Just the clutch or transmission too

DAMIAN LAZO

MEMBER
2001 HONDA CIVIC
4 CYL
2WD
MANUAL
194,000 MILES

I was having trouble getting up hills and past 20 mph and then on the highway it stopped accelerating. I also was having trouble getting it into second gear, it would grind hard.

So I got it towed to the shop and they cannot even inspect it because it will not drive at all. They want me to pay for a new clutch, but I have to wonder if I will be paying for a new transmission or engine next. Can anyone help me out here?

5 Replies

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,885 POSTS

Hi and thanks for using 2CarPros.com.

I need some information. First, when the vehicle struggle up hills, were the rpm's raising but the vehicle speed was not? Also, was the check engine light staying on? Also, why is the vehicle not driveable at this point?

As far as it being difficult to shift, that is most likely the result of a bad clutch. Take a look through this link. It should be helpful in helping you diagnose the problem.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/clutch-symptoms

In response to your other concerns, if a manual transmission is not abused and has been maintained, it should outlast the car. Also, the engines in these vehicles are proven reliable and are know to reach mileage much higher than you presently have. However, that is no guarantee that something else will not go bad. Also, I do not know the overall condition of the car, so it is really hard for me to say what may be next. I hope you understand.

By the way, based on your description, it does sound like the clutch is the issue and most likely not the transmission.

Let me know if it helps or if you have other questions.

Joe

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Friday, October 12th, 2018 AT 5:26 PM

DAMIAN LAZO

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Thanks for replying. Yes the rpm's would ramp up, and under 20 mph it was very slow, once past 20 it would kick in and start accelerating more. The check engine light was on, but it was also stuck on so no way to know if it can be attributed to this. The shop said they could not drive it at all so I took their word for it. When it shut off on the highway the rpm's were high and it was not accelerating at all, so I would not be surprised if that was true.

I looked at the article you provided and yes it does seem the clutch is done for, I was getting the grinding and clutch slip. How would I know if the transmission is bad? I took it in for another issue a while ago and they wanted to replace it, I do not know they may have misdiagnosed the situation but that is why I am worried I will have to be paying for a transmission too. Also, they said one of my cylinders was not firing as strong in the engine if that helps at all.

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Saturday, October 13th, 2018 AT 6:23 AM

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,885 POSTS

Welcome back:

It does sound like the clutch. As far as the transmission, I cannot answer that. I have to be honest, most manual transmissions will out last the vehicles unless they are abused. I cannot be sure what is meant by a weak cylinder unless they compression tested it and it was low compared to the others.

It does have a lot of miles on it. This is a tough call because of the new information you provided (transmission and weak cylinder). At some point, you need to decide if it is worth fixing or not, and I realize that is what you are asking me. If I knew why a cylinder was "weak" and the transmission replacement was recommended, it would be easier to help. However, the symptoms you described mirror the problems of a bad clutch.

I wish I could be of more help. If you know what prompted them to say the transmission was bad and why they said a cylinder was weak, I could better help you.

Let me know.

Joe

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Saturday, October 13th, 2018 AT 7:07 PM

DAMIAN LAZO