With about 132k on the clock on my oil burning 6MT. I lost first gear!

No details yet as to what the problem is, but it could be a prob. with the transmission. I've been having rough shifts for quite a while.

Trying to decide where and when I'll attempt a fix. Gears 2-4 work fine. My guess is that 5 and 6 work also.

Not on good terms with my dealership so I may go with an independent shop. Either way, it's not looking pretty.

Time to kick back a few beers and rethink things.

Will keep everyone posted.

 

Oops, wrong forum. Can a Mod xfer this to the First Gen TSX Discussion.

 

That sucks.

 

Wow man that suuuucks!! Can you shift into first at all or is is 'locked out'? Any Honda dealers nearby since they are trained in Honda anomalies, and can probably fix you up for a decent price? Since you're well out of warranty anyhow, its worth a shot.

Or better yet, find a friend who works at a garage or an indie garage that has REALLY good references, and take it there.

 

I’m totally locked out from first gear. The shifter simply will not budge into first gear at all. However, the other gears seem to work fine.

I took a look under the hood and didn’t notice any broken linkages or external fluid leaks leading to or fro the clutch master/slave cylinders or transmission. There is a peculiar smell; however, it could be coming from the clutch as I’m forced to slip the clutch a little more due to the lack of first gear.

The one thing I did notice is that the clutch cylinder fluid is a medium to dark amber color. I’ve heard that internal seal breakdown of either clutch cylinder could turn the fluid dark. I’m hoping so.

I’m taking the car to the shop that installed my Exedy clutch/ flywheel setup. At this point I’m trying my best to work with my current setup, as going back to a stock clutch/ flywheel setup would be a major letdown. I’m hoping it’s one of the cylinders that are causing the problem.

I’m due in the shop Thursday afternoon. Will do my best to document what I find.

 

i bet its a bad clutch slave cylinder. Any fluid leaking?

 

No external fluid leaks and the reservoir level is normal. However, the techs that looked at my car last week seem to agree: I’m going into the shop Wednesday afternoon in order to replace the master and slave cylinders. In addition, they will drain and bleed the hydraulic lines. Figure I’ll have them replace the flexible clutch line with a stainless steel unit while they’re at it.

Quick update regarding driving: After leaving the car parked for several days, I got in and drove it to the repair shop last Thursday were I soon discovered I was able to select first gear again.

As I recall, it’s been somewhat cooler (low 90F’s) than it was when I first experienced the problem. Actually, it was close to 100F on the day I could not get the car into first. When driving, I’ve noticed that the car tends to shift a rougher in hotter temperatures; with shift feel about normal at outside air temperatures around 80F or so.

Keeping my fingers crossed – hoping replacing the master and slave clutch cylinders will fix my problem.

 

Problem fixed!

Looks like it was one of the clutch cylinders. The car shifts much better now. Quick shifts are no longer an issue. - The car drives solid.

My only quibble is that clutch uptake seems a little more vague, however, it could be that I've grown accustom to the clutch action from the old, worn, and creaky parts, which seemed to have a lower engagement point. In addition, the clutch pedal is stiffer (and quieter) lol.

The job itself took about three hours to complete. - Will post more later.

 

Good to hear you fixed it!