newS2kbaby

I have a horrible feeling I've messed up my new S. It's an 05 with low miles, basically new. It's had 2 oil changes and the previous owner took great care of it. I've been driving it carefully since I got it a few weeks ago. I was at a light recently and the car started to stall and instead of pushing down on the clutch I gave it more gas. Im such an idiot, the car buckled a few times and then i hit the clutch. Keep in mind i know how to drive stick but am not a pro, meaning this is my first car that is a stick. Anyways, now it feels like my car has less power than it used to. i can shift easier into 1st and 2nd but it feel lke the engine revs alot but doesnt 'go' as much as it used to. It doesn't pull as hard as before. Did i seriously mess up the car? What are the short term and long term consequences? I'm thinking about taking it in to check the tranny but dont know how much it will cost.

to describe my driving habits: to start i hold the clutch and shift to 1st, gas it a little and release the clutch. is giving it too much gas a bad thing? i was taught that to preven stalling just give it more gas. my shifts to 2nd aren't always smooth (i hear a slight click). shifting to other gears is easier tho so no problems there that i can foresee.

Any help is appreciated. I know im an idiot who cant take care of his car but i'm trying. it sucks to know that i may be not driving my car correctly.

s2kforlife

from my knowledge, that doesn't hurt your car if you've done it once. I think the loss of power is all in your head because you feel guilty, but the pros will chime in soon so i'd like to hear what they say.

RED MX5

I can't be positive without driving your car, but I'm pretty sure that you're OK. The car probably just feels slower now because you're getting use to the power. If you're not getting a CEL or any other indication of problems you shouldn't worry about it. Just relax and enjoy your new toy.

chino101

The power is still there, your just a little cautious about using it now.
I was in the same boat you were once; new stick driver on a S2K. Just take it easy and pay attention.

I don't know how new you are to driving the S, but it took me 2 weeks to learn the basics, and 3 months to learn how to be very proficient (i.e. heal toe down shifts).

It took me a little while for the proper muscle memory to develop in my left leg for clutch work, and my right leg to get use to feathering the throttle.

If anything, the remainder of the factory warranty should give you piece of mind.

As Red MX5 said "JUST RELAX and enjoy your new toy".

...you have to pay to play.....but avoid the "money shift"

newS2kbaby

Thanks for the replies everyone. Although that was what I was hoping to hear part of me still thinks there is something different. I know the clutch wears out over time so maybe I've just reduced its lifetime by a substantial amount. Everything seems ok now but I'm sure I'll have to replace it sooner rather than later. Could this event possibly affect any other parts of the car, specifically synchros/throw out bearings/pp/etc?

I am now super cautious of the way I drive my car. I've read that you shouldn't ride the clutch because it will wear faster (I tend to do that from time to time, for instance when I am going over speed bumps). If I release the clutch slowly is that considered riding the clutch? I am a granny shifter and take my time with both clutching and shifting.

Like I said it feels like it doesn't pull as hard as it did before but perhaps that's because it was (until now) a very new car. The "snick snick" when shifting was very pronounced/solid feeling. Now I shift through the gears like butter and I am assuming it is wear and tear (I've only been driving it 3.5 weeks) which makes me a little concerned. It shouldn't wear that fast. I mean the change was sudden which would show a possible link between my boo boo and the way the car drives. I will take it in to Honda and hope they don't charge me to check it out. What are the chances that they'll replace the clutch for free (assuming it has been prematurely damaged)? I don't abuse my car, just was careless this one time.

Thanks again everyone. I don't know what I'd do without this forum.

Spec_Ops2087

Its called being paranoid. Your car is fine, go drive it and enjoy it!

TheDonEffect

If you think that decreased your power than my car must be dead. Just wait until you botch your start on a hill or something. These cars lack low end torque compared to most cars so the driving characteristics are a bit different, then again you have an ap2.
Don't worry about it, start worrying when you're at 9000, <ahem> excuse me, 8000 in 3rd and hit second instead of 4th, then we;ll all see you on the UTH forum. But until then, enjoy your car man.

jfw432

Yeah the biggest thing that worries me even is the hill start. If I let off of the clutch wrong or don't give it enough gas it really bogs down and to compensate I give it almost half throttle at 1500 rpms trying to get up the hill...of course when car gets to 3000 rpms you're practically spinning tires.