mgekevin

2001 S2000 85k miles. Just noticed a lot of slack in the clutch pedal and you have to push down pedal all the way to the floor before shifting and barely let off the floor until it engages. Any ideas?

animeS2K

in order of cost/difficulty (check the first two visually):
- low clutch fluid
- old, dirty clutch fluid
- clutch slave/master cylinder (leaking or blown)
- pressure plate/friction disc

mgekevin

ok Honda dealership says $2921 to repair...needs new clutch, master and slave cylinder. Any ideas?

slalom44

We can't tell what they saw when they diagnosed your problem. It's possible that they're taking the "shotgun" approach - replace everything and the problem will be solved. If they observed leaks coming from both your master and slave cylinders, I'd agree with them, but that's unlikely and a very expensive route to take.

Open the hood and inspect it yourself. Did you have a low clutch fluid level? Does the clutch master cylinder have any sign of a leak? Take a look at the slave cylinder. Does it look wet? If you can't pinpoint the problem, you should flush, bleed and refill your clutch lines and see what happens. Chances are good that your problem will at least temporarily go away. But you still have to figure out why it happened in the first place. If the slave cylinder is leaking, replace just that.

animeS2K

but $3000 sure seems expensive for that work. I've had my clutch replaced by the dealer for around $1800... Master and slave are only about $250 for the two of them and another $250 for labor... Basically it seems about $700 high for that job.

and your symptoms don't point to a worn clutch, necessarily. I'd definitely start with the fluid, then the slave, then the master, THEN if you've still got problems, it may be the pressure plate, in which case you should replace everything (resurface flywheel if it's still in spec).

good luck with it.

mgekevin

ok thanks so much for the advice! I love this site! I'll keep you posted thanks again.

animeS2K

btw, when I say "replace everything" I mean the clutch parts - friction disc, pressure plate, flywheel (resurface), throwout bearing, pilot bearing - not the slave and master if they're otherwise looking okay.

slalom44

If the clutch isn't slipping when you're in gear, you don't need a new clutch. The dealer mechanic is assuming that you need a new clutch because you have 85,000 miles on it. Maybe he needs the work to make a boat payment.