Car Forum World

How much is a new clutch for a 99', acura integra? How frequently do you usually have to change it?

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 due to form 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 couldn't be used and that was a big problem when it came time to remount it. usually there's a have 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 really strained a muscle in my face to get it lined up it hurt many days. another complication we had a devil of a time to get the pilot bearing out till we realized it came out the back side of the flywheel. The flywheel has to come off, then it's easy.



His clutch wasn't slipping, but it made a grinding sound when the clutch pedal has been depressed in gear. One of the springs had worn through the cage and scraped on the flywheel or pressure plate. That looks to be a pretty common failure mode for Acura clutches.

It',s a hydraulic clutch so it',ll become very hard to shift while the engine is on although you could still move from gear to gear when the engine is off.



If you',re to get close to 120,000 miles, it could be a smart 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 could charge you for it, I think you may be able to get one for about $170 on the Internet. be sure, it',s the kit and not just the clutch because while it',s all open, you may a well change out the pressure plate too.



It',s a smart idea to go to a mechanic that specializes in transmissions as it',s all 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 1st has been changed sometime after 125,000 miles but there was no warning of it going out. My last car was an 88 Civic Si which has a cable clutch so I expected some warning but this hydraulic clutch was literally one day it was normal and the next it was almost 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 to get a racing clutch, they',re harder to shift with and they wear out lots faster.



What really wears the clutch out is feathering it for low speed control like creeping around a parking lot or inching up in stopped traffic. With a regular 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 lots but unless you',re street racing, it',s the slow speed stuff that does your clutch in.

Clutches don',t have to be changed till 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'll 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.