Help! I have a 1994 NSX with a 5 speed and it has recently been difficult to shift into first gear and reverse. All other gears are smooth as ever. Recently had 60,000 mile service with all new belts and fluids. Clutch has about 15,000 miles on it and seems otherwise good. I believe it is a Dali Racing clutch with light flywheel (at least what I was told when I bought car). Anyone else have this problem? Any ideas??? Thanks!!!
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Trouble shifting into first and reverse
- Thread starter tchaic
- Start date
I have a 94 with the 5-speed as well. I think a lot of cars have problems shifting into reverse. I'm not talking about all the time, but you know, the occasional inability to shift the lever into reverse. I usually have to let go of the clutch and depress it again and for some reason the second time lets the stick go into reverse. I know on some other cars shifting into reverse will sometimes grind, even if the clutch was fully depressed.
As for 1st gear, I also have the occasional blockage. My 1st gear sometimes feels as though there are two detents. I can shift halfway into 1st, and then I can't proceed any further. Backing the lever down and shifting it into another gear and then trying 1st again will usually solve the problem.
2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th are completely buttery.
-CiaoBoy
I've heard redline oil in the tranny will help smooth out the shifting. see http://www.gti-vr6.net/library/transmission/why_change_tranny_fluid.html I had my tranny oil changed to redline shortly after buying my NSX. I can't say I noticed a difference, but I changed the oil early summer, so I don't know how it would have been with the stock fluid when it was cold. I will say, I haven't experienced any shifting problems with the redline fluid in the middle of winter.
I have the redline in my car with a CTPGII clutch. When the car has been sitting a long time it is hard to go into 1st or reverse. It also does this when it is cold. I just let it warm up for a few minutes and it's fine. I would try warming it up and then going into 1st or reverse. Don't get into the practice of forcing it into gear.
JAO
Len
JAO
Len
2 thoughts here ...After an autocross last year, I went home, cleaned up the car, and went to bed. When I got ready to go to work the next day, the clutch would barely engage and I could barely get it into gear. I nursed it to my Acura dealer and it turned out my slave-clutch-cylinder thingy was out. They claim it was a freak accident but my 94 shifts silky-smooth since then.
Also, I got in the habit of (with the clutch in) shifting into 3rd and then back to reverse or first - keeping the clutch in the entire time of course. Not sure mechanically what it does but it seems to glide into 1st or reverse easily after that.
Also, I got in the habit of (with the clutch in) shifting into 3rd and then back to reverse or first - keeping the clutch in the entire time of course. Not sure mechanically what it does but it seems to glide into 1st or reverse easily after that.
Put the car into a fwd gear prior to reverse. Does this help the problem?
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Please visit http://www.nsxparts.com. The best place to buy and sell parts for your NSX.
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Please visit http://www.nsxparts.com. The best place to buy and sell parts for your NSX.
Have you checked the fluid in the clutch resovior. One day when I wnet to put it in reverse it would no go very easily, the same with first gear. I suspected either a tranny or clutch problem, but figured that since my car had been sitting for a few weeks I'll check the fluids under the hood. To my surprise, the clutch resovior was bone dry so filled it up. I pumped the clutch a few time, topped off the resovior, and I haven't any problems since then.
I sometimes have trouble putting it into first.. like it just hits something.. i dont know... but most of the time it is fine. I have NEVER had trouble putting it into reverse.
I've had similar problems when the car was cold. My solution was to put it in the gear I wanted before starting the car. Works every time for me.
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Tim Meekins
1997 Yellow NSX-T
http://tmeekins.com
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Tim Meekins
1997 Yellow NSX-T
http://tmeekins.com
I've heard its not good to shift the car's gears when the car is not on. Don't know if this is an urban myth, but I don't take any chances.
Once in a while when it resists going smoothly into Reverse, I find that nudging the car forward a tad solves the problem, as nsxparts.com has suggested.
I would highly avoid forcing it.
Regards.
[This message has been edited by NSXaholic (edited 11 March 2003).]
I have the exact same problem. It started happening after my 60K service. I wonder if it is the fluid they are using. Have you talked to your dealer? I haven't called mine yet. It's not that bad, but I do notice a difference from before the service. My clutch is also a little squeeky now when I press it in.
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'91 Black/Black
to resurrect an old thread. MY car simply will not go into reverse at all. Every other gear is super super smooth. clutch engine and tranny all have about 3k miles on them after complete rebuilt of everything. professionally done. ran fine previously. even backed up fine last night. The car does have a exeddy hyper single clutch which I hate and is makes it pretty much impossible to creepy the car in a reasonable manor. This makes going slow and slipping the clutch a little in first or reverse very chattery/shuddery. Trans has been running honda mtf-3 for the last 1k miles with no issues.
Broken shift fork maybe?
You did not specify the year of your car (always important when asking for help). On the 6 speed there is an interlock to prevent accidental engagement of reverse. Its electrical so a switch / relay / connection failure could result in a immediate non operation situation. Its not a dumb-ass simple system so best to check the service manual test procedure - if you have a 6 speed.
Larry B. educated me that the NSX does indeed have a reverse gear synchro. So, it is possible that something may have happened to the synchro (not sure what and synchro issues don't usually happen overnight). On cars that are not equipped with reverse gear synchros, the balk going into reverse is common and the 'tell' is to shift into first, move the car a foot and then see if you can shift into reverse. If that is successful then you might have a tired synchro or other synchro problem. If that doesn't work then you may have a shift fork / shift piece / shift arm issue (too painful to think about that).
Larry B. educated me that the NSX does indeed have a reverse gear synchro. So, it is possible that something may have happened to the synchro (not sure what and synchro issues don't usually happen overnight). On cars that are not equipped with reverse gear synchros, the balk going into reverse is common and the 'tell' is to shift into first, move the car a foot and then see if you can shift into reverse. If that is successful then you might have a tired synchro or other synchro problem. If that doesn't work then you may have a shift fork / shift piece / shift arm issue (too painful to think about that).
sorry. it is a 96, 5 speed. no electronic reverse lock solenoid. I also tried disconnecting the linkage and shifting by hand under the car to eliminate the linkage as a source, goes into all the other gears just fine but not reverse. I thought about the synchros, tried forward and reverse trick this morning. no sucess. too it a step further on my way home and rolled backwards down a hill to see if i could bang it into gear. it feels like its not even engaging the synchro. the is a very hard stop trying to get into reverse. clutch in, clutch out, multiple clutch presses, trying other gears first, every trick in the book. is it possible for the reverse idler gear to get stuck on the shaft it rides on? or for the reverse linkage to fail and dislodge or something? More importantly, everything possible that i know of to do from the outside of the trans has been eliminated. are there any other things i can try or that i may be missing? i really really dont want to have to pull the trans.
As in you tried operating the shift and select levers right on the transmission housing? If so and its still no-go into reverse, I think you have exhausted the external options and you are now into the deep dive into the guts. Its also pretty much exhausted my knowledge of the transmission since I have never had an NSX tranny apart.
Two suggestions. First, drain the oil. Not because an oil change is going to fix the problem; but, if metal bits or filings come out in the oil it probably pretty much confirms that the transmission has to come out for an inspection of the internals and that you probably should not even be driving it in the forward direction if you want to avoid messing other stuff up. Second, have a discussion with whoever did the professional rebuild about possible causes. There are some clearance settings in the reverse shift fork / shift piece / shift arm mechanism and its possible that there is incorrect set up. However, its a bit hard to figure out how an incorrect adjustment could go from working fine to not working at all.
Good luck with it.
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