Caution Ep3 Has A Weak Clutch

[Gango]

Hej everyone. Ladies and Gentleman.
I am writing this due to the fact that my EP is a 03 with 14988 miles on it and my clutch is to pieces. Yes I know how to drive stick , been doing it for a while now. Before i had problems with the 4th gear getting spit out and i took the car to the dealership where they changed the oil for free and still didnt fix shit, anyway last friday i was driving and i noticed that my car could not go more than 60 miles an hour, so i took a turn to the dealership, halfway there i could put the car in gear but the car would not move an inch. The warranty will not cover the clutch because it is what they call a wear/tear item so i have to pay for everything. I did beat on the car a little i have to admit but i thought that an si could take for at least a year. I now have to pay out of my own pocket for a new clutch with the whole goodies. I now hate honda dealerships They SUCK, but my point is to you who like to use your EP as if it is a ferrari BEWARE because there are consequences.
THe dealer is going to install a new aftermarket clutch for me , cause i refused to have oem again, so any ideas for a performance clutch would help. Just thought I would let you know those clutches are not as strong as they put them out to be.

Peace... MIssing the EP, hate the loaner accord very much

[denmah]

thats funny i beat the living hell out of mine everyday for about 150-250miles a day and i have 35k on it and mine still chirps 3rd and does hellatous burnouts. i would call honda of america about that one buddy

[ep pilot]

I think I probably beat more hell out of my Ep3 then anyone else here on this board. I

[ep3nightkid]

I learned to drive stick on my si,and once i got it going ive been driving it as if there were no tommorow, and im at 32,000miles and my clutch is still in the same shape as it was when i first got it,god i love hondas.i'd defineatly look into that one buddy.

[denmah]

Originally posted by ep3nightkid
I learned to drive stick on my si,and once i got it going ive been driving it as if there were no tommorow, and im at 32,000miles and my clutch is still in the same shape as it was when i first got it,god i love hondas.i'd defineatly look into that one buddy.

yeah were not being smart asses about it, that doesnt sound right at all. you can argue with the dealership you dont have to accept everything they say.

[dchu]

So they actually showed you the clutch and it was in peices?

[fASTBACK]

About 30K on mine and I'll only slam it hard through the gears about once or twice a week. I'll run it through the gears but not slam on the clutch. Clutch is awesome. I'm expecting 60K out of my clutch if not more. This really isn't a performance car but they sure as hell advertise it as one. Slam that in their face.

How much is your clutch and install. What brand?

[BSEVEER]

My '91 si has over 165,000 on the original clutch. I hope my EP will last just as long.

[ATRIOT]

320000 km on my clutch -> 91 si hatch.

[BSEVEER]

Damn, you got me beat.

[ATRIOT]

Hah the clutch held up but the sunroof leaked (water would collect in the whole roof if i parked my car on a incline and would dump on my head once i backed out of my driveway). The drivers seatback was broken and had a milkcrate behind it to prop it up. :sadm: So in the end the car had me beat.

[VividDreams]

well, you asked about clutches, and the ones that come to my mind are ACT, ClutchMasters, and i know there are one or two more reputable brands, do a serch and/or post in the Engine section of this site.

have the car towed to another Honda dealer and have them look at it, if they say its a warrantee issue, the other dealer will have to pay for the tow. but its a gamble cause the other dealer may agree that its a wear issue and refuse it under warrantee, in that case youre out the money for the tow.

[tbone_ep3]

My ep is my first MT car. My clutch is till going strong at 21k.

[Low Rider]

Clutch...!!?? ...you mean, you guys still use that thing?? :D

[2.0L Monster]

Since you clutch died that quickly, it was you, not the clutch.

[ep3nightkid]

you had to be doing hellacious burnouts or somethin like everyday.

[esmith13]

39,500mi on mine. 10,000mi of that is at 267WHP. Clutch still holding strong. If I dump it off the line - it melts. But as soon as it cools back down it holds strong again!!

Gango,

Ask the dealer to check the clutch pedal acuation point. It may very well be their fault and be covered by warranty!! The clutch pedal travel is adjustable. If there was a small error while your Si was being built it is possible that when you take your foot off the clutch it is still not FULLY engaged and may be "feathering" 100% of the time you are driving! That would DEFINATELY blow out a clutch in 15,000mi. I have a hard time believing it could be anything else with the abuse I put my clutch thru! Between melting it at least 5 times with my turbo on and teaching 4 people how to drive stick in my car I am a firm believe that our OEM clutches are BULLETPROOF!!

