[Zappo]

Actually it is not 10% minutes of over revving by itself but the fact that it was accompanied with the tremendous slipping of clutch that has probably caused the burn out. I hope your driver was not trying to climb the ascent with full load in the car!

The moment you first get a burnt smell during excessing clutching you should stop and let the clutch plate, flywheel to cool down. This lessens the damage. However in this case I am not very hopeful since you said your car after all these hours of cooling is still having problems with the clutch. I wonder how long was the hotel ramp/ascent that made your driver do this crazy thing for 10 minutes though!

Nonetheless, something has given away and that will need a thorough checkup. Since your mech mentioned a "clutch rubber" only thing I can immediately think of is that he is suspecting the rubber seal either in the Master or the Slave cylinder which might have cracked causing a leakage of the oil. This will immediately mean a very soft clutch (limp is the word) which may again have the same kind of symptoms as a worn out clutch plate or the flywheel.

I would suggest that just like the good doctor suggested, you send your wife, kid and all the luggage in a different car and drive your Accord back to Delhi with ultimate caution with the minimum amount of load. The reason for suggesting that is not just to avoid them getting stranded but also to ensure that there is a minimum possible load on your weak clutch. More load on a worn out plate will simply mean more involutary clutch slippage and further arrested movement of the car.

Another thing you should remember is to drive back at a very slow and steady pace. If you try any overtaking manoeuver or sudden acceleration you may get a nasty surprise with your clutch. Let everyone pass and avoid using that clutch altogether except for when you need to change gears.

I wish you luck in your drive back. Be very cautious in your return journey mate.

[ghpk]

Originally Posted by delhi2009

Thank you for your Input drpullockaran . I was checking another thread about clutch issues which mentioned how the average of the car, pickup etc. would drop. I did Delhi Haridwar Mussorie (upto Mall) Absolutely fine and on my tank top after Haridwar, i found the average i got on Delhi-Haridwar Route was 12.1 ! Also, while 15% of the clutch release works, the car is not trembling or giving any jerks. Any good signs for me in this or is it just excessive engine power overshadowing this issue ? Could really just 10 minutes of revving spoil the clutch so bad ? :(.....

As others have advised, let the wife and baby travel in a Comfortable Bus, or in your backup car. Don't take the risk of driving it with baby and getting stuck at middle of nowhere then wait for backup to reach you.

As you already have an extra driver, ask him to come before you leave,
Safety First.

It may be earlier ignored problem(wear & tear) in accord clutch, which may have given up when your driver tried to climb with clutch, it could have been a month later if this trip was not done, or it could have got you stranded somewhere someday. check with service records, if any clutch problem was reported, did A.S.S. ever asked you to replace/repaid clutch.

Lastly, i still vote towards driving along a backup car.

Take care, Best of luck.

[johnruben]

dude sorry to hear about your breakdown, will pray God for your family's safety throughout the journey.

I suggest YOU to drive the car incase you have decided to drive instead of your driver and drive at higher gears and as drpullockaran suggested, let there be less load on vehicle, more the load = more load on engine and clutch during gear shifting.

All the best.

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by OP

Also, the car has just done 64000 KM so is this about time the clutch can get blown out ?

No.
I know a lot of guys who've run on the same clutch for 1 lakh and 1.25 lakh kms and sold the vehicles on the original clutch.
I myself have run a single clutch for 90,000 kms and sold the car with the factory clutch.

Blame is on your driver. He was frying the clutch when revving and slipping the clutch.
Teach him that clutches are meant for changing gears only.
I'm not sure if a 2.4 litre Accord needs the clutch on an incline. But still, even if there is a need, using the hand brake, low revs (1000-1200 rpm) should do.

Verdict: Your driver has cost you a 20,000 rupee clutch job and most of all, the heartache and mental tension.

Originally Posted by pullock

Under no circumstances should you slip the clutch or use engine braking to slow down the car. Use your brakes for slowing down.

I've done a lot of engine braking on the track and know what you're referring to.
Unless its too high a speed for the particular gear (eg. downshifting to 2nd at 100kph), I'd anyday engine brake in tandem with the actual brakes.
Gives a lot more control and no clutch wear (again, speed dependent, like downshifting to 2nd from 80).

PS: Speeds wrt to my car, probably would be similar in the 5-8 lakh rupee segment.

[Mpower]

1. your clutch was probably at 80% life. Your driver took out another 10% during that climb

2. As far as your drive back, put wife and kid on a bus. If are there any hill climbs? If so avoid.

Otherwise pump up your tires to around 40 psi (will reduce load on car) and cruise gently all the way. Stay away from traffic. Keep food and water in car and good luck!

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by Mpower

1. your clutch was probably at 80% life. Your driver took out another 10% during that climb

2. As far as your drive back, put wife and kid on a bus. If are there any hill climbs? If so avoid.

Otherwise pump up your tires to around 40 psi (will reduce load on car) and cruise gently all the way. Stay away from traffic. Keep food and water in car and good luck!

