So... hi!

I bought a '98 Civic EX coupe with a 5-speed recently (last week) and I'll be the first one to tell you: I am not a Honda guy. I'm not an import guy at all. My breadth of knowledge comes from RWD General Motors vehicles, and that's why I sell them for a living.

But this thing sort of fell in my lap, and I drove it, and I kind of fell in "like" with it, so here we are.

150k miles, a whole stack of service records, had its timing belt done 40k miles ago... it's a well-maintained car.

But now there's a problem.

Today, while driving to work, I was sitting at a light in neutral. The light turned green, and I put my foot on the clutch to put it in 1st (felt fine), and it wouldn't go. That startled me and I stalled the car, so I started it back up and tried again. Nope.

Second gear. Nope.
Third gear. Nope.

At this point, in desperation to get out of the street, I put it in 5th, and it went, and when I slowly let off the clutch, the car started to roll, so I limped it to a gas station about 200 feet away and parked it.

The clutch master had fluid - looked fine.

Now the car won't come OUT of 5th at all. No matter how hard I pull on the shift lever, it does nothing. I towed it to the dealership I work at and they say it sounds like something internal.


A little back story: Yesterday, while driving, I noticed it had some trouble going into 5th sometimes. I had to "shimmy" it in, or push it harder than all the other gears. Probably related, but either way - I have no idea what's wrong.

Help me, Honda-Tech, you're my only hope.

 

98 EX if stock is a D-series (SOHC) engine and transmission.

They are very cheap. And by the sounds yours is dead in the water. I would personally just go the salvage yard route and buy another D series manual transmission and swap it in. And while it's down do the clutch, flywheel, and pressure plate.

The only downside is the labor involved, other than that, the salvage yards offer the 30-120 day warranty (depending on the yard) so you can keep swapping until you get a working one.

I would try and stick to the same EX transmission to keep the same gearing and expected gas mileage. Or you could even upgrade a touch by finding a 92-95 Si manual transmission, however they tend to cost a bit more if the sellers know anything.

Really, it's not worth rebuilding as the cost difference for that compared to finding a working used one is huge.

The one thing I would check with the used one is spin the input shaft and make sure it's nice and smooth. The input shaft bearing is the known weak spot of all these 92-95 D-series transmissions.

If that is all that is wrong with the transmission, the cost of the ISB, ISB oil seal, and the two axel seals is under 200 bucks and not overly difficult to replace.

Your transmission, by the sounds, is beyond that though and thus my suggestion to just get another used tranny.

And I personally would trust one from a yard over craigslist as there they always seem to be trying to scam people who aren't in the know.

 

Can't shift out of 5th, even when the car is turned off? If so, it does sound like something internal. What it actually is, though, you can't exactly know until you pull it apart and inspect. Your SCHA (shift change holder assembly) could have failed, or your shift fork could have broken, or something could have snapped and gotten lodged in somewhere.

The only way to know is to drop the transmission, crack open the case, and take a look.

 

That was my thought, too.

Curious - what is the difference between the 92-95 Si trans? Shorter gearing?

I'm a little sad that I have to replace this one. This car is all original and totally unmolested. It's pretty neat in that regard....

 

Yup, even with the car off. Can't do anything. I can pull on that shifter as hard as my body weight will allow and it goes nowhere.

 

Yep, there's something wrong internally.

The 92-95 EX/SI transmissions are the same, and have shorter, more "sport" oriented gears (except 5th - the SI has a shorter 5th, the EX has a taller 5th). The 92-95 DX/LX transmissions are identical, and a bit taller across the spectrum than the EX/SI. The 92-95 CX/VX gears are even taller than that, and are oriented towards gas mileage.

 

In CDM CX is the same as the DX/LX. Only in US is the CX like the VX for gearing.

The other difference you might want to be aware of is the EX/SI transmission is a Bigger Bearing transmission and has the B000 stamp on the case. The CX/DX/LX/VX all have the smaller bearing case with a stamp of A000 on it.


The image is for USDM

 

This link is a great reference point for Honda stock engine and transmission numbers, if you want to add that to your pile o' tools

 

So what transmission am I looking for to keep this thing 100% stock?

If I got the 92-95 trans, would I need to tune the ECU or anything like that? I come from GM LSx world.

