need advice re gears not changing

**twofake** · 29-07-2009 08:43 PM

Hi Guys,
I have a 2000 model S2000 and over the last few days, it won't change gears after I have stppoed at traffic lights.That is, it will not go into 1st,second or third and feels like there is something blocking it. I tried lifting the clutch off (car is in neutral) and pressing it back down but nothing.Eventually I have to force the gear into what feels like a rough 1st so that the drivers behind me do not get angry. Sometimes the problem feels like it has gone away and then it appears again. The clutch is supposedly fairly new (so the last owner told me).I bought car in Sydney and I am now in Brisbane.
When the gear is forced , there is no crunching at all and then lifting the clutch pedal leads to normal take off.There is no clutch slipping.
When the thing does not go into gear, it sort of feels like the car wants to move whne I try to push the gear knob into where it does not want to go (that is, push it into the locked area).
The car is on about 88000km and it has had the major service of all fluids changed at 80000km.
Any suggestions on what to get checked?

**JAP-S2K** · 29-07-2009 08:49 PM

Check for a leaking clutch master cylinder. Look above clutch pedal. If it's leaking, replace the fluid, if it's still leaking replace it.

**WhiteAP1** · 29-07-2009 09:25 PM

Yeah sounds like the master cylinder. Does the clutch pedal feel softer or is the friction point lower down than usual?

**twofake** · 29-07-2009 10:42 PM

Hi guys,
thanks for very fast answers. Yes clutch reservoir has dropped and inside car, some oily stuff is leaking out near where the clutch pedal is so I have topped it up and will arrange to have this fixed ASAP.
Great help this forum!

**tamay_s2k** · 02-08-2009 01:53 AM

mate..this problem happened 2 me 2 months ago when i got my s2000.
my problem was...clutch oil...i had 2 put new clutch oil in it..then bleed the clutch line bcuz air was trapped inside it. took about an hour.
my car stopped just on the off ramp at traffic lights on a freeway and i had 2 also force it into 1st gear so i can get the car moving.

**twofake** · 02-08-2009 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by tamay_s2k

mate..this problem happened 2 me 2 months ago when i got my s2000.
my problem was...clutch oil...i had 2 put new clutch oil in it..then bleed the clutch line bcuz air was trapped inside it. took about an hour.
my car stopped just on the off ramp at traffic lights on a freeway and i had 2 also force it into 1st gear so i can get the car moving.

Thanks for the reply. You must have been packing it when the car did not go into gear in the middle of traffic!!
I noticed oil on my driver's carpet and found the clutch master cylinder has a small leak and that had dropped the clutch fluid in the reservoir enough to allow air into the system. I am currently waiting for a new clutch master cylinder but the problem is a lot better since I tempoarily topped up the resevoir. I found in my receipts that the previous owner had the clutch slave cylinder done about 6 months ago. You would think that it would make sense to have the Master done at the same time??
You may need to check that your slave or master are nt leaking as that is often the cause of the air getting in in the first place.
I found a place in USA that sells replacement parts cheaper than here in Australia (a LOT cheaper and saves waiting for a resleeve job to be done). The slave cost the last owner $271 plus fluid plus $146 pressure hose plus other stuff and the bill was around $700. The actual slave in USA sells fro around US$60 plus postage and the item is mae in Japan.

**tamay_s2k** · 02-08-2009 05:29 PM

haha thanks mate. hope everything goes well for you. i didnt have a clutch leak inside the car. the fluids just ran out in mine and thats wat caused the problem. i thought my clutch went on that day and it was a real buzz kill because this all happened 3 hours after i just brought my car and went for a drive

**irvinchua** · 02-08-2009 07:54 PM

I just had my master clutch cylinder die on me. Had to get a tow to Graham at Ward While Motors to get it replaced. Thanks for fixing it same day on very short notice.

Symptoms: Clutch pedal has a lot of slack and the take-up point is very low and would not permit the selection of gears once the engine is on.

