I have a 07 Fit Sport manual and recently when I push or release the clutch there seems to be a spot in the clutch pedal stroke that I feel it bind up a little. The pedal always makes it though this bind up spot but makes releasing the clutch smoothly tougher. I've also noticed that if I pump the clutch a few times the bind seems to go away for a while. Shifting doesn't seem to be affected and I don't hear any noises. It's still too cold outside (no garage) to start exploring so I wanted to ask if anyone here has heard of something like this so I can narrow my focus. I've searched quite a bit but nothing I've found matches. Could this be a problem with the infamous clutch damper valve? Any information is appreciated.

Thanks.

 

sounds like you have a leak in the system somewhere... if you have to pump the pedal that's what makes me think that...

how old is your clutch?

 

I think you might be right. I went out to checked the reservoir and the fluid level is about 3 or 4 mm from the min line. Not sure why it didn't dawn on me that I may have a leak, perhaps I subconciously blocked the possibility. lol

The car has 76k miles on the original clutch and I've never added fluid.

I'll root around to see if I can find a leak.

 

clean off all the connections and lines and drive it for a day or so...

 

Thanks, I did some checks today and the master cylinder looks leak free. Weather permitting I'll pull off the slave cylinder boot to check for leaks there next. Also after a drive today I pumped the clutch with the engine off and heard a creaking noise at the same points of the pedal bind. I've not done this recently so that would account the sudden discovery of this new noise now. So it could be some friction point on the shift fork assembly or the part of the input shaft the clutch slides on may be in need of some grease.

 

One tricky thing about clutch masters is, they can leak out the actuator rod seal, and seep into the carpet on the INTERIOR side. Very subtle.


Likewise, a slave cylinder could leak into the bell housing where it would go un-noticed.


I'd continue to monitor the fluid level.


PS, the CR-V clutch system creaks at the pedal assembly where the pedal pivot/return springs are. It's difficult to get lube in there.

 

I agree, the master is a bit tricky but I checked the interior side and there was no sign of a leak. I also checked the under hood side of the master cylinder and it looked leak free as well. I was able to see some of the slave cylinder and I didn't see signs of any leaks so far. I'll have to take things apart to inspect the slave cylinder in detail as well as the lines in between.

Sadly I haven't paid much attention to the clutch reservoir until now so I'm not sure how long it took the level to get to where it is now. Over the last few days it doesn't look like Ive lost any fluid but I'm watching it very closely now and I'll top it up as needed.

Thanks for the info, I'll start lubing assemblies very soon and I'll start with the pedal assembly. I think spray white lithium grease will do fine for the pedal assembly. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Also has anyone been able to lube any of the friction points on the clutch release fork without taking the trans off the car?

 

white lithium spray will be fine on metal to metal joints...

i'd do one at a time and see which, if any, solve your issue so you know...

 

Sounds good, I'll post my results.

 

I was finally able to investigate. With a helper cycling the clutch pedal I could hear the a creaking noise coming from inside the bell housing. I was able to take off the slave cylinder and fork boot and found the friction points for the slave cylinder and pivot bolt had plenty of grease. I tried to lift the fork out via the opening in the transmission but there just wasn't enough room to remove the fork retaining clip or move the fork to the left far enough to clear the pivot bolt.


With my helper pressing the clutch and a flashlight I could just make out the end of the shift fork and it looked cruddy. With the help of my Dad we made a rig to put a few drops of oil on the fork friction points.

While I was putting things together I checked the slave cylinder and the rest of the system very carefully and there were no signs of leaks anywhere.

I drove the car and the clutch is butter smooth again with no noise.

I don't expect the oil to last for long so the long term solution is to take the transmission off to do things properly and while I'm there change the clutch too.

 

fwiw, my clutch creeks when engaging/disengaging sometimes too... surprised it caused that much of an issue for you... but glad you tracked it down

 

I agree, I would be ok with a little noise too but the engagement of the clutch was not smooth anymore and it was getting tricky to get moving like I knew what I was doing lol.

 

Just today my '08 with 132K miles started doing the same thing but the bind is significant. I just finished sending a OPM to apexman about it, then saw your post. I'm going to see if I can do what you did, please update the thread like in a month and let us know if it continues to work or if R/R is necessary. Thanks for your post.

 

You're welcome hope it works out. So far so good, the clutch pedal action is still smooth with no current plans to R/R the clutch. I'll give an update at the end of the month.

The rig we made was a hobby syringe with about two feet of small diameter thin wall tubing pressed on the end of the syringe. On the business end of the tubing I taped a small diameter wood dowel so I could direct the tubing inside the bell housing. With my brother holding in the clutch and my Dad holding a flashlight I was just able to see the end of the shift fork and direct the end of the rig to put a few drops of synthetic oil on each point.

A few observations:

I took out the intake, battery tray, and unbolted the hydraulic line bracket on the transmission to get as much access and slack in the line as possible.

As soon as you unbolt the slave cylinder the push rod will extend all the way. Mine didn't pop out and I was able to push it back in with no damage after I opened the master cylinder reservoir cap. Also scrape off all the grease on the end of the slave cylinder push rod and transfer it to the push rod friction point on the fork so you will not have as big of a greasy mess like I did pushing the rod back in.

The boot is made with a slit I assume so you can manipulate the push rod and fork with everything assembled. That's what I did anyway. Make note of how the little flaps of the slit overlap and make sure you orient them the same way when you are done. I assume they help keep water from splashing into the bell housing.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

i'll hold off answering your pm to see how it goes...

 

My creak started a month ago and when it stopped the binding started. It will be interesting to see if you develop the same problem. I hope not.

 

My bind problem got significantly worse, 4-5 seconds for the pedal to return and I decided to take it to a shop that did a great job on my truck clutch replacement. He finally was able to get it in and put it on a lift. He took the lower inspection plate off of the bellhousing and showed me clutch residue discoloring in the bellhousing indicating need for a new clutch. The binding probably indicates that the release bearing or pressure plate pawls are toast. I had just decided my pal and I could do the whole clutch replacement but I really don't feel like that size pain in the ass right now so I'm letting the shop do the replacement. He always displays the parts he removes so I'll provide photos.

 

Sorry things got worse for you. Thankfully my clutch is still smooth and noise free. I may schedule a r/r for the clutch in the fall. Knowing my luck the clutch will act up in the middle of winter and working outdoors during the winter on a repair like this is no fun and I'd rather not have a shop do it if possible. Curious to see the photos.

 

sorry to hear about the answer, but glad to hear its getting fixed

 

Last update. With new clutch it still stuck. I replaced the master and slave and refilled and bled it. Not much better. Put my power bleeder on it to be sure and after a thorough bleed I discovered I had done so with the clutch pedal to the floor. But after I pulled it back up it works like new. Go figure.