Hey Guys

I'm a beginner mechanic, and I'm trying to fix issues with my 1998 Honda Civics transmission. First off I discovered that the car (a 98 civic DX) was converted from an automatic to a manual by the previous owner. So keep that in mind as I describe the issues I'm having lol

So here are a laundry list of things that are wrong.

1. Cant shift into 2 gear.
2. When shifting into 3rd gear the transmission grinds heavily at higher rpm(2000+)
3. When you let go of the gas while in gear and the rpms go below 1500 the car bucks violently. Now I've driven other civics of the same generation, and none of them bucked this violently when the car is about to stall. Could it be an after market clutch?
4. The shift pedal doesn't come all the way up. The transmission disengages and engages just fine when you use the pedal though.
5. When in 3rd gear the shift **** sometimes pops out when I press on the shift pedal to disengage the clutch

So knowing these symptoms what should I look at first? I also have a second doner car with a transmission (96 HX) that should be in better shape. Was thinking of just swapping that in with a new clutch if all else fails.

Also here why I think this car was converted. Looks like an automatic shifter with the pieces missing.

 

I think you already know the answer, but grinding of any kind is a sign of internal transmission damage. You can and should try to remedy the pedal issue first to see if that cures the problems. Check the mounting of the shifter mechanism under the car, it could be poorly rigged and preventing you from selecting the proper gear. The shifter assembly needs to be aligned for proper gear positioning

My advice is to pull the transmission out of the hx along with the shifter assembly and put those in your dx

 

Thanks so much for the advice. I'm going to investigate the shift linkage. Also I just took off the transmission from the 96 HX. It has a bunch of soot inside of bell housing. I assume this is clutch dust? Should I be concerned? Should I just clean it with break cleaner?(as one of my friends advised me to do) I attached some images of the transmission to the post.

 

pedal - I would check for any leaks on the cmc or smc, you can try to bleed them both and if that doesn't work then replace both.
transmission - could be synchros but i would check the shifter bushings and the linkage bushings on the transmission.

 

Yeah, make sure shift rod is connected to the tranny with the roll pin, NOT a bolt. These things are really fussy about that connection.

One other thing to check - the clutch release fork. I had one crack and eventually break in half after many, many miles on a heavy clutch. You can pull the boot back where the slave cylinder contacts the release fork and just slide your finger down the face of the fork inside. You'll feel the crack if it's developing.

Does sounds like there is a clutch or internal tranny issue here, but it can't hurt to do these quick checks first.

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I REALLY appreciate it. I basically deduced that the tranny needs to be replaced. As you can see I have run into a snag. I need to remove one of this guides(what do you call these?) What's the best way to do that? Because I an have a really HARD time with this.
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For some reason the mods need to approve every post that I make hopefully this one makes it through. There are theses guide pins(not sure what you call them) I need to remove one of them. Guide Pin Problem Thanks for the help by the way guys. I REALLY appreciate it!

 

That is called a dowel pin. Grab it by the sides with pliers (slip joint or channel locks) and twist and pull it out. You need one in each of the two special holes, front and back. It doesn't matter whether you start with it in the engine or the transmission.

When you hold the clutch on the floor with the car stopped you should be able to shift to reverse without any grinding. If not there is a clutch problem. There is a spring on the pedal that makes it come all the way up. Also the push rod between the master cylinder and the pedal is adjustable.

 

Use a 3/8" extension, put it in the dowel for additional support and then you can grab it with pliers/vice grips and not maul and deform the dowel. Most often you can get them out pristine and reuse them this way.

 

This did the trick. Thank you!

 

Ok so I finally mounted everything! I think I lost the "bitch pin" though also know as Pin, Spring (5X22) Part # 94305-50222. Is it possible for me to have a temp solution for that while I wait for the real one to come in the mail?

Also I'm having trouble mating the shift linkage to the shaft that contains the bitch pin. The shaft moves whenever I try to mate it to the linkage.

 

molybdenum grease helps you slip the casing over the shaft on the back of the tranny.

Some people use a bolt and nut but it's rarely tight and is sloppy.

I have several bitch pins from going to the salvage yard and pulling them to get a transmission out or engine etc. I tend to keep the bolts, plugs, plastic rivets etc that I pull when pulling parts. Never know when they come in handy (quite often actually).

 

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone here. I was able to successfully swap my transmission thanks to everyone help ...Now on to suspension, and turbo lol