^when are you changing the fluid?

 

Yes go to your dealer. The tsb covers all 6spds. Si's RSX TSX etc.

 

I am changing the fluid when it warms up in the spring...............

 

This is my first post on this forum. I was previously on s2ski (05 s2000) but my wife and I had a baby so I sold the s2 and bought a 6MT TL.

Previous Owner abused the clutch (56k miles when i bought the car), but I did not know what a slipping clutch feels like so i missed the signs. I just got the clutch replaced and I think the mechanic used sub-par MTF. I never had a synchro problem before even though I could barely make it up a hill with my slipping clutch.

Now I can pull off the line like a demon...BUT sometimes it is hard to pull it out 1st and going into second is almost impossible when that happens. I had the 3rd gear issue w/ the s2k and had it replaced at the local dealership (which was a nightmare).

Long story short...will the GMSFM most likely fix all the issues I am now having keeping in mind that I did not have these problems prior to clutch replacement / trans flush???

-Brandon

 

While they were replacing my clutch (the other dealer) the were even nice enough to put in my Toda Flywheel dfor free. the other one had to me removed anyway to get bto cluch

 

A clutch replacement at 56,000 miles? You're darned right the prior owner abused the clutch. But you have another problem. As the driver of a manual transmission, you need to know what a slipping clutch feels like for your own good. Not a flame, just a fact. But now that you have learned this, good for you. Now for the meat of your post.

When shifting normally, do you have any problems going from first to second gear or is the transition smooth and trouble free? Your description of having difficulty getting out of first gear when getting into it makes me tend to think there is still a little contact between the the friction surfaces of your new clutch. This can be caused by an improperly adjusted clutch or your failure to fully disengage the clutch on your shifts when operating the car aggressively. Worn synchronizers will cause problems getting into a gear but not out of a gear.

So if your shifts are fine under normal driving conditions, check the take up travel of your pedal for initial engagement first.

 

I may have made it confusing when I first posted. I have found the engagement point. It is much much closer to the bottom of pedal travel. I have about i'd say an inch of pedal travel before the clutch is at the sweet spot. That is guessing from how far my foot moves.

The problem I am having post clutch repair is that under "normal driving conditions" with the clutch fully disengaged (foot all the way down) it would sometimes hang up coming out of first gear. If this happened the next thing that I would experience is not being able to get into second (just like my TSB issue with my s2k where they replaced 1st-3rd gear). If I pump the clutch I can get it into second. This lead me to believe he used some crappy MTF when he re-attached the transmission. Could it be that the fluid level is low or just needed a few miles to "settle"??

After talking to him he said he used Acura MTF...which I am assuming means the newer Honda stuff. After driving for a about a week now this problem has subsided...I hope. I do have some other questions if I may.

Should my pedal *click* at the bottom of the clutch travel? Initial feeling is no. It feels like a somewhat solid metal on metal contact. Thoughts?

 

My 2006 6MT had the 3rd gear pop out problem, with only 26k kms (16k miles), earlier last year. I had the dealer fix it under the TSB, and it's been fine ever since. I might swap for the GM fluid, but the Acura dealer said that they put in new fluid as well..

 

When you say "sweet spot" can you tell me exactly what you are trying to convey with that phrase? The normal initial engagement occurs early in the pedal's travel off of the pedal stop (rubber-like disk on firewall), usually within the first two inches of travel. Mind you this is initial engagement which is no where enough pressure to move the car but enough to transmit engine torque to the transmission. The take up is relatively short which means from the point of initial engagement to that of having enough pressure exerted to move the car does not take a lot of pedal travel movement.

By pumping your clutch for your second gear shift, what you are doing is matching gear speeds to output shaft speeds thereby pretty much bypassing the work of the synchronizers (basically, you are double clutching upshifts).

First thing I would do is to determine exactly at what point initial engagement takes place. There are two simple ways to do this. One I generally do not recommend because there is the possibility of damaging dog teeth. The other is this. Using a floor jack at your front center jack point, raise the car up enough to where you can place jack stands under the front side jack points. Then get in and start your engine. While someone is watching your front tires, engage first gear then very slowly begin to release the clutch. Have the person watching your tires tell you the moment they begin to move, then note this. It may take a few attempts and you might want to do this with your hand while observing your clutch pedal to get a more accurate result. Just remember that when the tires start to turn, there has already been friction contact before that happens.

I suspect the reason your engagement problem has subsided some is because you have worn your contact surfaces a little or you have adapted to the new setup... or both.

