Help me guys, 5th gear is gone

[PRB2000]

maybe someone can tell me what the hell happened to my stewie, coming out of a turn i was flooring it. i finished third gear and let off the gas, i went to neutral, and put it in sixth gear and it ground (grinded), so i tried to throw it back into fifth and it wouldn't go in, and it won't go in still. it seems like something is blocking it. someone help me, let me know what happened, so i know what to expect when i take it to Honda. thanx.

[controller]

Here's a thread on s2ki: http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php...&#entry4504440

Talks about the same thing. Here's the summary from what I've been reading. Skip shifting is bad for the car, period. Because the same synchro is used for 5th and 6th, skipping 5th (and in your case, 4th as well) causes the synchro to have to handle the input shaft spinning out of 3rd gear, which it isn't capable of doing. So you end up mushrooming the teeth on the synchro so it won't slide back up to 5th.

The other thing mentioned in another thread, which I can't seem to locate, is that most manual transmissions do a gear reduction prior to the selectors. This one does not. This means the synchros have to do even more work making the damage from a skip shift even worse.

I'll reread my post because I think I'm rambling in it. Hopefully you get the good information with pictures from the link.

c

[Java Junky]

Con, we should all be able to "ramble" that well.

[Vezna31]

If you're going to skip a gear, at least put it in 5th, keep the clutch in and then go into 6th. Kinda like going into first before ging to reverse to keep it from grinding.

[PRB2000]

so is it synchro, shift fork/shaft, or something like that?

[Scooter]

Controller rocks, turning into a veritable encyclopedia of threads here! I had to hunt and it was a waste of time since Con already said it. And I learned to stop doing something I've occasionally done without thinking!

Thanks, Con!

=scott

[vonster]

that happen to mine lost 6th but it came back after putting it in reverse and in 5th over and over works great now.

[controller]

Not really an encyclopedia, but I used to skip shift in my last car thinking nothing of it. I was cruising the posts on s2ki and found a lot of good info on our transmissions and why you shouldn't skip shift, so when this topic came up, I went hunting back for that thread. Spend some time on s2ki and s2kca. There's more people there, so it's harder to have any community feeling, but that same characteristic means that almost any topic has been talked to at length, and dragged out and beaten like a dead horse. It's just a lot of info to sort through. I always come back here for the community.

My wife's greatest fear with the s2000 is that I owned my last car for 2 years. About the time it took me to realize that a) I had learned everything there was to learn about it, and b) that it would cost over 15k to get it to go faster reliably. That would put my investment in a 10k civic to 25k, so I started shopping for something faster out of the box and a convertible.

I'd say that a few years, I will have learned a lot with Stewie too, but there are so many differences with this car than a front drive Civic. The light flywheel combined with quick throttle response means a lot more driving with the right foot. I'm working on the habit of not treating it as an on/off switch. I've casually heel/toe but never really spent a lot of time working on it, this car almost demands it. Like I've told all my friends, this car demands driver attention, but it _completely_ rewards you for it.

c

[jagg]

Thanks for providing the link Controller, it's interesting reading.

I agree totally, that if you're prone to riding the s2000 to it's full potential , concentrating on your footwork is the absolute first thing that should be on your mind. Good heal n' toe helps prevent drivetrain damage, and keeps you out of the trees. Those three pedals are that close together for good reason, and learning how to use them properly is an artform that requires practice and concentration....but the benefits achieved are remarkable.

Best regards,
jagg

[controller]

The benefits, like that exhaust note at when you're aiming a 35mph off ramp and you've gone back to 3 the on the approach.

I'm glad I'm amused pretty easily