2001 Coupe EX Manual Tranny Rough

[Pete]

Hi,

I keep complaining to Honda about the feel of the manual tranny on my 2001 Accord Coupe EX since I bought the car over a year ago. The shift feel is very inconsistent and it varies from one shift to the next – some are smooth, but some result in a rough gear engagement that is audible and can be felt on the stick, especially when shifting first to second, but also second to third. In these cases, there is a brief sharp resistance on the stick at the point of gear engagement, almost as if the teeth were very slightly misaligned. Cold temperatures tend to make the situation worse. I had the shifter cables re-adjusted and the tranny fluid changed to 10W30 synthetic with not improvement. In fact it seems to feel worse at low ambient temperatures.

This is extremely annoying and it kills the whole driving experience for me... Has anyone experienced anything similar? Any thoughts or suggestions?

Cheers,
Pete.

[VTECseoul]

goto a 2nd dealer for opinion, especially if it's under warranty.

[F23A4_AcCoRdude]

i own a 02 coupe and had the exact same problem. It was very notchy, esp 1st to 2nd shift, but as my car broke in, it was all good. Now, 1st and 2nd is still kinda notchy but i pull my shifter to the left a little bit and slide it down to the 2nd gear gate, and works wonders. Very smooth now.

[gibson]

After driving my civic, or my buddy's lude, when getting into my `98, my tranny seems like a total pain from 1st - 2nd. However, I did notice that right after changing the oil, it got totally better. (somebody explain this one?) I've only had it while it's been cold out tho, so I don't know how it acts in warm temp. conditions. I'm kind of concerned about getting the short shift adapter and cutting my lever because of this tho, as I'm terrified of trying to deal with my tranny shifting becoming even more difficult.

let us know what you find out.

[dantastic]

ehh...my buddy has a 01 ex, and the 1-2 is kinda notchy... but nothing to complain about

[Pete]

Hi All,

I did see two different dealers with pretty much same results... The shifter trick that F23A4_AcCoRdude described does seem to work most of the time for me, but not always. Another interesting thing is that I drove my friend's 2000 Coupe (with many more miles on it) and I did not detect the same rough feel.

If this is the typical feel of the tranny, however, then I'm very disappointed with the design - I don't recall having any issues with the shift feel on my 85 Prelude. Irrespective, I'm in the process of pursuing a solution with my favourite dealer and with Honda. The biggest problem is finding a common reference since a "feel" is a very relative and subjective measure...

Cheers,
Pete.

[cwa107]

Originally posted by Pete
Hi All,

I did see two different dealers with pretty much same results... The shifter trick that F23A4_AcCoRdude described does seem to work most of the time for me, but not always. Another interesting thing is that I drove my friend's 2000 Coupe (with many more miles on it) and I did not detect the same rough feel.

If this is the typical feel of the tranny, however, then I'm very disappointed with the design - I don't recall having any issues with the shift feel on my 85 Prelude. Irrespective, I'm in the process of pursuing a solution with my favourite dealer and with Honda. The biggest problem is finding a common reference since a "feel" is a very relative and subjective measure...

Cheers,
Pete.

I came from a 95 Ford Probe SE which had a very smooth shifter. The first time I test drove an Accord 5-spd, I commented to the dealer that the shifter felt stiff and even made noise. His reply was that "they all do that - it's the way they're designed". I didn't think much of it and bought an '02 EX 5-spd. Comparatively speaking, the Accord's 5-spd takes a little more effort than most 5-spds I've driven. There is almost always a noticeable, audible "clunk" between first and second - and usually from 2nd-third. I too thought it was unusual and assumed it would go away after break-in. I'm now at about 8,000mi and the tranny still seems to require more effort than what I expect in a new car. So, I had a friend of mine try it (who drives a '98 LX 5-spd) and he echoed the sentiment of the dealer. So, I've tried to get used to it, but it's very disconcerting. Occasionally, particularly when it's very cold, I feel a very slight grinding going into 3rd. It reminds me of a Mitsubishi Eclipse I once drove that had a bad synchro. I mentioned this to the dealer when I had my second oil change and I was told again that this is normal, once the car warms up, you shouldn't experience it.

Personally, I think you and I are on the same track, we both had cars with very smooth shifters and are not able to get used to the Accord. Please let me know if the dealer does anything to rectify your problem.

Thanks... Chris.

[Cyclonus]

hey,

I have a 2000 Coupe MT as well. The roughest shift is 1st -> 2nd; the other being 2nd to 3rd. This Accord being practically the only car I've driven the past 2 years I guess I've gotten use to it. Only at 13,3xx at the moment. However once in awhile I drive my brother's 90 Integra MT...yes there is a noticeable difference. I guess I'll try what F23A4_AcCoRdude mentioned. In the mean time...

Originally posted by cwa107
Please let me know if the dealer does anything to rectify your problem.

Thanks