Hello everyone, My name is Josh and I have a 9th gen (2015) coupe EXL V6 MT and here is the run-down (also I have been searching before i just posted asking for answers, but I couldn't find the info i needed)

So since buying the car used in 2016 with approx 20k miles on it, the shifting in/out of first and second gear has been a little temperamental... mostly it would just feel "sticky" trying to go into and out of those gears.. 3rd-6th and reverse were just fine.. over time i started to notice that 2nd was becoming more difficult to engage at times (especially during higher rpm shifts)..

fast forward to this week when things got really bad..

Monday I kinda punched it from a stop sign getting onto the highway and when going to shift into second it felt like it wanted to block me out of gear but I guess bc I was shifting kinda fast/hard I managed to "force" it into 2nd, then onto third and so forth, but i didn't notice anything major in that moment

Once I got off the highway and come to a stop is when I realized I could no longer go into first. It doesn't feel like when it's locked-out (as if i were moving at 20+ mph), but instead it feels like trying to shove something into an opening that's like one size too small (if that makes sense).. like it wants to go into gear, kinda feels like it pops in a little, but there is nothing.. come off the clutch and nothing, not even a stutter to stall type feeling.. if i try to force it any harder it feels like the shifter is bending almost, then it will literally get kinda stuck in the first position but not engaged... then i have to give it a decent pull and you can feel it kinda pop outta that spot...

Even with the motor off and engaging the clutch it feels exactly the same way

Surprisingly second shifts better now than it ever has, and I haven been having to use second at red lights and whatnot to initiate movement

I am afraid I might have bent the shift fork and am in need of a rebuild/replacement (I thought I might have mangled a synchro but from what I've read there isn't a synchro for first gear??)

Sorry for the lengthy post, but any insight would be greatly appreciated... I've had nothing but OG Hondas before (CRXs, EF sedans and hatches) so this "newer" accord is uncharted territory for me... so please, accord gurus bless me 🙌🙌🙌

 

It is unlikely that your issue is a synchro... and yes, first gear DOES have a synchro. The likely problem is the 1-2 hub slider. You forcing the car into 2nd gear heavily will cause severe burring on the 2nd gear side of the slider teeth... and this in turn will not allow the slider to cross back through the hub... and thus, essentially lock out 1st gear. Removal of the trans and cracking it open will be the fix.

 

This.. this is what I was afraid of.. something beyond the synchro being fu*ked.. I appreciate the input JR

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news... but it is fixable. Always happy to help.

 

JR would there be another name for the "hub-slider"? trying to find it on some honda parts sites and I'm not seeing that part name come up

 

it's shown as part of the "countershaft gearset" #3 in the diagram bellow. that suggests that it's only available that way from the dealer, but I couldn't say for sure

23432-PYZ-305

 

Disconnect the shifter cables from the transmission and see if you can manually shift it into 1st. Since you said it feels the same way with the engine off, if you can shift it into 1st this way, replace the shifter cables and see how it does.

 

I am generally able to find 1st-2nd gear synchro hubs/sleeves/synchros/synchro springs separately, however Honda does not offer this by itself for the J-series V6 transmission.

I've got several of these in good condition. Just lmk