I have pretty much experienced this on all my S2000s and I have tried all the easy fixes. For most shifts I've found that it really depends on the transmission oil temp and the RPM of the shifting. The one shift that seems to do this pretty consistently is 2nd to 3rd. The only thing I haven't been able to do is grease the transmission input shaft, which I'm willing to bet is the perpetrator, especially since all my S2000s have been high mileage. I drove a 24k mile club racer the other day and there was little to no notchiness at all, it was amazing.

 

To me the S2000 has one of the most "mechanical feel" to its shifting. You can feel every action of the shift-transmission. Not the vagueness found in many stick shifts, esp FWD.

Maybe, some are mistaking this mechanical feel for notchy?

 

I have the same described notchiness...yes it doesn't exist at higher rpms. But it doesn't bother me being an old fart...
the shifting sorta reminds of my youth and shifting old muscle cars in which you had to double clutch.

 

This is 100% accurate to my experiences of any S2k I've driven. One shift would feel perfect (butter), the next feel like rowing through rocks, the next a mixture in between. Reset, next stop light, randomly different. Sometimes a mix of perfection, sometimes a mix of rocks. Didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason.

Temp didn't matter, adjusting clutch rod didn't matter, new fluid in trans and mc - nothing delivered consistent results.

I can definitely see how some people would think the synchros are bad. And sometimes they actually are. Even super low mileage cars got synchros replaced under warranty. Some experienced night and day shifting afterwards, and to some it felt exactly the same.

Overall I was pleased with the way the car shifted, even factoring in the inconsistencies.

The one thing I can very much agree with in this thread is that yes, shifting over 4k RPM will give you that "butter" feeling most of the time.

The T56 I have in the car now feels surprisingly like the stock Honda did. It requires a little more effort (especially at WOT shift), but other than that I'm really pleased with the feel compared to the way the car shifted previously. Overall they feel very very similar - which is a good thing.

 

Yep you nailed it. This sums up my experience.

Shifting through rocks is a pretty good analogy lol

 

Its somewhat reassuring that notchy shifting is common and not necessarily indicative of a transmission maintenance or repair issue.

My experience is that if I run up to 5K before shifting from 2nd to 3rd, AND if I shift quickly, the shift is always smooth. If I shift slowly - not so much.

Also, if I shift from 2nd to 3rd at lower rpm and I shift quickly, I almost always feel a "catch". Oddly, at lower rpm, if I make the shift with a very slight pause in the neutral position before moving into 3rd gear, it is always smooth, no notch.

My conclusion is this - when I am moving to 3rd at 5k and over, I shift quickly. But, when I am shifting into 3rd at under 5K rpm, I shift deliberately with a very slight pause in neutral (maybe best described as light pressure gently edging into third instead of shifting in a fast or aggressive manner). If I do this, I have smooth shifting. And, the other thing that I find is this - when the transmission is really warmed up - all these issues go away.

Weird.

 

The clunk we feel going into 3rd exists in all S2000s. Driver input is key, and all can avoid this with a change in driver input ( little more RPM, less shift delay, etc)

 

^^ this. car's meant to be driven hard, and when it's not, it lets you know it wants/likes to be spanked.

 

I performed the clutch rod adjustment as stated in the video, and I have noticed a VAST improvement, there were about 4 full turns of slop left in the rod. The bad news is, my clutch master cylinder is slowly leaking (very slow leak, not dripping), its going to have to be replaced. I think this explains a great deal of my issues.

 

By the way, is it necessary to replace the slave cylinder the same time I replace the CMC?