Lots of hydraulic clutch problems with my 1996 Honda Accord

[Condor]

Dear Experts,

I have a 1996 Honda Accord
2.2 VTEC motor
Manual 5 speed shift
About 253K miles

The clutch plate between the motor and transmission is still original.
Not bad.

But the master and slave hydraulic cylinders
have been changed multiple times.

The symptom is that the clutch pedal will only
engage close to the floor. When it gets really bad, I
have to put my toe under the pedal and pull the pedal
back up.

The last time the master and slave cylinders were
changed was about 2 years ago. But it
took five tows to the shop that year.
First just the master. Then the slave.
Then, one of them got fixed on warranty.
Sigh.

It happened again recently. So, I immediately
took it to the same transmission repair shop
that I had before.

They wanted to use OEM parts from Honda.
But they are multiples more expensive.
So, I said to use aftermarket.
Unfortunately, the only use one supplier.
They won’t use NAPA, or any other store.

They told me that they had a lot of trouble
bleeding the system. Apparently, 6 hours of work.
They kept it into the next day.

Yesterday, I got the car back.
Immediately, the clutch pedal was down near
the floor again. I assumed that they hadn’t
adjusted the free play, and gave them a call
to tell them. They said to bring it back
after their backlog.

I drove the car for an errand later that night.

Then, today, I went to drive it again.

This time, I could start the engine.

But the clutch pedal went all the way to the floor and
would not return. Again, I had to lift the pedal
with my toe. Sigh.

I’m actually convinced that the original design of these
components is bad. Dorman, will make some of their
after market components (window regulator) better than
the original, and you can see the difference.
But every component that I’ve looked at online, all
look the same. No over or re engineering.

Questions:

When the pedal goes to the floor, won’t return,
and I need to use my toe, which cylinder is
the culprit? The master or slave?

Is it possible to get a break in the hydraulic lines?
Other than the master and slave cylinders,
what are the other parts in the line that might fail?

Is there a machine that is used to test or bleed the system
that should be used?

Is OEM that much better than after market?

Any other ideas?

Thanks a lot!

Topic

[Antonio Johnson]

Im having the same exact problem. Still searching for the answer.

[Author]

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