Acuraniac

Nothing really to add to this thread except to say that I lusted after a six speed for a number of years and finally got one. There were a couple that got away from me over the past couple of years, but this past February, I purchased an ebony black with parchment interior with 68k on the odometer. I like the car, but I have to admit, after seeing the production numbers, that the exclusivity is cool too. Let the modding begin! My transmission is a bit notchy in cold weather, but my rsx type-s (and every other honda I've owned) is too. My acura dealer put a gm transmission fluid in my rsx and it's butta now. I'm not gonna mess with the cl until there's a problem and so far, so good.

jproy

I just finished doing a ton of work on my car and one of the things I did was to switch the fluid over to the GM synchromesh. Holy shit, what a difference! I want to slap myself for not having done this when I bought the car. All the slop is gone and it feels like hot sex. Its that much better! I am extatic about how perfect if feels when shifitng now. Do yourself a favor and make the change. Jim

BC_westcoaster

I own an '03 6-speed (Aegean Blue), purchased Nov.'07, but had been looking for about 6 months before that. It's hard to find Aegean Blue 6MT in Canada! No problems with the clutch - works really well. As stated by others here, it has a quick engagement point which takes a bit of getting used to. I plan to change the tranny fluid to the new formula in the next few weeks, which I hope will help with some of the notchiness. Still get excited every time I drive it!

tommyy2

Got an 03 6-speed new and within the first 6k miles it popped out of 1'st gear ~2x(driving thru parking lot in 1'st for a minute or so-slow down speed up etc); dealer found nothing. Had Acura change tranny oil (old stuff) still had some notchyness, very intermittant 1st gear pop-outs till perhaps 50k when pop-outs got worse. Changed to GM friction modified (perhaps a year ago) and shifting feels much better plus it has not popped out of gear once.

Also of note we got an 07 Honda Accord V-6 6-speed manual (2nd car), and in the past year ~12k miles it's popped out of first gear maybe 3 times while driving in first for a minute or longer (parking lot). The shifting does not feel as crisp as the Acura since the change to GM fluid either. The Accord already has Honda's new fluid in it so I guess the fix will be to switch it to GM friction modified also. Seems like Honda determined their first fluid was not good enough so they developed a better one, but from what I see the newer one still needs to be improved.

jproy

I have run the old formula foro 85000 miles the new formula for 14000 miles. The new honda formula was slightly better but not perfect. Now that I have the GM Syncromesh in it is night and day better shift quality. I have been following this GM stuff for some time now and no one is having a problem becuase of it. It is unbeleivable how much better she shifts now! Seriously, you owe it to yourself to make the switch. engagement in all gears is now spot on, precise, and the shifts feel confident, unlike how it used to feel like the gears may grind with every engagement. Just do it.

Beavisboots

I just bought an 03 manual tranny CL at the end of January. Car now has 91k on it and it is a little notchy. I owned an 89 XR7 for 6 years with a manual tranny and had very good experience with the gm syncromesh. The XR7 had a mazda tranny similar to the ford truck manual tranny. The difference with the syncromesh was night and day. I think I too will try this on my CL after the winter has passed.

'01White3.2CL

now how many of you 6speeders have the car as your daily driver? and would you reccomend it as such...obviously, it will def hold up, and as soon as a driver gets used to it, no issues there...but any comments/thoughts?

Elijah J

I just got ABP CL6, and will be/have been using it as an everydayer until I get a pathfinder for a beater (My CL6 will only be sunny day driver...eventually). It has performed better than expected as an EDD. Yes, there is a slight learning curve but thats to be expected with any new vehicle (they all drive different). I would say if you don't mind shifting gears its great. If you look in the manual it has a break down of when to shift which I have been using as a kind of benchmark and have found it to work quit well from 1st through 4th....but on that note, where do other people like to shift at???? What seems to work best for everyone else??????

I'm sure everyone has the manual but here's the breakdown I'm referring to:

1-2 @ 15
2-3 @ 25
3-4 @ 40
4-5 @ 47
5-6 @ 52

the 4-5 and 5-6 seem a bit to lame but the others have worked well for the short time I have had this car.

Koskinator

Hey a fellow Cls-6 NBP/Ebony non-navi! Nice to see there's a few of us on here. I just bought my Cl last year in September with 120,000 kms and have had no problems with it at all... Until recently.

