The Infamous 2nd Gear Crunch

Tim818 said:

Same here...I installed the ACUITY stuff, haven’t had a grind since, not saying it’s going to make the grind or roughness disappear, but the shifting feel has improved.

Can’t wait to swap out transmission fluid to see if the roughness goes away....

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What are u referring to when you say u installed the acuity stuff?

O Haiii said:

What are u referring to when you say u installed the acuity stuff?

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Cable bushings, shifter base bushings and centering spring

O Haiii said:

I noticed we are not seeing any new cases being reported.... Does this mean the issue has been fixed with the newer production models??

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I have an '18 CTR with 3100 miles. I get a random 1-2 gear crunch every couple few hundred miles it seems. I can't replicate it and neither could the dealer, but the dealer told me that Honda is aware of the issue.

childishthing said:

I have an '18 CTR with 3100 miles. I get a random 1-2 gear crunch every couple few hundred miles it seems. I can't replicate it and neither could the dealer, but the dealer told me that Honda is aware of the issue.

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If you don't mind us asking, what is your CTR plate number?

metal_driver said:

If you don't mind us asking, what is your CTR plate number?

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13429

My Type R experienced it once, on a 2-1 downshift (rev matching on) at around 2k miles... I'm at around 4500 now and haven't heard it since. I think it was driver error.

I’ve heard that the problem can be corrected by replacing the clutch fluid with racing quality fluid to withstand the heat from the exhaust. After the clutch fluid has been affected from the heat it will no longer perform very well and will cause the shifting issue under cooler temps as well like others state. So it doesn’t have to be just its hot. Is this true? Will a good quality fluid like Motul RBF 660 solve the problem?

mpt2006 said:

I’ve heard that the problem can be corrected by replacing the clutch fluid with racing quality fluid to withstand the heat from the exhaust. After the clutch fluid has been affected from the heat it will no longer perform very well and will cause the shifting issue under cooler temps as well like others state. So it doesn’t have to be just its hot. Is this true? Will a good quality fluid like Motul RBF 660 solve the problem?

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It can be a lot of things, some have did a CDV delete and have not experienced the problem anymore, and a few have swapped out the tranny fluid and not experienced the problem anymore, although they still experience the rough 1-2 shift at times.

I on the other hand installed the ACUITY products and have not experienced a grind or notchy shift since but going from 1-2 is still rough.

mpt2006 said:

I’ve heard that the problem can be corrected by replacing the clutch fluid with racing quality fluid to withstand the heat from the exhaust. After the clutch fluid has been affected from the heat it will no longer perform very well and will cause the shifting issue under cooler temps as well like others state. So it doesn’t have to be just its hot. Is this true? Will a good quality fluid like Motul RBF 660 solve the problem?

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No, I don't think replacing the clutch fluid will make a difference. Even from the exhaust, it is not close enough to be subjected to the levels of heat in the way it is in the brakes. The clutch is a very light duty application. As long as the fluid doesn't have bubbles, is moisture-free and doesn't cause corrosion, it will actuate the clutch reliably no matter what brand.

Gansan said:

No, I don't think replacing the clutch fluid will make a difference. Even from the exhaust, it is not close enough to be subjected to the levels of heat in the way it is in the brakes. The clutch is a very light duty application. As long as the fluid doesn't have bubbles, is moisture-free and doesn't cause corrosion, it will actuate the clutch reliably no matter what brand.

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I’ve heard this was a big problem in the FK2 and have heard it is the issue with the FK8 as well. Just what I’ve heard, thought I’d run the idea here before I believe it.

mpt2006 said:

I’ve heard that the problem can be corrected by replacing the clutch fluid with racing quality fluid to withstand the heat from the exhaust. After the clutch fluid has been affected from the heat it will no longer perform very well and will cause the shifting issue under cooler temps as well like others state. So it doesn’t have to be just its hot. Is this true? Will a good quality fluid like Motul RBF 660 solve the problem?

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Changing the clutch fluid will not solve the 2nd gear grind issue. I believe there is already a fix which consists of replacing the OEM CMC with a modified CMC from k20z3allmotorftw.

not true. there is no hard evidence nor a direct correlation to the cdv being the cause for the grinds / lockouts. all speculation at this point and some people with cdv taken out are still having issues.

Just to throw an update out there. Still no grinding issues at 12,737 miles. So, all signs point to the issue being fixed although the root of the issue was never revealed.

New transmission was installed at 7,240 miles. I drove the car really hard this past week as a friend was visiting from out of town and wanted to see what the car could do, and I had zero issues during all of our shenanigans.

PepsiJoe said:

Just to throw an update out there. Still no grinding issues at 12,737 miles. So, all signs point to the issue being fixed although the root of the issue was never revealed.

New transmission was installed at 7,240 miles. I drove the car really hard this past week as a friend was visiting from out of town and wanted to see what the car could do, and I had zero issues during all of our shenanigans.

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Just an update on my 2018 Civic Type R gear grind: I just turned 3000 miles. Still crunching and grinding from 1st to 2nd at random times. It has very much diminished the fun of owning this car,..I drive it like a slow minivan and STILL get the grinding once in a while. It's a major headache dropping my car at the dealers,..and I already know they won't "replicate" the problem, even if I do drop it off for the THIRD time. I'll just crunch my gearbox to 5000 miles, and have them check it out during the free 1st oil change. Meanwhile, I definitely wouldn't recommend this car at all until they fix this defect.

Gansan said:

No, I don't think replacing the clutch fluid will make a difference. Even from the exhaust, it is not close enough to be subjected to the levels of heat in the way it is in the brakes. The clutch is a very light duty application. As long as the fluid doesn't have bubbles, is moisture-free and doesn't cause corrosion, it will actuate the clutch reliably no matter what brand.

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I also dont think its heat related. Even if it got really hot the transmission bell housing is going to act as a heatsink with the slave cylinder mounted on it. My gear random crunchiness happens irregardless of the car's temperature.