i got an 00' honda civic EX coupe we thought the throwout barring was bad, cause it won't go into 5th gear and you gotta jam it in reverse, and i took it to a shop he told me hes pretty sure its just the gear oil...and by the slight chance that its not that, its the tranny....but then again this is a week old tranny....But anyways....its a 97' civic LX tranny....still SOHC like mine though....how do i check the gear oil and put more in it if i need it?

 

Do you have actual "gear oil" in your tranny... if you do that could be the problem. Regular motor oil is what should be in your tranny.

 

there is a bolt on the side of the tranny, take it off and stick you finger in there. It should be at the top. And to get the correct oil go to Honda.

 

I don't think I've ever seen JUST the trans fluid cause a car to not go into gear. 5th and reverse are on the same synchro, so I'm willing to bet it's either the synchro or possibly a bent shift fork that's your problem.

The CAUSE is probably a lack of trans fluid, because 5th/reverse are the last to get fluid, so they are easily damages when they are driven for prolonged periods w/o lubrication.

Adding fluid almost never fixes the problem - the damage is already done.

BTW:

That tranny takes either Genuine Honda MTF, or 10W30 regular engine oil. 80W90 gear oil is not recommended at all.