2001 prelude sh tranny/clutch issues - stuck in gear
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From: Pacific Grove, CA
2001 prelude sh tranny/clutch issues - stuck in gear
ok...so heres the vehicles breakdown:
2001 prelude sh
68,XXX miles
AEM CAI
custom exh.
DC headers
stock internals
I purchased this car used a year ago from a used car delearship. It was already modified so it was safe to assume that the previous owner(s) probably raced it, but it seemed very well maintained and drove great so it seemed like a good buy. first 6 months it was great...occasionally during a hard accel 2nd or 3rd gave a lil grind while shifting but i chalked it up to hard driving and a stock clutch.
well it started doing something a lil odd a couple months back. Occasionally from a cold start usually when i start the car and go to back out, I couldnt shift into reverse. This only happened a few times and was sporatic but seemed odd obviously. If I turned the car off then back on and left off the clutch and back on it would let me in and drive like normal. Well the car sat a month or two and i just started driving it again...and in 1st and reverse (sometimes ONLY) i would hear this little rattle in the front like a can bouncing around inside the tranny as i start to accelerate slowly in 1st or reverse and then, with the clutch pedal fully depressed, the car would lunge slightly, and die as if I released the clutch.
So, my first inclination is throwout bearing. Well i had to drive the car yesterday to get the exhaust fixed so i could sell it before it became a bigger issue and it was fine on the way there but as i waited to pull my car into the shop I tried to shift into reverse and couldnt...tried to turn it off and back on, and play with the pedal and shifter a lil...nothing...finally i force it into a gear and the shifter feels all notchy and stiff...but i get into the shop. As I go to leave its still notchy and i got locked into reverse once I finally got it in. I managed to get it out again but the shifting felt extremely stiff in 1st and 2nd as i began to leave but loosened up to near normal as i continued back home. I tried to shift into 3rd at one point and it appeared to go to the position 3rd would be in but acted as if it were in neutral...a lil jostling with the shifter and it would engage finally but it was like this the whole way back....i stopped by a buddies shop for a minute and he said the slave cylinder fork was moving and he thought the pressure plate was not engaging.
As i left his shop to drive home again i was stuck in reverse (again), worked it out and managed to get home only able to use 1st. Pulling into my drive way i went to slide into neutral and check things out but had become stuck in reverse once more which is where it remains now.
Clutch pedal feels fine, (was) engaging a few inches above the floors but still feels like it did before...doesnt sink or stick or feel stiff. Shifter only moves approx 4 inches up and down but is stuck in reverse. Even with the car off I can only get 4 in or so of up and down travel from the shifter and will not release from reverse. I have tried to slip out of neutral just at it starts to cut out during pedal release and no luck.
So, after all this...does it appear to be a tranny, clutch, or some other midigating factor? My fluid levels may have been a lil low so i added some lastnight but didnt help any. My clutch fluid levels seem fine, no visible leaks in any lines, and I dont believe there is any fluid leakage inside the cabin where the reservoir meets the firewall. I just wanted to sell the car and after talking to a honda-tech friend he said it could be clutch or tranny and ive read 30 or so tech articles that have some of the stuff i do but none that have all the characteristics...so any input or direction is appreciated. Im sure the clutch is probably out now, or at least the TOB but im hoping the tranny is ok still. so thanks for the read and help is you can.
^^^^Update^^^^
I went home on my lunch to inspect the the shift linkage as this was one thing I had failed to look at previously. I removed the console and everything appeared visually to be ok...although i hadnt looked at it before for a cross reference...inspected the motion a little closer and did notice that there is a creaking sound when i push up as if into 3rd or 5th and it feels as if the plastic spacer piece may be binding within the linkage...im not really too sure how this paticular linkage works compared to my old ef but it looks alien to me. I did notice that te plastic slider piece did have a couple of teeth on its ridge that were broken, and i found 2 very small plastic fragments, but no big pieces or clear idea of what they belong to...I dont know if this is now the primary issue and may be causing the other issues, or if this is now a compound issue from forcing the gears...any thoughts? anything?
