[Bull Dog]

I could be wrong, but I kind of got the impression that the clicking noise I could hear in the video seemed to be more tied to engine RPM than the speed of the vehicle.

 

[Bull Dog]

It's exceedingly hard to diagnose noises from long distance. So I can't say for sure what the culprit is. However, I would be inclined to believe your mechanic. If you decide to go the transmission rebuild route, here's some food for thought.

Scott (KLR3CYL) and I specialize in rebuilding Insight transmissions. I'm confident in saying nobody does it better than we do.

Every transmission gets completely disassembled, thoroughly cleaned and inspected. We replace all of the bearings. We do the 1st and 2nd gear syncro tab-ectomy. This permanently fixes the downshift grind issue. We restore the ball detents on the shift forks if they are excessively worn. There's more, but you get the idea.

We also do core exchanges where we send you a fully rebuilt transmission and then you send us your original transmission back.

 

[Bull Dog]

Scott and I are at the same shop, Jue Motors, in Covina, CA. I'm sending you a PM with my number.

 

[Bull Dog]

Instead of sending me a PM, Willie hijacked your thread with a message to me. Must be those new meds. 😁

LRR is Willie's turbocharged Insight a.k.a. the "Little Red Rocket".

Turbocharged Insight

The final test between the "turbocharged little red rocket" and two other insights has been completed. "E" mail me for a copy of the test sheet. Hope to have it posted on the site soon........Willie

www.insightcentral.net

The Airbox bushings being shot is no surprise. You can still get news ones from Honda, or go out to pick-a-parts and scavenge them off of other Hondas.

 

[Bull Dog]

In your picture, the wire harness bracket toward the center of the car is the one that tends to break. When it does, it can cause intermittent squeaking noises audible from inside the car.

In this case, yours appears to be fine.

 

[Bull Dog]

Back in 2015, I removed the transmission on my 2006 Insight at home with my dad's help. We lowered it down with a floor jack. The manual transmission weighs about 60 pounds. It is isn't unreasonably hard to manage.

The axle nuts are 32mm. If the car is already on jack stands, you can have a helper apply the brakes while you loosen the axle nuts with a breaker bar.

Edit: If you would like to go with the high quality, tried and true, we have a few Exedy KHC11 clutch kits available.

 

[Bull Dog]

Insight axle CV joints basically don't fail or wear out on their own.

In the land of no rust, the only thing I've seen kill Insight axles is when the inner joint gets over extended and subsequently isn't put back together properly.

 

[Bull Dog]

The tires are worn a small amount more on the inside edge. Given that it's pretty much the same on both the right and left tires, I would suspect that the toe is probably out a bit. You will need an alignment after you do the transmission, regardless.

 

[Bull Dog]

The more I look at those pictures of that clutch disk and pressure plate, the more I am convinced it's not the correct item for your Insight. Here are some pictures a genuine Exedy KHC11 clutch kit.

Clutch disk diameter is roughly 7.5 inches.

The release bearing.

The clutch alignment tool says HONDA on it.

The pilot bearing you have is wrong. Also, the your clutch disk alignment tool doesn't look right.

The relationship between the three dowel pin holes and the six mounting bolt holes on your pressure plate don't look correct.

 

[Bull Dog]

Wow....that is...very large.

 

[Bull Dog]

There are six bolts that hold the transmission to the engine. The upper four bolts have 17mm hex heads and the two bottom ones have 14mm heads.

The trickiest one is high up on the back side of the engine under the exhaust manifold section of the head.

FadedBlue, you have my phone number. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions while working on your Insight.

 

[Bull Dog]

Hex head, meaning six sided...i.e. a standard, nothing special bolt head.

You have six bolts out. So if the transmission isn't coming loose it's stuck on the dowel pins. Time to start using screw drivers as wedges to start forcing it off.

 

[Bull Dog]

Congrats on getting it out.

Yea that motor mount is getting tired.

 

[Bull Dog]

Passenger side motor mount is kind of a pain, but it is entirely doable.

I was talking about the rear main (crankshaft) seal. I don't know if there is a guide on the forums that shows replacing this.

At any rate, if you would like to pursue doing this I will be happy to walk you through the relatively simple process. Pulling the IMA motor off the engine is not difficult...unless you try to do it the way Honda describes in the service manual. You don't need any exotic tools to do the job.

 

[Bull Dog]

No they don't need to lined up. In fact, I typically see them 180 degrees out from one another.

 

[Bull Dog]

Exhaust donut gasket?

Unless you are having a problem already, I would be disinclined to touch the exhaust system. Even in California, "the land of no rust," it is not uncommon to have issues with exhaust fasteners.

 

[Bull Dog]

Please get the codes read. Will help immensely on figuring out what might be as issue.

 

[Bull Dog]

Yes, that white secondary retainer comes off.

Do you want me to check my wire harness box for a set of spare commutation sensor wires?

 

[Bull Dog]

Try popping it off with a small screwdriver.

 

[Bull Dog]

The blue piece is the weather seal and yes it is crimped on. It's possible that one or more of the receptacles are damaged internally.

If so, this would lead to intermittent failure as it isn't making good contact with the mating pin.