Clutch pedal adjustment

zeppelin2

Senior Member
Joined
May 7, 2019
Threads
13
Messages
70
Reaction score
31
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
Honda Civic Type R
Country flag
I'm reading through the clutch pedal adjustment procedure outlined in the service manual and find it very confusing. Can anyone shine some light on the following instructions?

(See the images below for reference.)

Step 2: "Pull the clutch pedal by hand"

Why does it need to be pulled? Won't the clutch pedal rest at its highest position when the pedal adjusting bolt is unscrewed and no longer touches the clutch pedal?​

Step 4: "Make sure the clutch pedal height did not change"

It just said to screw the pedal adjusting bolt 3/4 to 1 full turn past the point where it touches the clutch pedal. How does that not change (i.e. reduce) the height of the clutch pedal?​

Step 7: "To the floor on the tab without the insulation"

Pulled back the carpet in my car. Both of 'em. I see no tab!​

Step 8: "Measure the clutch pedal disengagement height"

Isn't this the "engagement" height they're showing? As in the point at which the clutch starts to re-engage as you bring the pedal up from the floor. Unless they're saying the point at which the clutch is fully disengaged. (Side note: how do you even measure this?)​

Step 10: "Remove the clutch pedal assembly"

Why? You can easily make this measurement with the clutch pedal intact by using the center of the locking bolt (that goes the hole pictured on the right side of "A").​


Thank you kindly.

Honda Civic 10th gen Clutch pedal adjustment 1
Honda Civic 10th gen Clutch pedal adjustment 2
Honda Civic 10th gen Clutch pedal adjustment 3
 
Last edited:

elmerzasty

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2018
Threads
8
Messages
166
Reaction score
106
Location
Poland
Vehicle(s)
FK8
Country flag
Could you provide some background as to why you are doing this and what you are trying to achieve? Parts failed/replaced or trying to raise the pedal to avoid gear grinds?
 
OP
OP
zeppelin2

zeppelin2

Senior Member
Joined
May 7, 2019
Threads
13
Messages
70
Reaction score
31
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
Honda Civic Type R
Country flag
Could you provide some background as to why you are doing this and what you are trying to achieve? Parts failed/replaced or trying to raise the pedal to avoid gear grinds?
For sure! It's indeed part of my troubleshooting after having experienced many second-gear grinds.

I've experimented with various positions of the clutch pedal stopping bolt and clutch master cylinder rod over the last year or so. It's certainly had a direct impact on the grinds, to the point where most adjustments (that either reduced pedal free play and/or in combination with increased pedal stroke) resulted in no more grinds.

Why didn't I stop there and call it a day, you ask? Well, many of the adjustments made the clutch feel "off" from what I'm used to. And some of the adjustments resulted in shifts that didn't feel smooth or would snag and not fully go into gear.

So before I start another round of adjustments, I'd like to compare my current settings with what Honda recommends in the manual. And then try these recommended settings.
 
Last edited:

elmerzasty

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2018
Threads
8
Messages
166
Reaction score
106
Location
Poland
Vehicle(s)
FK8
Country flag
Yeah, clutch adjustment goes a long way to improve shifting quality.

As to your questions, I can only offer my guesses:

I suppose that Honda wants you to pull the pedal to pull any remaining slack from the assembly. The 3/4 to 1 turn after making contact with the pedal is probably supposed to cancel some of the free play (IIRC there is a rubber dampener there). The reason they want you to remove the clutch pedal assembly is probably because of the accuracy desired in the measurement of the CMC pushrod.

That being said, I believe that the whole procedure is flawed and/or the tolerances allowed by Honda on those measurements are too big, because simply raising the clutch pedal and extending the CMC pushrod accordingly (from the way it is setup from the factory) makes shifting a lot better.
 
OP
OP
zeppelin2

zeppelin2

Senior Member
Joined
May 7, 2019
Threads
13
Messages
70
Reaction score
31
Location
Canada
Vehicle(s)
Honda Civic Type R
Country flag
Step 7: "To the floor on the tab without the insulation"

Pulled back the carpet in my car. Both of 'em. I see no tab!​
I found the tab! In case anyone else is wondering, here it is:

Honda Civic 10th gen Clutch pedal adjustment IMG_20201212_162958


On my 2019 Civic Type R, the carpet was already cut around the tab and all I had to do was pull the little carpet door to the right to expose the tab. This is the tab used as reference for measuring the clutch height and clutch disengagement height.

