tetronimo

I had the transmission and clutch rebuilt last year on my 97 Accord. It's a manual. Lately I've noticed that pretty much only when shifting into 5th gear that I am getting some drag. Sometimes it feels like a small catch and other times it feels like it's hitting the teeth briefly. No matter how much I baby it, whether I let the RPMs drop vs. keeping them steady, it just doesn't want to shift cleanly.

I took it into the place that did the job, and they couldn't reproduce the issue. Since then I've realized it only does this behavior when it's cold outside / not warmed up. After driving a whie the issue goes away, but will then come back the next day.

The tech said it was most likely the bushings or the cables which he said they do not replace with a usual transmission/clutch rebuild. So if I wanted it addressed it wouldn't be covered under warranty.

My questions are:
1) Is it normal not to fix the bushings and cables when doing this kind of job? I'm kind of skeptical of that not having been done as part of the job.
2) Does the issue I'm describing sound like bushings or cables, or does it sound more like a trans/clutch issue that ought to be covered?
3) Should I ask them to look into the job they did for good measure / is it worth getting this addressed before it potentially turns into something worse?
4) Any other thoughts around why this would only happen when the car is not warmed up?

Thanks in advance.

Aradin

The bushings on the cables can easily be replaced if worn. The transmission side bushings can be replaced with simple hand tools in just a few minutes. Generally, the cables themselves are not really considered a wear item and "should" last the life of the vehicle. That is not always the case as they can stretch or break over time, especially with repeated aggressive shifting. If there's an issue with the cables themselves you would have issues going into more than one gear and it would do it all the time, not just when it's cold. I don't believe the cables are the issue here. When I have broken cables in the past it causes the throw to get extremely long and 1/3/5 do not want to engage properly, if at all.

How many miles does it have on it? It sounds to me like either a clutch issue(pressure plate bolts not torqued properly, surfaces not mated properly, etc), perhaps the fluid level is low or they used the wrong fluid that is too viscous when the vehicle is cold, or it could just be the 5th gear synchro starting to go out. 5th gear is the last in line so it gets the least lubrication. In high mileage vehicles there is usually some issue with it. Try double clutching the next time it's giving you issue and see if it will go in smoothly. If it does I would bet it's either low fluid, the wrong fluid, or the 5th gear synchro is worn.

tetronimo

Thanks for the detailed response! The mileage is around 170K, but the transmission and clutch were rebuilt/replaced around 165K so anything with those shouldn't be the cause of the issue or else it ought to be under warranty. I'm trying to figure out if the guy is trying to swindle me out of a warranty covered fix they don't want to take ownership for since the warranty is up in 3 months.

Double clutching doesn't solve the issue, but if I let the RPMs drop all the way down it is definitely harder to shift cleanly into 5th. I have noticed some slight drag in 2nd gear, but not as much as 5th, and it goes away much quicker. 5th is the main culprit.

I'll have to do some research on the synchro as I am not a car expert. Is that something that should normally be handled with a trans rebuild, or is it a separate component? If it's part of the trans I might try to leave the car with them for a couple days so they can experience the issue.

Aradin

Synchro is short for synchronizer. Each gear has it's own synchro that is used to make shifting easier. It is an internal part of the transmission that would require the transmission to be completely disassembled to be serviced/repaired. So if the transmission was completely rebuilt then yes, they should have replaced it if it had wear or damage. If they completely disassembled the transmission it's also possible they did not shim it correctly and that can cause a lot of issues on it's own like binding, etc. Obviously I don't know the shop that did it or the extent of the work so I'm just throwing ideas out there that may be the culprit. I think the first step would be to find out what fluid they put it in and check the current fluid level. Honda transmissions in general are picky about what you put in them. The manuals less so...but I have seen noticeable improvements in shifting after just switching to a different fluid.