Clutch release bearing? Competition Clutch

Post by **Merlin** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 8:40 pm

I took the the 4th gen out for a run today and found that changing gear was very difficult at best (gears would only go in at low revs) and that the biting point was crazy low.

I don't have any leaks in the master & slave cylinders, my clutch fluid is at the top, and the slave freely moves the clutch fork. With the pedal out there is a chirping noise that gets louder and more high pitched when pressing the pedal lightly. When pressing the pedal I can feel vibration through it. The noise and vibration goes completely when the pedal is fully depressed.

Could it be the clutch release bearing or any other ideas?

This is me on and off lightly depressing the clutch pedal about a quarter:

[youtube]a9sw57r-IxE[/youtube]

Post by **Thebusofwoe** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:08 pm

Sounds like dry splines and a worn clutch to me. That's how all mine went

. Has it had a recent clutch?

Ignore the above

Post by **Thebusofwoe** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:10 pm

EDIT: just managed to watch vid

Yea sounds like ur release bearing is shot!!

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 11:59 pm

Yep, release bearing would be my guess from listening to that, too. Though the fact it stops when you have the clutch fully depressed is a little bit surprising

Great selfie btw

Post by **Merlin** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:05 am

It could be the pilot bearing but I doubt it. The reason I am doubting the pilot bearing is that would the pilot bearing have any affect on the biting point/point of clutch disengagement?

The Competition Clutch release bearing was fitted with my new Competition Clutch clutch less than 800 miles ago. I'm going to get a new release bearing from Honda.

Edit - A bit of supporting info

Symptoms of worn clutch thrust bearings wrote:
Noise
A worn thrust bearing has increased clearances between its rollers. This allows the bearing to move around in its seat excessively, which can lead to rattling, squealing or growling noises coming from the transmission. These noises are usually most noticeable when the clutch pedal is pressed down to release the clutch.

Pedal Vibration/Pulsation
When vibration is felt while the clutch pedal is being pressed down it can indicate a worn thrust bearing. While the pedal is being depressed, the worn bearing is unable to evenly distribute load on the clutch plate, which causes uneven contact with the pressure plate and the resulting vibration or pulsation is felt at the pedal.

Clutch Sticking
Thrust bearings can lose their lubrication over time as they wear. This lack of lubrication can cause the bearing to move stiffly or bind, making it difficult to fully disengage the clutch during shifting. This can cause grinding directly due to the lack of lubrication in the bearing, and grinding from attempting to shift gears while the bearing is not releasing the clutch fully. The end result is difficulty getting the transmission to switch between gears.

http://www.ehow.co.uk/list_7420765_symp ... rings.html

Transmission Clutch Diagnosis wrote:Bearing Noises: Bearing noises in a clutch system are easily distinguished by running a few simple tests. Start the engine and leave the transmission in neutral. If a transmission makes noise when it is in neutral it is often a worn input shaft bearing. Now depress the pedal until the clutch just engages. This is the point where the release bearing is just contacting the pressure plate fingers. If you begin to hear a squealing sound this is likely a worn release bearing. If a whirling noise is present when the clutch pedal is fully depressed it is probably the pilot bearing.

http://www.freeasestudyguides.com/diagn ... noise.html

A bad input shaft bearing on a civic which sounds nothing like my noise
[youtube]ZLFV4GnZbRo[/youtube]

Post by **vanzep** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:35 am

That sucks

I will give you a hand getting the gearbox out

Post by **Merlin** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 9:51 am

£38 quid for a new Honda release bearing, at least it is cheap

Shame it is going to take 10-12 hours to change the fecking thing.

Post by **Merlin** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 10:15 am

One thing I have wondered is that have I been over pressing the clutch pedal? There is a adjustment screw on the clutch pedal. Is the screw too slack and I have been pressing the pedal past its optimum point? Which as either contributed or caused the failure of the release bearing

89 UKDM BA4 4WS (resto job!) · Post by **wurlycorner** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 11:34 am

Not sure how pressing the pedal further than it might have wanted to go, would have caused the bearing to fail?

What does the manual say about adjusting the clutch pedal etc.?

Is the atr clutch cover plate (the fingers really) the same depth as the prelude one? And the release bearing the same overall depth?

Post by **Merlin** » Mon Feb 17, 2014 11:36 am

Yeah the ATR one is identical to the Ludes pressure plate. I am using Competition Clutch though (stage 5 kit).

I was working on the assumption of if the hydraulic part is forcing the release bearing too far forward the force on it could be too much? (ie the release bearing is getting squished between the hydraulic force applied through the clutch fork, and the repelling force of the pressure plate/ the movement of the pressure plate splines are maxed out).

It could simply be that the release bearing on the Competition Clutch kit is jobby