pops out of 3rd gear from time
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2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2018
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pops out of 3rd gear from time
I recently got the car and its. 08 type s speed and it pops out of 3rd gear or sometimes grinds not sure if needs a tranny flush or if it’s a bigger internal problem
(my knowledge is very little on these cars I apologize if I sound like I don’t know what I’m talking about 😂
(my knowledge is very little on these cars I apologize if I sound like I don’t know what I’m talking about 😂
Head a da Family
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,505
Likes: 568
From: New Friggin Jerzy
I recently got the car and its. 08 type s speed and it pops out of 3rd gear or sometimes grinds not sure if needs a tranny flush or if it’s a bigger internal problem
(my knowledge is very little on these cars I apologize if I sound like I don’t know what I’m talking about ��)
(my knowledge is very little on these cars I apologize if I sound like I don’t know what I’m talking about ��)
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Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
With regard to a manual transmission, there is no such a thing as a flush. Simply drain the old MTF out of the transmission and refill it with 2.3 quarts of ACDelco Synchromesh Friction Modified.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,600
Likes: 630
From: KCMO Burbs
Be aware...this topic has been beat to death over the years so there is lots of good background info available within the forums. But the advice provided so far is spot on as the first steps to try to resolve the issue.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 30,487
Likes: 4,417
From: In an igloo
Back in the day, a friend of mine had a 1992 Integra GS-R that was in wonderful shape... Except for third gear. It would pop out on its own and started to get progressively worse (until the car was written off by a drunk driver 
)
Anyway... I believe the culprit was a worn third gear synchro. It got to the point where the car would pop out of third with tremendous force... He tried holding the lever in 3rd and it popped out with such force, his hand went flying off the lever.
It could be fixed.. and he was intending on doing so, until the car was destroyed. But... It wasn't cheap. The GM fluid is a bandaid solution for a bigger problem. He would run the GM fluid too, and at first it was all good, but eventually (a few years, with regular fluid changes once a year) it wasn't enough to keep things be as they should.
Long story, short-term I think the fluid will buy some time... Might be several years, even... But this issue likely will come back... Just a matter of when.
)Anyway... I believe the culprit was a worn third gear synchro. It got to the point where the car would pop out of third with tremendous force... He tried holding the lever in 3rd and it popped out with such force, his hand went flying off the lever.
It could be fixed.. and he was intending on doing so, until the car was destroyed. But... It wasn't cheap. The GM fluid is a bandaid solution for a bigger problem. He would run the GM fluid too, and at first it was all good, but eventually (a few years, with regular fluid changes once a year) it wasn't enough to keep things be as they should.
Long story, short-term I think the fluid will buy some time... Might be several years, even... But this issue likely will come back... Just a matter of when.
Back in the day, a friend of mine had a 1992 Integra GS-R that was in wonderful shape... Except for third gear. It would pop out on its own and started to get progressively worse (until the car was written off by a drunk driver )
Anyway... I believe the culprit was a worn third gear synchro. It got to the point where the car would pop out of third with tremendous force... He tried holding the lever in 3rd and it popped out with such force, his hand went flying off the lever.
It could be fixed.. and he was intending on doing so, until the car was destroyed. But... It wasn't cheap. The GM fluid is a bandaid solution for a bigger problem. He would run the GM fluid too, and at first it was all good, but eventually (a few years, with regular fluid changes once a year) it wasn't enough to keep things be as they should.
Long story, short-term I think the fluid will buy some time... Might be several years, even... But this issue likely will come back... Just a matter of when.
)Anyway... I believe the culprit was a worn third gear synchro. It got to the point where the car would pop out of third with tremendous force... He tried holding the lever in 3rd and it popped out with such force, his hand went flying off the lever.
It could be fixed.. and he was intending on doing so, until the car was destroyed. But... It wasn't cheap. The GM fluid is a bandaid solution for a bigger problem. He would run the GM fluid too, and at first it was all good, but eventually (a few years, with regular fluid changes once a year) it wasn't enough to keep things be as they should.
Long story, short-term I think the fluid will buy some time... Might be several years, even... But this issue likely will come back... Just a matter of when.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 30,487
Likes: 4,417
From: In an igloo
Keep in mind there are very little original members still on here, from fifteen years ago. There are even less that still even have an Acura.
6MTs made up for a small percentage of all TL sales. I'd be curious to know how many folk that had 3rd gear issues ended up keeping their car for the long haul still.
What I'm getting at is you're making assertions without all the background knowledge. Go on Honda tech and you can read about people using GMSMFM and eventually still having issues. The fluid is not a fix for worn synchro gears. The fluid is a method to slow down further wear and tear, but not a fix for it. The only real fix is replacing a worn synchro. Again, I've seen the results first hand with a 3rd gear still popping out even though it was getting fresh fluid once a year.
