Tranny fluid was swapped out 6 months ago, honda fluid.

Recently the car has not been letting me into gear on first attempt.

Some of the symptons, they occur at random times:

1st to 2nd is sometimes notchy or it stops me mid way.

2nd to 3rd has been notchy going in.

3rd to 4th has stopped half way a couple of times

4th to 5th has stopped half way a couple of times

5th to 6th has stopped me half way a few times

I usually either wait a second. move the stick in neutral or go back into the gear I was in then try again to get into gear.

It also happens on downshift too, like 5th to 3rd.

I have been driving the car more aggressively lately, since I got in new synthethic oil.
I would say this problem began to surface when I began to drive more aggressively.

What could be the cause of this issue?

 

The 6MT has been known to have some shifting issues. Most people put GM synchromesh friction modified fluid in the tranny to help alleviate the problem. I haven't had any problems, but made the switch to the GM FM shortly after purchasing my 04' at 30,000 miles (now 73,000). It also helps if you double clutch on downshifts (helps the syncros match speeds), this will prevent wear and improve the downshift tremendously. If it is too bad you might be looking at a very pricey rebuild. Usually 2-3 upshift is the problem. Oh, and try not to skipshift (3-5 etc.), this is not recommended. There is plenty of information about this problem on here so spend a few hours in the search and you will be well informed. "I Hate Cars" is a good one to look up for this.

 

Yeah I was reading skipping was not a good idea, so when I do my 3rd gear pulls I cycle it up 4-5-6.
I will try GM synchromesh first. Ticks me off, it was shifting fine up till recently

 

i've noticed the transmission likes slow shifts (a/c off) even on higher RPM shifts. Try not to throw it into the next gear as fast as possible. Pause in neutral for a split second and then move into the next gear.

 

I was experiencing this a few weeks back during the heat wave. I had the AC on and I noticed that when the AC is on with this car, it takes longer to fully engage the gear. With the AC on, each gear was slipping a bit going in.
Such as going from 2nd to 3rd, I would shift in let up the clutch rpm would spike then it would catch.

 

Could it be your clutch?

 

I had a harsh shifting problem and a creaking noise when releasing the clutch..ended up being the clutch pressure plate. Thing was smoked at 107,000 miles

I heard about the gmsm fluid change, the only problem i see with that is it's just covering up an issue by making the noise quiet. my 6sp still pops out of 3rd gear sometime. make sure the shift cable bushings are not loose or damaged...those will cause problems in any gear. and would cause a sloppy loose feel in the shifter handle itself. when you figure it out let us know and post some pics up!

 

it would spike because the a/c changes the drivability noticeably, at least imo. Its why i dont recommend running a/c when teaching someone how to drive stick. It can be very frustrating esp since the drivability changes as the compressor cycles on and off.

RPMs drop like a stone with A/C on between shifts so you have to complete the shift quick enough before the RPMs drop or manually use the gas to keep it within range. A trick that might work is to never fully release the gas when shifting, just keep the small weight of your foot on it to slow the RPM drop.

What you appear to be describing is when you engage the next gear (w/ A/C) the RPMs shoot up to where they should be and stay when engaging the clutch. That's because you're shifting too slowly or not using the gas to maintain the RPM. RPM is dropping faster than you can shift.

Nothing's wrong with the clutch if it's not slipping when fully engaged. Now there still may be a problem with the PP or other clutch component as mentioned earlier.

 

How would I go about checking the cable bushings and what not?
Those might actually be the culprit.

When the car is parked, it shifts to each gear just fine, once the car is on, it's a different story,

 

I'm not familiar with MT's.

How do I go about checking the
shifter linkage, shifter forks, or shift sleeves.

 

Do know when the fluid was changed last, or when the MT fluid level was checked last?
GMSM change, and fluid level check is 1st thing to be sure of.
Problems going into 3rd is the classic issue.

 

The previous comment about the clutch being ok if it's not slipping is not entirely true. It can provide full clamp force but if your pressure plate fingers are loosing tension against the throw out bearing, then it may not be fully disengaging when you push the pedal down.

The same issue happens when you have a problem in the hydraulic system (master and slave cylinders) too, if you have air in the system, that air compresses when you push the pedal down, causing the throw out bearing not to go that last little bit (because air compresses and hydraulic fluid doesn't), causing the clutch not to fully disengage, causing input shaft speed not to slow down enough and finally not meshing well...causing the described issues. (can also be a failing internally master or slave cylinder but save for seeing a fluid leak, you won't know it's failed until you try to replace it unfortunately)

The forks and sleeves are internal to the trans so that's definitely not for someone not familiar with m/t's to try to fix.

