- This topic has 9 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 3 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
Hey, hope everyone is doing well. I own a 1998 Accord (manual). My problem is that when i bought the car, it already had a small problem with one of the gears (2nd). I had to wait a little after putting in the clutch, then shift it or else it would scratch. Now the problem worsen. I cant shift to second when i rev it up more than 3 rpms. It’ll scratch really bad. Now my 3rd gear has the exact same problem that i had with my 2nd gear like I described in the beginning. I have to wait to put in the gear. Any Help??
-
Replies
-
First thing, check your clutch master cylinder to make certain it is full. If it is low, top it off with DOT3 brake fluid, and inspect the master cylinder (under the dash where the rod from the clutch pedal goes into it) the slave cylinder on the front of the engine, and the rubber hydraulic line for leaking.
If the fluid isn’t low, or you repair leaks, refill and bleed the system, and still have the problem, then I suggest draining the 10 W 40 motor oil that is currently in your transmission, and refilling it with Penzoil Synchromesh fluid. It is a bit more expensive than motor oil, but I have had amazing results with it in my Honda transmission, pretty well completely getting rid of all gear grinding I had, which was nearly intolerable in 1st and 2nd gear, making downshift impossible, and up shifting was a slow careful process as well before the fluid change.
Like said above I would check the clutch function first. If its full, and isn’t leaking etc, it is worth taking the time to give it a gravity bleed. Like your brakes the fluid should be changed more often than people think.
Sounds like your synchros inside the gear box are wearing out or aren’t working properly. Slightly different than above If it were me – and I have done this recently – drain the old oil out and add new Factory spec oil then see how it goes.
If that doesn’t make much difference try using a Synchromesh oil. I don’t know much of the specifics of a Honda gear box requirments so you may want to hit up some Honda specific forums or Eric. I know in my case as described I had all the signs of wearing synchros in my VW 020 gear box. I was going to use GM Syncromesh off the bat but that’s more of a bandaid than I wanted and it doesn’t lend well to long highway drives to well used in an 020. I ended up using a full synthetic version of the oil the gear box came new with and it solved the issue completely.
So before spending you may just want to consider switching to a nice synthetic version of what it came with.
I didn’t try a synthetic in mine, but I have a Honda gear box. 1st and 2nd were impossible to shift down into, and the up shift to 2nd and 3rd was very touchy.
I have had the synchromesh fluid in my trans for about 4 years now. It gets about 15k miles / year on it, including a 2200 mile round trip drive from NY to FL every summer, and I have seen no adverse effects from running the synchromesh. The transmission shifts nearly 100% better than it did, with the only remaining issue that every once in a while it doesn’t want to go into 1st, or reverse at a stand still, but bumping the trans just a bit with the clutch gets it to line up and slip right in. I am absolutely happy with the results, or I wouldn’t suggest it to anyone. I learned about it on a Honda specific forum where other members with similar problems had similar results. Getting near perfect shifts for four years and counting is more than a bandaid as far as I am concerned.
Like I said, I’m not anywhere near as familiar with Honda gear boxes as the VW ones. Im also a big fan of using what it came with / factory fill when it comes to cars. Particularly German ones. I know most of the time in an older VW box people use the GM/AC Delco Synchromesh as a last ditch effort to keep it going. All though they are very tough gear boxes they are picky about fluid. Because VW gear boxes used brass synchronisers for a long time you really only could use one type of fluid- GL-4 75W-90. The later models use the same fluid but in Synthetic. I find it cheaper to use Redline Synthetic wich I would recommend to anyone in their car, over the dealership stuff and makes a huge improvement in the box. Take apart any old VW box that’s had GM/AC Delco in it and you will find its got very worn bearings and more tooth wear. Add to that they leak like a tap.
Good to know though about a Honda gearbox working well on Synchromesh. Its probably the only quality GM product they sell! All I ment by “band aid” fix is that if it were actually fixed it would work like new on the spec fluid, using the syncromesh helps it work closer to new but its still old and worn inside.
Yes, agreed 100%, the “problem” is still there, but the symptoms are gone, and if this will hold the symptoms off for a number of years, many times with these older cars, the owner will have gotten rid of the car due to other issues long before the gear box becomes a problem again. I guess that is why I didn’t really agree with the bandaid label.
[quote=”mcvinny” post=76498] I had to wait a little after putting in the clutch, then shift it or else it would scratch. [/quote]
That usually points to a clutch issue. The input shaft is still spinning for a while after you push in the clutch. Could be a weak hydraulic system or a bad pilot shaft bearing/bushing.
The way it started with one gear, then slowly spread to others makes me think synchros taking a dump. I would think if it were related to the clutch, or pilot bearing, it would affect all gears right from the get go.
[quote=”Tomh” post=76702]The way it started with one gear, then slowly spread to others makes me think synchros taking a dump. I would think if it were related to the clutch, or pilot bearing, it would affect all gears right from the get go.[/quote]
I had to wait a little after putting in the clutch, then shift it or else it would scratch
I am guessing that by the term “scratch” he means when he pushes the clutch in he can’t put it into gear without it grinding for a few seconds. If that is accurate, there is something that is making the trans still spin for a few seconds after it should be disengaged. No matter how damaged the transmission is it should not spin after being disengaged from the flywheel. I just rebuilt a Toyota C59 trans with a ruined main shaft bearing. It was noisy with the clutch out in neutral, but silent with it pushed in and it would drop right into gear.
Now the problem worsen. I cant shift to second when i rev it up more than 3 rpms. It’ll scratch really bad. Now my 3rd gear has the exact same problem that i had with my 2nd gear like I described in the beginning. I have to wait to put in the gear. Any Help??
Now, if he has a hydraulic problem that is very slowly getting worse (like a clutch master cylinder or very small leak) the clutch will disengage a little less each time and the friction disc will be driven strong enough to interfere with at speed shifts.
I’m with the group, check the clutch hydraulics. They’re famous for going bad on Hondas and causing the exact problem you’re having. BTW, it’s normally the 3rd gear syncro that goes first, not second. Either run Honda fluid or Syncromesh, nothing else. I suspect your problem is the clutch hydraulics.
One other thing to check is your shift linkage. If there’s an issue there it can also cause a problem when you shift.
Much of this is written in the article I posted on transmissions here on the site. You might also check there for more information.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-transmission-problems
Keep us posted.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.