In the photo above, there was a black plastic cover behind the brake that I removed. It comes out easily with some light pulling as it's held in by two push tabs. You shouldn't actually need to remove it to get access but I already had it off while searching under the carpet for the tab.
 


RepyT

Almost Stock ā€˜19 R on 255/35-19ā€
First Name
Dave
Joined
Oct 14, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
1,784
Reaction score
2,177
Location
Destin, FL
Vehicle(s)
2019 Civic Type R FK8, 2017 Lexus GX460 Luxury
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
You guys are all way beyond my level. My car simply went in for warranty service to fix occasional grinds up shifting 1st-2nd and high gate force/blocked downshifts 5th to 4th. These were the only symptoms, d/s occurred more than u/s but both intermittent.

Based on the experience lead tech has, it was supposedly (per service writer) adjusted more toward the 115mm side of the range vs center of it. I donā€™t know why or how much they pulled out/apart.

Looking at step 9A, isnā€™t range/tolerance 125-135mm? Mine was 20mm out at 155mm, I never touched it, first dealer might have if not understanding procedure. Itā€™s ok now.

I can say clutch feel has changed in that there is less play and that feel results in effortless shifts and thus far (under 100 miles at posting) no grinds.

Sorry I canā€™t offer more on tech discussion in progress. My flow chart starts with...

Does the dang thing work? If yes, donā€™t mess with it or ask more than three questions (sort of like the three genie lamp wishes?) so I didnā€™t want to push the envelope, just the clutch.
?
 
Last edited:

Lust

Senior Member
First Name
Michael
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Threads
16
Messages
1,411
Reaction score
1,774
Location
Bay Area
Vehicle(s)
2019 Champ White Type R
Country flag
You guys are all way beyond my level. My car simply went in for warranty service to fix occasional grinds up shifting 1st-2nd and high gate force/blocked downshifts 5th to 4th. These were the only symptoms, d/s occurred more than u/s but both intermittent.

Based on the experience lead tech has, it was supposedly (per service writer) adjusted more toward the 115mm side of the range vs center of it. I donā€™t know why or how much they pulled out/apart.

Looking at step 9A, isnā€™t range/tolerance 125-135mm? Mine was 20mm out at 155mm, I never touched it, first dealer might have if not understanding procedure. Itā€™s ok now.

I can say clutch feel has changed in that there is less play and that feel results in effortless shifts and thus far (under 100 miles at posting) no grinds.

Sorry I canā€™t offer more on tech discussion in progress. My flow chart starts with...

Does the dang thing work? If yes, donā€™t mess with it or ask more than three questions (sort of like the three genie lamp wishes?) so I didnā€™t want to push the envelope, just the clutch.
?
This further proves my claim / theory that these cars come with poorly adjusted clutch pedals from factory
 

RepyT

Almost Stock ā€˜19 R on 255/35-19ā€
First Name
Dave
Joined
Oct 14, 2019
Threads
1
Messages
1,784
Reaction score
2,177
Location
Destin, FL
Vehicle(s)
2019 Civic Type R FK8, 2017 Lexus GX460 Luxury
Vehicle Showcase
1
Country flag
This further proves my claim / theory that these cars come with poorly adjusted clutch pedals from factory
Built in UK, our clutch is their brake so what do you expect, LOL? Maybe all clutches are adjusted to brake pedal tolerances?
Just kidding but these days itā€™s more functional than spec related during prep inspections. More pencil whipping is common but not accusing, just suspecting lots of issues adj vs gear related too.

Hmmm, why with 1,111 messages (including this one) do I show up as NEW?
 

Redman920

Senior Member
First Name
Dustin
Joined
Dec 9, 2021
Threads
26
Messages
99
Reaction score
39
Location
Green bay wi
Vehicle(s)
2017 civic si coupe
Vehicle Showcase
2
Country flag
So what has been the best length for the cmc rod that everyone has found. I just did a xclutch organic clutch and want to make sure I have a good adjust to not fry my clutch right away šŸ˜…
Sponsored

 


 


Top