feel a click shifting to 3rd gear
07-28-2005, 09:15 AM
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feel a click shifting to 3rd gear
has anyone else experienced this.. when i shift (up or down) into 3rd gear, i feel a little click as i move the shifter into 3rd.. there's no sound or anything, i can just feel it in my hand.. and i dont get that in any other gears. is this normal?
07-28-2005, 10:30 AM
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what causes this though?
i know that if i'm revving high in 2nd gear and throw it into 3rd, i don't feel that "notch." i usually get it when i barely go past 4000 in 2nd and put it in 3rd
i know that if i'm revving high in 2nd gear and throw it into 3rd, i don't feel that "notch." i usually get it when i barely go past 4000 in 2nd and put it in 3rd
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07-28-2005, 12:17 PM
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I've read a lot posts through the year on this forum from folks who feel "clicks," "notches," etc in the S2000's transmission and wonder if it's defective. Inevitably, when someone suggests that what they're feeling is "normal," there's a certain amount of scheptism. I think this is healthy in our society these days but really, no one's trying to pull the wool over anyone's eye. 
This may be a little bit "Dick & Jane" for most of you but I think it's a good visual reference to give an idea of how the internal parts of our S2000's transmission are configured and how they work. The S2000's transmission is a fine piece of machinery but it's still just a manual transmission and as such, nothing all that unique, except maybe in the precision of it's execution.
Check out the following links in order:
The Simple Transmission
Next:
The Synchronizer
Next:
A Real Tranmission
That last one has an intersting graphic that lets you click on the four forward gears and reverse on the shift lever and then watch what moves inside the transmission. Note the speed and direction of the output shaft as you move through the gears. Scroll down and there are schematics for a 5-speed. Note that on the 5-speed, all the gears on the lay shaft are hard mounted to that shaft. All the gears on the output shaft to the differential are floating on the shaft. It's the synchronizers that make the connection. The gears are always engaged with each other and spinning, regardless of what gear you're in.
As for the synchronizer link, the splines that are shown on each half, the side spinning with the gear and the side spinning with the shaft the gear is riding on, need to mesh together smoothly. As long as everything's working right and the driver's not a total idiot, they usually do.
Speaking for myself, I know that there have been times when I don't coordinate my left foot and shift hand as well as I should have. Usually it's either my left leg being lazy and not fully depressing the clutch or it's too spastic and get's ahead of my shift hand. Either way, the end result is a complaint from my car's tranny in the form of a grinding or crunching sound, usually accompanied by an appropriate vibration coming from the gear shift that let's me know I just screwed up.
The transmission is actually pretty tough and will take these kind's of "accidents" in stride as long as I'm not pushing the car to it's limits. So far, when I am pushing that hard, I'm paying a LOT more attention to my shifting and it's not a problem anyway.
The thing you need to remember about the S2000's transmission is that all of the shift mechanisms are internal. The shift lever is mounted directly to the transmission's tail housing (just ahead of where the drive shaft plugs in) and has a solid rod attached that runs forward to the shift mechanisms that actually move the synchronizers. That means we've got a direct mechanical link between our hand and the internal mechanisms of the transmission and that means we're going to feel a LOT of what's going on in there. From that standpoint, it's normal!
I've seen a number of posts that compared the S2000 to an Acura RSX. I don't think that's a valid comparison. The RSX (a really fine car, by the way!) is front wheel drive. That means the tranny is up under the hood, laying between the front wheels along with the engine. The shift lever in the passenger compartment is connected to the transmission shift rods, which are external if I'm not mistaken, via a set of cables. These cables are very strong and get the job done quite reliably but they do introduce a certain amount of flexibility between the shift lever and the transmission and as such, tend to isolate the shift lever, and the driver, from what's going on in the transmission, especially when compared to a transmission like the S2000's. It's simply apples and oranges.
Now, having said that! I know there are folks on this forum that have had legitimate problems with their S2000's transmission. Hopefully most are getting Honda to take care of them, albeit with varying degrees of negotiations. What I'm talking about isn't refering to them. I'm simply trying to point out in a bit more detail that the occational bump or grind in the S2000's shift lever is Ok and nothing to be overly concerned about.
I hope this makes sense!
Drive Safe,
Steve R.
This may be a little bit "Dick & Jane" for most of you but I think it's a good visual reference to give an idea of how the internal parts of our S2000's transmission are configured and how they work. The S2000's transmission is a fine piece of machinery but it's still just a manual transmission and as such, nothing all that unique, except maybe in the precision of it's execution.
Check out the following links in order:
The Simple Transmission
Next:
The Synchronizer
Next:
A Real Tranmission
That last one has an intersting graphic that lets you click on the four forward gears and reverse on the shift lever and then watch what moves inside the transmission. Note the speed and direction of the output shaft as you move through the gears. Scroll down and there are schematics for a 5-speed. Note that on the 5-speed, all the gears on the lay shaft are hard mounted to that shaft. All the gears on the output shaft to the differential are floating on the shaft. It's the synchronizers that make the connection. The gears are always engaged with each other and spinning, regardless of what gear you're in.
As for the synchronizer link, the splines that are shown on each half, the side spinning with the gear and the side spinning with the shaft the gear is riding on, need to mesh together smoothly. As long as everything's working right and the driver's not a total idiot, they usually do.
Speaking for myself, I know that there have been times when I don't coordinate my left foot and shift hand as well as I should have. Usually it's either my left leg being lazy and not fully depressing the clutch or it's too spastic and get's ahead of my shift hand. Either way, the end result is a complaint from my car's tranny in the form of a grinding or crunching sound, usually accompanied by an appropriate vibration coming from the gear shift that let's me know I just screwed up.
The transmission is actually pretty tough and will take these kind's of "accidents" in stride as long as I'm not pushing the car to it's limits. So far, when I am pushing that hard, I'm paying a LOT more attention to my shifting and it's not a problem anyway.
The thing you need to remember about the S2000's transmission is that all of the shift mechanisms are internal. The shift lever is mounted directly to the transmission's tail housing (just ahead of where the drive shaft plugs in) and has a solid rod attached that runs forward to the shift mechanisms that actually move the synchronizers. That means we've got a direct mechanical link between our hand and the internal mechanisms of the transmission and that means we're going to feel a LOT of what's going on in there. From that standpoint, it's normal!
I've seen a number of posts that compared the S2000 to an Acura RSX. I don't think that's a valid comparison. The RSX (a really fine car, by the way!) is front wheel drive. That means the tranny is up under the hood, laying between the front wheels along with the engine. The shift lever in the passenger compartment is connected to the transmission shift rods, which are external if I'm not mistaken, via a set of cables. These cables are very strong and get the job done quite reliably but they do introduce a certain amount of flexibility between the shift lever and the transmission and as such, tend to isolate the shift lever, and the driver, from what's going on in the transmission, especially when compared to a transmission like the S2000's. It's simply apples and oranges.
Now, having said that! I know there are folks on this forum that have had legitimate problems with their S2000's transmission. Hopefully most are getting Honda to take care of them, albeit with varying degrees of negotiations. What I'm talking about isn't refering to them. I'm simply trying to point out in a bit more detail that the occational bump or grind in the S2000's shift lever is Ok and nothing to be overly concerned about.
I hope this makes sense!
Drive Safe,
Steve R.
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