I'd ask them to check that dude, since it could decide the fate of the next $400 clutch kit you throw in there...

Eric

[VIZHUNZ02SI]

get a stage three clutch kit
u wont regret it
:D

[Az02Si]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ep pilot
[B]I think I probably beat more hell out of my Ep3 then anyone else here on this board. I

[BlairSpeed]

23k on mine and feels like the day i bought it. I agree with checking the engaging point at the dealership before anything.

[VividDreams]

Originally posted by VIZHUNZ02SI
get a stage three clutch kit
u wont regret it
:D

yeah, untill hes stuck in a crawling traffic jam:(

[VividDreams]

Originally posted by esmith13
Ask the dealer to check the clutch pedal acuation point. It may very well be their fault and be covered by warranty!! The clutch pedal travel is adjustable. If there was a small error while your Si was being built it is possible that when you take your foot off the clutch it is still not FULLY engaged and may be "feathering" 100% of the time you are driving! That would DEFINATELY blow out a clutch in 15,000mi.


that could very well be, cant hurt to have them check right?

[DnBCivicSI]

http://www.performancecenter.com/products/?productID=29722

And this to go with it

http://www.performancecenter.com/products/?searchtype=6d&sortorder=DAAA&productcategory=Flywheels&category=Drivetrain&sf1=HONDA&sf2=2003&sf3=Civic&sf4=Vehicle+Specific+Applications&sf5=2.0L

[Gango]

Okay Thank you to everyone of you that tried to help me with this problem. the only good thing that came out of this was free towing to the dealership. I give credit to those who put up a battle against any dealerships, cause i lost mine. Now I went to the dealership with so many mechanincs peopel i thought knew what was going on, and the honda dealership still didnt do nothing. I n case you didnt know if you are planning to put an aftermarket clutch you will also need to change the flywheel to either aftermarket or a type S flywheel. Ask Rocky at SSUSA he will tell you all about it. Today i bought a stage 1 clutchmasters and the guy who sold it tome sold me an almost brand new type s flywheel which had been resurfaced with under 10000 miles on it. together they were 610 shipped. I do admit i beat the shit out of it as if it was stolen, and i know i wont be doing that anymore for a while.
I cant wait till i get the car going again, and yea I just purchased a v2 intake, so if someone could tell me where i can find installation instructions for that one, I would really appreciate it.

Peace

[DnBCivicSI]

AEM's shit comes with Instructions man. Sucks about your dealer experience. Similar shit happened to me with Dodge. They all suck.

[swampdonkey]

I have had my car for a year and in that time I have put 33000 miles on it. My clutch is in fine shape and although I don't abuse it, I do chirp the tires regularly and launch hard a few times a day.

[oberkfell]

I had the same problem with the butt pirates at VW of America with my 2k Golf GLS 1.8t. The clutch & flywheel broke in 10 pieces and it wasn't covered under warranty @30k.

You would think 1 or 2 of these things would break over time. But, not according to VW. Hence, I will never buy another VW the rest of my life. (Actually this applies to Brazil & Mexico only.)

[Vierge99]

I boughtmy EP with 30 miles on the Odometer. Now, 13 months later I have 35k+ miles. It's been in for oil changes but it hasn't had any other maintenance. I drive this thing like an idiot ALL the time EVERY day. Like stated before shifting up past 4-5k, power shifting, launching hard, and just generaly being an idiot on the road. No problems yet except for my reverse gear. Getting into reverse requires me to drive forward an inch or so first. If I don't, the gear just won't engage it feels like I'm grinding something.

BTW, after so much trouble, I've decided I'm keeping my EP. I was going to get rid of it but I've decided that it's a nice car and it's fun to drive despite the fact that it's not the fastest thing out there.

[Gango]

This clutch has totally emptied out my savings and now i am broke, but if your clutch goes out dont send the car to the honda dealer to fix it, just sent somewhere else because they will do it for a lot cheaper. I hate this f@#ing dealers, but I am still keeping my EP, and loving it more now that i will soon have the intake and a performance clutch.

Cant wait till I get it fixed.

BTW my loaner car has the maintance light on, anyone know how to reset the thing.
thanx

peace

[dpw41285]

i work at the honda dealership and we have warrantyed mayn k series motor clutches, maybe if you guys were so bent out of shape about it they would be more willing to help you.