I have an 04 TSX with about 106,000 Miles on it.

Just recently I've noticed some of my gears grinding...my Reverse gear in particular. Even when I'm at a dead stop and put it in Reverse it will grind...even after I pump the clutch a couple of times. My 1st gear is also hard to get into and I sometimes hear a slight grind.

Another problem I've been having is difficulty shifting from 1st-->2nd-->3rd and from 4th-->5th

I have no idea what's wrong, but I hope a transmission flush will fix the problem...I hope

 

The first thing I would check is a leak in the clutch system. Then try bleeding the clutch. You may also have a worn out clutch.

 

If I had a clutch system leak...would I have a leak spot on the floor in my garage?

 

You probably would have wet spots on the slave or clutch master cyliner around the hydraulic fitting. Don't forget to check the fluid level.

 

try putting it in first then going to reverse... something i used to do on my hatch... just to avoid grinding for now

 

Check the level of your clutch fluid resevoir first.

 

I don't see any wet spots on the slave or clutch master cylinder and the fluid is normal.

Could there be possibly anything wrong with my synchros? Or my gears not meshing as they should be?

 

pour in some gm syncromesh..

 

there are no synchros on reverse in any car, since it requires a reversing gear be thrown in.

this sounds like clutch failure - the clutch is not releasing all the way.

 

Not entirely true. It's possible to have a synchronized reverse gear, but they are very rare.

It does indeed sound like the clutch is the likely culprit. If you grind going into reverse with the car stopped and you've had your foot on the clutch a few seconds, it means that the transmission internals are still turning, and hence the friction surface of the clutch is still making some contact with the engine flywheel.

 

I'm also experiencing problems with some of my forward gears during shifting and while stopped

 

Ask someone to step on the clutch while you watch the movement of the clutch slave cylinder. If it doesn't move much, you can try bleeding the system to see if that helps. Also look under the dash and follow the clutch pedal to where it meets the master cylinder attachment point and look for signs of leakage there.

 

I'm curious, what kind of car needs a synchro for reverse? I've never seen a car with more than two reverse gears. Or are you talking about something else like a semi-truck?

Or did they just add a synchro to make the car more expensive?

 

I don't see any signs of leaks or clutch slave movement. I also have not had a chance to bleed the system, but it seems like my problem is getting worse.

If worse come to worse and I have to replace my transmission, what options should I start considering?

 

Update: I now have almost 109,000 Miles and its been getting slightly more difficult to shift...both upshifts and downshifts.

What options and alternatives do I have?
And which one's should I look more into?

 

I should have said watch the slave cylinder shaft pushing against the clutch release fork. If you don't see movement when the clutch is pressed, the clutch is not disengaging. Then you should try bleeding the clutch first before anything else.

 

First thing I would do is check your transmission fluid and change it with some fresh Acura MTF. But since its grinding in almost every gear, I would say its your clutch starting to go. The pressure plate probably got some worn springs and not allowing the disc to completely free itself, causing it to continue rotating the trans while you're clutched in (which inturn would cause grinding when shifting). Especially with the high mileage that you have, Im 99% sure its clutch related.

 

i'm having the same problem. i drive an 06 and only have about 7-8k miles on it.

 

If you have warranty, USE IT! If you don't, check your clutch fluid level and check if the slave cylinder is working properly when the pedal is pushed.

 

I got my transmission fluid changed last weekend, I felt a slight improvement, but I'm still having difficulty shifting.

If it is my clutch going out, what options should I be looking into? I wouldn't want any race application clutches, just something stock-like.

 

It is NOT your clutch friction material going out that is causing the problem. It's either your master or slave cylinder having a problem not being able to fully push out the clutch release fork. It could be low on fluid, it could be leaking, it could be adjusted such that your clutch bite point is all the way to the floor which means that if you have any problems with leakage, it won't release as there is no extra margin.

Go and check your fluid now. Is it at max?

 

Yes.

 

Is your clutch engagement point at the bottom or in the middle? If it is at the bottom, you can adjust the clutch pedal rod so that it comes out more from the piston and results in more master cylinder displacement when you press the pedal it all the way down.

 

Sorry for the late reply, hadn't seen this thread lately.

Fully sychronized reverse gears used to be found mainly in high-end sports cars (Audi S4, some Corvette models), but now even a Saturn Ion has one.

 

^^ Alfas also have synchros on the reverse gear. It's just to make reverse smoother.

 

I'm in a very similar situation. I searched here assuming to find a TSB or something. My reverse gear gives me a clunk about every second day, mostly only in AM starts. It can vary from slight grind to a substantial clunk. There's definetly something spinning when R is being engaged (with clutch fully depressed).

I'm going to look into this soon... I'll post my findings.

 

Reverse gear does that because it doesn't have synchros (hence the grind when the teeth are slightly mismatched) and that they are straight cut gears (hence the clunk when it goes in).

 

This little trick works great. In 3 days I haven't had any glitch what-so-ever going into reverse

 

106,000 miles! what do you do for a living?

 

Update:
I FINALLY changed my transmission fluid. It's a little smoother, but nothing substantial. I expect it to get a bit smoother as it breaks in.

As for the "clunk" when shifting into reverse the problem is completely eliminated when shifting into a forward gear (I use 3rd) and then into reverse. I've tried this for months and not 1 hiccup.

Interesting notes:
- When I changed the fluid there was no washer on the fill side. I bought the car used... can't confirm if the dealer did this or not.
- My tranny took just over 2L of fluid. I used Honda Advance MTF.

 

There should be a washer on the fill side as well. Was it stuck to the bolt?

I'm using some new Honda MTF, which is colorless, unlike the old one which was golden in color. The new one is much better.

 

Keep in mind when you change your trans fluid you do not get all of the old fluid out. I believe the complete fill is around 9 qts.

 

For the manual, it's 2.0 qts at fluid change and 2.2 qts for the complete fill. The auto retains more fluid at 3.0 qts at fluid change and 6.9 qts for the complete fill

 

is a washer on the fill side necessary? b/c isnt the excess supposed to leak out anwayss?

 

Nope. No on bolt or trans.

I guess "handydandy" has a point... washer on the fill side isn't really that important. I still want it there though.

 

I have the exact issue as you mentioned - only grinds going into reverse...

What solutions/options would you recommend?

thanks