I have a 2004 with 24k on it and changing gears is a little notchy, especially 1st to 2nd gear. I recently changed the tranny oil and that was great improvement but still not completely gone.

At first I thought it could be my driving habits because sometimes the notchiness is completely absent. I have noticed that it does not happen at all when changing gears very fast or in the high rev range. But if I am doing a slow 1st > 2nd during normal, casual driving, usually I will feel like the gear is "catching" something before it goes in. Another way around it is to leave 1st, bring to nuetral, wait a second then shift to 2nd - then usually it is completely smooth. But that takes too long and is not ideal obviously.

Nothing too serious or manageable but I am wondering if I possibly need to get the shift linkage aligned or something. Is that something that can be done on these cars?

 

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The thing is I recently grinded 2nd gear twice in the past week and maybe 4 times total because of this but I guess I just have to be more careful and make sure its fully in before releasing the clutch pedal.

 

First - what fluid did you install? If it's not OEM Honda MTF or Amsoil MTF (or a mixture of the two), then you need to seriously consider switching. If you're running Honda MTF - try Amsoil, or a 75% Amsoil 25% Honda MTF mixture.
Since the transmission was just serviced - verify the fluid level.
The fluid level will not be correct if the car was not level when it was filled. If this happed either due to not knowing better or in an attempt to over fill it the transmission it needs to be corrected ASAP. Over-filling is almost as bad as an under-filled transmission and can lead to all sorts of major problems.
An over-filled transmission will grind. If this is the case I would change the fluid again and fill it on level ground to the appropriate level. Low fluid levels are obviously bad as well.

Second - you need to bleed the clutch fluid and install a quality DOT 4 brake fluid - such as ATE Super Blue (Tire Rack carries it). You need to unbolt the slave cylinder from the side of the transmission and tilt it ever so slightly as you gravity bleed the system (bleed fitting at the high point) - due to the fact 3-4 bubbles will stay trapped in a pesky nook in the slave cylinder. Don't let the reservoir run dry or you'll be there a while - bleeding the ton of air that mistake will introduce.

Third - consider attempting to adjust the freeplay in the clutch pedal. Billman has posted quite a lot on this - you'll need to do a search.

Fourth - you're very likely not shifting properly. It's easy to fall back into bad shifting habits that you could get away with in other cars. This shows up like a sore thumb in this car with 1-2 grinds. If the car was fine for 24,000 miles - you probably unwittingly started to try to clutch and shift at the same time. Remember it's a three part move with the first part most important - clutch pedal absolutely to the floor before you hand begins to move. Most grinds happen when you clutch and shift at the same time - especially at redline. The difference of 1/10 of a second can make a difference at redline due to the stresses involved.

Mechanically time your shift sequence to a waltz type tempo, separating each action in equal time. One - clutch to the floor; two - then shift to neutral; three - shift into the next gear. It sounds weird, but it helps.
As it becomes second nature, your shift speeds will naturally become faster and more precise.

 

Thanks slipsream. I've developed that bad habit of early shifting and have grinded a few times. I've been working on that tempo and has helped tremendously.

 

I just bought an AP1. Trust me, it's your driving habits. Nothing's wrong with the car.

 

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No problem, it helped me too.
I had a friend describe it to me years ago and it's helped to refine my driving. As I stated in another thread - the best example of this type of shifting was when Billman took my car for a shake down run. While I can rip off some quick shifts - Billman made my driving look like amatuer hour. I learned a lot from watching his driving as well. My shifting is not quite as fast as his - but it's getting there.

On a side note - the only thing that outstrips Billman's driving skill is his skill as a mechanic. If you live anywhere within a reasonable drive of the Long Island area - I wouldn't take my car to anyone else. If you need some major work done - it's worth the transport fee from anywhere on the country - trust me.
I'm more than picky about who touches my car, which usually means I do most of the work. However, it was worth the time to drive from Pensacola to New York to have him change out my S's intake retainers. Put that in your pocket just in case you need it for later.

 

if shifter feels notchy going in gear, replace the fluid, notchy again , replaced fluid again. (OEM MTF)
i replaced my oem shift knob to voodoo's knob, it's about an inch lowered at the shifter which takes more force to shift. i haven't grinded 1st to 2nd since, it works for me.