Acura RSX / Civic Si (K-Series) Clutch Replacement

Leave the engine off for the entire procedure; never run the motor while performing transmission work. Loosen the front lug nuts, then lift the front of the car as high as your equipment safely allows and set it on rated jack stands, because you will spend most of the job working underneath. Give yourself enough height to slide the transmission out and to reach up around the front of the engine. Chock the rear wheels before going under.

Before disturbing any mounts or the subframe, take the drivetrain's weight with an engine support bar or crossbeam resting on the strut towers, or a hoist. The engine must stay held in position once the mounts and subframe come loose, otherwise it can drop and damage lines, the radiator, or you. Keep a transmission jack ready to cradle the gearbox separately.

Drain the transmission fluid. To create room, separate the front lower ball joints so the subframe can come down while the knuckles remain bolted to the struts; this keeps the suspension geometry intact and makes reinstallation and alignment far easier than pulling the whole knuckle assemblies. Pull the axles out of the transmission. Support the subframe, remove its hardware, and lower it enough to expose the underside of the engine and transmission.

One bolt that ties the starter and bellhousing to the block sits against a bracket and points the opposite way from the others, so it hides behind a bar bolted near the intake. Approach it from beneath the car, in front of the engine and above the front mount: remove the bracket and its wiring harness, then work the bolt out by feel with a 10mm socket on a swivel/elbow adapter. You will not see it directly. One member reported having to remove the intake manifold to clear it, but others confirmed it comes out from underneath once the bracket is off, so try the underneath route first.

Disconnect the starter, the shift linkage and shift cables, the reverse and speed sensor connectors, the clutch slave cylinder (leave the hydraulic line attached and hang it aside), and any ground straps or brackets spanning the engine and transmission. Then remove the rest of the bellhousing bolts around the perimeter, keeping track of each bolt's length and location.

With all fasteners out, lower the engine a small amount on the support so the transmission clears the frame and body, then draw the gearbox straight off the input shaft. It must slide off level so the shaft releases cleanly from the clutch disc. Set the transmission down safely and inspect the release bearing and fork.

The pressure-plate bolts are stubborn and the flywheel spins as you push on them. Wedge a flat-blade screwdriver into the cast locating notch between the flywheel and the block so the assembly cannot rotate, then break each bolt loose evenly in a crossing pattern. Lift off the pressure plate and the friction disc, noting which face pointed outward.

Check the flywheel friction surface for scoring, heat cracks, or hot spots and have it resurfaced or replaced if needed. Fit the new friction disc with the correct side facing out, hold it centered with a clutch alignment tool, then set the pressure plate over the dowels. Snug the bolts in a star pattern and torque them evenly to the clutch or factory specification. Apply only a light film of grease to the release bearing contact points and input-shaft splines.

Mate the transmission to the engine, guiding the input shaft through the disc without hanging its weight on the shaft, and start the bellhousing bolts by hand before tightening. Reinstall the starter, slave cylinder, linkage, harness, brackets, and the hidden bolt. Reverse the earlier steps to raise the subframe, reconnect the ball joints, and reinstall the axles. Because access is already open, this is the moment to fit fresh engine and transmission mounts.

Refill the transmission with the correct manual transmission fluid to the proper level, reconnect any remaining connectors, and confirm the clutch slave cylinder and pedal feel firm, bleeding the hydraulics if the pedal is soft. Torque the lug nuts, lower the car, and test the clutch through all gears at low speed before driving normally.