Hi

I have some issues engaging my 2nd gear. I currently use MT90 oil in my transmission. I've driven approx 2000 miles since last i changed it. The problem occurs when the oil is cold. During the first 5 minutes of a drive 2nd gear is almost impossible to engage. I don't use a lot of force b/c i don't want to damage the tranny. I often find myself going back to 1st gear to gain some speed and then try engaging 2nd again.

I've tried to doubleclutch but it doesn't seem to help much.

The weird thing is that it only seems to affect 2nd, 3rd and 4th are smooth. Also when the tranny warms up 2nd is very notchy.

Does anyone know what's causing this. I begin hating driving my car as i have problems using 2nd gear.

Btw planning on changing to GMFM oil on the next change, which will be as soon as i get my hands on a PCX filter (local honda dealer is telling me Honda does not produce them anymore and the only filter available is PCM)

 

Why did you switch from Honda MTF, and how did it run with the Honda tranny fluid?

 

first, that honda dealership is retarded.

second, were you having problems with the tranny before you switched to MT90

 

Yes i had som issues with the MTF too. Once the MT90 warms up, it feels better than the MTF + when it is cold it is still better than MTF through all gears exept 2nd. Can't get my head around this one

And BTW i dont shift below 4000 rpm from 1st to 2nd.

 

Did a little more testing on this problem. When i go uphill the shift is buttersmooth, same thing when shifting during a left turn.
Could it actually have something to do with the oil level in the tranny?

 

Possibly ... Put the car on level ground and pull the fill plug and check. Too high is almost as bad as too low.

I would suggest draining the MT90 and trying Amsoil MTF https://www.amsoil.com/storefront/mtf.aspx

 

Just keep trying different fluids untill you find one that works best for your car. You will hear different opinions from different people on this subject. Several fluids that are available for S2000 are GM FM, Redline MTF, Amsoil...

Good luck and make sure not to take your frustration on the tranny.

 

I was worried about this too on my 04. I found that if I blip revs slightly before pulling into 2nd, the problem goes away. My problem is not nearly as severe as you said yours is. ("nearly impossible") My just makes an awful noise and clunks into gear.
Blipping helps me. Don't know what the real cause is. Good luck! ( I also went to Laguna Seca this last weekend, and it seems to be smoother now.... go figure!)