It's a hydraulic clutch so it'll become very very difficult to shift while the engine is on though you could still move from gear to gear when the engine is off.































If you're getting close to 120,000 miles, it would be a good idea to order an OEM clutch kit from the Internet to keep in your trunk so you only have to pay for labour. You'll get the kit for about half the price the mechanic would charge you for it, I think you can get one for about $170 on the Internet. Make sure, it's the kit and not just the clutch because while it's all open, you might a well change out the pressure plate too.































It's a good idea to go to a mechanic that specializes in transmissions as it's all very heavy and unwieldy. I've got 177,000 miles on my 96 Acura integra GSR and I'm on the second clutch, I plan to start carrying a clutch kit around when I get close to 240,000 miles. I think the first was changed sometime after 125,000 miles but there was no warning of it going out. My previous car was an 88 Civic Si which has a cable clutch so I was expecting some warning but this hydraulic clutch was literally one day it was normal and the next it was nearly impossible to shift.































It wouldn't be a bad idea to just change it out at the 120,000 mile mark since unlike a cable clutch, you can't estimate how much clutch you have left.































There's no point in getting a racing clutch, they're harder to shift with and they wear out a lot faster.































What really wears the clutch out is feathering it for low speed control such as creeping around a parking lot or inching up in stopped traffic. With a standard it's best to either stop or go, not crawl around. Fast starts only wear out the clutch if you've revved up the engine a lot but unless you're street racing, it's the slow speed stuff that does your clutch in.