]Hello honda aficionados ,
I have a 1992 honda accord- it's four doors and five speed manual transmission. Recently I started noticing the car was having a hard time kicking up the speed when going in 4th or 5th gear, making it hard to merge onto the highway in an efficient manner, and just did not want to go faster than 70 which was hard to get up to in the first place. The RPM's would be elevating significantly and the engine sounded very stressed- it felt like i was trying to accelerate from a low speed in a too high gear- giving lots of gas to no effect. I noticed it was having marked trouble when in cruise control trying to maintain the set speed if it started lagging. it sounded like the engine was going to blow!

I then noticed it was having significant trouble going uphill also, even slight inclines but especially one steep hill I thought I was going to roll back! It gets around the city OK in gear 1-3 but is pretty slow to get get going from a stop now, most so when I first shift to second gear.

Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I've tried to read through threads already established and do web searches but i'm getting a lot of mixed ideas. Just wondering if someone might now more specifically what this could be... (and how much it's going to cost to fix!)

Thanks much[/FONT]!

 

Slipping clutch? Does the engine RPM rise without the car's road-speed coming up to match?

 

It is clutch time on the poor girl. The job is not that bad to do. Done several of them. She will feel and drive like a new car when you are done. Can be pricey to have the dealship do it, but a good trusted mechanic can do pretty reasonably. However, it is a fun do-it-yourself project. No special tools are required but having the car raised and in a garage with ability to put a come-along on the engine to support it when the motor mounts are released is vital. I am a true do-it-yourself mechanic. Once I buy a car, it never sees the inside of a dealerships garage. I would die first.

 

Thanks for the words of wisdom. I have always drove a stick and have had to replace a clutch (or two maybe) before but I don't ever recall this problem, but I'm sure a clutch can go bad for several reasons. I can say that i haven't sensed any difference in the pressure or function of the clutch, but maybe when it's having these acceleration issues, it kind of feels like the clutch is somewhat depressed still (although it's not), therefor not letting all the gas into the engine? Like if i weren't to let up on the clutch much after shifting to a higher gear. This is sort of hard to describe so i hope it makes a little sense. although i don't sense a problem with the clutch, it could be preventing the car from engaging into the gear the right way?
Hmmmm that is making a little sense to me. the car is behaving as though i were traveling along in 4th gear let's say and i suddenly just depress the clutch while still giving the same amount of gas the RPMs would rev up a lot but wouldn't make the car go any faster

Yes, the RPM's on the highway went nutso when old car was trying to keep up with the set cruise control speed after slowing down. Also going uphill major stress.

Don't worry i would never set foot inside a dealership either bought my old honda for a great price from a sweet old man and i go to a mechanic I actually trust very much. I guess the question is will this be a big problem soon? Do I have time before it needs fixing? I guess I just don't have alot of $ right now for car repairs, and it's an old car kind of on her way out anyway. but i certainly don't want to be stranded somewhere.

Thanks again for your replies!

 

You're right, a clutch can go bad for different reasons. But your description sounds like a worn, slipping clutch. As far as the slipping & RPM is concerned, it's exactly the same as if you were pressing down partway on the clutch pedal.

The clutch disk gets thinner & thinner (like brake pads wearing out). As this happens, the hydraulic system auto-adjusts until it runs out of stroke. The pressure plate runs out of motion but the clutch disk isn't clamped tightly in the flywheel.

It'll get worse sorta quickly, so it all depends on how many miles you drive & how you nurse it along. I'd quickly start saving for a clutch. The transmission has to be removed so it's not real cheap. People have done it at home, including me. But personally I've never done it on a Honda (only Datsun, VW, Saab). Wrestling the trans out the bottom is always gonna be awkward, but the details will be different.

 

Oh boy- yeah I have been just driving the old thing slowly around the city, nursing it if you will (I live in chicago so the need to go any faster than 35mph on city streets is not a concern). So, if it's not going to crap out immediately I would probably delay getting it fixed until I can afford it or it's absolutely necessary.

It will be a hard to call to know whether to invest in fixing this or sadly say goodbye and start saving for a new auto.

Does anyone know how much a 92' accord might be worth if I were to sell it? (i know this is off topic). i wouldn't be expecting much of course, just wondering what it may be worth to someone who likes old hondas

Thanks!!

 

Probably have to try kbb dot com & edmunds dot com. Even someone who really likes 4th-gen Accords will try to use that as a guide so they don't pay too much.