortunately, I don't
know if I could have gotten away from not paying. He knew where I
lived, and believed he would do something like throwing a dead skunk
through my living room window when I was away on vacation. His ex-wife
once made a joke that he just cheats his customers, so was wondering if
that wasn't a hint.

 

He probably added brake fluid to your clutch resevoir and bled some air
out of the system. It sounds like you have a slow leak.

Anyone who knows what they are doing will recommend a new water pump
when changing the timing belt on a 2.2l Accord. (assuming 4 cylinder
based on manual trans) IF your original pump fails, it will destroy
the new timing belt (it is driven by the timing belt). The labor of
timing belt replacement and water pump replacement are combined so that
it is cheaper to do them at once rather than at separate times. You
don't have to take their recommendation, but they are giving you the
opportunity to spend money wisely now based on their many experiences
of original water pump failures occuring around 100K miles.

Toyota MDT in MO

 

Excellent advice,and I am glad that you set the record straight. But
why is this not mentioned in the manual then?

 

If you take it to a Honda dealership and get it fixed by people who
understand Honda manual transmissions, the problem will go away.

Honda cars are among the most reliable autos on the planet, provided
that you do not abuse them, and you take proper care of them.

I have a 93 Acura Integra with 245,000 miles on it. most recent tank of
gas was 30.5 MPG. We've replaced the brakes once, time to do it again.
We've done the 90,000 mile scheduled maintenance twice and its nearing
time for the 3rd one of these. it uses less than a pint of oil between
oil changes.

I agree with the other poster that suggested that you are unhappy with
this car for other reasons (doesn't fit your image of who you are, too
old, too ragged in appearance) and want a newer vehicle. Fix this one
properly and it will give many many more years of fine service to some
lucky owner.

 

Actually, I would hope not. Years ago, Subaru had a commercial that
said that "A car is metal, glass, and plastic, and if your car
impresses your friends, you live amongst snobs."
A quote I use all of the time.
Unfortunately, the car is valued at $3000 tops, and scraped up with the
AC gone (Im living in the South). I just don't want to be sinking
money into something which is costing me more to maintain. I know it
is a good car, but I swear I must have sunk $4K into it over the last 3
years.
Secondly, it is hard to guage a mechanic. I trusted my old home town
mechanic until his ex-wife called him a crook at a BBQ.
Robert Gammon wrote:

 

I know the feeling. I finally went from an '89 Prelude Si 5spd to an '05
Accord 5sp manual. Loved the Prelude but cost of maintenance was getting
annoying, especially when unusual things go wrong.

After a year of driving the Accord, it's nice to not really worry about
unusual maintenance and know the car is reliable. Just oil changes, rotate
tires, etc. Have car payments now but the peace of mind is great. Also the
a/c was out on the Prelude and other little minor things I knew had to be
addressed sooner rather than later. I'm in Maryland and it's great to have
working a/c again! (Also to defrost the windows).

I've discovered it's best to find a good mechanic/shop or dealership and
stick to them. They're more willing to help out if something strange comes
up.

-Dave