I have a 2001 Prelude 5 speed with 36k on it. Lately it's been very cold at night..single digit temps and lots of snow and ice around. In the morning or after the car has been sitting for several hours, the tranny feels stiff and notchy when shifting in all of the gears. After 15-20 minutes of driving/warming up the tranny feels normal again.

The clutch feels normal and is gripping the way it always does, and the tranny fluid was just changed in early fall and filled with Honda MTF(no leaks or anything abnormal).

My questions are: Has anyone else noticed if their tranny feels funny in really cold temps? Also, are there different weights to the oil that goes in the tranny (like 5w or 10w motor oil)? Or are there any tranny fluids that are better than the Honda brand?

 

What you describe is normal. Our transmissions are generally notchy anyways. Other than Honda MTF some people recommend Redline, others say that GM syncromesh is pretty good. I would do a search if you want to know more about either of those.

 

Keep in mind that just like your engine, your transmission needs to warm up. Drive gently until you are up to temps. Mine gets a little grind from 1-2 when it's cold.

 

That's what I thought...just wanna be cautious.

Thanks