+1 to this. To stay away from traffic, think about an early start. The advice about food and water is very important.

[delhi2009]

Ok so here's what i get. If i drive all the way downhill in 2nd gear without any clutch changes, it would'nt hurt the clutch much ? Also, if thereafter , i continue in 3rd gear at around 60-70 @ 2500rpm or so, again i should be able to drive fine ? Im assuming i start early at about 5am and then drive on empty roads back.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by delhi2009

Ok so here's what i get. If i drive all the way downhill in 2nd gear without any clutch changes, it would'nt hurt the clutch much ? Also, if thereafter , i continue in 3rd gear at around 60-70 @ 2500rpm or so, again i should be able to drive fine ? Im assuming i start early at about 5am and then drive on empty roads back.

If you drive downhill all the way in second gear, it shouldn't harm the clutch too much, as long as there is no further frictional damage (too many gearchanges etc.). The clutch is designed to work as a "rigid coupling" when your foot is of the pedal. So this would do just fine, if there is even 5% left (grooves on the plates).

If you do indeed drive down in second gear, keep a sharp eye on the temperature gauge. Also, try to minimize the use of the air-conditioner.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by nitrous

I've done a lot of engine braking on the track and know what you're referring to.
Unless its too high a speed for the particular gear (eg. downshifting to 2nd at 100kph), I'd anyday engine brake in tandem with the actual brakes.
Gives a lot more control and no clutch wear (again, speed dependent, like downshifting to 2nd from 80).

PS: Speeds wrt to my car, probably would be similar in the 5-8 lakh rupee segment.

I think drpullock was saying so only for this particular situation. Since his clutch is fried using engine braking would mean more gearshifts, which he needs to minimise. Thats the way I look at it. And completely agree with what you've posted.

[ajitkommini]

Probably keep your hazard lights on just to warn other drivers?

[delhi2009]

I had a detailed word at Honda Delhi and Honda Dehradoon too who quoted me a cost for clutch plate,pressure plate & release bearing for 20000 & 21000 respectively (includes labour). I also talked to some known kashmiri gate dealers in Delhi who were all of the opinion that imported clutch plate, pressure plate & release bearing would somewhere around 13000 and count another 3000 for labour charges.
which means that the difference is not very big. Further, the sales rep at divine honda dehradoon has allowed me the stay near the car when all this work is being done which will be a big relief as i would know if anything is or being screwed up. So im driving tommorow to Divine honda & will perhaps take some pics once the clutch is disassembled.

There is 1 issue though which im worried about. Something called FlyWheel Assembly (Forgive me for spelling it wrong if i did so) which some people showed concern that it maybe gone. However, dealer at Divine Honda is sure that its not gone and also, they dont have it either. Im just concerned that would this be any issue and could this part be possibly gone ?

[delhi2009]

Originally Posted by Zappo

only thing I can immediately think of is that he is suspecting the rubber seal either in the Master or the Slave cylinder which might have cracked causing a leakage of the oil. This will immediately mean a very soft clutch (limp is the word) which may again have the same kind of symptoms as a worn out clutch plate or the flywheel.

The clutch has gone very soft . And when i checked the level for fluid, we had to pour about 4 caps from the fluid bottle. Funny, nobody mentioned about this at the dealership though. When i press the clutch now and depress, there's a kit kit sound at one place , as if something's hitting on something. I did find someone here who could do a bleeding of the clutch but is that something i'll need and could solve this issue ? Just not taking any chances till i hear out from you guys on this.

[drpullockaran]

Originally Posted by delhi2009

When i press the clutch now and depress, there's a kit kit sound at one place , as if something's hitting on something.

Your clutch release bearing has kicked the bucket so change it too.
Using engine braking in normal cars is a must and a given but not in this particular case where clutch should be strained the least.
When using brakes for long periods be careful about brake fade especially when coming downhill. Brake fade will be sudden so be warned.

If your flywheel(I believe you mean pressure plate) is not being replaced due to lack of parts I suggest sending it to the lathe to remove the glaze/sheen and also to maintain correct thickness all around the disc. Just like piston rings are not to be replaced without re-honing the cylinder wall; the clutch plate should not be replaced without re-honing the pressure plate.

Mpower's suggestion of increasing tire pressure and keeping off traffic infested roads was real good. Learned something new which makes real good common sense.

[delhi2009]

They are going to change clutch plate, pressure plate & release bearing. Im not sure what fly/frywheel is...but what they are going to change tomorrow is listed above. Also, just to take check of the car, i started it and kept it running idle for 3-4 minutes and the rubber burning smell is again there. I did press clutch a couple of times to see what it feels like so im not sure if that is the reason. Infact im not sure with this burning smell, if i'll reach dehradoon too...well , keeping my fingers crossed for now...

[SPIKE ARRESTOR]

Attaching pics for your information

Spike