 

No, the only difference between the 92-95 and the 96-00 D transmissions are the shift forks. In 92-95 they are aluminum so if abused they snap. In the 96-00 they are steel so if abused they bend.

Preference seems to be for the aluminum. I never sought clarity as to why but if I were to hazard a guess, less internal damage occurs with a snap. You know it's messed and stop driving. With a bent fork you may do more damage by driving and not realizing something severe is wrong. Sort of like your situation now. Finally to the point it won't go into various gears. Could have been driving with bent forks for awhile now.

Keep in mind this is just my brain speculating but that would be my guess.

Anyways, the manual transmission have no bearing on ecu so tuning isn't necessary. These trannies are completely mechanical.

 

If you want to stay "100% stock", you would have to get a 96-00 EX transmission. Any D series transmission from 92-00 will bolt up and go, though. Just remember that the DX/LX/VX/HX transmissions have taller gears than your stock EX transmission, and will make the car feel a little sluggish, comparatively.

Also worth mentioning, the 99-00 SI transmission will not work. It's a B series transmission. Completely different motor.

 

How difficult would it be to actually change the fork or whatever is wrong? I'm not afraid to tear into the trans. I'd rather fix it and save money and use a day to do it than just drop in a trans for more money in the interest of time.

I am pretty broke right now. It's bad. lol

 

It really depends on what's wrong, and you can't know for sure until you open the case. A fork is easy as **** to replace. Synchros are a little bit harder, but still doable. While you have the case open, your best course of action would be to go ahead and replace all of the synchros and seals, and inspect and replace other failed parts.

If it's your SHCA, those things are...well, they can be a little pricy. For now, just crack open the case and see what's wrong.

 

Fair enough.

I just watched this guy's three videos on trans removal:
Looks quite doable. Sadly, a lift is the only thing I <DON'T> own tool wise, I'd say - but I'll make due.

Plan is to renew AAA tomorrow, tow the car home after work Saturday, and R&R the trans Sunday to drive it BACK to work on Tuesday.

Right now I have a car from work with a dealer plate on it, so I'll probably take it to work Monday, get a ride home with the F&I manager who lives down the street from me, and resume life as normal.

....if all goes to plan. Famous last words, those.

 

A lift? You don't need a lift. Just put the front end on jack stands, remove axles, put a jack under the transmission, and remove the transmission. Then, when you're done, you can just bench press it back into place while a friend wiggles it into place.

 

Right. Chap in the video used a lift though.

Garage envy. I have it.

My garage is currently full of my other project... so this'll be a driveway job.

 

I built an engine in my bedroom, and swapped it in a driveway. Didn't use a lift for the transmission. You can do it, too Compared to the RWD transmissions I've worked with, Honda transmissions are comparatively light. You need a lift if you want to solo it, but if you have a buddy who can wiggle it and line it up while you hold it in place, you'll be fine.

 

I'm not sure what you consider saving a buck.

This is the rebuild kit for the d-series for solid quality parts:
D Series Master Rebuild Kit

It's 349.00 before taxes, shipping etc.

That's assuming nothing is seriously broken inside the case.

A working used tranny can be had for 100 bucks in my area.

Your Mileage May Very

 

+1 to the kit TomCat linked. A working D series transmission can also be found around here for ~$100-$150, but EX transmissions have a tendency to run a little bit more.

 

Well, I limped it to a trans shop that's right next to my job that we have a relationship with. I didn't ask specifics regarding what's wrong (I will when I pick it up...) but basically, they're replacing it with a remanufactured unit.

$450. Easier than me risking messing something up rebuilding it - also much faster.

Work is just giving me random loaner cars off the lot, which is neat.

I find myself missing the little thing.

 

If the transmission comes with a warranty, installed, for that price, that's not too bad.

 

Well, got it back.

They didn't spend the time diagnosing the trans because apparently this one doesn't have the removable side cover, so labor time would have been more than my discounted price on just putting in a reman trans. So that's what we did.

I ran the VIN on the new trans through CarFax (I have unlimited through work - sweet perk) and found out it's from a 2000 LX Sedan, so it doesn't have the closer ratios that my original EX trans had, but really I don't feel much difference, if any.

Glad to have the little thing back... gotta say, it's grown on me.

 

Did they give you the old transmission back, or did they take it as a core? If they gave it back, you could always dive into it yourself, at least for the learning experience.