A clutch kit is super cheap , 200$ max-the labor will kill you though as they may have to pull the engine to do it
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Car woes
- Thread starter Zombbg4
- Start date
The pedal feels normal, as in the same as it always has. After the new master it had better back pressure. It wouldn't surprise me if the original clutch was still in this car, hasn't been kept up very well the last ~5 years it seems. Having to take the guys word that the timing belt/water pump were replaced 10k ago.
Btw, I've been watching Flight of the Conchords lately. Wooo New Zealand.
A broken timing belt on those is pretty bad as the pistons will hit the the valves if it breaks. Great if it's been replaced.
At the least, I'd try bleeding the new hydraulic parts again as a minimum effort thing. If that doesn't do the trick, then you can start looking down the line like the throwout arm and bearing.
Yeah, thanks for the tips. I'll need to get a friend over and stealth bleed this thing since we are not supposed to work on our cars in the apartments parking lot. Doing further research though, I'm more certain the clutch is probably toast. Apparently something can break off, bit of clutch disk or a spring, and lodge itself somewhere preventing the clutch from disengaging. The women i spoke to at a nearby auto shop also mentioned this, and To think i almost asked to speak to someone who could help me when she answered...Ehemm, she shut me up quick.
Anyway the original question has been resolved, rather spend the 700 bucks for a new clutch and fix her up as needed than be tied down by payments. I'd have to fix it anyway if I wanted close to what I had payed for it. I'll post back once I have it checked out, I know it's always helpful to post fixes for the next person searching for it.
Anyway the original question has been resolved, rather spend the 700 bucks for a new clutch and fix her up as needed than be tied down by payments. I'd have to fix it anyway if I wanted close to what I had payed for it. I'll post back once I have it checked out, I know it's always helpful to post fixes for the next person searching for it.
So you have a 15 year old car with 150k on it, and the car needs repairs. Step back and look at the overall condition..... body, brakes, tires, maitenence (timing belt, fluid changes, plugs, hoses) etc and decide how much you'll need to spend to get the car up to snuff. Once you have that figure you can decide what would be better, fixing it or replacing it.
I'm from the "drive it until it drops" club, but I'm also a professional mechanic and I can fix my own junk for a fraction of what regular customers pay. Unless you're handy with a wrench you may be miles ahead by replacing the car once you see what repairs really cost.
I'm from the "drive it until it drops" club, but I'm also a professional mechanic and I can fix my own junk for a fraction of what regular customers pay. Unless you're handy with a wrench you may be miles ahead by replacing the car once you see what repairs really cost.
Well, it's going to cost you a bit to get it back into reliable mode, but since it is well-engineered in the first place, it won't be like a Jaguar that will always be in the shop.
There are already posts about this.
Exhaust leak can be fixed by getting the exhaust pipe with a hole or gasket replaced.
No A/C can be fixed if you can find out what the problem is. Accords are a popular car and you might be able to find a used part from a junkyard for less than a replacement part.
Tires wear out between 10,000 to 30,000 depending on how you drive and what kind of tires you get.
It's good to find a Honda forum for finding Honda Accord specific problems/gremlins or getting your Accord running good again. If the previous owner just drove it without maintenance, you might discover other issues. Someone else already mentioned getting the cylinder compression tested. You might discover leak issues just by pulling the spark plugs. If one is wet with motor oil, that one indicator of a leaking piston ring or crank seal if it's on the side of the engine nearest the transmission. Getting the motor rebuilt, new rings/seals/gaskets/oil pump, is a bit expensive, but the end result will be a reliable motor for 150,000+ miles.
In my experience, a tranny that won't go into gear is always a clutch that is not releasing fully. And forcing it is just going to wear out the synchros. It needs a closer look.
As far as leasing - there are a few good cars available for $159/mo and $2000 down. No you don't own it, but if you bought it you would be losing the depreciation anyway, and you will have a warranty and probably never need it.
Also - when I was in your position, I always bought used tires. Most tire dealers have customers that change tires mid-use, and there are some dealers that specialize in this. $100 for four. Perhaps 2 from one place and 2 from another. Tell them what you need and leave a card with your phone number and the size on it.
As far as leasing - there are a few good cars available for $159/mo and $2000 down. No you don't own it, but if you bought it you would be losing the depreciation anyway, and you will have a warranty and probably never need it.
Also - when I was in your position, I always bought used tires. Most tire dealers have customers that change tires mid-use, and there are some dealers that specialize in this. $100 for four. Perhaps 2 from one place and 2 from another. Tell them what you need and leave a card with your phone number and the size on it.
Ratings and real-world mileage are two different things. If your car's suspension is worn and/or you drive hard you will get much less than the rated mileage.
I was stunned the first time I got 50,000 miles out of a set of Michelin LTX tires on a '99 Blazer. My previous record was 25K miles...because I LOVE corners and enjoy them fully. I also tend to drive my cars in autocrosses with the street tires, which reduces mileage quickly.
Munjibunga said:
Money rather than..apples, hmm. I don't get it. Am I supposed to eat money?! Money tastes horrible, FYI.