Check for: Leak under car and in driver's foot well. Also check clutch fluid reservoir. It's the one closest to the firewall. Mine was very very low.

Solution: Replace master clutch cylinder. It cost me $360 inclusive to parts and labor and now the car feels transformed.

I have learned that as my car gets older, more and more parts need replacing. Might have to plan for parts that need routine replacement. I found that my master clutch cylinder costs AUD242 from Honda Australia but only USD80 from Hardtopguy. Even with an unfavorable exchange rate, that is sill less than half of what Honda Australia wants for it.

Originally Posted by twofake

Thanks for the reply. You must have been packing it when the car did not go into gear in the middle of traffic!!
I noticed oil on my driver's carpet and found the clutch master cylinder has a small leak and that had dropped the clutch fluid in the reservoir enough to allow air into the system. I am currently waiting for a new clutch master cylinder but the problem is a lot better since I tempoarily topped up the resevoir. I found in my receipts that the previous owner had the clutch slave cylinder done about 6 months ago. You would think that it would make sense to have the Master done at the same time??
You may need to check that your slave or master are nt leaking as that is often the cause of the air getting in in the first place.
I found a place in USA that sells replacement parts cheaper than here in Australia (a LOT cheaper and saves waiting for a resleeve job to be done). The slave cost the last owner $271 plus fluid plus $146 pressure hose plus other stuff and the bill was around $700. The actual slave in USA sells fro around US$60 plus postage and the item is mae in Japan.

That place is hardtopguy.com and Jeff's prices are normally less than half of what we pay at the dealer.

I think I shall have to speak with my mechanic to get a list of upcoming parts that need replacement. My shortlist so far:

1) Clutch slave cylinder
2) Timing chain tensioner
3) Air-conditioning serpentine belt (?? Not sure but it's not a pricy item ??)

Any others guys?

**F20C** · 05-08-2009 05:19 PM

how much do honda charge for timing chain tensioners i wanna kinda learn how to service S2000's from minor to major..

**JAP-S2K** · 05-08-2009 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by F20C

how much do honda charge for timing chain tensioners i wanna kinda learn how to service S2000's from minor to major..

Give honda a ring and find out! Not cheap, not exactly easy, and wouldn't recommend a beginner do such a task. Bit of a odd request? Why what's wrong with it?

**irvinchua** · 06-08-2009 11:51 AM

Since my S2K is getting long in the tooth, I'm starting to buy a few commonly replaced parts from Hardtopguy which I reckon is more than 50% less than what Honda is charging, judging from the price difference between HTG's prices and Honda's prices.

At the end of the day, both parts are genuine Honda parts anyway.

**Dr0olz** · 02-12-2011 02:29 PM

Hi guys, didnt wanna start a new thread so ill let you know what problems im having that is similar.

Recently had a new clutch fitted and never had this problem with my old worn clutch. After driving for awhile and coming to a stop there are time's when i'm unable to get into gear 1 or 2 and sometimes unable to down shift into 2. You cant even push the gear stick to the left from neutral but only to the right, this resulting me aggressively trying to force it into gear 1 or 2 and at times it works and sometime i just start off in gear 3 at the red light. I also have difficulties getting out of reverse sometimes, when i say difficulties i mean it wouldnt even get out of reverse gear so i have to reverse abit more and force it out of reverse.

I check my reservoir and it wasnt too low but it could do with a top up which i topped it up and i never had the gear 1 and 2 selection problem again, however there were no leaks inside of clutch pedal or outside. I decided to take the car to the mechanic to get the slave bled and top up again for my own peace of mind (i should have left it as is cause i never had any problem since topping it up). After getting it done the problem came back after a week or so and i check the reservoir and its still full. I am not sure what to do next but this problem is making it very difficult to drive when you cant get into gear 1 at a red light and its my daily. I have never came across anything like this and this is my first time owning s2k and only 1 i have driven so im not sure if it is common or anybody has come across it. I would be muc appreciated with any help.