Car grinds on 3rd gear downshift, pops out of 3rd, won't go into 2nd
 

Ok my 92 S (120k) prelude has some problems. When I try to upshift into 2nd, its very hard to push it in, I sometimes have to first put the car in the 1st and then go into 2nd.

Second, when I downshift into 3rd, it grinds while going in.

Third, and this just barely started happening, when I drive with the car in 3rd gear, the car will suddenly pop out of gear, whether I'm applying pressure to the shifter or not.

Last, when I push my clutch in, I have noticed a slight grinding noise coming from my engine (you have to actually be outside to hear it).

Anybody know what exactly the problem could be?

sounds like 1 of 2 things
1. your synchros on 2nd and 3rd gear are starting to wear out.
2. your clutch throwout bearing is worn out

the grinding while pushing on the clutch pedal sounds like a bad or failing throwout bearing, (personal experience) ive already changed one on my car.

as far as 3rd popping out of gear, that sounds like a more serious tranny problem, either synchros or linkage or gear selector box failure
if the car doesnt like to go into second gear it could be caused by either a blown synchro (if it grinds when going in), or a bad throwout (release) bearing, the tranny can not be put into gear easily if the clutch is not disengaged via the throwout bearing.

reference:
the throwout bearing sits between the clutch pressure plate and the clutch realease fork in your tranny bell-housing
when you push on your clutch, hydraulic oil actuates a piston on the outside of your tranny (the slave cylinder), this piston pushes on a fork that enters the tranny perpendicular to the engine/tranny driveline, inside the tranny the fork pushes on a double ring with bearings inside. this allows a stationary object (the clutch release fork) to contact and actuate a spinning object (your clutch/pressure plate/flywheel bundle) to disengage your clutch. if this bearing goes bad, it will make a grinding noise in neutral when you actuate the clutch with the engine idling.

your car is factory equiped with the honda "f22a1 engine", and i believe it is the "M2L5" tranny, the same tranny as a 94 accord lx 5 speed has.

however any F series tranny or any H series tranny should fit on your engine. if you decide to get a used tranny (best value) i would look on ebay, i sold one of my trannys from another 92si i had for about $350 + shipping. that tranny was a h23a1 and would have fit your car fine, but its already sold

check out these guys:
http://www.usedengines.com/used_engines.asp

~boomer

yah sounds like tranny replacement or rebuild time, unless once u get it openned up u notice something wrong with ur clutch, in the mean time until u get it fixed rev the engine to the rpm that the next gear will start at and itll give u a better transition into the next gear, ie if ur downshifting to second from third ur gonna want to step on the gas to get it to about the same rpms 2nd gear will be in when the clutch would engage again. this will help the syncros mesh and make it so u wont miss the gears, also u might want to have ur clutch cable checked for signs of damage, if its binding or lose that can also be ur problem. did 92's still have cable trannies or are we getting into hydro?

hydro

then check the cylinders also, uve got i believe 1 master and 1 or 2 slaves, check on the floor inside the car by the clutch pedal, make sure thats not leaking, or ur clutch master cylinder may also be going out, but those are just suggestions to check not necessarily ur problem entirely, if ur losing fluid or the system is getting dry it wont disengage ur clutch making it hard to switch into gears, if u push the clutch in does it disengage quickly or do the rpms fall slowly?

also have some1 operate the clutch pedal with the engine off, you whould be standing at the front of the vehicle with the hood open checking to see if the pedal is actuating the clutch realease fork. the fork is located on the front of the tranny, just below the starter. it is a large...well...fork, a black piece of metal that extends out of the tranny with a rubber boot around it, and a round tube (slave cylinder) attached to the engine side of the fork. if the pedal isnt moving that lever than its a clutchline/hydraulic subsystem problem. this is rare but possible and the easiest thing to check aside form dropping your tranny.

~boomer

Anytime you're trying to diagnose tranmission problems, start simple. The problems you're describing could be worn synchros, but you might try changing the fluid first, it costs maybe $40 for Honda MTL, compared with the cost of a replacement, it's worth a shot. At the very least it should help buy you some extra time before those two gears are totally useless.

my lil brother had this problem recently, on his 95 civic ex, clutch master cylinder went out and one of the slaves had worn seals that leaked all the fluid until he could no longer release the clutch.

sounds like a bad input bearing on the tranny to me - also worn syncros and bad 3-2 blocker ring. If you can shift into 1st then into second while you're moving at the speed to go into 3rd, your clutch is releasing properly. Do you have any vibration problems when you rev the motor up in lower gears?

Yeah, either swap or top off you tranny fluid, I've heard of the popping out of 3rd problem, in dry tranny's before. It's worth a shot.

-PHIZ