Idyfohu

I remember hearing about how the 2003's clutch engagement was a little weird, but the more I drive my car specifically the 2nd Gear engagement seems a little strange. At times it shift smoothly, but it takes a lot of precision to shift smoothly constantly and I would say 15% of the time I shift from 1st to 2nd it's a little notchy and either there is a small amount of grinding or notchiness (is that even a word)? I didn't think anything until now since people are talking about leaking transmissions, so I wonder if all of your 6-Speeders are experiencing the same feeling in your tranny or if it's just me?

Either way, I'm going to my local Acura to have it checked out..

Also, does anyone else have a squeak in the rear passenger side ceiling?

Secondly, my emergency brakes engagement point is extremely high and my dealer is saying that, that is not covered under warranty (they said it's a wear and tear), but I disagree...any ideas on that?

Thanks in advance.

Zapata

same on all three......2nd gear engagement changes....sometimes notchy sometimes smooth

NSX-Tuner

First off, the clutch and shifting weirdness you have been experiencing, especially 1st to 2nd is perfectly normal. You need to get use to it. There have been lots of posts on this already. Do a search to see different techniques people use to adjust. I can now shift smoothly 99% of the time without thinking about it. But I've been driving my car since Jan 2003.

Secondly, I haven't seen any leaks yet, but I will be looking more closely since someone just pointed this out as a potential problem.

Thirdly, I haven't had any squeaks in the rear yet... knock on wood... most of my squeaks were in the front console and sunroof which were mostly fixed. There are a few rattles still in the dash, but only show up under certain temps outside and are hard to reproduce for the dealer.

Lastly, my e-brake was like that when I first picked up the car. I had the dealer adjust it. This is something that is also part of the dealer's inspection on some of the scheduled services.

anothercls

Same for all, except the e-brake engagement

I used to pull it all the way up and I'd be lucky if the car held in place, I took the car to the dealer and after that is has only gone up half way, so I know they can/will adjust it as a certain mileage service.

6speedctrlfreak

Had to have my E brake tightened at 5k miles..it was fully up and wouldnt hold the car. Its a "safety related issue" and must be fixed during the warranty period - its the law in NY state. Since it is actually an involved procedure to do this correctly I can see why a dealer will not be so happ yabout doing it. But you must insist on it.

6speedctrlfreak

regarding the notchiness...does it feel like there's 'something in the way' when you shift from 1st to 2nd ???

UR2SLOW

In response to the 1st to 2nd notchiness: I have the same situation with my 6spd until it warms up. I recently pulled my 91 NSX out of storage and it does the same thing until it's fully warmed up. All I can think of is that the "lube" needs to be wamed up and then it's smooth.

I also had my dealer adjust the E brake and it was under warranty. The Tech said he had to remove the center console to get to the adjustment. Now it's great.


Good luck.

NSX-Tuner

Not sure about others, but for me initially yes. I soon learned to make sure that: 1) clutch was fully depressed, 2) I let the RPM drop a little before shifting into 2nd and 3) let the clutch out smoothly so as to not make the car lunge. After a little practice, it became second nature. Also, after about 5K miles, car began shifting smoother and continues to get better over time.

schoeny14

I have the same notchiness and sometimes grinding into 2nd and occasionally into 3rd even with the clutch fully depressed.......some people have said that the problem works itself out as you put more miles on the car and break everything in. I'm thinking of going to acura and asking them to check my synchros and transmission under warranty......I don't think anyone has major problems though?

123456SPEED

On my 6 speed, 2nd gear is notchy and sometimes 4th, esp if cold, and my ebrake needed adjusting too.

Idyfohu

Thanks for the responses everyone...

I have 2 more questions...is anyone's "titanium" gearbox plastic piece thing (can't think of the right word) loose?

Secondly, regarding the clutch I've noticed that when I step on the clutch (while driving) the RPM's will raise a little (maybe 100-300 RPM's) as if I very very lightly blipped the throttle and driving my girlfriends RSX and other cars I noticed that they don't do this so maybe this 'blip' is contributing to the notchiness?

Slimey

My second gear has never been a problem, but that's just me...

No squeaks either.

My center trim is rock solid -- but I have some double sided velcro underneath it holding it in place. A long and boring story, but if you're interested just search my name and Neuspeed Short Shifter.

I just adjusted my parking brake this weekend. I was ready to adjust the shoes, but it turned out that a couple turns on the nut that holds the cable to the handle fixed it right up. The nut can be accessed through a 'secret hatch' in the bottom of the middle console -- just lift up the carpet on the bottom and pry out the hatch. The nut is right under there. Use a 12mm wrench or your finger to adjust.

Actually, I discovered the hatch after I removed the whole console. :o No biggie though.


Here's a cut-and-paste the Jens posted a while ago on adjustment of the parking brake. I saved it for good keeping It essentially is the same as what is outlined in the Helm manual. What Jens describes is the 'major' adjustment. The Helm manual also lists a 'minor' adjustment which is what I did (tightening the nut only). Make sure you lift the rear of the car and spin the wheels to make sure you don't overtighten and drag a shoe. According to the manual, a properly adjusted parking brake engages in 6-10 clicks -- mine engages tightly at 9 clicks now (and it was probably 15-17 clicks before).

NSX-Tuner

Haven't had this problem yet with the center trim.