I've heard a rattle-like noise when my RPM's hit around ~2.0 and the noise continues until about ~2.5 where it stops suddenly. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I plan on taking it into a shop to get it checked out but I would appreciate it if someone could ease my conscience by sharing any insights. I'm really praying it's nothing major, but I love my car to death and will probably repair it no matter the cost.

Thanks in advance.

Please note:
Assume I am completely mechanically/car incompetent.

jproy

I use mine as a daily driver

GreenMonster

I've used mine for daily driving since Oct 2002 (72K miles now)... and it's been great. I've got a bitch of a commute thru Providence, RI with stop and go traffic, but it's not bad, even with having to shift alot.

With resale values they way they are, if I buy a rwd summer only car, I might keep the CL as a winter beater

Beelzebub

I also have mine as my daily car.

I have been driving manual transmissions for 20 years. And at this point I do it without even thinking about it.

Oh and you have a lot more control of the car with a manual transmission.

Cmanuel

My 115k mile CLS6 is due for clutch/flywheel install within about 15k miles....

I'm having some issues with the 1-2 synchro. It will grind very slightly whenever fluid is cold. After 20 min. driving it shifts great. The grind is not audible and can only be felt through the shifter. I just switched to GM Synchromesh FM 500 miles ago and it feels better, and the grind is less noticeable, but its still there and annoying.

My questions are:

First, is there anything I can do on my own to determine if its actually a synchro or a gear set? (I'm a friggin car noob)

When It comes time to do my clutch/flywheel what should be the ballpark figure from an Acura dealer to have the 1-2 synchro replaced? I dont want to get me pants pulled down over the price

What else should I have them look at while the transmission is torn apart? Any other small parts that should be replaced?

TheWeez

Mine is a DD. Usually get around 25mpg mixed in the winter and closer to 30mpg in the summer (although higher at times). Usually shift around 2k-3k under normal driving conditions. I skip shift most of the time and go 1-3-5-6 or 1-3-6. The engine has enough power to make this pretty easy. Lessen the number of shifts you make and lessen the wear on the clutch.

Cmanuel

bump^^^^^^^^^^

black label

artbran is your source for this one, as far as I know he's the only one here who a a 6MT shit the bed.

Check these links.....
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-2001-2003-50/new-kind-problem-6-speed-gurus-chime-please-688919/

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-2001-2003-50/bad-news-6-speed-tranny-%3D-toast-good-news-689088/

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-2001-2003-50/so-here-what-failed-my-tranny-699606/

Cmanuel

Thanks for your help. I may end up going the route of trying to find a used transmission, as I think a full rebuild is going to cost me a ton of cash.

Cmanuel

Crap, that's going to suck... trying to find a damn 6spd tranny out of a CLS. Im going to wait until clutch is going out to do it... not sure If I should have a dealer look at the current trans to give an estimate or go ahead and order clutch parts and a used trans when the times comes.... hmm.

sdime0

Add another 6speed to the short list of failures. My gf (who is on here) her transmission just went out, it has around 80,000miles.

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

i have my CLS 6 speed for a DD and i cant imagine me driving other car... no way... i love it

Jacobpockros

iTrader: (1)

I love my CLS-6speed. It shifts smoother than a Porsche and can hold it's own against other fast cars that are newer. Only 53,100 miles on mine, and i plan to keep it low as well.

sdime0

I got a couple prices on used trans from recyclers and they were all right around $1,000. Got one rebuilt for right around $1500.

Six Shifter

Since this thread has been resurrected, let me add the following:

Tuesday night I passed my trusty CL-S onto the hands of a non-caring dealer.

221108 miles at time of trade-in. ZERO transmission problems. ZERO clutch problems. ZERO issues with the car in any way, shape or form. No wasted money on super-lubricative transmissions oils or synthetics. Only oil changes were at the recommended 7500 mile intervals (which I hit on the money for each/every one of the 29 services during my ownership). I have always felt that Acura left me out to dry when they never came up with a suitable replacement for my '90 Legend Coupe, but the enhanced Accord Coupe wearing the Acura label has been one of the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned.

I just hope my new TL SH-AWD Tech Package HPT with (of course) the 6-speed MT will be a worthy replacement.

Gone (211108 miles) but not forgotten

bottera

just grabbed myself a 6MT 03 CL type s.

love the car so far and expecting for it to never fade

teh CL

iTrader: (1)

i'd love one of these..

actually, i'd love it 10x more in my 1st gen