New to the forum but I have just recently purchased a 2005 S 2000 with 76000 miles. Beautiful car...it is my second one. I bought it from the original owner and it is in perfect condition and was well cared for. I am noticing that I have had some problems getting it into reverse. This just started happening a few days ago. It does seem to be shifting a bit harder as well. I can get it into gear eventually but I know this should not be happening. I have watched some videos and have seen guys re-grease the shifting mechanism.

has anyone else had this issue...

thanks in advance

 

My S2000 had some shifting issues when I got it. My prescription to make it shift smoother is to change the tranny fluid (I like Amsoil MTF best but Honda MTF is also good), adjust (tighten up) the clutch rod freeplay, and re-grease the shifter as per Honda TSB. This worked perfectly for me. With the S2000 I find that the hand moves faster than the foot sometimes, given that our hands are so close to the shifter in most driving conditions, compared to other vehicles. Tightening the clutch rod freeplay helps in this regard by getting the clutch disengaged a tad bit quicker on the shifts.

Shifting in reverse is a common issue as there is no synchro on reverse. A quick double-clutch procedure when shifting to reverse usually makes for a much smoother engagement. Most people try to go from a forward gear straight into reverse and that doesn't always work. If you pull the shifter out of forward gear and into neutral, then release clutch pedal for split second, then push in the pedal and engage reverse with the shifter. You can get it down to a pretty quick procedure after a bit of practice. Much smoother engagement every time, guaranteed.

 

Thanks for the response..I greatly appreciate it. I will give this a shot. A bit bummed by this malfunction.

don

 

Ditto the above. I kept the proper recommended transmission oil and greased the shifter well when I had my car- never a problem.

 

I dug this up on a thread from 2011. I'd say your probably due for some fluid maintenance. It's probably best to do it all on a "new to me" car anyways. Cheers.

I would establish a new baseline for maintenance because in my experience people will say what they have to in order to close a sale.

 

The gearbox linkage into reverse is intentionally a bit difficult to engage to avoid accidental selection. Try the recommendations in the owner's manual to stop any gears still coasting inside the gearbox. Patience is a virtue here too.
Gearbox oil recommendations are almost as common as engine oil preferences. Frequent changes seem to matter more than brand.

-- Chuck

 

My S2K can be a little difficult to get into reverse or first, when the car is still cold (under 4 bars). Just need to be a little patience.

 

I've had several cars over the years that sometimes did not like to go into reverse. This was probably sometimes or always my own fault for using less than optimum lubricants. Regardless, I always shifted into first, pulled ahead a couple inches, and then the transmission slipped easily into reverse.

I thought I was having a similar issue with my 79 Accord till I remembered you have to push down on the old 5 Honda speed shift levers to get past the reverse lockout. ooops.

 

My Honda del sol will be pushing 380 000 km soon and about 25% of the time I have to put it in 1st, release the clutch ever so slightly to feel it catch then push clutch, shift R, release the clutch. it won't go straight into R after turning the key and slipping out of a gear. I always gently push into reverse and I can tell if it's needs this before even putting much pressure on it. I do park in 1st with ebrake. Never once had ebrake stick on this car

 

Thanks for the response. I am all set
now....transmission fluid was a little low and a slight adjustment to tighten the clutch. Perfect now...