Got the car on monday, life has been wonderful since, I'm glad to have joined the ranks of you all.

Onto my question;

I live in the EU, and thus my S is an EDM: 2.0L, 9k redline, the works (even says AP1 next to the little engine # tag (where it says FC20, etc)).

I know some S2Ks had a recall done on their transmissions about the 1->2 "grind" problem; mine isn't a grind, so to speak; its not the noise you would here when you actually grind the gears.

Question about the grind recall... was the grind the loud, easily audible from the outside, make you feel shame kind of grind?

Onto symptoms:

-I can feel the gear being selected, whereas when I'm shifting from 4to5/5to6/etc, there's no such feeling, its smooth as silk.
-I can hear the gear being selected from the outside (window open)
-Definitely does it when the engine is cold, and does it often when engine is hot
-There are times when the engine is hot and the gear changes I mentioned are as smooth as the others.

Now, I've spoken with a honda mechanic, and he said everything felt normal (let him use it for a few feet, he shifted a few times), and that this sort of slight notchiness was nothing uncommon with S2Ks.

Should I feel completely OK about it? or was the mechanic just blowing me off to run to his lunch break?
Am I damaging anything?

 

I had the same question on my 2006. many of the other members assure me it's normal.

I hadn't noticed the noise from outside but inside the car it was more something i could feel in the shifter, kind of a snick feeling like i was forcing the synchronizers.

They advised me to worry less and drive faster.. I have definately found that when i concentrate less on shifting smoothly the notchiness seems to get less noticable

Willinathen

 

The shift lever is directly attached to the forks that move the synchro's hub/sleeve. It's normal to be able to "feel" and "hear" the gear being engaged.

All S2k's are slightly more difficult to shift when cold, and in 1st and 2nd gears. They have been like this since the 1st MY.

If the trans actually omits a loud "grind" when upshifting, there is a problem. Otherwise, it's normal.

 

normal

...but europe still gets the 2.0 for 06? wow

 

yes, we have balls...
but we are now wondering if we will still have the F20C next year

 

Sounds about right to me. I have MY05 with 9k redline and ap1 with ap2 modifications... When cold, 1st and 2nd are a bit harder to select and you actually feel and hear the gear going into place. Next gears are smoother. Once warm, almost every gear is smooth. I think it's quite normal.

 

Your car is brand new, only 850 km.
(Probably more now )
Everything needs braking-in.
Take that into account IMO.

When I'm parked in my garage box (especially top down - engine off) I hear clicke-di-click-clack bouncing of the walls when I shift through the gears.
Just noise, no notchiness.

Also, when shifing into first from neutral, allow some time (1-2 seconds) for the gears to come to a stop.
It takes some time for the main shaft to come to a stop.
If you dont wait you will hear and feel a "clunck", thats the 1st gear synchro stopping the main shaft.
Also normal.

 

Normal, and you will get used to it and not notice it anymore.

 

Thanks guys, all the support made me feel a ton better.

The notchiness is indeed fading away, I think it was also in part related to the overall break-in process of the car.

By the way, how come no one told me driving with the top down at dusk was simply... surreal?

(@1100km now )