Weird feeling shifting out of first gear

[kksh]

Hi,
This is a bit hard to explain so bear with me.

I am getting this feeling shifting out of 1st gear on 50% of my gear changes. It feels unlike the usual damped sensation you get when you shift out of the other gears. It doesn't happen all the time though. Shifting in to all the gears feel fine.

It sort of feels like it got out of 1st abruptly.

Any thoughts? Sorry I couldn't explain it in better detail.

[white_ep3_civic]

I'm not too sure exactly what you mean but does it feel like it's popping out. Try do the change really slow. You might be tryin to shift to quick.

[kksh]

That's what I'm afraid of. Has anyone have any experience of having the gears pop out?

And yes it feels worse when I shift quickly. But not all of the time.

[Fredoops]

When's the last time you had a fluid change in the tranny?

[kksh]

When's the last time you had a fluid change in the tranny?

Just a year ago. I am using the Honda OEM fluid. I saw on some US Acura TL forums that using the GM fluid helps. Does that make sense?

[white_ep3_civic]

Mine used to do the same. Never popped out by itself but as I went to shift from 1st to 2nd I put a bit o pressure on the gear stick and it wouldnt feel right. The gear box fluid only had 20,000 k's when it was doing this.

[kksh]

Mine used to do the same. Never popped out by itself but as I went to shift from 1st to 2nd I put a bit o pressure on the gear stick and it wouldnt feel right. The gear box fluid only had 20,000 k's when it was doing this.

That's exactly how it feels. But half of the time it feels normal. My biggest concern is that this might be a symptom of major issue. How long did you keep your car after it started doing that? Or how did you fix it? I am tempted to change the MTF from Honda MTF to Castrol or something just to see if it makes any difference.

[white_ep3_civic]

I just took my time shifting from 1st to 2nd. I would change the oil and see if that makes a difference. I think it's just wear over the years. I can't imagine it's anything serious as a few of my previous cars used to do the same thing with no issues.

[shmivic]

Its the shifter bushing's at the linkages on the gearbox.

Cheap and easy to replace with oem ones.

BUT you can buy better ones that change the feel to more like a DC2R's shift.

See here:
http://www.heeltoeauto.com/Hybrid-Racing-Shifter-Bushing-Kit-01-03-YA4-CL-04-06-UA6-TL-03-08-TSX-JDM-Accord-pr-65839.html

[kksh]

Its the shifter bushing's at the linkages on the gearbox.

Cheap and easy to replace with oem ones.

BUT you can buy better ones that change the feel to more like a DC2R's shift.

See here:
http://www.heeltoeauto.com/Hybrid-Racing-Shifter-Bushing-Kit-01-03-YA4-CL-04-06-UA6-TL-03-08-TSX-JDM-Accord-pr-65839.html

I thought well and hard about how it feels and here it goes. When I shift out of first I can feel the gear disengage then instead of having a spring loaded/cushioned feeling I get a an abrupt feeling going in to neutral.

If it were the bushes, and since there are only two, wouldn't I be feeling that sort everytime I shift out from 1st, 3rd or 5th? And also there doesn't seem to be any play when the shifter is in gear.

Last weekend I drained and changed the transmission fluid from Honda MTF to 10w40 engine oil just to see if the thicker oil will make a difference. It's not as smooth to shift and sort of masks the sensation but not as good to shift so I'll change it back to Honda MTF.

[shmivic]

i had the exact same problem your describing, changed the bushes, problem gone.

what does your clutch fluid look like? full? low?

[kksh]

i had the exact same problem your describing, changed the bushes, problem gone.

what does your clutch fluid look like? full? low?

That's great advice. Will change them and hopefully it'll solve the issue. I was worried that it might be something major.

The clutch fluid is full and recently flushed.

By the way, the 10w40 oil is crap for the transmission. The shift is way notchy now. I better change it back to Honda MTF this weekend again.

[tron07]

how long does a shifter bushing usually last? The ones by heel&toe looks interesting to me.

