So far on my 1990 Civic CX project, the simplest things have been the cause of all the issues. Wasted spark plugs, one was even so loose it came out without having to put a ratchet on the end of the socket & extension. The rear defrost/3rd tail light not working? Ya, the wires had worn through where they leave the body and go into the hatch. And now my latest discovery - the clutch had never quite felt right in it. If I released the pedal smoothly, sometimes it would still grab really hard. First I thought the clutch was tired. Then I thought maybe the clutch pedal was cracked like in my old Civic wagon. Nope, pedal was fine. Then I thought it must be bad engine mounts, engine/trans was moving around and effecting the clutch cable releasing. I was pricing out new ones, so I went to look on the car for one that was obviously broken so I could see which one to change first. Upper one looked fine. Lower one at the front - hey, wait a minute, why can I see threads on that bolt?? Yup, both the bolts holding the engine mount to the block had loosened off over the years and were finger tight with lots of slop in them. Hit them with a ratchet, and problem solved! Clutch works like it's supposed to. So just keep in mind, especially if you have an older ride, always always always check the simple stuff first!