As for your description of the click at the bottom of your clutch travel, consider spraying a little white lithium grease on the clutch pedal return springs at the top of the pedal bracket. You will need to remove the dash bottom foot well cover, which is simple, to get to the bracket.

 

I'll have to get some of that Lithium Grease. The click is very annoying. Thanks for that tip. So, from what you are saying my sweet spot as i called it is the initial engagement. I am not so stupid on manual that I can't tell when the engine is putting torque to the wheels, but I know that you are just covering everything to be safe. At the point the RPMs start to dip without gas is what I would consider the initial engagement...correct?
I let out the clutch to that point of initial engagement with slight gas. Once the car has started rolling i will ease off the clutch and ease onto the gas. Is this the right technique? It seemed natural to me, but I'd better make sure I'm not doing damage. There has been some break-in factor in the last week. With a super brand new clutch it didn't forgive me when I was finding the new engagement point. While it was slipping it engaged about 3/4 of the way up the pedal travel. So, it was a drastic difference to engage almost right away.
By the way thanks for taking the time to reply to me. I'm sure there are other relatively new manual owners who will benefit as well. Forums are great.

 

" I am not so stupid on manual that I can't tell when the engine is putting torque to the wheels, but I know that you are just covering everything to be safe."

Gee, I hope I didn't come across as being condescending with my post. I certainly didn't mean to suggest you were stupid. Quite the contrary, you did a decent job of relating your concerns. Yes, the initial engagement point is that point in the clutch's take up where the first contact of the friction surfaces take place. As for is it where engine speed starts to dip when easing out the clutch and not adding gas, not quite because by the time that happens some contact has already begun, but in practical terms, yes.


"I let out the clutch to that point of initial engagement with slight gas. Once the car has started rolling i will ease off the clutch and ease onto the gas. Is this the right technique? It seemed natural to me, but I'd better make sure I'm not doing damage."

I'm not sure what you are trying to say here other than perhaps describing an easy start (launch) for a new clutch. Is that right? As for the best way to start off normally... Using as low of an engine speed as you need for the situation, get your clutch out as soon as possible without any jerking or abrupt action. You want to try to avoid any undue slipping whenever possible since this only increase wear. Obviously it goes without saying that you should never hold your car on a hill with the clutch or "play" the clutch while waiting for a light or at a stop sign. From the gist of your posts, I bet you already know this. There are a host of other techniques, too and if you're interested, drop me a PM.


You're most welcome about taking the time. We all do this (well most of us) for other members because we really do want to help them. Please let us know how it goes and give some serious consideration to a drain and fill of your tranny fluid with GMSFM juice.

 

I figured out my problem....It started out like this. We were about to head to the beach and I could not get into reverse. I could not get into any gear. After having my mom work the clutch while I looked on to see if anything was strange she managed to get enough pressure built up to make it functional. The guy that fixed my clutch did not re-fill my master cylinder. It was bone dry!!! Holy bajollies...So I went out and got some DOT-4...topped it off and it works like a charm. Never would I have thought that was my issue since he said he bled and re-filled everything.

I guess 35 yrs of experience doesn't preclude that kind of a mistake. He also gouged the shiite out of my back bumper and lip somehow...which he promised to fix once I pointed it out to him *fizzle* anyways the "TSB issue" is now gone. Next time I change out the MTF I'll switch to GMSFM and we'll be golden. Next up. Custom grille mod

 

don't do it man, don't do it!
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/acura-dealer-trouble-804114/

 

I feel you on that one. They fixed my 3rd gear on my S2k...told me I had a battery that wasn't holding a charge. Got that replaced as well...In the process they messed around with the alternator belt and didn't tighten the bolt that holds the belt on. I got literally less than 10 miles from the dealership and my elec. sys shorted out because my belt flew off. They said they didn't touch that and even if they did they would have tightened the bolt correctly....right. Stealerships FTL

 

Dealer called and they finally have the parts in to do the repair so I think we are going to go ahead and take in this weekend and get it done; then it is on them if it is not right................GF has noticed she is having lots more problems getting into gear and getting it to stay in gear since temps have turned really cold.

 

So we took the car in for the 3rd gear TSB and we just got it back on Wednesday. I must say they did a great job and it is much improved; no more notchiness, no leaks and no grinding or poppping out of gear so far. They had the car for two whole days and claimed they had never done one before. I was afraid they might pull the old clutch excuse but they did not. It took them forever to get the parts to do the TSB but so far we are glad we had it done. Oh yeah and they refilled w/ the Honda MTF instead of GM.............Montano Acura in ABQ