My imminent Clutch change.

[Pride]

Having driven 140,000+ miles on the origanol clutch including several track days over the many years of ownership I thought it about time to replace it. It actually prevented me from launching it up the Beaulieu house drive supercar gathering in September, so no worries next year.:)

After phoning around many NSX specialists and Honda dealers for a price to replace my weaker by the drive NSX clutch assembly, I never seemed to get a guaranteed fixed price over the phone so I decided to install it myself.

So today I picked up my new complete clutch kit and release bearing which I ordered from my local Honda dealer who kindly gave me a very generous trade price and some very good sound advice.

I was seriously considering installing it myself with the aid of a friends car ramp but after speaking with the service manager I decided to let the dealer in question install it next January/February due to 3 main reasons.

1. If, in the unlikely event it malfunctions it will be totally covered under their Honda/goodwill warranty for parts & labour.

2. They've replaced many NSX clutch's over the years and know all the foibles of their installation.

3. The dealer in question has also started a great policy in that any Honda over 20 years old now gets a reduced hourly book time labour rate of 35% from what they normally charge.

Is there any advice I should consider, related to the clutch, I should consider doing while it's in???

[NSXGB]

If also never changed, the clutch master, slave cylinder and the hose. Maybe the pilot bearing too as I don't think it comes with the clutch kit.

What did the clutch kit come to in the end?

[britlude]

yup, might as well do the engine end clutch hydraulic bits, as they'll be coming off anyway, so no extra labour costs...

[Pride]

If also never changed, the clutch master, slave cylinder and the hose. Maybe the pilot bearing too as I don't think it comes with the clutch kit.

What did the clutch kit come to in the end?

New slave cylinder fitted 2 years ago as the pedal went to the floor.

Do you think it still wise to change the master cylinder and hose and if so why??

Simon, would you mind please giving me the pilot bearing part number.

Clutch kit £1200, labour £450+vat

Cheers.

[goldnsx]

Looks like some people are going to replace their clutch. :)

I'm going to do mine as well but drive the last bit out of it until the end of the season. I don't have a bad clutch. It still grabs good but with 120k miles on it and being CTSCed it gets weak I guess. I have definitly a bad TOB (now the noise is clear). I'm going to change the gearbox internals as well, synchros, bearings, snapring and have a look at the shift forks and all the tolerances. I guess my second noise related to the gearbox internals is the ISB.
The second part of the job is DIY as garages are not common with gearbox internals.

I don't know your DIY skills and the work you usually do on your car but from the view of a guy who does everything himself but is NO educated mechanic it IS a job I have big respect of. I've done it on an Insight (opening the gearbox as well) and would do it on an Integra/Civic but things in the NSX are a little bit heavier (in terms of weight).

Is it a definite decision to let the garage work on it or do you still consider DIY?

At 140k miles I'd open the gearbox I think but that's just me. It's no fun having to do that kind of labor again. As you mention your car being tracked things will wear out in the gearbox. The 3rd gear synchro doesn't like the track. It's single coned while the one of the 2nd gear is double coned. My friend came home with a ruined 3rd gear synchro after a track event. Asylum on prime went through that too.
It's no 10 hours job like the manual says, it takes more hours a former Honda mechanic said.
The pilot bearing comes installed with the new OEM clutch kit.
I'd change the seals for sure (engine-crankshaft) and those two in the gearbox for the driveshafts.
The clutch hydraulics don't have to be changed. Well, I wouldn't change them with the clutch because you can change anytime later and (the main reason) you don't add complexity. If something is wrong with the install of the clutch (not correctyl initialised) you can figure it out with a known good hydraulics. The front master is a 'disaster' to change anyway, so it WILL add time on top of the clutch job.
Kaz recommends to change the clutch release fork with that kind of miles but I don't know why it should. He might join this thread as well and give us an explanation of that.

So far so good...

Good luck!

[Pride]

Thanks goldnsx, I've just ordered 2 driveshaft oil seals and found that the spigot bearing is included in the clutch kit Simon.

goldnsx, you suggested I replace the crankshaft oil seal, does the clutch job involve removing the crankshaft pulley then???

[goldnsx]

If you have removed the flywheel you can change the oil seal without removing anything else.

[Pride]

If you have removed the flywheel you can change the oil seal without removing anything else.

Good idea, cheers 👍

[Hagasan]

goldnsx, you suggested I replace the crankshaft oil seal, does the clutch job involve removing the crankshaft pulley then???

Opposite sides of the engine/end of the crank Clive.

[Pride]

Opposite sides of the engine/end of the crank Clive.

😂lol, cheers mate, that saves me from starting at the wrong end. lol😂