go2k

I have an 03' with 30k. I love the car but it seems sometimes when I drive it hard and shift quickly from 1st to 2nd I hear and feel a grinding noise from the tranny. It never does it when I shift quickly into any other gear?? I am the second owner. Anyone have a similar experience? Is there anything to do or is my shifting just bad? This can't be good for the tranny so I am kind of nervous that I have damaged the car or something

afwfjustin

I see that you're a new owner. Let's help you out some

S2K gearbox is a precise work of art. It's a close gated shifter that needs well executed shifts. Basically (and I had this problem when I first got the S too, my old Si was more forgiving) you are holding the shifter incorrectly. If you're gripping like your "you know what" or a fighter pilot stick, you're holding it wrong.

When shifting down, as in a 1-2, 3-4, or 5-6, you should put your hand in a cup shape (as if you'd cup it to drink water), with the cup directed straight back behind the car. You should only be touching the shifter with your index, middle, and possibly ring finger. Remember, you should be pulling STRAIGHT BACK with your hand cupped and fingers pointing down at the ground. You should not be putting the death grip on it or facing your palm towards you and pulling "down-left" or "southeast" because you'll grind the 1-2.

When shifting 2-3, and 4-5, you do the opposite: cup your hand and push the shift knob up and barely to the right with the bottom of your palm. When downshifting, use the shifter's centering spring to center the shifter and then into the next gear.

If you don't correct how you shift, you'll end up with an overrev eventually and have a 7K bill at your local Honda dealership

You can still bang the hell out of shifts and slap gears in the blink of an eye, but it needs to be done with finessee and precision.

I recommend going ahead and changing your transmission oil also. You'll need two sockets and a socket wrench, two quarts of transmission oil, and a tube that fits onto the quart of oil. There's a DIY thread around here somewhere on how to do it

Saki GT

Um, besides shifting technique, be aware that the 1-2 grind is pretty common in S2000s and if you bought the car used, I would recommend you change your transmission fliud. I believe GM Syncromesh Friction Modified (GMSFM) is about the best oil you can put in your trans. You can find it at most GM dealerships for around $11/bottle.

afwfjustin

^great advice.

2slow

Many people will try to tell you it's something wrong with the way you're shifting or that you need to change your technique. I tried them all, and none helped get rid of my 1-2 grind. I'm not saying they don't work...they just didn't work for me.

2nd gear grind is a very common problem with earlier MY s2k's. Do a search on this site and you'll find many examples (and suggested fixes).

The first thing you should do is change your tranny fluid. That helped my grinding problem a little bit. Notice I said "a little."

The only thing that completely eliminated my grind was not the number of fingers I use to shift, but a transmission rebuild to the tune of $5000. Fortunately for me, Honda Care picked up the bill. If you want to hear more about my experience, PM me so everyone doesn't have to listen to my boring story.

DiamondDave2005

Yeah, the 1-2 shift grinds in my car all the time in cold weather. I don't grind it any more because I only do the 1-2 shift at low rpms when the transmission is still cold, but half the time it either doesn't go into 2nd or pops out into neutral as soon as I let off the clutch.

There's a new Honda transmission fluid out there that's supposed to help alleviate this problem. The part number is 08798-9031. I'm having them use that when I send my car in for its next service.

afwfjustin

rebuild the tranny for 5K? That's complete BS. You can pick up AP1 trannies on s2ki for 600-800 all day long.

I used to have the 1-2 grind as well. Then, I found a site called www.turnfast.com and read about driving techniques and modified the way I held the shift knob. Miraculously enough, the "1-2 grind" went away. Imagine that

JackS

If your just starting out with this shifter, make every shift a conscious effort. Within 2-3 days you'll be making perfect shifts unconsonsciously.

2slow

You have to remember, this is from the Honda dealership. They're never going to sell someone a $800 tranny, and you're forgetting about the exorbitant cost of labor. Believe me, there's no way I would have paid 5 grand out of my own pocket. I agree it would be BS, but I didn't have to pay the bill so I wasn't going to question it

As far as adjusting your shifting technique to avoid the 2nd gear grind...obviously there's some merit to it. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people swearing by it. I only said none of the techniques worked for me. Of course, it never hurts to try. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than paying $5000 (or $600).

__redruM

Another pointer on shift technique. Slow down, and don't force it. This is somthing that should get better as you get more seat time, but for now, don't try to speed shift. Give yourself 3 months at least. This happended to me a couple times my first month with the car and hasn't happend since, even now when I do try faster shifts. The shift from 1-2 should happen in 2 beats.
1. the shifter pulls out of first and starts to resist going into second until the syncros match things up.
2. The shifter falls into second.

Don't lift the clutch until your sure that you're in second.