5 speed HX problems.

01hx5 · 11-21-2005

Ok well maybe i am kinda bein a hypocondriac about this but every now and then my tranny pops outa 2nd(maybe twice a month) < no big deal so far but the other thing is 5th gear....it Doesnt so much grind yet but i can feel the gear if you know what i mean, if i go really slow into gear you can feel it bein kinda"nothcy" haha anyway if this become a big problem could i put a 04-05 ex tranny in it? arnt they 6 speeds? and if i can would it be a hassle or what all would i have to change.

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Jrfish007 · 11-21-2005

The 04-05 EX trannies are 5 speeds, just like the older ones. The only way to get a 6speed is to do a K20 swap or have one custom built. An EX tranny has shorter gearing than you HX, so you will be quicker, but your MPG will suffer.

As for your problem, that is slipping syncros. How long they last depends on how you drive. You should make sure to fully engage the clutch each time you shift and shift slowly, not realy slow but give the syncros (or what's left of them) a chance to do their job.

A bad syncro can last a long time, I bought a car that had bad syncros, I drove it for 2 years, sold and the girl that bought it off me 2 years ago is still driving it. On the other hand, I've seen them go out in as little as a month.

My advise is to start shopping around for a place to do the work, figure out if you just want yours rebuilt, replaced or swapped with a different model, then get prices on that and start saving. This way you have the money and place ready to go. Personally I drive with bad sycros untill it is impossible to drive the car (or close to it, you could learn to rev match, but that's a pain and most people end up stipping the gears), but I then change it. If you want to rebuilod yours, this may not be the best idea as more stuff can be damaged, but if you are replacing or swapping, just kill the one you have. Who knows it may last another 3 years with careful driving.

01hx5 · 11-22-2005

thanks alot JR as usual you are the only one that replys to my threads, yea well i bought this car with 37,xxx miles on it and it now has 46,xxx, i have been drivin a stick for years and if this went out this early? either the previous owner just sucked bad or it is bad on hondas part.

Jrfish007 · 11-22-2005

Well, Honda's manual trannies have generally been pretty good, they are not race trannies, but they are generally pretty reliable. Like I said, it seems to be common in most Honda's that the 2-3 syncro is weak, generally it can last along time when babied.

I have previously been able to pop Honda's out of gear in second if I'm just crusing along and then all the sudden floor it, the RPM's have to be just right to do that, but I've done it before, and the cars (to my knowledge) never had a problem. I think it has to do with the engine snapping back on the motor mounts and the way the shifting mechanism is set up and it pops the shifter back or something wierd like that.

Anyway, if the car starts not wanting to go into gear or pops out more foten, it's time to be concerned. That is early to have that kind of problem, but it sound like your car might have been a leased car, and I don't know about others, but when I lease a car I tend to beat the crap out of it. I know it bad, but hey if I was going to baby it, I would have bought the car.