SPONSORED LINKS

2001 Honda Civic Difficulty shifting

Tiny
CBAKE23
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 HONDA CIVIC
Transmission problem
2001 Honda Civic 4 cyl Two Wheel Drive Manual 118K miles

Difficult/rough shifting into all gears. Helps if I rest in neutral before going to the next gear. Has slipped out of 3rd, 4th, and 5th but that may have been because it didn't get all the way into gear with the difficulty in shifting. Had the transmission fluid changed today which barely helped the problem. Mechanic in St. Louis said he's never seen the problem and wants to attribute it to winter weather (car spent its first 3 years in Ohio and then 2 years in Philadelphia - the rest of the time it's been a similar climate as St. Louis). He wants to replace the cables. Another mechanic says just get a new transmission. Anyone seen a similar problem before?
SPONSORED LINKS
Thursday, February 11th, 2010 AT 1:52 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Hi cbake23,

Was the correct transmission oil used?

Is the clutch hydraulics working correctly?

Is it easy to shift when engine is not started?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, February 14th, 2010 AT 3:34 AM
Tiny
CBAKE23
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I can't vouch for the transmission fluid, but since this mechanic wasn't at a dealership I don't think they used Honda fluid.

Both mechanics I've taken the car to have said the clutch is fine.

When the engine is not started, it's easy to shift but won't go all the way into gear. First and second will go all the way in, but not third, fourth, and fifth.
SPONSORED LINKS
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, March 1st, 2010 AT 7:06 AM
Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,814 POSTS
Did you try engaging the gears with engine stopped and clutch depressed or declutching repeatedly?

Symptoms indicates the possiblity of wrong fluid used. If non Honda trans gear oil was used, anything higher than SAE 40 would cause the synchronizer rings to stick and cause difficult engaging.

Get the oil replaced and retry. You might need some running in after the gear oil replacement.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, March 1st, 2010 AT 8:18 AM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Related Transmission Service Content

Transmission Filter and Fluid Replacement
VIDEO
Transmission Filter and Fluid Replacement
Instructional repair video
Transmission Service - Manual
GUIDE
Transmission Service - Manual
We are a team of ASE certified mechanics that have created this guide to help you save money while doing the job yourself, or at least see what you are paying for when...
VIEW MORE

Sponsored links