96 CD5 MT, h22a, stock trans

So aside from the other issues this car has, when driving aggressively the transmission does not want to change gear, most pronounced from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd. I know I'm finding the right slots, but its like the trans has to wait for the revs to drop before it will slide into gear. My trans oil was low, I drained what was in there and put fresh mobil-1 10w30 in there and it still does it. I'm reading that it might be the shifter bushings, but then that would be at any level of driving and driving normally its fine.

Now, this transmission just needs to last until spring, and I'm not going to be doing any autocrossing with it until I buy and install a M2B4, but it would be nice to be able to row the shifter properly until then.

 

How old is the clutch?

 

Is it grinding or what ?

Put in some honda mtf.

 

I honestly have no idea how old it is. I'm assuming the original clutch, but it feels like it's taking a good bit of travel to disengage and it grabs early when letting it back out. When I bought it the clutch cover was off, and I'm assuming the PO drive it that way since he bought it from the P-PO who did the swap.

Not grinding when shifting normally, unless skipping down a gear (5-3) or when trying to go into first unless almost to a stop. I didn't have access to honda or gm oil and the consensus online is Mobile-1 10-30 is sufficient.

 

First thing I would do is bleed the clutch master and slave fluid and see if that helps. I think your issue is related to the clutch and clutch release system.

 

The only issue appears to be needing to adjust the master cylinder push rod to give you less clutch free play. That should also help any grinding that you sometimes have.

You only need about an inch of clutch free play.

 

I should have earlier today but I'll have to order some speed bleeders from work and wait for them to come in before bleeding the clutch.

 

get a prelude manual for the engine and a accord manual for everything else. or pay someone to do it.

 

Do as AndyD and adjust the rod as Manny said.

 

Not so sure he saw my post.

 

I saw his post as to adjust clutch free-play according to the manual.

I also got some Honda MTF, I have to work midday shift so I'm not going to be able to report much until I put that in the trans case tomorrow. I did bleed the clutch and it didn't change the feel. Haven't driven it hard yet.

 

im having the same problem as well. i bought a t2t4 changed the fluid to the mtf from honda. still having problems, my clutch has only 10,000 its a stage 4 and a 8lb flywheel.

 

There's not much room to adjust the clutch op-rod, maybe 1/4" of rod length and it feels like there's almost an inch of pedal travel before the rod contacts the piston. But there's a little bit of weeping fluid in the boot area and a little bit of residue in the area of the firewall opening. It also looks like everything in the area of the shift linkage and clutch damper is wet.

Could it be I have an air bubble in the clutch master from a slow leak? I want to replace the clutch hose and bypass the clutch damper and about 6 feet of line, perhaps I should replace the master at the same time. Clutch slave and its surrounds are dry as a bone.

[EDIT]

Reading a bit online (I don't know why I didn't try that earlier) some people are saying its a worn-out clutch not completely disengaging. Maybe I'm tired but this genuinely makes me angry because a worn out clutch just won't engage, slave cylinder pushes fork out and lifts the pressure plate off.

Also, do the oem clutches use a marcel spring or something? Because I'm also seeing people suggesting that its a mechanically damaged clutch jamming debris between disk and pressure plate, or something similar. I find it very hard to believe that someone would not hear the sound or feel the imbalance of a mechanically damaged clutch disk.

Doing more reading, it seems possible one of the pressure plate fingers broke and is preventing full disengagement. If I have to buy a new clutch that's not a big deal, I have my eye on an Exedy replacement + XBD 10lb flywheel package, but I'm just not going to be able to install it until the weather warms up. I'd just like to not have to pull the transmission quite yet as if I'm going to do that I may as well buy the M2B4/similar and toss that in at the same time.

 

Replacing the weepy-around-the-boot master cylinder, bypassing the clutch damper, and taking out as much free play as possible in the pedal did...nothing. I actually ground a bit upshifting from 1st to 2nd (at 7000rpm) on the test drive. Tried contacting the PO to the guy I bought it from and according to him it has a stage 3 Exedy clutch and lightened flywheel...from the guy HE bought it from...smh. I think 'Exedy' is favorable remembering of 'XTD' or something. A stage 3 clutch would explain though the abnormally engagement window this car has, the not-infrequent juddering when engaging, and that it likes to squeal when easing it out.

I'm thinking at this point I need to accept the theory that the synchros are just toast. I set-aside a grand for a M2B4 when I bought the car, but...its alot of money and even more work.