I have an 05 S2000 and since the day I drove it off the lot I noticed that when I shift from 2nd to 3rd there is a slight grind. This is most evident if the car is cold and goes away as I drive. I made sure that I have the clutch fully depressed but the grind still appears. I searched the forum and saw that many have the 1st to 2nd grinding problem (which btw I don't have an issue with). I only have 200 miles on the car - can the synhcros be bad from the factory? Should I bring it back to the dealer to have them look at it?

 

I'd say bring it back and see if they can reproduce the problem. If they can, then there's something wrong with your tranny. If they can't, then it's just the tranny being grumpy because it hasn't warmed up.

My '02 tranny has always been grumpy when it's cold. The shift I tend to have problems with is 1-->2, but shifting into all gears feels very notchy for the first few minutes. I do get a grind sometimes.

Interestingly, I have never had any problems with the 2-->3 shift, but other folks that have driven my car have felt some funkiness with it. Personally, I think one part of the issue is that the gearbox is naturally bitchy when cold, and the other part is how you drive -- different shifting style/timing will have a great impact on the feel of the shift.

 

Bunches of people, me included, have a bit of 'extra' feel through the shift lever from 2nd to 3rd, so many that it seems to be normal. Makes no difference in mine the temperature, shifting point, or anything else, it's almost always there. It's a little short lever, easy to feel the workings of the gearbox through it.

If it's truly a grind, as in a horrible grinding noise that makes your hair stand on end, take it in. If it's just a little 'extra' feel through the shift lever, I think that's the way it's going to be.

 

just take a little extra time shifting from 2 to 3 while the car is cold. that will give the syncro a little extra time to do its job. after 20 minutes or so, go back to normal.

 

It is more as Smokee described it. It is not a loud grinding sound at all. Just a small crunch when I go from 2nd to 3rd with that extra feel (notchiness) before it locks into 3rd. I find that if I do a quick shift @4K plus, it also reduces th crunch. Slow shifting actually doesn't help. I made the appointment witht he dealer to have them look at it anyway.