Exedy 1988-1989 Honda Civic L4 Lightweight Flywheel
The Exedy HF501 is a one-piece steel lightweight flywheel listed for the 1988-1989 Honda Civic with the four-cylinder D-series engine. Owners usually land here for one of two reasons: the original flywheel is heat-checked or worn past the point of a clean resurface during a clutch job, or they want the engine to rev and fall back faster for autocross, track days or a spirited street car. Because the ring gear is cut into the same piece of steel as the flywheel body, there is no pressed-on gear to work loose, which is a common worry with aluminum flywheels.
The flywheel bolts to the back of the crankshaft and gives the clutch disc its rear friction surface. Its mass stores energy, which smooths idle and helps the car pull away from a stop. Exedy builds its sport flywheels from chromoly steel, billet or forged, to cut weight and rotating inertia so the small SOHC engine picks up and drops revs more quickly between shifts. Exedy states its steel sport flywheels are SFI certified and tested to 15,000-18,000 rpm. The trade-off is real: with less stored energy the car needs a touch more throttle to launch smoothly, idle can feel a little less settled, and some gear rattle at idle is normal with a lighter flywheel.
Chatter and slip can come from oil on the disc, a worn disc or a bad engine mount as easily as from the flywheel, so look at the old parts when the gearbox comes out. A face with light glazing can often be resurfaced; cracks that run toward the bolt holes or deep hard spots mean replacement. Our guide on resurface vs replace walks through the call, and lightweight vs stock flywheel explains how the car will feel afterward. If you are chasing judder on launch, start with clutch chatter on takeoff.
Weighing the cost of a clutch-and-flywheel job against other drivetrain work? Our manual vs automatic repair cost breakdown puts numbers on it.
This listing is for the 1988-1989 Honda Civic with the D-series four-cylinder. Catalogs do not agree on the full HF501 application: the Exedy USA product page currently shows 1996-1997 Civic del Sol S and Si, and other catalogs list it for D-series Civic and CRX models. That points to a shared D-series crank flange, but clutch diameter and release design changed between generations, so match your engine code and the clutch kit you plan to run, or send us your year and VIN and we will confirm before it ships. You can browse other Civic clutch parts in the hard parts category.
Want a lighter steel option with a published weight? The Competition Clutch 11.44 lb D-series flywheel is listed for 1990-2005 Civics.
| Brand | Exedy |
| Part number | HF501 |
| Fits | Exedy 1988-1989 Honda Civic L4 Lightweight Flywheel |
| Vehicle fitment | Honda Civic L4 Lightweight (1988-1989) |
| Type | Flywheels |
| Condition | New |
| Ships | Same business day (in stock), from the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
This listing is for 1988-1989. Other catalogs show HF501 for more D-series Civic, CRX and del Sol models, but clutch size and release setup vary, so send us your year, engine code and VIN and we will confirm before it ships.
Yes. Exedy cuts the ring gear teeth into the steel flywheel itself rather than pressing on a separate gear.
A lightweight flywheel takes a clutch for the same engine and gearbox. Match the disc diameter and pressure plate to your car; a new clutch is strongly recommended on a fresh flywheel.
Slightly. With less rotating mass you need a little more throttle when pulling away, and some gear rattle at idle is normal. Most drivers adapt in a few days.
A steel flywheel can be machined when it wears, but the clutch step height must be kept to spec, so use a shop that measures it.
Honda specifies its own manual transmission fluid, Honda MTF, for these gearboxes.
