Does your 2nd gear ever grind?

[jung5864]

2nd gear synchro seems to slip and grind 2nd gear on cold starts below 40 degrees or so... once the tranny warms up, not a problem.

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[amirza786]

Indicate in poll, please.

It is sometimes notchy, but has never grinded, I have almost 10K on my car. Answer is no

 

[BoostedSiCoupe]

based on this poll there is a high proportion of 2nd gears grinding. something is off with 2nd synchro for sure.

although mine has seemed to get better when i put new oem shit in it. hasnt grinded in a few month

 

[amirza786]

based on this poll there is a high proportion of 2nd gears grinding. something is off with 2nd synchro for sure.

although mine has seemed to get better when i put new oem shit in it. hasnt grinded in a few month

I've heard that in the Type R, the second gear grind is caused by the clutch fluid getting too hot, and switching to DOT 4 fixes the issue. Maybe could be related in the Si? Since I have never had any gear grinds, I have not had to give it any thought. Also could possibly the 2nd gear notchiness be mistaken for a gear grind?

 

[BoostedSiCoupe]

I've heard that in the Type R, the second gear grind is caused by the clutch fluid getting too hot, and switching to DOT 4 fixes the issue. Maybe could be related in the Si? Since I have never had any gear grinds, I have not had to give it any thought. Also could possibly the 2nd gear notchiness be mistaken for a gear grind?

nobody would mistake being notchy for a grind they are worlds apart. hondas have historically had issues with 2nd and or 3rd gears grinding. theyve built shitty transmissions for a while now. my 8th and 9th sis had 2nd gear grinds.

its strange because all my older gen hondas from back in the day like my gsr and 00 si never had grind issues. but the quality of their trannys went down hill starting with the k series trans.

 

[ablueSI]

Mine doesn't grind. Thank god, my last car did that and I hated it - was not confidence inspiring.

I did test drive 3 different Si's, the first one had a smooth-as-butter transmission, I remember thinking there was almost zero weight to it. But the one I am leasing is not quite as smooth. Maybe it was a really hot day or something when I test drove that first one.

 

[BoostedSiCoupe]

Mine doesn't grind. Thank god, my last car did that and I hated it - was not confidence inspiring.

I did test drive 3 different Si's, the first one had a smooth-as-butter transmission, I remember thinking there was almost zero weight to it. But the one I am leasing is not quite as smooth. Maybe it was a really hot day or something when I test drove that first one.

agreed having a car with gear grinds is the fuking worst thing to deal with. you cant drive it spiritedly and it makes you worry evertime you shift at higher rpm.

i got rid of my 8th and 9th gens because of the grinds. i did have a 2000 coupe with a jdm type r in it and it had a small 3rd gear grind. it sucked. i had to swap the trans for a 99 si and it was smooth but no lsd sucked.

 

[amirza786]

nobody would mistake being notchy for a grind they are worlds apart. hondas have historically had issues with 2nd and or 3rd gears grinding. theyve built shitty transmissions for a while now. my 8th and 9th sis had 2nd gear grinds.

its strange because all my older gen hondas from back in the day like my gsr and 00 si never had grind issues. but the quality of their trannys went down hill starting with the k series trans.

This is my first Honda, so this is the only Honda MT I have any experience with. My last Manual was a 95 Toyota Corolla with a 5 speed, the trans was smooth as silk. I don't think I ever changed the fluid in it. Also it took the heavier 75W90 gear oil. These Hondas use light weight 5w30 Synchromesh fluid...but that is probably not the cause because I don't have any grinding in any of my gears

 

[BoostedSiCoupe]

This is my first Honda, so this is the only Honda MT I have any experience with. My last Manual was a 95 Toyota Corolla with a 5 speed, the trans was smooth as silk. I don't think I ever changed the fluid in it. Also it took the heavier 75W90 gear oil. These Hondas use light weight 5w30 Synchromesh fluid...but that is probably not the cause because I don't have any grinding in any of my gears

whenever i experienced grinds in any of my hondas it was usually after the trans fluid got hot after driving around a while. i believe its a combination of thin fluid and shitty synchros from the factory.

also its hit or miss with honda trannys from the 8-10 gens. some will shift like butter and never grind one time, and other will suffer bad grinding consistently.

just google "civic si grinds gears forums" and youll see how widespread the issue was/is.

edit: proofread

 

[ablueSI]

agreed having a car with gear grinds is the fuking worst thing to deal with. you cant drive it spiritedly and it makes you worry evertime you shift at higher rpm.

This exactly.

 

[amirza786]

whenever i experienced grinds in any of my hondas it was usually after the trans fluid got hot after driving around a while. i believe its a combination of thin fluid and shitty synchros from the factory.

also its hit or miss with honda trannys from the 8-10 gens. some will shift like butter and never grind one time, and other will suffer bad grinding consistently.

just google "civic si grinds gears forums" and youll see how widespread the issue was/is.

edit: proofread

Yeah, I have seen quite a few posts on this issue. I guess I can knock on wood that I've had no grinds so far. I've made several trips to Southern Cal this summer (360 miles each way) driving in over 100 F heat, thru LA stop and go traffic I guess I will count myself as lucky

 

[JNRS]

When I had mine, it didn't grind, but it also didn't feel great going into second or fourth gear on a daily basis.

 

[amirza786]

More details. I have rough shifts into 2 and 4 depending on what "angle" I slide the lever into the "gate".
Definitely not grinds, but rough shift kinda like a gear crunch.
If you want to experience a grind, roll into a gas station spot in 1st gear at 5mph and then throw it into reverse before coming to a full stop.

I think @davemarco mentioned that he was looking into this product to eliminate some of that "crunch" you get when shifting into even gears.
https://www.civicx.com/threads/alta-performance-shifter-cable-lockdown.25674/

I already have shift cable bushings, which makes the shifter feel more solid.
Not too interested in a short throw or Acuity's "shifter rocker" upgrade.
I'm afraid the shifter rocker brings the gates too close together and I already sometimes accidentally throw it into 5th instead of 3rd.

My plan is to do the centering spring, this shifter cable lockdown by alta, and acuity base bushings.

As a side note, I think that doing the "shifter cable lockdown" by Alta, will also fix the same problem that Acuity was trying to tackle when people were running short shifters. Outlined here:

Wow, that was just way to much work just to get rid of a little bit of notchiness from second and fourth gears. I would rather live with the notchiness, which not always present. Now what I would love to get rid of more than that is the rattling in the drivers side pillar which happens on cold mornings when I run the defroster. Of course it goes away as quickly as it comes

 

[PWP19SI]

I feel like people are getting confused between a notch shift into 2nd and a transmission grind.

I’ve felt the notchyness, but never a grind. You really have to be aggressive in order to get that grind to happen. Unless you have a defective tranny

 

[bay_hatch]

Reviving an old thread, but i've notcied the notchyness shifting into second especially on a cold start. Once the fluids warm up, it'll shift just fine. It's annoying because I kinda have to wait a second before shifting into second for it to smoothly go in. Wondering if changing my fluid out to amsoil will fix this problem for me? Or would the Acuity cable shifter bushings help?

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