I had my transmission fluid changed around 3k miles ago since my transmission was really notchy and grinded during the 1st-2nd shift when cold. I noticed no difference following the fluid change. The tech at Honda said he used the new formulation which should be good from what I hear.

One thing I remember is him mentioning that the old fluid was extremely clean when he removed it. This does make me a bit suspicious that new fluid may have not been used. I have friends who've worked as techs who tell me stories of oil, trans. fluid, diff. fluid being reused so the tech can take the new product out the back door.

I'm debating over changing the fluid again. On warm days after driving it for a while, it works perfectly and basically falls into each gear. I rev match all shifts perfectly 95% of the time, so I doubt I could've put excessive strain on the synchros to cause them to be at fault.

Any input on what I should try next? I'm not eager to try the Honda MTF since, if changed, it didn't help anything.

 

RedLine MT-90.

 

Okay...this transmission takes a little time to warm up. I don't VTEC the car for 10 to 15 minutes and the tranny also takes time to warm up. Patients my friend..no fluid you put in the car will help a whole lot when the car is cold.

How does the car shift after it is warmed up?? If the answer is good then just be patient and let it warm up and then have your fun.

Just my .02

Kevin

 

clutch in and out twice and then change gear and should not grind. Once warm enjoy.

My old vw fox had such a problem...I gave up and followed such a forumla, simplest solution i could find

 

hmm...well my train of thought has been that if you cant trust yourself to do the work...how can you trust a complete stranger to do the work and then second guess yourself after. Diy or die lol. so what is 'cold' for you?

 

The S2000's gear box is just like that. It's notorious for being notchy when cold. Nothing you can really do about it. Just take it easy until it warms up.

 

One thing to remember before you add the fluid is to shake the bottle of new Honda MTF before using. It should be reddish/pink in color when pouring into your pump. If it is clear, the additives are not mixed in properly. It's not a big deal for the first bottle, but the second quart may not have the proper additive mix since you won't use the whole quart.

Overfilling this tranny is not a good idea either. Just fill it until the fluid stops leaking out of the fill hole.

If you don't do the maintenance yourself, or observe how the maintenance has been performed, you can never assume it was done right.

 

By the way OP, 'rev matching' the shifts perfectly, are you talking about Double clutching the shift? cuz even if you rev the engine to match the output speed, the strain on the synchro is from when you move the gear lever INTO the next gear - basically, the synchro still sees unmatched speeds if you

clutch in, shift into 2, then rev, then clutch out.

like was mentioned, to put 'little or no strain' on the synchro, you have to clutch in, neutral, clutch out, rev to match a speed you're not really sure of, then clutch in, 2nd gear, rev to match engine to wheels, clutch out.

^proper double clutch. OR you can time it perfectly so the innput shaft slows before you pop it into the 2nd gear.

(as I understand it, anyway. someone correct me if im giving wrong info)

 

Why is overfilling the transmission bad? I do this now, and would like more info..I have noticed that filling it up a little befoer 2L works best for my shifting... wonder if I'm hurting my own trans.

 

I've never seen an exact answer for this procedure but my thought is that an overfilled transmission may put undue pressure on the front and rear seals. For peace of mind, fill to the overflow from the fill plug as Honda recommends.