I've had that same problem in the past with both my S and my 96 Prelude. I found that after coming to a complete stop, say at a light, i might just hold the car with the brake, and let the engine idle in neutral with the clutch out. To put it in first, I push the clutch in, hit second, and then it slips it into first every time with no effort. Works every time. Maybe a synchro issue?

 

try changing your fluids, check them first...but every 30k mile you should change the fluids to be safe..

 

FYI do not keep the gear in first and hold the clutch at the light, this harms the bearing. Make sure when coming to a light go 6-5-4-3-2-1. If 1 seems to challenging go 6-5-4-3-2 then neutral at 1500-1000RPM so you get a smooth transition.

Accelerating go 1-2-3-4-5-6.

How is your clutch? Does it engage as soon as you let off the clutch, or does it take a while to grab?

 

thats what i do. but when downshifting to stop i always go from 6th to 4 to 3 then N, sometimes 2 then N but not most of the time. Is there something wrong with that? I always rev match so i dnt see the problem with skipping 5th when downshifting.

My clutch feels fine to me, ill check the fluids

 

Unless you're double clutching while rev matching, rev matching a shift alone is

a. not doing anything
b. not required

I have had first not go in right away from a stop light. I don't skip shift on the way up but on the way down I often coast in the current gear till stop.

I've found this that might be helpful:
1. Try slipping into 2nd then first if first does not slide right in
2. If you're comfortable with it, try gently slipping the clutch while pushing it into first (this should be done when you feel the shifter only go part way).

I suspect what is happening is the syncro is wearing out and not able to move the gears into alignment at such a slow tranny speed.

Yes, rowing through the gears while coming to a stop ALWAYS gets ride of this. But to be honest, life's to short for all this special treatment for a car.

New tranny fluid appears to help for a short period of time.

 

alright thanks

 

the same issue happened to me may times,
last week when i was racing the gear got stuck in 1st,
now i cannot engage 1st or 2nd, it doesnt grind,
feels like if i push it harder something will break & it wont engage,

 

You've likely seriously damaged something driving like a fool

 

Huh?!!

I have a feeling that you drive like the proverbial old lady. No offence to the elder ladies out there.

You are missing half the joy of driving the car! Going thru the gears both up and down with the world class tranny we have just can't be missed.

Sorry to hijack your thread, but i couldn't let that go without a comment.

 

Rev matching was originally used when trannys didn't have syncros. You would double clutch and setup the tranny speed with the revs you estimated the motor would be at in the next gear. This allowed the non-syncro gearing to more easily slip together.

Rev matching today for this reason is not required.

Yes, rev matching on a shift from 4th to 3rd will make a smother transition but it's not required for the transmission to slip into the proper gear - which is what we're talking about here in this thread. With the clutch down (not connected to the tranny) the tranny and motor are spinning at different speeds. No amount of reving on the motor will help the tranny speed, hence why syncros are so important and make this tranny you so love amazing.

The OP is having problems getting into 1st and 2nd. So with your little foolish rant here, I'd love to know how the OP is to get into 1st gear from a stop with rev matching.

And if you re-read what I said 'unless you're double clutching' this speaks to a common misunderstanding that rev matching is helping the gearing better slip together. This is never the case unless you double clutch. If you simply estimate the revs of the next shift and slip it into gear, your syncros have done all the work.

So hey, not to be a jerk here but don't be a noob, we're talking about one thing in this thread. I'm not interest in debating your gift to shifting.