Hi all... it's been a while since i have posted here, and that's mostly because I just haven't had any issues. A little background to start: I own a '03 s2k with approx 83k miles. I've owned it since new and do most of the maintenance myself, which includes changing the transmission fluid. The last time this was done was about 10k miles ago, using Honda's MTF, and I noticed then that the bottle for the MTF looked different. I thought I remembered it saying it was a new formulation.

Anyway, two days ago on my ride in to work the transmission felt really notchy and I was having to put extra effort into shifting gears (the day before it was fine). I assumed since it was a cold morning that maybe it just needed to warm up, but after a half hour of driving it was still pretty difficult. After work I started it up and could not get it into reverse to back out of my spot. I played with the clutch peddle and tried shifting into some other gears, which was difficult. I finally just forced it into reverse. The whole way home I had difficulty too. This morning it was more of the same and I was doing some double clutching while decelerating to get it into gears.

I'm wondering if the synchros have gone bad, but then wouldn't that only affect whatever gear is worn? I'll be honest, I'm not an expert on transmissions, so I may be mixed up here. I doubt it's due to lack of tranny fluid since i park in the same spot at home and work everyday and would notice a leak. It's been long enough since I changed the tranny fluid that if I did something incorrectly I would have noticed it by now. Besides, I've changed it muliple times now without incident. I've owned the car for 6.5 years and I've done some mildly spirited driving on occasion, but I've never been rough on the transmission. I can recall only 2 or 3 times grinding a gear when I wasn't paying attention enough, so I don't think this would be because I've ground the gears too much and worn something down.

My next step is to take it to the dealership to have it looked at, but wanted to get some thoughts from the community first. I'm envisioning an expensive repair. Thanks, and let me know if I need to provide more information.

-Doug

 

Sounds like it's going to be something internal and if it were me, I get an estimate first because just R&R is going to be expensive. It may be cost effective to do the removal yourself and have it looked at .It may even be cost effective to purchase a used transmission if you can find someone you trust. Get a diagnosis and estimate then go from there. Hopefully it's something simple going on with the shifter but the transmission may still have to be removed for the repair. GL

 

Start with checking your clutch fluid level. Then you could try lubing the shifter, there is a DIY on that.

If you skip shift stop doing that.

 

I'm no expert on this topic but I was having trouble shifting when my master cylinder was leaking but it seems like checking your fluid level should lead you to this if it's the cause of your particular problem.

 

Thanks for the replies, everyone. How would I go about checking the clutch fluid level? Is this something I should be checking/replacing on a regular basis? I honestly thought I was doing a good job keeping up with maintenance, but this makes me feel like i've been neglectful.

In regards to skip shifting - no, this isn't something I do. I always go in order.

Where should I be taking this for repair? Is a transmission shop best since they specialize in this, or a Honda dealership? I think the perception is that dealerships will usually charge more for the same work, but don't know if this is true since I've never had repair work done on the vehicle before.

 

There's a small, round, reservoir next to the brake fluid reservoir. That's your clutch fluid. Open the top and make sure it's full. On the inside of the car, look at the firewall behind the clutch pedal. If you notice corrosion or a wet spot from fluid leaking, you have a bad clutch master cylinder.

Do you have an aftermarket short-shifter, or have you ever removed the stock shifter? I had a very similar issue when the bolts that hold the shifter in backed out a bit.

 

 

Thanks for the additional input. SC highlander - thanks for the information. I'll check the clutch fluid level and look for any signs of leaks. In regards to removing the shifter, no I've never removed the stock shifter. The only thing I've done to it is replaced the stock knob.

 

Check under your clutch pedal for any sign of leak sticky fluid, then it could be your clutch master cylinder went bad. Happened to my05, can't even shift into any gear at all.

 

Have you ever bled your clutch cylinder?

I just did mine and couldn't believe the difference. Things go bad so gradually you don't notice them most of the time. My clutch had gotten very short and I'd begun to worry that was a sign of clutch wear but things returned to normal with the flush and bleeding.

It doesn't take that much fluid to do a full flush. My old fluid was full of black floaty things.