dab553

Hey everyone,

I am new to this forum although I have been lurking around here for a while. Seems like a lot of knowledgeable folks frequent this site so I thought I might see if anyone has any insight for me. I had a really weird issue driving my car to work today. It was about 6:30 AM I had been driving for maybe 10 minutes, long enough for the car to warm up all the way. I'm stopped at a light and when it turns green I release the clutch and give it gas as normal. I reach probably about 3-4mph when BAM - the car violently jerks to a stop. I feel the shock throughout the car and I hear a loud thunk at the moment it happens. If I didn't know any better I'd think I had just run into a pole or something - that is how violent and powerful this was. I instinctively clutch in and glance down at my tach, RPM are not excessively low although I don't have the presence of mind to note exactly where they are at, however the car didn't stall or even sound like it was about to. With the clutch in I pull the shifter out of and back into gear and try again. This time I take off normally as if nothing had happened. As I'm driving away I'm racking my brain for what could have just happened. I think to myself well maybe I had it in third and the car was bucking, but that just doesn't seem to fit. I've been driving standards for years and have felt plenty of low rpm bog and bucking and this just didn't feel that way. Usually you can feel right as you are letting the clutch out that you are in the wrong gear and I've never had a buck this violent and sudden. I decide to test my theory by pulling into a parking lot and starting out in third to see if it feels the same. Sure enough starting in third I can immediately tell I'm in the wrong gear as I release the clutch and although I do stall it out and it feels similar the jerk to a stop is not nearly as violent as before and the engine does die. So I am at a loss for what happened. It almost felt like my rear wheels locked up at that stop light - maybe I have differential problems? Or perhaps there is something wrong with the transmission that could cause this? Has anyone heard of anything like this? Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.

funat9000rpm

are you sure your clutch is ok??

dab553

Well, I suppose I'm not 100% sure my clutch is okay. However aside from this I haven't had any weird clutch issues to speak off, no slipping or anything like that. It was engaging like normal as I started out but after about 1 second when I reached 3-4mph the car slammed to a halt with a noticeable shock and thump sound, almost like a stall but more violent and the engine did not die. Assuming my clutch is the problem what do you think may be wrong with it to cause this?

deathsled

Honestly I don't see how this would be a clutch problem.

If anything it sounds like the transmission or rear diff locked up somehow.

drewmob

To clarify, did the driveline lock up and cause you to skid to a stop? Or when you say "stop" do you mean that you just lost power/ability to accelerate?

This sounds similar to the sensation you would have if you weren't fully engaged in gear. Its possible to take off with the stick only 3/4 of the way pushed into 1st. The car would have a violent pop/shutter, but you'd just be pushed into neutral. If you were still rolling after the pop then I'd say this is what happened and your car *should* be fine.

If you violently yanked to a stop I'd be concerned about the linkage inside the transmission. I haven't seen the guts of an s2k transmission but I do know that it in some transmissions linkage damage makes it possible to engage more than one gear at a time, resulting in a potentially dangerous lock-up.

I'd bet you just popped out of gear. I've done it a few times and it is scary as hell, but my car has been fine.

dab553

@drewmob

When I say stop I mean that about 1 second after releasing the clutch I felt a violent jerk as if I had hit something and it felt to me like the car came to a complete halt. That being said I instinctively pressed the clutch pedal and the brake pedal instantly as I felt the jerk. It is worth noting that when I felt the jerk I did not hear the wheels chirp, so it is very possible I was still rolling a little bit, I was just going so slow it would have been next to impossible to notice. I really hope you are right with the popping out of gear theory, I'd hate to be forced to buy a new dif or tranny, my car is an 05 with only 25k for pete's sake! Anyone else has a similar experience with popping out of gear?

03-toda-s2000

I agree with statement above that you probably just popped out of gear. Hondas are well known for not having the greatest synchronizers and it can cause popping out of gear, and grinds. If it is still driving fine with no noises or new problems your car is most likely fine. If not with only 25k on the car Honda would cover the any synchronizer under warranty and even then you can ask for a new clutch as you will only be paying for the parts b/c the labor to take it out and put it back in is covered under the warranty for replacing the synchros so you could save money and have a new clutch in just in case anything was harmed.

drewmob

Yeah, I'm 99% sure that you weren't all the way in gear. To give you an idea of how it should feel, the first time I did it I thought I had been rear-ended @ 10-15 mph. It was *that* violent.

Take a look at your clutch master cylinder (under the dash.) When it starts to go bad it is easier to get poor engagement. If it is leaking fluid then it will need to be replaced. Don't worry if it looks okay, It is possible to get poor engagement even if the clutch MC is healthy.

Keep an ear out for anything funny. I'd hate to be the jerk that gave bad info.

dab553

Thanks man, this makes me feel a lot better. I'm going to have my mechanic inspect the MC on my next oil change. In the meantime I'll keep an eye out for any additional weirdness. I appreciate all the responses!