When I bought my 1990 honda civic, the previous owner told me they tried a few things to fix it, but the clutch grinds every time I put it into third. They said that it has always grinded ever since they got the car. It only does this for third and sometimes for reverse. Anyone know the problem?


EDIT!!!!
1 more question for now:
What kind of headers should I get to replace the ones I have now? They are old and rusted and I'd like some new ones. If you have a link to a good pair, link me? =D

 

I have the same problem with my integra. But Im thinking that it has to do with a broken drivers side motor mount and every time i go around a right hand turn i can get 3rd with out one problem. so maybe see if any of your mounts are broken or maybe your syncro is no good.

 

the gears grind cuz of your syncros in your tranny so if its gettin real bad pull the tranny and use a fine file and get them cleaned up

 

I second this evaluation. I have the same issue for second gear. definitely your mesh synchros.

 

i concur. unless your skilled when it comes to transmissions i wouldn't try replacing synchros yourself. so you'll either have to pay someone to fix them, or just get a whole new tranny.

 

Yeah, i'm waiting til i have enough so that the shop down the road from me can fix the grinding/synchro issues.

 

If you have the mechanical know-how to change axles, then you can surely drop the tranny yourself.

If you can do that, then I think you can do the tranny repairs yourself. I gave it a try and found it to really not be hard at all. Of course the shop may warranty the work so that's a plus, but there's nothing compared to the learning experience of cracking open a tranny or rebuilding a motor yourself.

Anyway, another problem may be a bent shift fork.

 

Assuming that you are pressing in the clutch fully to shift, you have several cheaper options to try first.

1) Check the clutch adjustment and fluid level.
2) Change the fluid, use HONDA MTF
3) Change the fluid, use GM Synchromesh, or a compatible fluid
4) Fix/replace transmission

Reverse has no synchronizer.

 

fluids are fine, i used mobil1 mtf. don't know what viscosity though.Cable is fine. shift fork... maybe, but i really think its my synchros cuz it only happens in 2nd gear. But yeah, i know how to drop the axles without an issue. so grinding down my synchros shouldn't be much more difficult...? elaborate please....

 

have you attempted to adjust your clutch cable?
just thought i would ask, but i do believe it would be the syncros as well

i would highly recommend that you do not take your transmission apart and put it back together unless you know what you are doing. there is a lot of preloading of internal nonsense and clearances need to be very tight. may as well just grab one from the junk yard or pay some one to do it.


P.S.
-if you ram it home it wont grind

 

make sure your cables well adjusted.
buy gm synchromesh and energy suspension shifter bushings

 

try amsoil synchromesh if that doesnt help its cheaper just to get another trans and swap it in.

 

If you can drop the tranny yourself then that should save you a bunch of money since you won't need the mechanic to do it.

What I meant by shift fork is one of the internal forks that pushes a the shift ring over the synchros. The shift fork that operates 2nd also operates 1st, but slides the opposite direction to do so. It could be bent so that just 2nd doesn't engage completely.

#1, 2, and 3 are "gearshift forks".


They engage the rings. In #7 you can see the ring on the far right.


Anyway, your probablem is most likely a worn syncro.
Replacing syncros with NEW ones is $$$ ($130??).
(Doing all the work and filing them back to usuable condition is FREE.)
Shift forks aren't that much (around $30).

$ starts adding up really fast if you have internal issues. When my tranny started go I picked up another tranny for $50 and opened them both up. I used the best syncros between the two, bought new bearings and seals, and it's being holding up great!


Stop being scared. Read the service manual and MAN UP! It's not even all that clearance and preloading nonsense especially since he is using the stock diff. Now, the automatic transmission is a whole different story.

 

i grind in high speed quick shifting and just getting into reverse can be a real pain. but it happens when you treat your 4 speed like a slushbox derby car lol...

 

I don't suggest dropping the tranny myself but I do have lots of friends that work on cars 24/7. I haven't done anything to the car. I have had it for 6 days. I have about ehh 425 dollars atm and I am getting about 130 paychecks every week. I need to save this money for stuff thats necessary so I can't just go blow it.

I am going to get a mechanic to check it out tomorrow. =]