Might the presence or absence of the '04 issue be related to production sequence?

Mine is #422 and has a "mild" case at the 500+ mile mark but is getting better with age. What's affected is shifting INTO 1st, 2nd, and R - - requires lots of extra effort. The sensation in the shifter is like unfinished metal-to-metal contact and is definitely temperature dependant.

Of course, on the positive side, it would be rather difficult to accidently downshift into 1st or 2nd when 3rd or 4th was intended.

 

Mine does it all the time, even after warm up. I always put the clutch to the floor, so no grind, but there is the loud pop getting it in gear.

 

I have an '02 with 14k miles and mine will do it every time I start it up and the weather is below 45F. It doesnt even grind so much since I put the clutch to the floor, but it simply will not go into gear.

I've come to find that if I hold down the clutch and go through the gears 3 or 4 times while the engine warms up it tends to eliminate the problem.

 

Very true. That is one feature that is kind of handy so you don't blow your engine.

 

Does changing the transmission fluid to Honda MTF help the situation any. I just bought two liter's of it and wanted to know of anyones luck with it. I don't have any grinding, yet, but i do have the notchyness described above. Mostly occurs when cold. Does any have the solution to make these cars shift smoother in the cold or is this something we just have to learn to live with? Does anyone try blipping the throttle when the shifter is in neutral during the shift (rev matching). Obviously this can be time consuming but after practice this could be a half ass solution. Good luck and share any positive results.

Ryan B.

 

i changed the tranny fluid out at 3k miles, helped a lot. its good to get the breakin fluid out ASAP.

 

My 01 grinds from 1st to 2nd every day when I first start it but as it slowly warms up it does it less, I have no clue what causes it. So its not just a problem with the 04's

 

As others have pointed out, many of us have this problem. I'm a little surprised it exists in the '04 cars, too. I'm not sure, however, that it is really a grind (as in gears clashing) but rather a notchyness that reflects tight tolerances and sometimes balky synchronizers. I have found that shifting briskly (i.e. not slowly and not powershifting either) generally eliminates the problem.

My Miata had exactly the same problem. The transmission never suffered. And many, many Miata owners post repeatedly with this complaint on their bulletin board forums.

 

Razor: There is no break-in fluid in the transmission. What are you talking about?