This is an exact quote from Honda's March 2004 Service News

[B]Grinding at Upshifts When
Cold:

 

While I had my car in for the 15,000 mile check (which doesn't amount to much when you tell them that you do your own brakes, oil, diff. oil and tranny oil), I had the service manager at Honda of Kirkland drive the car while pretty cold. He acknowledged the "grind," but pointed me to the same service bulletin, and told me that that is the way it is. He emphasized that he would be happy to rebuild the transmission under warranty if he thought anything was wrong, since Honda would pay him the same as a customer would pay, but that there would be no change after the process.

It is duly noted in my service records, but I guess the "definitive" answer is that it's just the way it is.

 

My take on the 1/2 grind:

The engineers probably designed the tight tolerances with temperature in mind. Since most everything expands when it gets heated, the fit and performance had to be designed at operating temperatures. I agree, most other (if not all) cars do not grind when they're cold. I theorize that the tolerances on other cars might not have been as tight as the S2000 transmission (or I can just be full of it). I wonder if some of the high-end Italian machines have such an issue?

Engineering trivia: While on the ground, the SR-71 Blackbird spy jet would leak like a sieve, but once airborne, the panels and connections heat up from the immense speed and it becomes one of the best flying machines out there.

Think of your cold S2000 as an SR71 waiting for flight!

http://www.wvi.com/%7Esr71webmaster/b4.jpg

 

My 04 has a slight crunch but nothing too noticeable... I probably wouldn't have paid any attention to it until I saw these threads.

Other S2000s I test drove did the same thing... it's very minor and almost non-existant when you shift slowly.

If yours is really grinding (you hear the gears crunch) I'd complain to Honda.

*edit*

I just realized "cold" to you guys is a lot different than my definition... the coldest weather my S2000 has ever seen has been high 30's and low 40's.

 

Aside from changing your technique as others have mentioned (the best fix), a clutch pedal adjustment might help. When my car came off the lot, there was excess free play in the pedal, so I had to push it ALL THE WAY to the floor before the clutch would disengage. This meant that I had to shift VERY slowly and carefully to avoid a grind. I "tightened" up the clutch pedal linkage to remove the excess play, and my grinding was reduced greatly. Basically, it helped ensure that the clutch was fully disengaged during the shift.

As others have stated, there isn't a definite fix, but the right oil, good technique, and a properly adjusted pedal will eliminate grinding. I've gone from grinding 2-3 times per day to none in the last year.

 

Hey guys, sorry to re-hatch this issue again, but I am in the midst of buying a MY02 tomorrow and this is the only issue I've found that might be of concern to me.

Unless something has been update since the last post, I am left to summarize that:

1) Honda knows this and says this is "normal" when the car is cold
2) Try to double clutch or shift slowly from 1-2.
3) If you tighten your clutch linkage the chances of a grind are significantly reduced.

Other then that, is there anything else that I am missing?

 

Many people also have success with GM Synchromesh Friction Modified transmission oil. Make sure it is the Friction Modified type though, not the regular stuff.

 

There were two things long ago from this forum that stood out.

1. The quote from the Honda transmission engineer who stated, the transmission was designed to provide great feel at the expense of longevity.
The transmission feels great but does not have a long service life.

2. I don't remember who did this test but several years ago someone mounted a thermal sensor in the trans case to monitor temperatures.
According to their test, the transmission did not heat up to normal operating temperature for 10 minutes of normal driving. At the 10 minute point was really the period where the transmission began shifting smoothly.


***************

From my personal experience with 3 S2000s new and old. The trans fluid does not matter during this initial warm up period. Honda transmission, fluid, GM Syncromesh, GM Syncromesh FM and Redline were all the same.

I just took a 04 model from Honda trans fluid who was borderline going into second when it was cold to GM syncromesh FM and it made little to no difference. But when it heats up the GM and Redline fluids keep gear changes much smoother overall.

 

Fresh fluid for sure......whatever type you choose. Redline MTL helped mine.

Also, move your seating position up one click from where you are if you find it grinds going into second. Driver position is just as important.

-Hockey

p.s. About the longeavity of the tranny. Funny, I'm on the original one and have 176k miles. Seems to last plenty long IMO.

 

That mileage is impressive for sure.