Hi guys. Forgive me for my technical ignorance - I'm a 20 year old girl and I really don't know much of anything about cars, so please don't be condescending.

I drive a manual transmission 1991 civic with about 175,000 miles on it. I had no problems up until late this past summer, when the muffler suddenly fell off (I tied it up with a clotheshanger). I would have gotten it replaced, except then I started having problems with the clutch, which I decided was more important - so I had it replaced last week at a local shop, along with the flywheel.

I picked it up a few days ago and haven't had any problems until tonight. As I was driving in heavy stop-and-go traffic on the highway, my car started sputtering and even stalling when transitioning into first, second, and third gears. At first, I thought my driving was just rusty since I've never driven on a brand-new clutch, but no matter how carefully I change gears, the sputtering continues. I'm not sure how to describe this, but it almost feels like my car is lurching forward a little bit from the back half. When I accelerate drastically as I change gears, it doesn't seem to happen - only when I accelerate a normal amount.

Am I simply changing gears incorrectly, or could something have gone wrong when the clutch/flywheel were replaced? I'm hesitant to think it's my driving, since it didn't happen in the first few days of driving on the new clutch - only tonight. But I'd be relieved to hear that that's all it is, too.

Thanks a lot.

 

whens the last time you had a tune up?
(spark plugs, spark plug wires, fuel filter, distributor cap and rotor,)

 

Definitely not in the last year. I've heard sparkplugs can cause stuff like this - is that something I should ask about?

 

yes i suggest getting a tune up first,

 

Check that all the spark plug wires are fully pushed onto where they connect. Don't unplug more than one wire at a time because if they are not connected to the correct sockets on the cap the engine will not start. Open the hood with the engine idling in the dark and see if any sparks are jumping around on the cap or wires.

You may need to adjust the clutch cable for proper action. When you start off in first, the car should start to move with the clutch pedal about halfway up, not right at the bottom or all the way at the top. Also the pedal should be real easy to press the first 3/4 inch or so and then it would start to act on the clutch. The pedal action is adjusted with the plastic nut on the cable on the front of the transmission. This is the cable that goes across the top of the engine and through the firewall to connect to the clutch pedal.

 

Thanks for all the help. I'm going to speak with my mechanic next week about it and ask especially about the sparkplugs. I've noticed that in first gear, even with the clutch fully depressed, when I press on the gas just a little bit the stuttering still happens - which I think would mean that it's not my sloppy driving.

One final thing I've noticed: sometimes, when I'm idling in neutral, I feel slight stutters a few seconds apart. It feels almost as though a nearby car has heavy bass pounding, but it's definitely coming from my car. I'm assuming that's related to the problems I'm already having.