I've read that some of you have had problems with your 6speeds. Has anyone gotten a dealer to do anything about it?

My CL-S is ~6 months old and has ~10,000 miles on it. I noticed it was rough shifting into second (from 1st or 3rd) about 2 weeks after I got it. I had the dealer look at it and they claimed that it was normal and nothing to worry about. Now that the cold has set in, it's gotten a lot worse. Every morning I have trouble shifting into second, esp from 3rd. I pull the shifter down into second, and it's like there's something blocking it. I've made sure that the cluch is all the way down and that I'm pulling the shifter straight down. It's been bad enough that a few times I've had to come to a complete stop and put it into first or go back to 3rd to avoid really pulling on it. Sometimes, if I wiggle the shifter to the left and right a little bit, it will finally fall into second after a second or two.

After the car warms up, it gets a lot better, but I can still feel it there ever couple of times I shift into second.

Any advice? I'm afraid of going back to the craptastic dealer and having him say that there's nothing wrong. There's only two local dealers and I've allready sworn off of one of them (they kept my car overnight to fix the wong problem, gave it back with a drity film on all the windows, grease smeared on the roof, and the plastic trim piece covering the rear defroster connection missing.)

Thanks!

btw, besides this problem and the horrible service I've gotten, I love the car...

 

Mine's not nearly as bad as what you've described and is steadily getting better (was quite noticeable ~3k miles).

I just got back from a trip to AZ and I visited the dealer I got it from (Bell Acura). Their shop forman (Steve) took it for a test drive (I went with him). This guy really knew what he was talking about and said there was/is a spur on the 2nd gear syncro.

He documented that he was able to reproduce the problem and his diagnosis. His recommendation was that the burr would probably wear down over time and it wouldn't be an issue. He said he'd be happy to tear it down and replace the syncros and whatever else looked suspect, but recommended I give it some time to see if it works itself out. He said if it gets worse take it back to him and they'll fix it, no questions asked (and I honestly believe him).

Point being, these are mass produced cars... and they're not perfect, despite the others who would simply say I don't know how to drive stick.

Keep going back to the dealer or find another dealer that will listen and fix it. You should not have to stop the car to shift into 2nd.

BTW, does double-clutching work? G/L

-- Nihil

 

Kind of sounds like a synchro problem, but I'm no expert. Burs, like nihil mentioned, are common on new cars from the machining process. It generally takes an extra step to help de-burr machined metal parts. I know Honda/Acura does go through that step for the engines, which is why we don't have such a long break-in period (1000+ miles) as other cars AND we don't have a pile of scrap metal in our first oil changes. I'm not sure, however, if our trannys are actually produced by Honda or by someone else.

BUT, 1st->2nd or 2nd->3rd gives me no problems at all. The only gears that give me trouble while the car is moving are 1st and Reverse, which I would expect. Also, after 10K miles, you'd think most if not all of any burrs have been ground off or otherwise flattened. Sounds like a legitimate problem. But again, I'm no expert.

 

Having 10,000 miles on it means you have problably done alot of shifting. If it is not perfect at this point, I'd bring it back to have them fix it. Why should you bear with the problem? It's up to them to make it right...now.

 

My S2000 did the same thing. I think Honda had a service bulletin after I sold it. Maybe related.

 

Hard shifting into gears like you describe sounds like it might be the slave cylinder not releasing completely, makeing it harder to shift into some gears. You could try having another shop, drain the fluid, & refill it with Honda's recommended fluid. That may work. It's also possiable the wrong type of fluid was used at the factory.

 

I noticed that my '97 Integra 5 speed got better and better with the shifting as miles racked up.....just traded it in last week for my new '03 CL-S MT6, and it was shifting absolutely beautifully...I didn't eben want to let it go !!! I have noticed the same types of slight issues with my 6speed in the first week I've had it now....but if you keep the revs up where they should be and don't try to be too gentle with the shifter it seems fine.....BUT I am expecting it to get better and better as time goes on

 

I've taken mine to the dealer twice - both times they were unable to reproduce the roughness/grinding in second. The second time they told me they would call me to arrange an appointment with the regional service manager when he was available. They claimed he was out of town and wouldn't be back for like a week and a half. It's been at least a month and I have heard nothing from the dealer.

Out of disgust with my local dealer, I've made an appointment at a second dealer towards the end of this month. I'm going to leave my car there overnight and have them drive it in the morning in an effort to increase the likelyhood they will be able reproduce the problem.

Mine also seems to be much worse when it's cold. It's especially bad in the morning if the car has been sitting outside all night.

 

I have 9,000 miles and have had rough shifting into 2nd since the beginning. Two dealers say the car is normal. Its not always bad. Sometimes its sooooooo perfecly smooth with no resistance, sometimes it feels like there's resistance but it goes in with some added force, and sometimes it feels like I tried to shift w/o the clutch and *almost* matched the revs. I've also noticed its more likely to shift rough if I'm turning while shifting. Like when making a left turn. And yes, I am pushing the clutch in all the way. I've been driving Honda/Acura manuals for almost 11 years and this is the 1st one that's felt like this.

 

when I was test driving the 6speeds I was able to try out 2 diff cars I realized that they were l a bit different...it seems like each one is capable of being "unique'

 

this "tough" shifting you are referring to is normal, according to Acura. Ive had the luxury of driving the NSX and it does the same thing. Apparently it helps when you drive aggressively, but it seemed weird to me at first also. Mine used to grind into second, but now im used to it, unfortunately for me, my clutch is starting to slip, w/ 18k already. Ive found that a couple of companies are working on aftermarket clutches that can handle more power, since im already putting over 300 to the wheels, so im just gonna have to wait til they make them and make do w/ my stock one for now....if the dealer does tell you something different on your next go round, let me know, cause i would love to get a free clutch out of it