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i-DTEC Clutch Slip

apintofmild

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Yorkshire
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Golf GTD
For the past 3 weeks or so I've been getting symptoms I can only put down to a slipping clutch. The rev counter rises normally, jumps up a bit then falls back down without a corresponding change in road speed (or wheel spin!). Mostly under acceleration in 4th and 5th (occasionally in 3rd and 6th), between about 2.2K and 2.7K revs (I presume when the turbo comes in).

I thought I could live with it for a bit as I'm a fairly sedate driver and don't often boot it, but it seems to be getting worse. Or perhaps I'm just noticing it more. Or pushing it a bit to see if it's still there :blink:

I've read half a dozen threads on here, and a few elsewhere, that reckon that although i-DTEC setup is better than the i-CTDi one it's still not beyond failure.

What is disappointing is the car hasn't yet reached 50K miles :unsure:

It may just be one of those things, or perhaps one of the previous owners has battered it -luck of the draw with a used car I guess.

Am I missing anything? Could it be something (i.e. less expensive) than a new clutch? There doesn't appear to be anything restricting the pedal (like the cruise release switch) -there's a few mm of free pedal travel before the master cylinder actually starts moving. As an aside, what's the second switch for? There's one near the bottom (cruise release?) and a second higher up inside the pedal box? The lower one detects start of travel, and the other (I think) fully depressed.

ClutchSwitches_zps9zjmsy0k.jpg


This is way beyond my DIY capability. The consensus seems to be that if I want it done right first time it's a main dealer job, or can anyone recommend an alternative that can do a decent job for appreciably less cash? I've not dared ring for a price yet...
 
Sounds like clutch slip mate. My mechanic charges £250 labour on these if that gives you an idea..
 
So I thought I'd post an update, and possibly a glimmer of hope, for anyone else with an 8th Gen diesel whose clutch appears to be letting go. I'm not suggesting it's a common issue, but even at a relatively low mileage it has happened to a few of us (do a search on TA).

I first noticed something odd on 10/08/15 (45993 miles). Just a slight hesitation when accelerating hard from a 30mph average speed camera stretch on the motorway when the roadworks finished.
Over the following days and weeks the effect was more pronounced and more frequent. The rev counter would momentarily pull away without a corresponding increase in speed. Something was slipping, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the tyres on the road, leaving only the clutch as culprit.

Early on it I thought I could live with it for months, if not years, with careful driving. However the over the next 4 weeks the symptoms went from 'occasional' under hard acceleration in 4th to 'often' under moderate acceleration in 4th and 5th to 'frequent' under gentle acceleration in 3rd, 4th, 5th and sometimes 6th :-(

I had presumed I'd have had ages to plan my repairs and seek the best balance between cost, hassle and reliability by looking at independent fitters. Given the rapid deterioration I couldn't risk the car letting me down and booked it in at the local dealer. Owing to to time of year (letter change on new cars) they were pretty busy and it would be a week or two before they could fit me in.

I was told the clutch would be a fixed price £650 (not sure if that was plus VAT or not). If the DMF wasn't serviceable it would be at least double that (though they wouldn't know that until the gearbox was off). They did day that sometimes (not necessarily on an 8th Gen Accord) if not too badly damaged they could get the flywheel skimmed by a local engineering firm at a cost of around £150 to save the cost of replacement. I have to admit I was a little puzzled by this. As a purely engineering solution it would make sense, but not for a main dealer who can just fit new warrantied parts and pass the cost to the customer without any comebacks.

Exactly a month and a little over 1000 miles after the first slip (11/09/15 47183 miles to be exact) something changed. I was driving home from work, stuck in a long line of traffic behind a tractor. Each car in the queue passed as their turn came. When I was next I floored it to allow the cars behind me to take advantage of the long gap in oncoming traffic. My eyes were on the road, not the clocks, but I could tell from the engine note things were not going well clutch wise.

I've read (but do not fully understand) about the self adjusting mechanism and its occasional sluggish performance. I think possibly the extended slip of the tractor overtake caused something to move as since that day (touch wood) it hasn't slipped once -even when pushed.

It's now November and I'm on 50K, so that's almost 3000 miles of slip free driving. I cancelled my appointment with Honda. I can't justify a costly repair if the fault isn't on when I drop it off. How would I know if the work accomplished anything? I'm well aware the symptoms may return. If and when they do I'll get a new clutch, but until then I'll stick with what I've got.

