Advice on a Manual gearbox sticking

[David]

Hey Dave here, got a 2000 Honda civic d series manual trans shift gear box sticking on cold starts mostly in reverse once warmed up dose better, could this be possible clutch engagement or shift cable issue ?

I think the clutch is ok, looking more on the shift linkage concern, when i have tried shifting into reverse thinking it locked into gear and accelerate there’s an empty kind of light rattling noise like is nor in gear or neutral but dose nothing

Topic

[Lorrin Barth]

I’m guessing you live where the cold snap has happened. I doubt it is the clutch. Usually, if the clutch malfunctions it is all of the time. It could be linkage. My guess is that your syncros are getting worn or you have the wrong lubricant in the transmission – something too heavy.

You might be a candidate for GM Syncromesh or some similar product. Usually I am not an advocate of lighter transmission oils, they tend to wear out transmissions. However, they often allow shifting when the transmission is worn and cold.

Some years ago, after working graveyard shift, I went out to a very cold manual transmission car and drove around the parking lot in neutral. This was due to fluid coupling which tells you how stiff gear oil can get.

[Jamie]

Try replacing the oil with the factory fill stuff Honda uses. Could just be that the synchros are getting a bit of wear, the oil is old and the cold didn’t help things out. In my own car it shifts like junk when it got real cold. And that’s with newish gear oil. Once it warms up after a few miles all is well again.

[Dave Tidman]

+1 on the gear lube. I had accidentally put 80W-90 into my gearbox instead of the recommended 75W-90 and shifting became difficult in the lower gears when cold. Changed to the recommended gear oil and all is well.

[Author]

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