Honda Civic Clutch Creak and Squeak fix

One of the first things I noticed about the Civic - a 2003 1.4 with almost 63000 miles on the clock - was a grinding, metallic creak and squeak when using the clutch pedal, coming from the engine bay. This happened even with the engine off; all a look under the bonnet told me was that this was a different kettle of fish from my old Ibiza's cable operated clutch. The extra reservoir next to the brake fluid meant that something, somewhere, in the fancy hydraulic set-up was squeaking between the cabin pedal and the clutch itself.

After a little research, it seems that there are a few places these Hondas can develop a clutch squeak, ranging from inside the cabin to inside the engine bay area. A browse for this issue shows Honda typically either regrease a ball joint, replace the clutch master cylinder, near the pedal, or replace the clutch slave cylinder, in the engine bay. In several cases, the noise returns!

Thankfully, amongst the usual web detritus and automated adverts there's a good deal of helpful advice available on how to tackle the issue; I stapled these gems together, discovered a few things for myself, found out a handy part number, and took photos as I went along. If your Honda clutch squeaks from the engine bay, you may also find the following account useful. Replacing the clutch slave cylinder push rod cost less than £10, and it takes about half an hour to do. You don't need to jack up the car for this fix and no hydraulic fluid is exposed to the air.

Next post: Diagnosis, to check the squeak is coming from the right place, then Part Purchase, what to replace & why, and finally Replacement.