Gears not engaging

[johnny5]

Hey guys hope someone can shed some light to this massive headache

My ride is a 94 DC2 vtir

Long story short, I sourced a Seco HD Sports Organic Clutch with Fidanza Aluminium Flywheel myself

Link to Fidanza ebay site is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fidanza-Aluminum-Flywheel-B16-B18-191681_W0QQitemZ280410453838QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ2 0091016?IMSfp=TL0910161810005r5838

went to fit it in today at the mechanic... when i tried to drive off, gears would not engage. It was bloody difficult if not IMPOSSIBLE to engage it in... mechanic kept forcing the gears in and went for a test drive... initially claimed it was the clutch that was ****ed... after the test drive came back and said that it was the flywheel that was the wrong part...

the ebay link above confirms that it was the right part that was sent which I matched the model number.

got a second opinion and have been told by someone that it may be two things:

- Air bubble in master cylinder (which I doubt is the problem)

- Flywheel

Any ideas anyone?

[johnny5]

i should prolly add in some additional details as well:

clutch pedal feel is fine... level of fluid was fine... just engaging into gears is near impossible... needs brute strength to engage and even then i'm pretty sure that'll screw up the gearbox

[wAYzoR]

Sounds like it is defiantly a clutch problem for starters, sounds like the clutch is not disengaging, i would suggest rebleeding the clutch to remove all air bubbles, and also check master and slave cylinders for leaks, also have a look at adjusting slave cylinder.

Good luck

[johnny5]

Also, because I didnt have a spigot/pilot bearing that should've come with the clutch kit, he managed to find one that was in the workshop... he also mentioned that the Thrust bearing that came with the clutch kit was the wrong one. Any possibility that any of the above things mentioned could be causing the problem of me not being able to engage into gear?

Please if someone could help me end this nightmare... I just wanna know that there is light at the end of the tunnel :S

[johnny5]

another update i've received from a trusted source:

If the engine is turned off, the clutch and flywheel is not involved in the process of changing gears which means that it should not be a problem. Hence the gear shift linkage was not fitted properly.

Can somebody please confirm this? Thanks!

[Stai]

with the engine off is it easy to select gears or still very forceful?

[bennjamin]

That kit is 100% compatible.

Sounds like installation error.

Tell us , does the car shift fine when the engine is off ?

[johnny5]

my friend who was with me did try it and he said that it was still much harder than normal to shift with the engine turned off. I did not actually try it myself with the engine turned off.

I have to confirm this myself on Monday. Thanks guys for all your feedback so far!

Anything else that you think may be contributing to this factor? I guess first thing that needs to be checked out is if gears can be engaged with engine off to determine if gear shift linkage was fitted properly.

Problem is, this mechanic is quite reputable in terms of 'specialising' in Honda cars. So I'm not sure if its installation error. Then again, nobody's perfect rite and peopl make mistakes? He did say however that this is the first time that he has come across this problem and he seriously did not know what the hell was wrong. First words to come out of his mouth was that I had bought the wrong clutch. He then went back on his words after a test drive to say that it was the flywheel. From what I've gathered from quite a few people, a B-series flywheel will fit any B-series engine...

My other query which no one still has been able to answer is:

Spigot/Pilot Bearing and Thrust Bearing

Can that actually affect the gear engagement problem I have?

[LiL FiLo]

my mate had a similar problem, there might be a slight chance that the clutch fork is broken, not saying it is, but yea......

[Stai]

if the wrong release bearing was installed it will definatley effect the clutch engagment.

[aaronng]

Bleed your clutch fluid through the slave cylinder. Looking at the level is not enough.

Check your shift linkages again. Could you post up a link to the clutch and pressure plate kit to double check if it was the correct one as well?

[johnny5]

Bleed your clutch fluid through the slave cylinder. Looking at the level is not enough.

Check your shift linkages again. Could you post up a link to the clutch and pressure plate kit to double check if it was the correct one as well?


Link to flywheel is:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fidanza-Aluminum-Flywheel-B16-B18-191681_W0QQitemZ280410453838QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ2 0091016?IMSfp=TL0910161810005r5838


Clutch is SECO HD Sports Organic Clutch

I have to go to my mechanic first thing in the morning to check to make sure its not the shift linkage.


Another update is that apparently the Fidanza flywheel has a step which apparently explains why I cant engage gears. The OEM flywheel does not have that step. No idea what step he's talking about.

[paps02]

a common problem with new clutches when installed is that the pin inside the clutch slave will need to be modified(extended) and then adjusted (grinded down) so that the gears engage the way you like. if this pin is not right then gears will not engage.

ask the mechanic if he looked at that

[bennjamin]

a common problem with new clutches when installed is that the pin inside the clutch slave will need to be modified(extended) and then adjusted (grinded down) so that the gears engage the way you like. if this pin is not right then gears will not engage.

ask the mechanic if he looked at that


never heard of this with any hydraulic clutched honda - and the 30 or so clutch replacements ive done ive never touched / adjusted the slave cylinder or piston

[paps02]

just remember a mechanic talking to me about this problem which is not uncommon with new clutches he installs.. maybe differnt type of clutch to honda? but no cost or harm in asking

[Bludger]

LOL

just a stupid idea, but you never know.

did he do up the bolt under the shift rod too tight?

[johnny5]

@ bennjamin: actually, funny that the slave cylinder point was brought up... the slave cylinder was actually stuck today after everything was installed. they had to stick a screwdriver in and there was quite a strong squirt of clutch fluid that spewed out.

@ Bludger: Pretty sure it wasn't installation error. But yea, its always good to check to make sure.

Just wanna say THANKS to everyone who's been trying to help me out. I really appreciate the support that everyone has given!!!!


The latest update is that everything has been fixed!

There were a couple of things that contributed to the non-engagement of gears.

First was the Release Bearing. It was the wrong part that came with the clutch and therefore I had to personally go down to the Exedy warehouse to collect the new one. It was the WRONG SIZE to begin with and the one that my mechanic had lying around which he used the first time round wasn't the perfect size. It was still a bit loose and if I had actually tried to drive my car home that night on Sat (about 20km away) God only knows what would've happened!

Secondly, the flywheel did not have the right spigot bearing as it had a step up so we used another flywheel instead. Problem solved. Really couldnt be ****ed to leave my car in there anymore and wait to source for the right spigot/pilot bearing.

I guess the main thing I was concerned about was the fact that it was due to installation error, glad it wasnt. Ended up being the fact that due to some bad luck the wrong parts were sent and I didnt know enough to identify what parts I actually needed. Expensive lesson learnt is that you need to research research research!!! Talk to people in the trade such as suppliers who will be able to tell you exactly what you need and what sizes are needed. A simple phone call or two is more than enough to get you all the information you need.

There was some really good input and I really am very grateful and extremely happy that so many people came to my aid in such a short period of time. Ozhonda really is an awesome forum with excellent support for noobs like myself!

[Stai]

well mate im glad its all sorted :thumbsup:

[johnny5]

thanks man i'm glad too lol...