[shmivic]

depends on driver style/milage/climate etc
usually around +60k's
visual inspection will tell you if they need replacing, grab the linkage & if it moves around a fair bit in the bush then there pretty much due

[kksh]

Ok, I've changed the shifter bushes and it made a difference to the shift feel but it doesn't fix the issue of the 1st>Neutral shift.

What I have noticed is that it is temperature sensitive. It's worst when it's cold and at colder temperatures. Once up to temperature or when the ambient temperature is warm it's not as bad. I am starting to think it could either be the clutch or the MTF. But I am using original Honda MTF and flushed and bled the clutch. Not sure where else to look.

Any ideas?

[aaronng]

Ok, I've changed the shifter bushes and it made a difference to the shift feel but it doesn't fix the issue of the 1st>Neutral shift.

What I have noticed is that it is temperature sensitive. It's worst when it's cold and at colder temperatures. Once up to temperature or when the ambient temperature is warm it's not as bad. I am starting to think it could either be the clutch or the MTF. But I am using original Honda MTF and flushed and bled the clutch. Not sure where else to look.

Any ideas?
Is your clutch engagement point at the middle or the bottom of the clutch pedal travel? If it is near the bottom, then there might be an air bubble in the clutch fluid line. If that is the case, bleed it more.

[kksh]

Ok, I did a clutch bleed and it made it much better. But then after about 4-5 days it returned. I thought I didn't bleed it properly so I did it again making sure I flushed the whole system entirely and I made sure the whole thing was properly bleed. Then I also adjusted the clutch to bring i up a notch by turning the rod one full rotation. That made it better for another 4-5 days and now it's back. It's like the clutch isn't fully engaged when the "hard to shift" out thing occurs. What's next?

[kksh]

I have a feeling it might be the clutch master cylinder. Might as well change it and see how it goes. Apart from a Honda Dealer any idea where I can get it?

[ChaosMaster]

I don't think it's the clutch if it's only for 1st. But yeah, the dealer might have an idea. I would assume it's the synco's for 1st itself.

[ericl33]

check for leaks, or might just be driver habit.....

[kksh]

yeah at first it doesn't seem like the clutch itself but what I found was that the engagement point was quite low. I adjusted it via the adjustment screw behind the pedal. What I found was that once I turned the adjustment screw clockwise to lift the engagement point it almost went away completely. Then it would return gradually within a week or so. I somehow feel like the leak is inside the cylinder itself.

I was wondering if the TSX clutch cylinders might be compatible. It seems like I can get a set posted from the US for around $200.

[tony1234]

Might be due for a MTF oil change

[kksh]

I've changed the MTF with Honda MTF prior to it happening. I tried changing it to a thicker non-Honda one to see if it makes a difference but it just makes the shifting a bit stiffer. So I changed it back to Honda MTF.

The feeling is like the clutch is isn't fully depressed and I have to use force to take it out of 1st. Hence it doesn't feel like it's sliding out nicely but being yanked out. Counterintuitively, if I don't depress the clutch fully it improves but it only lasts for like a week. So whenever the clutch is adjusted either forwards or backwards it works better for a week or so then I will need to adjust it to the opposite direction to make it better.

I somehow get a feeling that the clutch auto-adjust thing is bring it back to its default position. I took it to a Honda dealer and with just driving it for 100m they said the pressure plate might be causing it and wanted the clutch pressure plate and disc because the clutch bite point was quite low.

There is no clutch slip whatsoever and there isn't any leaks.

[Gamblor]

Hi, sorry to bump such an old thread but I am experiencing the exact problems like the OP.

When changing from 1st to 2nd it feels like I am yanking the stick out of gear without the clutch pedal fully depressed (it is fully depressed BTW). So from 1st to neutral you get an almost popping sensation. It doesn't happen all the time, today it happened a lot so the drive to work was horrible. The problem also seems to occur more often when turning around a corner. I am changing revs at about 2500-3000rpm, so even at lowish revs the problem occurs.

Did anyone mange to find a solution to this problem? Ive changed clutch, slave cylinder, bleed numerous times, added shifter bushings, even adjusted the pushrod in the master cylinder but nothing has helped.

Thanks