OP may never face that realm. Maybe he will. There's much to consider, including how many miles he drives every year, how many miles are already on the transmission, how hard he abuses that transmission if ever driving the car hard, etc.
At the end of the day, every case is individual.
Also, youre basing your argument on your car "feeling" good at 135k miles, and extrapolating that to 250k miles... if you're synchro starts to go, there is no lead up to it. It just starts happening. I'm confused on how you say the fluid isn't a bandaid... how is it not? It's not actually replacing the problematic/failing parts. The damage is still there. It's already been done.
6MTs made up for a small percentage of all TL sales. I'd be curious to know how many folk that had 3rd gear issues ended up keeping their car for the long haul still.
What I'm getting at is you're making assertions without all the background knowledge. Go on Honda tech and you can read about people using GMSMFM and eventually still having issues. The fluid is not a fix for worn synchro gears. The fluid is a method to slow down further wear and tear, but not a fix for it. The only real fix is replacing a worn synchro. Again, I've seen the results first hand with a 3rd gear still popping out even though it was getting fresh fluid once a year.
OP may never face that realm. Maybe he will. There's much to consider, including how many miles he drives every year, how many miles are already on the transmission, how hard he abuses that transmission if ever driving the car hard, etc.
At the end of the day, every case is individual.
Also, youre basing your argument on your car "feeling" good at 135k miles, and extrapolating that to 250k miles... if you're synchro starts to go, there is no lead up to it. It just starts happening. I'm confused on how you say the fluid isn't a bandaid... how is it not? It's not actually replacing the problematic/failing parts. The damage is still there. It's already been done.
Last edited by TacoBello; Jun 6, 2018 at 01:30 PM.
I guess we're talking at cross purposes; from my perspective, the 3rd gear synchro is not compatible with the Honda MTF in that with continued use, it is a "when" not "if" scenario for third gear synchro failure, however, my take on the issue is, if switched to ACDelco Synchromesh Friction Modified early enough, continued decline in the third gear synchro functionality will be arrested (or at least significantly slowed).
Long story short, there is a design flaw in the synchro which the GM fluid at least partially remediates.
Long story short, there is a design flaw in the synchro which the GM fluid at least partially remediates.
In the case of my transmission, given how badly the 3rd gear grind was, and how often 3rd failed to fully engage when using the Honda MTF, there is little doubt I would have already needed to rebuild the transmission. That said, given how smoothly the transmission shifts now, I'll actually lay odds the tranny is capable of seeing the far side of 300,000 miles without ever having the case cracked.
Three Wheelin'
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,389
Likes: 223
I had the same issue when I bought my 6mt. 3rd gear would pop out from time to time. Ever since changing the fluid to GM syncro friction modified, absolutely no issues! It's butter smooth
my car was just over 160,000 km when I changed the fluid
my car was just over 160,000 km when I changed the fluid
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 12,521
Likes: 1,824
From: MAGA country
2nd Gear
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 2
Likes: 1
Another +1 for Syncromesh. Bought my 05 with 114k miles last year and had immediately replaced the trans fluid with OEM Honda MTF. Had the intermittent 3rd gear pop out along with hesitation engaging 4th on the 3-4 shift. I was very skeptical that a simple fluid change (especially a product from GM) could remedy what's clearly an inherent issue with the trans, but finally bit the bullet and made the switch last week at 137k. The difference was instantly apparent and after an additional 500 miles of driving to remove the placebo effect from my mind, I'm convinced. Note that the OEM Honda fluid that I had drained was pretty clean and free of any metal debris, which makes this stuff all the more impressive to me. Easily the best bang for buck mod I've done on this car.
Head a da Family
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,505
Likes: 568
From: New Friggin Jerzy
Keep in mind there are very little original members still on here, from fifteen years ago. There are even less that still even have an Acura.
6MTs made up for a small percentage of all TL sales. I'd be curious to know how many folk that had 3rd gear issues ended up keeping their car for the long haul still.
6MTs made up for a small percentage of all TL sales. I'd be curious to know how many folk that had 3rd gear issues ended up keeping their car for the long haul still.
I've been using the Synchromesh Fluid since the car had 7,000 miles on it. I'm now at 286K miles and my transmission's still flying high. At my last fluid change a few thousand miles ago, Paul put in the new Honda fluid. Still works great!
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5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Bought my 06 6MT with 135k and it had the same 3rd gear issue. I changed it to GM Synchromesh fluid immediately and the issue has gone away for me. I can put the car into 3rd gear without any resistant now.
Another +1 for GM Synchromesh.
Another +1 for GM Synchromesh.
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