[Weston]

Lately, my car has been grinding when I shift from 1st into 2nd casually but quickly. If I do it fast and hard, it wont grind and the tires will chirp. If I do it like a "normal person", there's no problems. It's just when I'm like going to pass someone and I throw it into second but I don't use a ton of force on the shifter and clutch pedal.

My clutch pedal seemed a little bit soft and like I had to press it down a little more than normal to engauge the clutch. I knew my clutch master cylinder had a slight leak, so I replaced it and bled it last weekend. The clutch pedal got better, but it still feels a little soft. It could be just fine, because I don't remember exactly how it originally felt. I'm still getting the 1st -> 2nd grind; it's not quite as bad as before, but it's still a problem.

Any ideas what the cause of the problem is? I'm suspecting the clutch slave cylinder or maybe something loose in the shifter linkage, and I hope I don't need an actual clutch. The clutch is still grabby and doesn't slip, but it seems like I have to slam the clutch pedal and the shifter when I shift quickly. It's like the clutch is slower than it used to be or something. Does this sound like a bad clutch slave cylinder to you? How hard is it to replace?

Any tests I could do to see what's wrong?

 

[StyleTEG]

Did you bleed the clutch master cylinder when you reinstalled it?

Does the pedal feel "spongey" or just soft?

When was the last time you replaced your tranny fluid, and what did you use?

 

[Weston]

Yes, I bled the clutch when I did the master cylinder... I opened the bleeder valve, had a friend step on the clutch, closed the valve, and had him pull the pedal up; I repeated this until I refilled the reservour about 3 times, and I didn't let it get completely empty.

The pedal just feels soft, like it's not as firm as it should be. And the transmission fluid was replaced about 5 months and 15k miles ago at the local Acura dealership (yes, I'm dumb for paying them to do that).

I've had a short shifter and Neuspeed bushings for the past 4 months or so, but it worked just fine for the first few months. This problem didn't start until the last few weeks.

 

[tegracerx3x]

Sounds like it might be one of the synchronizers

 

[StyleTEG]

When you bled the cylinder, did you have a hose that was running from the screw into a container that had brake fluid in it?

 

[Weston]

I really doubt it's a synchro because if I'm more forceful, it won't do it. I do have the infamous 3rd gear synchro grind, but it's quite a bit different and not actually causing a problem. I think the 1st -> 2nd grind is do to a slight miscoordination of the shifter and clutch, because the grind is just like a miss-shift grind. I feel like the clutch is slower than normal or something. I'm wondering if it could be something loose in the shifter linkage, but I can't help but think it's clutch related.

When I shift hard and fast, I slam the clutch pedal to the floor and yank the shifter, and it won't do the 1st -> 2nd grind. When it does grind, I'm shifting casually but quickly, and I'm not nearly as forceful. I'm thinking that when I slam the cutch pedal to the floor, it gives it more pressure and quickly, so the clutch engauges fast enough. But when I'm not so forceful, the clutch isn't ready when I'm moving the shifter into 2nd, and it grinds.

 

[Weston]

StyleTEG: yeah, I hope it's just air... when I bled it, I just held a cut up pop can under the bleeder valve to catch the fluid. (I spilled that can several times on various things, but that's another story.)

 

[StyleTEG]

So the end of the hose wasn't fully immersed in fluid at all times while you were bleeding?

That could be your problem right there.

Try bleeding it again, but this time make sure the end of the hose is fully immeresed in fluid.

sears sells a great product which makes it easier, its only $7 or so

 

[Weston]

Hmm. What does Sears call that product? And how much do those one man bleeder things go for?

 

[StyleTEG]

I forget what they call it, probably just a bleeder kit/cup. You can get a vaccum bleeder that alows you to do it yourself for $30.

 

[ICEMAN]

finaly someone that has a simaler problem to mine
not ever time and its usualy when i'm in high rpm's it
grinds when i shift into second. also when i notice it starting to grind i'll put the clutch all the way in n it still grinds untill i take it out of second and put it in neutral. now like i said it doesn't happen all the time and i was thinking maybe its my synchronizer but then it would do it in 4th gear becuase there on the same synchronizer but it anyone knows what it is it would be great

 

[freeride]

i just pulled my gearbox 2day, mine was acting funny also, it was hard 2 put into gear sometimes and it would grind even when the clutch pedal was 2 tha floor, anyway i thought my clutch cable broke when my pedal stayed on tha floor 1 day, after that i couldnt put it in gear at all. but i checked tha cable and it's fine so i yanked tha tranny out and i discovered that my clutch plate broke, one of the dampining springs snaped in half and was caught between the plate and flywheel. so 2morrow i install a new clutch and put it all back 2gether. i'll let u kno if that fixes my problem

 

[freeride]

the new clutch fixed everything