Finicky Transmission: Brand New 2020 Si

[Jaxson]

I finally took delivery of my 2020 Si sedan with 4 miles on it! This generation is a such a huge improvement overall from my ‘08 Si sedan that I also bought brand new at the time. So many things like rev-hang as well as 2nd and 3rd gear crunch/grinding are more relatable than I wish to admit. I think rev-hang was first noticed with the 8thgen since it departed from the throttle cable. And the 3rd gear made enough controversy that Honda quietly released a TSB for 3rd gear replacement for cars that weren’t “beat on” and had a history of issues.

Something new that I experienced that surprised me was being locked out of first and reverse gear a few times today during my total 30 mile round trip to work and back home. Although I had come to resolve most of the transmissions moodiness in my 8th gen with aftermarket parts, It never locked me out when I was fully stopped and clutch fully down at a stop light (unless it was single digit temps outside ). It caught me off guard and so I had to fumble and quickly clutch up and down and retry to get going. Luckily the guy behind me was patient and didn’t cause a commotion.

My car was fully warmed up when these incidents occurred today. I’m hoping that things are still breaking in. It literally had 4 miles on it when I got it. So all these high tolerance parts haven’t really meshed together that long in the big scheme of things. Anyone else experience this?? Otherwise the transmission more or less felt tight and slightly notchy, in a good and predictable way.

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[arpypat]

Congrats on the pickup! Yes, 1st and reverse gear lockout sucks, but a weighted shift knob and some more break-in time with the transmission seems to alleviate the issue. No 3rd gear popout like my old 6mt TL had!

 

[SDAlexander8]

Congrats on the pickup! Yes, 1st and reverse gear lockout sucks, but a weighted shift knob and some more break-in time with the transmission seems to alleviate the issue. No 3rd gear popout like my old 6mt TL had!

3rd gear popout ??? that sounds horrible... please elaborate more.

 

[SDAlexander8]

Yes, the 1st gear lockout when at a complete stop occurs on my 2017 Si coupe as well. It is very frustrating. But throwing it back into 2nd then back to first usually works.

I made a thread not too long ago asking if anyone has really dug into this issue to see what actually causes it. Nobody gave a definitive answer, but something isn’t aligning properly when it happens. It feels like the shift collar slides over the synchro but will not push into the teeth on first gear. Because it does go into the gate halfway when it occurs.

My 2017 has 35,000 miles on it now and it hasn’t gotten worse, but still occurs once or twice every couple days.

But if it happens at a light or stop sign, you can either pull it back into 2nd gear and back to first, or you can let the clutch out and back in. That usually fixes it.

 

[arpypat]

3rd gear popout ??? that sounds horrible... please elaborate more.

It affected 6mt Honda/Acura models in the early to mid 2000s. 3rd gen TLs, 8th and 9th gen Si's, etc. When shifting into 3rd, it would engage for only a few seconds before popping back into neutral... Very annoying, but the GM synchromesh tranny fluid swap seemed to fix it. You'll see a bunch of threads on other Honda and Acura forums.

 

[nekrawulf]

My 8th gen has 3rd gear pop out. Dont find it as annoying as the 1st and reverse lockout on my 2020. Has happened twice my first week with car. I'm sure I'll adjust.

 

[generem]

Just hit 1100 miles on my 2020 Si and havent experienced gear lockout yet but ive been driving manual since early 90s and before going into 1st, i pop into 2nd before first before shifting up.. i also pop into 1st before going into reverse. Something my dad taugh me back then and i still do now.

 

[Jaxson]

Just hit 1100 miles on my 2020 Si and havent experienced gear lockout yet but ive been driving manual since early 90s and before going into 1st, i pop into 2nd before first before shifting up.. i also pop into 1st before going into reverse. Something my dad taugh me back then and i still do now.

Right. Ok. Good to know.

 

[PowerPerLiter]

Had it happen some with my 18 and once in 2500 miles on the 20.

They all should settle in nicely eventually. My last one got pretty slick by 27k miles.

 

[fenix-silver]

I'd say if it doesn't go away after a thousand miles or so and you're able to reproduce it pretty easily, take it to the dealer. I've never (well maybe once or twice) had these lockout issues some others seem to have and I'm nearing 10K miles.

 

[si_well]

I have almost 5000 miles on my 2020 and the lockout of first and reverse has never gone away. I literally deal with the reverse lockout every single morning because I pull in my drive way in second gear and put it in neutral rolling into my space, then every morning when everything hasn’t been fully warmed up I struggle getting it into reverse to back out. I thought something was wrong for awhile until I looked it up and saw it was a common thing. But like someone just said, it does feel like it slides over the synchros but can’t line up with the teeth of the gear. Usually if I take it out of gear and put it back in it goes in completely. It’s a minor caveat that seems to be most present when not fully warmed up, for me at least.

 

[2ndCivic]

Just hit 1100 miles on my 2020 Si and havent experienced gear lockout yet but ive been driving manual since early 90s and before going into 1st, i pop into 2nd before first before shifting up.. i also pop into 1st before going into reverse. Something my dad taugh me back then and i still do now.

I seem to have it most when switching from first or second to reverse. I've found that throwing it in fourth before reverse prevents lockout for me.

 

[JT Si]

Reverse was very hard to get into in my 2018 for the first few thousand miles.

Now at 11k, I don't have an issue anymore.

I also only notice first gear lockout sometimes if I'm still rolling when I try to shift into it.

 

[SDAlexander8]

Just hit 1100 miles on my 2020 Si and havent experienced gear lockout yet but ive been driving manual since early 90s and before going into 1st, i pop into 2nd before first before shifting up.. i also pop into 1st before going into reverse. Something my dad taugh me back then and i still do now.

Do you know why he taught you to do this? I’m curious now to know if he rebuilds transmissions and knows why lockouts in these gears occur.

 

[Oddwayne]

Congrats on the pickup! Yes, 1st and reverse gear lockout sucks, but a weighted shift knob and some more break-in time with the transmission seems to alleviate the issue. No 3rd gear popout like my old 6mt TL had!

You know a weighted shift knob is only a bandaid. I’m the extra weight Is comparable to using extra force with a lighter knob. And for those who say fluid, well yeah any time you change fluid it will feel nice for a bit but ultimately will return to the same feel after a few hundred miles.

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