Wednesday, November 24, 2010

How much is a new clutch for a acura integra?

How much is a new clutch for a 99' acura integra? How often do you typically need to change it?How much is a new clutch for a acura integra?We replaced the clutch in my son's '94 Integra last year. He bought the parts but I recall it was in the $200-$300 range.



Replacement was an adventure, harder than any other I have done. Most of it was pretty straightforward, but because of the shape of things the bellhousing had to rotate about 30 degrees to drop it out the bottom (jackstands provided enough room). That wasn't so bad, but it meant the transmission jack could not be used and that was a big problem when it came time to remount it. Normally there is a need to get it lined up vertically and wiggle to get the shaft in the pilot bearing, but in this case it had to rotate too. I actually strained a muscle in my face getting it lined up - it hurt for days. One more complication - we had a devil of a time getting the pilot bearing out until we realized it came out the back side of the flywheel. The flywheel has to come off and then it is easy.



His clutch was not slipping, but it made a grinding noise when the clutch pedal was depressed in gear. One of the springs had worn through the cage and was scraping on the flywheel or pressure plate. That seems to be a pretty common failure mode for Acura clutches.How much is a new clutch for a acura integra?It's a hydraulic clutch so it'll become very very difficult to shift while the engine is on though you could still move from gear to gear when the engine is off.



If you're getting close to 120,000 miles, it would be a good idea to order an OEM clutch kit from the Internet to keep in your trunk so you only have to pay for labour. You'll get the kit for about half the price the mechanic would charge you for it, I think you can get one for about $170 on the Internet. Make sure, it's the kit and not just the clutch because while it's all open, you might a well change out the pressure plate too.



It's a good idea to go to a mechanic that specializes in transmissions as it's all very heavy and unwieldy. I've got 177,000 miles on my 96 Acura integra GSR and I'm on the second clutch, I plan to start carrying a clutch kit around when I get close to 240,000 miles. I think the first was changed sometime after 125,000 miles but there was no warning of it going out. My previous car was an 88 Civic Si which has a cable clutch so I was expecting some warning but this hydraulic clutch was literally one day it was normal and the next it was nearly impossible to shift.



It wouldn't be a bad idea to just change it out at the 120,000 mile mark since unlike a cable clutch, you can't estimate how much clutch you have left.



There's no point in getting a racing clutch, they're harder to shift with and they wear out a lot faster.



What really wears the clutch out is feathering it for low speed control such as creeping around a parking lot or inching up in stopped traffic. With a standard it's best to either stop or go, not crawl around. Fast starts only wear out the clutch if you've revved up the engine a lot but unless you're street racing, it's the slow speed stuff that does your clutch in.How much is a new clutch for a acura integra?Clutches don't need to be changed until it wears out and starts slipping. How soon that happens depends on how you treat your clutch. If you drop your clutch and race your engine, it will wear out sooner. Baby it and it'll last. I don't have an Acura, but my Toyota truck has 122,000 miles and it's still on its original clutch.How much is a new clutch for a acura integra?You can get a new clutch set at AutoZone for $215.99 - $271.99. You only have to change it if it's slipping.