As far as the RPM rising a few hundred revs, this is normal at RPMs below 3500 (at least on my 6MT). I believe it's cause in part from emissions and the dual mass flywheel and/or not letting your foot off the gas pedal quick enough. Mines very sensitive. The raised RPM will add to the notchy feeling when shifting. I've learned to put a slight delay in my up-shifting between gears with I'm below 3500 RPM. Otherwise, car will lunge a little.

JaDia4

I was wondering the same thing. I thought I was having problems in my gear box. Interestingly, my Integra did the same thing. It felt like the stick was cruching something when being moved into place.

03cls6speed

I have a MAJOR question to ask all of you 6 speeders...? Is it possible for you all to spin the tires all the way through first gear and try to grab second gear and make it spin.... I have asked this question on here before and everyone that responded to my question thought that I can't drive or something but trust me I am really good at the clutch 14.33's @97mph bone stock & stock tires.... But what happens is when I put it in second gear the rpm's fall and dont rev up and all the sudden I smell my clutch smelling like it burning... I have no clue why it does this ... the only thing that I can think of is that it has something to do with the LSD mabey...??? Anyone out there have that problem ..

And to answer your question about notchiness into second gear I have the same thing happen to my gear but all you have to do like someone said earlier is just let the car warm up the transmission fluid..... And to the squeeks in the car the moonroof squeeks only when the visor is open .... But my navi unit squeeks a whole bunch... just turn the radio up...

Any info on the second gear problem I am haveing when I try and spin through first gear will help me thanks....!!!

Shawn S

I’m no mechanic, but that doesn’t sound good. Sounds like your clutch is burnt and is slipping.
If you try and warranty it, they’ll probably blame it on aggressive driving and clutch abuse.

Shawn S

GEB

I just had my transmission boot and trim replaced under warranty. The boot kept coming out on the back edge and the trim wouldn’t stay in place. It was a $125 part so I’m glad my dealer decided that it was a warranted item. What good is a bumper-to-bumper warranty if your dealers a dick and won’t honor it? I guess I'm luck because my dealer hasn't ever given me any problems (not just in the 2 months I've had the CLS, but also when I had my Vigor).

rbf351

sounds like your clutch is shot

and juet let the car warm up beforeu abuse it, i rally don't have any notchiness with mine, except for the occasional grind, but thats my fault for shifting too fast

KXM

Perhaps this has been posted in the past, however: my 03 6spd acts the same way. I also have a 6spd ZR1 that did the same thing until I changed the tranny oil to Redline. Apparently the syncronizer gear for 1-2 shift hangs up just a little. That could have been caused by too many missed shifts or speed shifts between 1 & 2. Most manuals will eventually suffer some form of syncro problem over time. I found that Redline MT oil worked for the ZR especially after it had been down the track a dozen or so times.

Slimey

Wires changed the MT fluid to Redline a while ago and didn't like the results. It has also been commented that Redline doesn't recommend using their product in Honda manual transmissions, and that Honda manual transmissions are particular to what additive packages are in their fluids -- hence they tend to work best with Honda branded manual transmission fluid.

Idyfohu

So I got back from the dealer and had pretty good results (as I usually do).

They are ordering a new piece around the gearbox ($125 like previously stated) and apparently the noise was the sunroof and they are ordering new trim, however they said twice that the e-brake wasn't covered under warranty because it is a scheduled service, which makes sense, but sucks for me.

Fortuantely everything was covered under warrant and I forgot, the dealer checked my VIN out and it had a recall for TB Tensioner, which they fixed.

Just have to wait for the parts to come in and everything will be good.

Thanks again for everyone's replies.

Joe5.0

I have NEVER grinded any gears, and my shifter & clutch are smoother now than they were brand new. My clutch's engagement point is still not as progressive as I'd like, but it is still nice & light.

I have driven my CL-S6 in below zero weather and have noticed zero notchiness in any of the gears. The shifter effort is a little higher until the tranny fluid is semi-warm, but thats about it. I always push the clutch all the way to the floor. You gotta be careful about developing a bad habit to push the clutch only halfway down, just past the engagement point. When executed correctly it will make the shifts faster & smoother, but the risk for grinding a gear because the clutch wasnt completely disengaged, or that you released the clutch too early is not worth it.

And I can burn through all of 1st gear (with wheelhop of course), get some spin & a little hop in 2nd, and slightly chirp 3rd. This is speed-shifted, not power-shifted, although its very easy to powershift our tranny. Only once have I been able to do a very decent burnout. I went through all of 1st and to about 5500 rpm in 2nd, all without any wheelhop. The tires were smoking pretty good.

I have noticed a VERY small squeak somewhere near the moonroof in the last couple weeks, but no fuckin way the dealer is seeing my car for some petty bullshit like that. It would be easier to get some sound deadener and fix it myself. I doubt I will though, I have the radio full blast most of the time anyway. My e-brake is as strong as it was the day I bought it. I dont usually extend it the full way because I leave the car in 1st to prevent any rolling. The e-brake should only really be used as a safety measure in case the trans pops out of gear when its parked.

ssk0771

Whats with all the Japanese car.and the TRANNY's? I had that issue with my previous 350Z and I had 3 tranny replaced. My 2nd was either knochy or grind. My new 350Z Roadster has knochy 2nd too.

I also know that 2000-2001 Honda S2000 had this issue too.

Read my Sig.