But I've found a guy (dads friend) to replace the clutch for 300 apples, quite a deal. About 50-75% less than estimates around town. Also I've got a buyer for my upright bass, it will transform into new tires, a new clutch, stereo and a few tanks of gas. If the engines healthy, if not I'll just drive it off a cliff and fake my own death while am at it. So not a bad deal either way. Thanks for all the help!
Find out what that $300 includes before you spend it. I've seen my share of cheapo clutch jobs and they generally don't last long. Two things the DIY crowd usually leave out is having the flywheel resurfaced and the pilot bearing changed while you're in there. A clutch job without those is a waste of time and money.
My old Saab left me when it needed $3500 worth of repairs. $300-700 is still in the range of being cost effective if the rest of the car is in decent shape. I say get it fixed.
The Saab was an old 1993 900S with 200k+ miles. I did all sorts of repairs on that thing but left the really big jobs up to a pro - clutch for example.
Two things on the engine - have a compression test done or buy a gauge and DIY - also pull the injectors and have them bench cleaned and spray tested. Marren did mine and I was very happy with the results.
The tranny problem is most likely the clutch - don't over diagnose problems, that will get real expensive fast. Try doing the exhaust repair yourself. You'll save big bucks if you DIY any job that's mostly labor. Don't scrimp on tools if you need one to do a job properly. Internet forums are a great resource for advice if you can find one for your make / model.
The Saab was an old 1993 900S with 200k+ miles. I did all sorts of repairs on that thing but left the really big jobs up to a pro - clutch for example.
Two things on the engine - have a compression test done or buy a gauge and DIY - also pull the injectors and have them bench cleaned and spray tested. Marren did mine and I was very happy with the results.
The tranny problem is most likely the clutch - don't over diagnose problems, that will get real expensive fast. Try doing the exhaust repair yourself. You'll save big bucks if you DIY any job that's mostly labor. Don't scrimp on tools if you need one to do a job properly. Internet forums are a great resource for advice if you can find one for your make / model.
Mike N said:
It's super cheap I know, but this guy has worked on my old car did a good job. The 300 includes the new clutch but probably nothing with the fly wheel...is it really that important? I have another guy and his friend who will do it for 600 and mentioned that the fly resurfacing is what's making it more than what he originally thought. For about 700 I could have a legit shop just down the road do the work with a 3 year warranty on their work, which would be reassuring opposed to the driveway mechanics.
I suggest having your mechanic friend take a look at everything while he's working on the car and give you his thoughts on what needs to be fixed, how much and a priority list. Especially the struts/shocks/axle(can't think of the name right now-the short things the wheels hang off of?) Replacing those will also increase tire mileage including checking alignment. Also have the guy take a closer look at what's exactly leaking onto the carpet.
Gook luck.
PS. I have the LX version of the same year car. Bought it new. Needs some work. Same decision to make.
+1 on testing the engine.
Gook luck.
PS. I have the LX version of the same year car. Bought it new. Needs some work. Same decision to make.
+1 on testing the engine.
Having the flywheel resurfaced is no big deal, unscrew the thing and drop it off to a local machine shop. It should cost anywhere from $25 to $40. Cheap insurance against clutch chatter.
The pilot bearing (or bushing in some cases) you'll probably have to get from Honda, and should also run you somewhere in the $25 to $40 range. This bearing supports the input shaft of the transmission, having a worn one causes the shaft to wobble and the clutch to chatter. Again, cheap insurance to a good clutch job.
My advice is to spend the extra now so you don't have to spend even more later.
I got 84,000 miles from a set of Michelins on my '93 Land Cruiser. They still had about 5,000 miles left on them. I got 35,000 from a set of Yokohamas on my Lexus, and that was more than they were rated for. I just replaced them with Michelins rated at 45,000 miles, and I'll bet I get 60K out of them.
Here's a weird one. My wife's Highlander had some really crappy Bridgestones on it, and I wanted to replace them with Michelins. It turns out that Bridgestone is the only company that makes tires in that size (245/55R19). That explains why the Toyota dealer wanted to sell my wife four tires for the price of two - they can't get rid of them. We ended up putting Michelin 255/55R19s on it. They're four tenths of an inch taller, but it affects the speedometer only slightly, and they'll last a lot longer than the paltry 25K miles we got out of the crappy Bridgestones. Thanks a lot, Toyota, from someone who has owned at least ten of your cars.
Here's a weird one. My wife's Highlander had some really crappy Bridgestones on it, and I wanted to replace them with Michelins. It turns out that Bridgestone is the only company that makes tires in that size (245/55R19). That explains why the Toyota dealer wanted to sell my wife four tires for the price of two - they can't get rid of them. We ended up putting Michelin 255/55R19s on it. They're four tenths of an inch taller, but it affects the speedometer only slightly, and they'll last a lot longer than the paltry 25K miles we got out of the crappy Bridgestones. Thanks a lot, Toyota, from someone who has owned at least ten of your cars.
