Hey guys, first post. Great forum here. I recently bought a 1997 EJ6 (LX sedan), 5 speed, with 145k on it to use as a daily driver. Got it for a song, but it needs some work. It had never had a timing belt, and I just finished that job. A lot tougher than on my Subaru. Also needs a clutch, and that's the next job.

Anyway, I'm trying to research out the tranny issues it seems to have. When I was driving it home, I had a lot of trouble selecting gears. For example, I'd shift 2nd to 3rd and let out the clutch, and it would grind, as if it wasn't fully engaged. Disengage the clutch, fiddle with the shifter, and it would eventually go in. Lather, rinse repeat. Also, it wouldn't go into 5th gear without a fight, so I rode all the way home in 4th, expecting the timing belt to let go.

I know it needs motor/tranny mounts. The one by the A/C belt was completely gone, and the others have some serious cracks. I'll see how bad they really are when I pull the tranny. Also, the stick moves a lot when I get on/off the gas. As a result, it popped out of gear a few times, which could of course be the synchros, but to my feeble mind, it seems like really bad motor mounts could cause that to happen as well. The shift linkage doesn't seem to be bent, but the bushings could be worn. The shifter seemed awfully vague, so I think I'll replace the shifter bushings as well.

Of all the jobs I've done on my cars over the years, the one thing I've never done is actually crack open a tranny. I'm prepared to put in a new one (or rebuild this one) if I have to, but that could almost double what I paid for the car. Any thoughts on what I might be up against?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Shanghai Jim &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hey guys, first post. Great forum here. I recently bought a 1997 EJ6 (LX sedan), 5 speed, with 145k on it to use as a daily driver. Got it for a song, but it needs some work. It had never had a timing belt, and I just finished that job. A lot tougher than on my Subaru. Also needs a clutch, and that's the next job.

Anyway, I'm trying to research out the tranny issues it seems to have. When I was driving it home, I had a lot of trouble selecting gears. For example, I'd shift 2nd to 3rd and let out the clutch, and it would grind, as if it wasn't fully engaged. Disengage the clutch, fiddle with the shifter, and it would eventually go in. Lather, rinse repeat. Also, it wouldn't go into 5th gear without a fight, so I rode all the way home in 4th, expecting the timing belt to let go.

I know it needs motor/tranny mounts. The one by the A/C belt was completely gone, and the others have some serious cracks. I'll see how bad they really are when I pull the tranny. Also, the stick moves a lot when I get on/off the gas. As a result, it popped out of gear a few times, which could of course be the synchros, but to my feeble mind, it seems like really bad motor mounts could cause that to happen as well. The shift linkage doesn't seem to be bent, but the bushings could be worn. The shifter seemed awfully vague, so I think I'll replace the shifter bushings as well.

Of all the jobs I've done on my cars over the years, the one thing I've never done is actually crack open a tranny. I'm prepared to put in a new one (or rebuild this one) if I have to, but that could almost double what I paid for the car. Any thoughts on what I might be up against?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Do yourself a huge favor, replace the transmission. That thing sounds like its toast, and a new one is only like $200-300 and you might as well if you have it off already to replace the clutch. I really hope you didnt pay too much for that car it sounds like a **** load of work for your DD and not a project...

I hope this was of some help...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by obuhmyuh &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Do yourself a huge favor, replace the transmission. That thing sounds like its toast, and a new one is only like $200-300 and you might as well if you have it off already to replace the clutch. I really hope you didnt pay too much for that car it sounds like a **** load of work for your DD and not a project...

I hope this was of some help...</TD></TR></TABLE>Thanks for the response. I paid virtually nothing for the car, which is why I'm OK with dumping a bit into it. I have other cars that I can DD, but they're either ones I want to keep the miles off or want better mileage than they give. A beater/project Civic is perfect for what I need.

It doesn't look like the tranny is that hard to get out, so for now I figure I'll drain it and strain the oil to check for chunks, then give all the mounts and bushings a thorough going over. If it's as easy to get out as it seems, I may just put it back together and drive it until it completely grenades, which will give me time to source a good replacement.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Shanghai Jim &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

It doesn't look like the tranny is that hard to get out, so for now I figure I'll drain it and strain the oil to check for chunks, then give all the mounts and bushings a thorough going over. If it's as easy to get out as it seems, I may just put it back together and drive it until it completely grenades, which will give me time to source a good replacement.</TD></TR></TABLE>

well it sounds like you know what your doing. it isnt hard to take it out if you have the right tools, and do everything step by step.

 

What i would do first is get all those motor mounts replaced..They could definately give you the problem of the shifter popping of gear especially giving it/letting off the gas. The other problem you have with getting into gear, could be anything from trans fluid that was never changed (you said the prev owner didnt even change Timing Belt ), to a hydraulic system/clutch problem. Also check the condition of the clutch fluid, i bet its black. Dont get a new trans, unless its off of a really low mileage car. You could be buying a trans that is in no better condition than yours. Just my .02 Welcome to the honda world

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jdeemseerx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What i would do first is get all those motor mounts replaced..They could definately give you the problem of the shifter popping of gear especially giving it/letting off the gas. The other problem you have with getting into gear, could be anything from trans fluid that was never changed (you said the prev owner didnt even change Timing Belt ), to a hydraulic system/clutch problem. Also check the condition of the clutch fluid, i bet its black. Dont get a new trans, unless its off of a really low mileage car. You could be buying a trans that is in no better condition than yours. Just my .02 Welcome to the honda world </TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks for the welcome and the tips! I'm with you on replacing the tranny. According to the PO, he drove it about 35 miles back and forth to work every day, mostly highway. My gut tells me there's nothing fundamentally wrong with it. As for the mounts, when I saw the two bad ones, I went ahead and ordered a full set off eBay, so they'll go in as the old ones come off.

I got started pulling the tranny today, but I hit a little roadblock with the ball joints. If I had known about the 1/2" ratchet trick earlier, I wouldn't have wasted 4 hours and probably could have had the clutch completely R&R'd. On the plus side, that trick works like a dream. Honda-tech.com just saved me $100 on buying that special tool.

Anyway, the tranny fluid didn't have any big pieces in it, but it did have the consistency of chocolate syrup. When I did the TB and water pump, the antifreeze was pretty dark too. Clutch and brake fluid are dark, but not as bad as you might expect. About all the PO did was change the engine oil, which is all that REALLY matters, IMO. It's getting a FULL change of fluids before it's all said and done. The clutch is what really got me the car for a good price. I've never seen a clutch make noises like this. It rattles, squeaks, squeals, and scrapes. There are telltale signs of a rear main seal leak, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was the root of the clutch issues.

Fun times!


Modified by Shanghai Jim at 8:06 PM 4/20/2008

 

sounds like u got some work to do?? what ratchet trick are you talkin about because i had to beat my ballkjoints to release them and a ball joint pullet didnt work...

also where is the rear main seal located??

 

Yeah, have some work to do, but it's going well. Just want to drive the dumb thing so I can park my 9 MPG truck.

1/2" ratchet trick. Worth its weight in gold. Watch the video it it's not clear. I left my the shocks attached, and both sides' ball joints popped right off when I lowered the jack:
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=887859

Rear main seal is behind the flywheel. Telltale sign is an oil leak coming from between the block and bellhousing. Thread with pics:
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1980272




Modified by Shanghai Jim at 10:16 PM 4/20/2008