When I press in my clutch, it doesn't feel like it engages until the very end of the pedal. It's like the pedal got shorter all of a sudden. Real short. This happened after I did kind of a high launch. Is the clutch shot?

 

You may have broken your clutch fork. You also could have warped your flywheel.

If you want to make sure it's not the hydraulics first, call one of your friends over to push the clutch pedal while you're under your front bumper looking at the slave cylinder. Tell your friend to push it only an inch. If the slave doesn't move at all until he's got it near the floor, it's your hydraulics, and it may be able to be adjusted. If it moves with slight pedal pressure, but at the slave there's a lot of slop at the engagement point, then it's probably the fork.

If all your hydraulics check out fine, the fork is where where I'd look next. Unfortunately, you have to pull the tranny to get a better look at it.

If it's not the hydraulics, replace your clutch. To fix the fork or the flywheel, you have to do every bit of labor as if you were doing a clutch job. Replace your pilot and throw-out bearings as well, and you probably won't have to go back in there again for quite a while. The clutch parts are cheap (unless you buy a really good clutch like ACT), but the labor's the killer.

And before this turns into a "should I get a lightweight flywheel" thread, my opinion on that is a resounding "no". Street-driven Hondas don't need it, and don't really reap the benefits of it. It's pointless in drag racing because it slows down your 60' time, and increases the likelihood of bogging. Your car will be harder to launch from a stop. Unless you auto-cross frequently, forget it. Save your money. The factory one is already like a frikkin' frisbee compared to just about any other import.

 

bahahaha

once again, Jafro :bowdown:

 

I was always told that a lighter flywheel helps 60ft times, because it reduced bogging! why does it cause bogging?

 

Well, I did another high rpm launch, and it made the clutch go back to normal, with the normal pedal feel. Weird as hell.

 

Because honda internals don't weigh a thing. The flywheel is the only thing maintaining your engine's momentum when you start to slip the clutch. The heavier the flywheel is, the more momentum it carries. Friction will slow it down less as you engage the clutch to make the car move.

Honda engines don't really make much torque until you get them wound up, usually past the point where you're staging for a launch. On the street, you're not going to be drag launching everywhere, you're going to be babying it around at part throttle under your torque curve. That momentum is really a good thing to have in those conditions when you're only making 100-140 whp so you can maintain a decent level of driving comfort. If you have the torque to push your car without the flywheel's help, then go for it, but the majority of Hondas don't need to lose any weight from the flywheel unless they're totally worked and purpose built.

 

Check the fluid in your clutch reservoir. That could have done it, too.

 

It went back to having that super short feel again, after sitting for a day.

 

I bet it's the fork. Do the test I mentioned above, and then try to wiggle the fork around by hand. Let me know what you find.

 

Well, I checked the clutch fluid, and it is low to the point where it wasn't entering the hose anymore. I filled it up with brake fluid, and I pumped the clutch a bunch, and it would bubble a little, but the clutch would still feel super short.