I've found that if you try to make your first shift to 2nd gear after revving 1st gear to too low of an RPM (baby it), then there will probably be trouble getting it into 2nd gear. When I rev 1st gear to at least 3500 RPM's before shifting to 2nd, it goes/drops in much easier. Like others, no real problems after the tranny is warmed up. Good luck!

 

Notchy is ok on cold transmissions, but grinding isn't. Make sure you are confident which one is occuring.

 

mine is notchy when cold but does not grind.

 

Fwiw, take a look at the clutch master cylinder where the clutch pedal rod goes through the firewall, if you see any dampness or leaking, that can cause dragging and notchiness - your S is old enough to need a new cmc.

 

Change the transmission oil, flush and bleed the clutch.

In cold weather, its still going to be notchy, and if you force it when its giving resistance, it WILL grind. What I do, is start the car, row through all the gears a few times(While im holding my top down button =p) then, for the first few stops, I go from 1st to 3rd, because I know 2nd is going to be rough, and rather than force it through the rough, notchy shift, I just wait till its a little warmer.

all manual transmissions WILL BE HARDER TO SHIFT when its cold dont force it into any gear, just pick the gear above it.

 

Kepping your fluids fresh and bleeding the clutch fluid is always a good idea. But I'm not sure about your skipping gears technique until the tranny is warmed up. That will probably cause more problems with your synchro's:

Straight from the 01/06 ServiceNews bulletin:

"
Skip Shifting Is Brutal on
Synchronizers

Gear ratios in 6-speed manual trannies are spaced
close together so you can keep the engine speed
in its optimum range for max power and
acceleration. Shifting to the next higher or lower
gear in a close-ratio tranny causes small changes
in engine speed.
Shifting a close-ratio tranny through its gears by
the numbers puts a very small load on the
synchronizers since they only have to make small
changes to the speed of the mainshaft and the
clutch disc.
Some drivers, though, like to skip shift so they
don�t have to work the clutch pedal and shift lever
as much. They like to accelerate in 1st gear, then
pop it into 3rd gear, then into 5th or 6th. Skip
shifting, though, is really brutal on synchronizers;
it puts a higher demand on them than they were
designed to take. Skip shifting can cause
premature synchronizer wear that can cause the
gears to grind when you shift up or down.
If you�ve got a vehicle in your shop for repeated
damage to the synchronizers, go for a test-drive
with your service customer to see if he or she is
guilty of skip shifting. If that�s the case, remind
him or her skip shifting can be an expensive habit
to break. Any repairs due to skip shifting may be
reviewed and debited by your DPSM."

 

There was a TSB on this issue for the 2004s and part of the 2005s. It involved replacing the 2nd gearset. Check the search for details.

A Honda dealer may or may not "goodwill" this but you need to go thru Honda headquarters first.

 

I have the same problem every morning. But once its warmed up its all good.

 

had the same problem when I first got my03 s2k
drained/replaced all fluids
car shifts and runs waaaay better