Modified by nocturnal_sol at 1:26 PM 2/26/2008
2001 prelude sh
68,XXX miles
AEM CAI
custom exh.
DC headers
stock internals
I purchased this car used a year ago from a used car delearship. It was already modified so it was safe to assume that the previous owner(s) probably raced it, but it seemed very well maintained and drove great so it seemed like a good buy. first 6 months it was great...occasionally during a hard accel 2nd or 3rd gave a lil grind while shifting but i chalked it up to hard driving and a stock clutch.
well it started doing something a lil odd a couple months back. Occasionally from a cold start usually when i start the car and go to back out, I couldnt shift into reverse. This only happened a few times and was sporatic but seemed odd obviously. If I turned the car off then back on and left off the clutch and back on it would let me in and drive like normal. Well the car sat a month or two and i just started driving it again...and in 1st and reverse (sometimes ONLY) i would hear this little rattle in the front like a can bouncing around inside the tranny as i start to accelerate slowly in 1st or reverse and then, with the clutch pedal fully depressed, the car would lunge slightly, and die as if I released the clutch.
So, my first inclination is throwout bearing. Well i had to drive the car yesterday to get the exhaust fixed so i could sell it before it became a bigger issue and it was fine on the way there but as i waited to pull my car into the shop I tried to shift into reverse and couldnt...tried to turn it off and back on, and play with the pedal and shifter a lil...nothing...finally i force it into a gear and the shifter feels all notchy and stiff...but i get into the shop. As I go to leave its still notchy and i got locked into reverse once I finally got it in. I managed to get it out again but the shifting felt extremely stiff in 1st and 2nd as i began to leave but loosened up to near normal as i continued back home. I tried to shift into 3rd at one point and it appeared to go to the position 3rd would be in but acted as if it were in neutral...a lil jostling with the shifter and it would engage finally but it was like this the whole way back....i stopped by a buddies shop for a minute and he said the slave cylinder fork was moving and he thought the pressure plate was not engaging.
As i left his shop to drive home again i was stuck in reverse (again), worked it out and managed to get home only able to use 1st. Pulling into my drive way i went to slide into neutral and check things out but had become stuck in reverse once more which is where it remains now.
Clutch pedal feels fine, (was) engaging a few inches above the floors but still feels like it did before...doesnt sink or stick or feel stiff. Shifter only moves approx 4 inches up and down but is stuck in reverse. Even with the car off I can only get 4 in or so of up and down travel from the shifter and will not release from reverse. I have tried to slip out of neutral just at it starts to cut out during pedal release and no luck.
So, after all this...does it appear to be a tranny, clutch, or some other midigating factor? My fluid levels may have been a lil low so i added some lastnight but didnt help any. My clutch fluid levels seem fine, no visible leaks in any lines, and I dont believe there is any fluid leakage inside the cabin where the reservoir meets the firewall. I just wanted to sell the car and after talking to a honda-tech friend he said it could be clutch or tranny and ive read 30 or so tech articles that have some of the stuff i do but none that have all the characteristics...so any input or direction is appreciated. Im sure the clutch is probably out now, or at least the TOB but im hoping the tranny is ok still. so thanks for the read and help is you can.
^^^^Update^^^^
I went home on my lunch to inspect the the shift linkage as this was one thing I had failed to look at previously. I removed the console and everything appeared visually to be ok...although i hadnt looked at it before for a cross reference...inspected the motion a little closer and did notice that there is a creaking sound when i push up as if into 3rd or 5th and it feels as if the plastic spacer piece may be binding within the linkage...im not really too sure how this paticular linkage works compared to my old ef but it looks alien to me. I did notice that te plastic slider piece did have a couple of teeth on its ridge that were broken, and i found 2 very small plastic fragments, but no big pieces or clear idea of what they belong to...I dont know if this is now the primary issue and may be causing the other issues, or if this is now a compound issue from forcing the gears...any thoughts? anything?
Modified by nocturnal_sol at 1:26 PM 2/26/2008
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