89 accord clutch problem

I have an 89 Accord and the clutch pedal has gone kinda stiff and the pedal
won't come up on its own. When I drive it I only depress the pedal half way
and it will come up on its own. The darn thing has now started slipping.
Could this be caused by the pressure plate springs being too stiff cause I
don't think the clutch plate is worn? I've only put around 15,000 to 20,000
miles on it since the last clutch replacement 3 years ago. How hard is it to
get the transaxle out if I do it myself as I am semi mechanically inclined?

Thanks for an help you can provide

 

Had a similar problem on an 84 Civic.
it turns out the bracket holding the pedal had broken.
Apparently it's quite uncommon, since the independant Honda mechanic I
took it to had never seen it occur.
Might be something to check.

 

It's actually is fairly common, especially on that generation of Civics (the
spot welds come apart). The original poster may also want to check the
other end of the clutch cable as sometimes the housing can separate or the
cable saws through the housing which can cause the cable to bind up.

Eric