clutch pedal sticking

[rocketman]

Hello folks! My '89 Accord DX 4-dr 5-speed clutch pedal sticks on start-up. Specifically . . . you have to push the pedal to the floor to start it (always has been that way) but after it starts, the pedal stays on the floor. I pull it away from the floorboards with my foot and then it drives normally, no issues with the clutch or transmission whatsoever. Since this is NOT a hydraulic clutch I'm assuming that somewhere along the cable I need some lube. Anybody have this problem before? Anybody have a solution? BTW, my accord has 530,000 miles on it, original clutch. Rocketman

[alberto]

Daaaaaaaam 530K do you go to the moon or just love that car man , but hey I my self am having some trouble mine is getting stuck but some times is not going in to reverse but eventually it does, and the other day on the freeway no 5th gear for about a mile Oh and yes it gets stuck if let's say I am more than 1 minute at the red light with my foot on the pedal and then let go it takes about a second and then it pop's out. But sorry man no help just a fellow frustrated and I though you would understand.

[rocketman]

530,000 isn't too bad for a car that's almost 22 years old. When I got it I was driving a lot more . . . about 40k a year, for the first 5 years or so (work related). Afterwards I just drove "normal" about 20k a year or so. Original clutch . . . several exhausts, brakes, oil changes, a carb, valve stem seals, alternator, wires, some suspension work, tires, . . . just normal stuff. The car was paid-off in 1992 . . . original cost was (I think) around $10k. Good maintenance, reasonable driving habits, along with luck. Doesn't owe me a dime. Rocketman

[Dr_Snooz]

Probably need to replace the clutch cable. Or your clutch fork is having some trouble. I'm skeptical about the original clutch claim, but if it is, it's probably getting around time for a new one.

[rocketman]

No bull . . . original clutch. I'm a careful driver, never replaced a clutch in any vehicle due to wear. I pay attention to what's going on with the car when I'm driving . . . engine warm-up/cool-down . . . braking . . . suspension . . . my wife says I'm a PIA, but I like to know how stuff works and then use it (like a car) appropriately. For example . . . in 2005 I bought a new RX-8. I read as much as I could about it, but unsatisfied I bought one of those "clear" model motors of the MAzda rotary, just to see how stuff works. PIA? Rocketman

[wh1skea]

Probably need to replace the clutch cable. Or your clutch fork is having some trouble. I'm skeptical about the original clutch claim, but if it is, it's probably getting around time for a new one.

Sounds to me that the OP bough his 3gee new.

530,000 isn't too bad for a car that's almost 22 years old. When I got it I was driving a lot more . . . about 40k a year, for the first 5 years or so (work related). Afterwards I just drove "normal" about 20k a year or so. Original clutch . . . several exhausts, brakes, oil changes, a carb, valve stem seals, alternator, wires, some suspension work, tires, . . . just normal stuff. The car was paid-off in 1992 . . . original cost was (I think) around $10k. Good maintenance, reasonable driving habits, along with luck. Doesn't owe me a dime. Rocketman

[rocketman]

Yep . . . I bought it new the end of August 1989. Only driver. Rocketman

[Dr_Snooz]

It is rare for a clutch to last more than 200,000 miles. More than double that is just hard for me to believe. If your house is a block from the freeway and you commute by freeway 200 miles to work, then maybe. It's like someone coming on here saying their A20 puts out 1000 HP. It's possible, theoretically, but I'd still want to see the dyno results.

By a half million miles, most guys have gone through a few clutches and lost some clutch parts along the way. We've had clutch forks break, cables break and so forth. I think someone even broke a friction disk on here once. If it's still the original clutch then kudos to you for ultra-careful driving. I would still be looking in that area for the problem. That's an awfully long time for a clutch to live. You might still have some friction material left but that doesn't mean the clutch fork isn't having issues or the return spring isn't broken or the cable isn't sticky. Let us know what you learn.