clutch won't engage or disengage extremely loose

[louis.]

I just recently purchased this civic for a grand not really knowing too much about it...anyways the clutch was originally pretty loose (which the guy who sold it to me said thats how it normally feels on 5th generation civics) and maybe after a week of driving, the car kept grinding going into reverse. After i started noticing that, when i started the car, i wouldnt be able to shift into any gears because the clutch wouldnt engage or disengage it just fell straight to the floor. Now the car is sitting in front of my girlfriends house and i havent been able to do anything to it.

I did a search and thought my clutch was blown, but from doing some searches a lot of people say it could be because there are bubbles in the clutch fluid, or just no fluid at all, in which that case how would i be able to tell which the clutch reservoir is?

I've seen other posts about this and have searched but im guessing a lot of people on this forum have some pretty basic knowledge about where things are in terms of under the hood. I've never worked on a car and this is all pretty new to me, if someone could guide me in the right direction with some good step by step pictures or where i could find a book that would be much appreciated. Or even better if someone in the sunnyvale/san jose area would be able to come out and actually lend me some of their time i would greatly return the favor with a good amount of beer, your choice of course.

 

[eskateboarding7]

You could have a bad clutch master cylinder, I would think that is the more probable than air in the fluid.

 

[2NRSTV]

Go to an AutoZone or something and pick up the Haynes or Chilton's Manual for your car. It will show you where it is and it should show you how to bleed the system.
But yeah, sounds more like a bad master cylinder than just simply air in the lines.

 

[L.D.Forget]

the clutch reservoir is the one that has the hydrolic line going to the transmission and not the brakes.... First of all...try bleeding it, its the same idea as bleeding breaks,except the bleeder screw is on the transmission and the petal will never get firm, but you will be able to feel the clutch engaging. About it grinding when going into reverse, ive found with several 5th gens that if you put it in first, then reverse, it will NEVER grind, but if you dont do that, it will grind about 50% of the time.

 

[2NRSTV]

Yeah, all 5th Gens will grind going into reverse if it's not timed right. The reason is that the gears and synchros need to be in a neutral position when the reverse idler gear is engaged. Putting it into 1st (remember to put it in first, put it to neutral, and wait a second before trying to hit reverse) or even just letting the car move an inch (if you're parked on a slope) can assist in resetting your gears to allow smoother engagement.

 

[louis.]

I just got a chance to look at the car this morning and i looked at the clutch fluid reservoir and there was nothing in there. Just put some dot 3 brake fluid in and pumped the clutch a couple times and nothing happened, clutch was still falling to the floor. Now on to replacing the clutch master cylinder...

seems like a fairly easy job as i saw on another post member RonJ posted a picture of how to install/remove, but does anyone have a picture of how to replace the slave cylinder because i keep reading that if im going to replace the master that i should also replace the slave, thoughts?

 

[Jersey8]

the reason why its still falling to the floor is becuase you need to bleed it first

 

[louis.]

Alright got it but i have no idea how to access the slave cylinder, is it anywhere near the master cylinder or is it under the car?

 

[HatchmanEJ6]

if you stand in front of your car its on the front of the transmission. yours may or may not be covered with a rubber boot

 

[Jersey8]

its bolted to the front of the trans and goes into the bell housing. it has a rubber boot around it.
an easy way to find it would be to trace the hydraulic line from the master

refer to this for proper bleeding:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/articles-drivetrain/213503-how-properly-bleed-your-hydraulic-clutch.html

 

[Nameyga]

B series or D series should be located right around here. Right next to the header.

Bleeding is very important. First fill the reseviour up, have some one in the car step and hold on the clutch, then open this bleed valve. Let the fluid come out until no more air. I do this about 3 or 4 times everytime.

Also recommend getting a genuine honda slave. The aftermarket ones suck and not worth it.

 

[L.D.Forget]

and something to keep in mind is that its still going to fall to the floor, but your going to feel the clutch engaging.

 

[louis.]

I just got a chance to look at the car this morning and i looked at the clutch fluid reservoir and there was nothing in there. Just put some dot 3 brake fluid in and pumped the clutch a couple times and nothing happened, clutch was still falling to the floor. Now on to replacing the clutch master cylinder...

seems like a fairly easy job as i saw on another post member RonJ posted a picture of how to install/remove, but does anyone have a picture of how to replace the slave cylinder because i keep reading that if im going to replace the master that i should also replace the slave, thoughts?

 

[Jersey8]

theres 2 bolts that hold the slave on the trans. this job is alot simpler then you think...

 

[louis.]

finally! it worked, bleeding the slave gave the clutch a lot of pressure so now i can finally get into gears! Thanks to all those that helped with the pictures and detailed descriptions.

I used a one man bleeder kit but not the entire thing, i just used the hose and put it over the part where the rubber was. Followed by a half jar full of dot 3 and pumped the clutch 2 times just to be on the safe side and immediately i saw a huge air bubble come out. One thing that i might advise to people who are trying this, is to get a wrench that will actually fit because i nearly stripped the bleeder valve by using an adjustable one.

yes jersey8 you were right this job was a lot easier than i thought it was going to be, even though i have absolutely no knowledge of cars whatsoever. thank you again for the help.

 

[CDubs]

Yeah, all 5th Gens will grind going into reverse if it's not timed right. The reason is that the gears and synchros need to be in a neutral position when the reverse idler gear is engaged. Putting it into 1st (remember to put it in first, put it to neutral, and wait a second before trying to hit reverse) or even just letting the car move an inch (if you're parked on a slope) can assist in resetting your gears to allow smoother engagement.

ive never had that problem, when i park my car at work i leave it in neutral and obviously the ebrake up, and when i go to back out it never grinds, i just throw it straight into reverse

 

[L.D.Forget]

ive never had that problem, when i park my car at work i leave it in neutral and obviously the ebrake up, and when i go to back out it never grinds, i just throw it straight into reverse

Maybe that has smth to do with it, i always leave it in gear. Better safe than sorry.

 

[CDubs]

i leave it in gear sometimes if im on a slope but most of the time (work and home) im on flat ground so i dont feel necessary to leave it in gear but i should anyway just in case

 

[L.D.Forget]

i leave it in gear sometimes if im on a slope but most of the time (work and home) im on flat ground so i dont feel necessary to leave it in gear but i should anyway just in case

I live in a city that was created by a meteor (Sudbury), so everywhere is a hill, lol.

 

[CDubs]

i live in a hilly area, but somehow i get to park in all the flat areas...lucky me =] haha