I have 30k on my 04 S. I changed the tranny fluid at 20k for the heck of it. I used Honda's MTF. Over the past 1000 miles I noticed that the shifting was getting notchy in nearly every gear. Also, I could feel the synchos in second and sometimes first.

I changed my fluid again yesterday (Honda MTF) and to my surprise most of the notchy feel went away. Why would our car need tranny fluid changed that often? I know the interval that honda recommends is much longer. I do not drive my car hard, I commute to work with it once or twice a week. I am not leaking fluid and the stuff that I drained looked very clear.

Honestly, I was not expecting an improvement and I was planning on bringing it to Honda to have them look at before my warranty expires. But, I am not sure if I should bring it to them any way.

Give me your thoughts? Does this sound common?

Thanks

 

the notchiness of the s2k transmission is one of my favorite things i noticed the first time i drove it. if you are having synchro or shifting issues thats an entirely different thing. by feeling the synchros do you mean grinding?

 

My firtst question is why do you have an S2000 if you don't drive It hard. Just kidding anyway that seems to be common with our car, and next time try the GM syncromesh friction modified "good stuff"

 

Feeling the synchros - I mean I feel them as I am putting the transmission into gear. Mostly second, but sometimes first. It occurs when I am shifting gently. I will take the transmission out of gear and with a light pressure let it fall into the next gear. It feels like a 'tap-tap-tap' then it slips into geat. Or when I am at a stoplight and need to go back into first the same feeling of 'tap-tap-tap' then engage occurs.

I dont know. Maybe i am being paranoid.

 

Try overfilling it so it takes the full 2 quarts on your next changeout by tilting the car with a jack.

 

Is this a verfied method in comnbatting such symptoms?

 

My transmission is slightly notchy going into 2nd when cold. When it's warm, it shifts like butter. Also, right at start up, it usually will not go into 1st gear using light pressure, so I shift into 3rd, and then immediately into 1st and it will then easily go into 1st gear. When everything is good and warm, I can slice through the gears like butter.


My factory warrenty expires in 2 days









*knocks on wood*

 

This is the same way my transmission feels while shifting at lower RPM's and during transmission warm-up. I consider it normal now after 30K miles. I've used Honda MTF and now use GMSMFM. Required OCI's seem to be around 10K miles. The oil is never dirty, but I'm not sure where dirt would come from anyway. I believe the oil either just shears down from heat, or is depleted of necessary additives very quickly. My theory is that our transmission is a very precision instrument compared to many other MT's. The gear reductions required to transfer such high engine RPM's through the transmission, the propeller shaft and the differential to put HP to the rear wheels requires our tranny and diff oils to perform an incredible task for such low quantity levels in both of their respective reservoirs. The only difference is that we can feel the oil deteriorating in the transmission. Just keep changing it when you feel the notchiness return. I also think that when they designed this fabulous transmission, they optimized it for high RPM shifting, which had some sort of compromise for lower RPM shifts.
BTW- I plan to try Acura's Precision Crafted MTF next. I'll let you know how it works.

 

Is it getting colder where you live? This can contribute to what you are feeling.

Does it behave this way after 30 minutes of driving? My MY00 transmission shifts great after 30 minutes just lilke others have reported.

This transmission seems to shift better at 4k RPM or higher.

I change my fluid about every 10k miles, like others here, based on feel. It's fairly consistent. I too use GM Syncromesh Friction Modified.

Sounds like you are experiencing normal transmission behavior from what you posted.

 

Thanks to all the replies. I am aware of the notchy feeling our transmission has, especially at warm up, and mine is just as notchy as ever during that time with 1-2 shifts. What I am / was experiencing was increased notchiness at warm up and continued notchiness when fully warm. I also experienced 2-3 and sometimes 2-1 (when stopped) notch and sometimes synchro tap when warm. Like I said earlier, this has greatly improved since changing the fluid. I am just very surprised that the fluid breaks down this quickly.

I am still going to bring the car to Honda so I can get this on record in case my tranny decides to die soon after my warranty is up.

Anyone else get the tap tap tap feel when going into first at a stop or into 2 or 3 at lower RPMs?

BTW - notchy is a funny word when you say over and over again.