The moral to the story is, don't be too hasty about booking your car in. Whilst driving for too long with a slipping clutch may cost you a DMF that an early replacement wouldn't, not getting it done at all may be the cheapest option. For a while at least ;-)
 
I read aa fair bit on this. It's almost certainly the self adjusting mechanism that caused the issue.
There's a video somewhere on YouTube explaining how it works.
Dealers are often just plain lazy, or don't understand the tech on the cars they sell or just tell you whatever puts money in their tills.
 
One final update on this thread:

Back in June with almost exactly 60K on the slippage began to creep back.
If I'd left it it may have gone away again (I'd already squeezed another 10 months / 15K miles), but I'd had enough and bit the bullet and went to Honda.
They fitted a new clutch, but said the flywheel didn't need to be replaced.
It's been slip free since (7K miles so far).
 
Glad it's finally sorted for you. Slipping clutch can ruin a flywheel, where it changes the metallurgy of the disc through hotspots so skimming won't always help.

Sometimes a couple clutch dumps in third followed by a steady drive can stop a slipping clutch....try at your own risk.
 
Hi all,

I am probably having the same issue on my 2011 Honda Accord 2.2 icdti 180ps, but it started only after a local Honda dealership changed the clutch and, one month later, also the dual flywheel.

Same symptoms like Matt wrote above.

Besides, I noticed this behaviour from 60kms/h accelerating with the throttle pedal on the floor, from 3rd gear up. No issues in 1st and 2nd gear.

The Honda dealership involved two so-called clutch experts, who told the clutch is perfectly fine; they suggested, on the other hand, that it might be a kind of fault related to the wastegate valve releasing the pressure of the turbo.

Can you guys provide me with some advice?

Thanks
Matteo
 
If your revs are rising and your not increasing in speed the its clutch slip for whatever reason, clutch, flywheel, mainseal etc.

Would be taking it back to them and dont let them fob you off.
 
Hi Sal,

thanks for the reply: in your opinion, then, the waste gate valve has nothing to do with the slipping please?
 
I didn't think the iDTEC turbo had a wastegate? Isn't boost controlled by variable nozzle technology same as on the i-CTDi?

Either way, I agree with the Salim's post... if the relationship between revs and speed is varying then the clutch must be slipping. And I can't see how turbo boost could cause similar symptoms.
 
Hi all. I too have started getting the clutch slipping at 2.7 to just over 3000 rpm. I now have 135000 miles on the clock. When I bought the car it had 65,000miles on it and at 90,000 I had to get the clutch replaced due to it slipping badly.
The main problem I have is no one wanted to touch the car, and anywhere I went I got the same answer. Honda had made a tool for removing the clutch and no one want to spend the 600 pounds for that tool. So 8n the end I had to go to the dealer. 580 quid later for a new clutch I was told. So bit the bullet and put her in, only to get a phone call the next day saying the flywheel needed replaced too.
OK so 1150 quid later new clutch and fly wheel. Now am not a hard driver nor do I horse the car around but now she 8s starting to do the same.
Could it be the self adjuster as I don't fancy paying another 1100 quid for a job to last 40,000 miles.
Or can any of you suggest a mechanic in Northern Ireland that specialises in Honda.
 
Sorry to hear that. Personally I dont think you need a clutch setting tool unless you make a mistake installing it and have to redo it. The LUK clutches come pre tensioned.
 
Could be the self adjusting mechanism is ready to click to the next part of its range and will then sort itself. 1100 for both clutch and flywheel from dealer is a good price as the flywheel is almost 1500 on its own.
The type s clutch is stronger and is a straight swap the flywheel for the standard 150hp and type s is the same part but the standard clutch should be lasting more than 40,000 if not driven hard
 
Thanks guys. I don't drive her hard so this is the frustrating part. Hopefully it is the adjuster. I aska guy in work who does a bit of work on engines. He said to ut the hand brake on and try and move off to see if it slips. She didn't, I've even tried horsing her on 1st and 2nd she ulls like a train but in 3rd and 4th when the turbo kicks in, providing I'm right on the power, she slips and then engages again.
 
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