The shifter bushings you can kinda feel when you wiggle the shifter around. Excessive play here is a sign of worn bushings. Not familiar with honda's set up and if the bushings are replaceable or you need an entire shifter to correct if that's the case.

Hope this helps some!
Brad

 

Dropped it off at a shop and just heard back.

They said I need a new clutch and new front ball joints as well.

They are quoting me 1400 for the clutch and 500/250 on the ball joints. 500/250 cause he said while they are in there they might be able to shave off some labor.

What should it cost to get the clutch swapped? and ball joints?

 

They said they would machine the flywheel, I read the oem one can't be machined, is that true?

 

it can be machined/refinished but its NOT supposed to be.
as its a dual mass flywheel

 

When you mean you been driving the car hard, you been racing? Do not let shop charge, do it at a smaller performance shop that charges $70-$80 a hr. You will be looking at only 8-9 hr job and probably only looking up to $1000 on both parts installed.

 

^agreed.
I got my clutch changed for about 400 dollars

 

I've been hitting vtech and redline, some spirited driving. Recently got a jpipe in, so I got lead footed.


Their quote is for machining the flywheel, they quoted me $100 to machine it and are quoting me 10.5hrs labor for everything including the ball joints.

I have the car back and I'm debating where to take it. Looks like the TL clutch needs a pretty specific tool. Dealer is also quoting me about 12hrs labor, so they are charging over 1K in labor right there. They will allow me to bring my own parts.

I'm open to suggestions at this point. The quotes I'm getting, for parts and labor is pushing 3K.

I could shave off a couple hundred buying the parts online, but I'm not finding any options on good labor.

 

If you run the stock clutch, the shop needs to have a tool to align the pressure plate. If you can't find a shop with this tool, the stealership is your only option. You can find the clutch on amazon for $230 shipped and then search eBay for the dual mass flywheel. Good luck...and use Amsoil or GM synchromesh friction modified this time.

 

^cheaper spots for the clutch kit.

ebay "luk 08-047"

the one they sell comes with the special tool and is $150-190.
and our clutch kit is made by LUK. and the part number is 08-047.

you can also find the flywheel here:
http://www.carolinaclutch.com/ListIt...Cat=Flywheel&&

 

You can also try your sub forum state and see if anyone living near you that has friends or family that can do the job for $500 and you provide parts. Always good to save money if you are in a tight budget.

 

This seems like an opportunity to swap out for a aftermarket clutch. What real benefits are there to go with a performance clutch?
Reading around, people say it's better to go with a SM flywheel.

Currently I'm looking on oem acura for the OEM parts and having the shop quote me labor.

Stealership wants 1700 labor to do my clutch, rear main seal and front ball joints.

The shop I took it to for evaluation, did not seem knowledgeable about the TL clutch. The guy didn't know it was a DM flywheel, so I am worried about them being able to install the OEM clutch. I did read about that tool Acura uses to align the pressure plate. That is my biggest concern going non dealer.

I know a mechanic that could do the swap, but he's worried about the weight of the tranny. He doesn't have a tranny jack.
He has a lift and a hoist for the motor though.

 

i'll say it again, mr.treegoat.
if you go to ebay, and type in "luk 08-047" it will come up with tons of TL clutches with the tool included for $150-190

 

lol how many clutch replacements has he done without a tranny jack if any...

 

Don't let any mechanic that has no knowledge do the work obviously. Since you're on a budget, aftermarket may not be an option. But if youre willing to spend I would highly recommend the clutch masters fx300 clutch kit (fiber tough disc). Comes with a lightweight flywheel and will run $1200 + shipping from XLR8. Despite the price, the upside is a better clutch and you won't have to worry about having the pressure plate preloaded so it's just bolt off and bolt on. The self adjusting pressure plate is the weakest link in the stock clutch.

But if you don't plan on adding any power, then just keep with the OEM clutch. Just choose your shop carefully. I paid $750 in my area to install the stock clutch and the throwout bearing went out after 15k miles due to bad installation..

 

I will likely not let the side mechanic do the job, my tl is the first Acura he's worked on.
Thanks for the luk info, I will probably get it there since its the same clutch.
No plans to add power so oem clutch will do the job. I was more curious if there was a more robust option.

 

I'm pretty sure the TL ball joints are the same part on both sides.
Any one know the difference on these sankei?
They have diff #'s
http://www.partsgeek.com/catalog/200...all_joint.html

 

Figured it out, turns out the higher number is a newer rev of the part.