Hi, I have a 88 Civic DX 5spd. yesterday took it on a 500k road trip, now it pops out of 5th gear every 5 seconds or so, not sure if anyone has had this prob. Called my brother and he said maybe it needs a clutch adjustment he said look for the big cable going to the tranny and there's a dial on it turn it counter clockwise, well I can't find the dam thing, anyone have a pic or could tell me where it is? I don't have a book and this is my first Honda so not sure, my brother lives too far away to come and do it for me, any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

Angie

 

Jumping out of gear doesn't have anything to do with the clutch. If you hold onto the shift **** and press it toward fifth it'll keep going, right?

It's often a bad motor mount that lets the engine/transmission assembly move around too far and pull on the shift lever until it comes out of gear. Or it can be the shifter or inside the transmission itself.

 

Thanks for the reply, 5th gear has been a problem with my car for a few months now not popping out but tough to get it into gear. Now I am hearing I guess the pressure plate, so the clutch is definitley dragging or something. Someone told me it might be the sycromesh, I don't know. Just know that I need to find this cable adjustment dial quick. But I'll get someone to check out the motor mounts also could be a possiblity. Thanks again

Angie

 

OK, here's how to adjust the clutch, though I don't think it will help your problem since all your other gears except fifth work OK. First find the clutch cable. Under the hood, look at the firewall right in front of where the top of the clutch pedal is inside. There is a cable about 1/2 inch in diameter that starts there and goes around over the top of the engine and down to the clutch lever which is on the front of the transmission near where it meets the engine, down low. On the transmission end of the cable is the plastic nut that adjusts the cable tension. It's designed to be turned by hand, but there's a locking mechanism. If you pull the cable up some it will be easier to turn.

To set it you want to have some, but not too much, slack in the clutch pedal action between when you start pressing the pedal down before it does anything. If you turn the nut counterclockwise it puts more slack in and turning it clockwise takes it out. Normally as the clutch wears you will have to turn the nut counterclockwise to compensate.

Another way to evaluate is to put the transmission in first and slowly let the clutch up. The car should start moving before it is about halfway up. If you have to go nearly all the way up, put some more slack in. If you can't get the clutch to disengage so it can go into gear with the pedal on the floor, take some slack out.