How do you know it was fixed in the

 

cdelena,

Im with you on this. I find it peculiar that I only get the grind on 1-2 shifts. I don't shift any slower between other gates. I believe this is due to either:
a. The 1-2 shift is in-line and straight back making for a quick shift and poor timing with the clutch

or

b. The stacking tolerance prob. mentioned earlier.

note that I have an early 2001 production run.
I will continue to monitor my shifting.

-bill

 

i've never experienced a grind between any two gears other than 1 and 2.

the basic laws of averages would indicate that if this were, in fact, human error then i would have at some point ground shifting between other gears (most likely 3 and 4 for example).

in addition (as has been stated by others in this thread) i'm not exactly a novice to driving a stick. i grew up driving mini-coopers, took my drivers test in a Renault and have raced rally cars as well as track cars. i've owned a TR-6, two GTIs, an older 911 and a handful of other cars with less funky transmissions (along with a couple great muscle cars, but they were automatics and a whole other story). i'm not a kid and i learned to drive on a stick from someone who raced and insisted on teaching me how to double-clutch as part of drivers ed.

while i would fully accept that i can and do screw up - i simply don't believe that i screw up more with THIS car than others. driving my last GTI i don't believe i ground a shift more than once in the entire time i owned the car.

combine this with the fact that the 1-2 shift in my car is NOT crisp under the best of circumstances (it's notchy and often takes a bit more muscle than i'd like) and i think that it's *entirely* possible that the 2001 MY cars have the same shift problem.

 

Hmmmm....at least its not just me! I at first attributed it to pilot error, but the last time it grinded, I was shifting off a stop sign at a very leisurely pace and was totally aware that I was shifting right and then GRRRRINNND! Its only happened 3 times so I shouldn't get paranoid I guess-but I still would like to keep this issue monitored with all you other 2001 owners. If it starts becoming more frequent, I guess I'll take the next step and bring it in to get it looked at. If that's the case, I'll let you guys know what happens. If any of you guys learn more, please keep us all updated!

 

The transmission is more likely to grind if the transmission oil is not up to temps.

The 1-2 shift is more likely to grind than 3-4 because you are trying to rush and a get a quick 1-2 shift - how often are you doing a max acceleration 3-4 shift? Even when you are trying to make a fast 3-4 shift, you have more time to prep for it because it comes slower.

The S2000's short throw shifter magnifies any shift or clutch timing differences.

For the 00 S2000's with the stacking tolerance problem, it was probably the transmission causing the grind in most of the cases - though still subject to the above points. But for the 01 cars, think about the above.

I've had grinding problems in previous cars which went away once I became aware of the above. If there are any 01 New England cars that have this problem, I'd be glad to be proven wrong. In fact, I'd even like to try my luck on any 00 cars.

 

the oil temp explanation was, in fact, my (internal) explanation the first time it happened (the car was actually still cold).

the second time it happened i'd been driving for about 25 minutes and the car was certainly warm.

the third time it happened was just the other day after the jaunt up to Pt Reyes on my return to SF (anyone from the bay area who was on that drive can probably back me up when i say that i doubt my car was cold at that point).

so i don't think this is the answer.

and, actually, i think that (because at low temps the 1-2 shift is insanely notchy) the grind could be LESS likely at low temps in this car (it's hard to NOT pay attention to that shift when it's cold).

 

I too have had a concern building. At first I thought it was a combination of Oil Temp and Lazy left foot. But it has since happened when warm and when I KNOW I hit it perfect.

Also, as of late (last 1k miles or so) I have noticed that while coasting deceleration at around 4100 RPM down to about 28-2900RPM there is a lound humming noise. I am concerned that this could be another sign of a needed transmission fix.

I have an appointment on thursday for my 7500 mile service. I am concerned as to whether I should mention my knowledge of the TSB or just play dumb. My concern comes from the fact that I am a younger guy and I look even younger (21-ish). I have NEVER raced a car from a dead stop, but I have a feeling that if I bring up the gear issues they will try to say that I have been dragging it. I know I will win in the long run if they give me problems, but I dont really want to go through any hassles. Should I play dumb or put on my power suit and go in with all guns blazing?

 

Me? Miss a shift CG? Hehe... Yep, we're at 5600 miles and I've done it at least 1/2 dozen times and soloiiracer has done it a few. He had one on a run at Ft. Myers that even had Grady Wood from SCCA tech cringing! It doesn't seem to be getting any worse, and I can't yet determine if it's me or the car. I think the best course of action is for us '01 owners to keep an eye on things, and if it gets worse then we start to take action. Time will tell wether or not it's us. I'll keep everyone up to date, and you should all do the same.

 

For those of you with a 00 car, you should definitely look into the TSB. It is probably the car!

 

i don't think anyone is talking about MY 2000 (the topic indicates that this is MY 2001 in fact). a quick scan of the posters indicates 2001 owners.

so... back to the question. Was the 1-2 grind fixed in MY 2001?

we've got multiple reports of 1-2 grind. it's possible and even likely that a percentage of these are human error. but it seems likely (to me at least) that a percentage are not, from reading these posts.

i guess we'll just track this, as Jason suggested, and see what crops up. i'm looking forward to hearing what Honda techs say as this MY starts going in for tune-ups.