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Stiff shifting into gears

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Old Dec 31, 2008
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Stiff shifting into gears

Hi all,

My wifes O1 Civic is having troubles shifting into gears.
At first it was 3rd & 4th but now its 1-4.

Its just really stiff. If you go to shift into the gear then shift back out and then in, it goes smooth.
It feels like something is holding it back or in the way of it moving into possition.

From what i have found search the net so far is that it could be:
1. Clutch Fluid
2. Clutch disk worn down and pressure plate
3. master or slave clutch cylinder


any suggestions would be help full.

thanks again guys
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Old Jan 1, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

It could probably be your shifter assembly. The ball of the shifter is messed up. Try lubing that up and see if it solves your problem.
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Old Jan 3, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

Originally Posted by Crooklyn
Hi all,

My wifes O1 Civic is having troubles shifting into gears.
At first it was 3rd & 4th but now its 1-4.

Its just really stiff. If you go to shift into the gear then shift back out and then in, it goes smooth.
It feels like something is holding it back or in the way of it moving into possition.

From what i have found search the net so far is that it could be:
1. Clutch Fluid
2. Clutch disk worn down and pressure plate
3. master or slave clutch cylinder


any suggestions would be help full.

thanks again guys
I am having this exact same problem with my 2002! I just had my tranny fluid changed because it was due for that anyway and that didn't help. I also checked to make sure my clutch fluid was full and it was. Anyway, back in the day when I had a supra I had similar problems and it ended up being the clutch master cylinder. I no longer have handy mechanic friends to help me out unfortunately so I may be bringing my car to the dealer soon to check this out. I just hate wondering if what they say needs to be replace really does. Anyway, I'd be interested to see what the rest of the group says about their experiences with this type of thing.
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Old Jan 3, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

doubt this is your problem but it could be that your shift linkage is bad. something in my tranny was really fxcked up, it would always pop out of 5th gear and i always do highway driving. i had to exert all my strength while driving to prevent my 5th gear from popping out. i had to push the shifter into 5th gear and hold it there lol.. i fixed the tranny but shhortly after all that abuse, the shift linkage went bad and it wouldnt let me shift into any gear. i had to shift my car without the shifter and actually tie some ropes from my tranny into my cabin so i could shift it with the ropes instead of the shift linkage.

take off your center console and inspect the shift linkage for wear and bends. the shift linkage is basically a large metal wire, so if its bent it will make shifting much harder.

Last edited by civicsrcool; Jan 3, 2009 at 06:23 PM.
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Old Jan 4, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

A friend of mine works for Honda and says there is a TSB for the 2002 about this. It says "shifting into gear is difficult" and the probable cause is lack of lubrication in the shift lever pivot ball. To fix this they would replace the lever housing assembly. She is going to talk to a tech there she knows Monday but that's what I know right now.
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Old Jan 4, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

^^Just blast some grease on it. No point spending money on it if just greasing it will solve the problem.
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Old Jan 5, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

I have problems getting into first a lot. I have to let out on the clutch a bit and then it pops in.
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Old Jan 6, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

im having the same problems!

only with 1st and reverse, and its driving me nuts
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Old Jan 7, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

^^I believe that's a different problem, I have the same issue, good thing that it doesnt do it all the time for 1st.
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Old Jan 7, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

**** i was hoping it was that aha now i have no idea what it is, and yeah it randomly happens and it bugs me, like at a Green light! ugh

tranny fluid?
clutch?
shift linkages?
shifter?
LOSING MY MIND>?
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Old Jan 7, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

My 02 does this too, but only when its cold outside.
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Old Jan 18, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

Ok, so does anyone have any expert advise to fix this problem? I'm having the same issue too; particularly when it is cold outside.
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Old Jan 18, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

I have an 01 and it seems to pop out of first when I push the clutch in. Its not a huge deal and I live with it... but lately the shifter has been sticky, I was thinking it was the ball of the shifter needing lube, but I've been meaning to install the short shifter. I ordered a revo G2, aluminum shifter bushings, and aluminum shifter cable bushings. My shifting should be amazing with these installed. Waiting for the package to arrive later in the week. =)
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Old Jan 19, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

triz, take a photo of the parts you take out to give others a reference for worn or damage. It would be interesting to see.
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Old Jan 20, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

Originally Posted by bullrage22
triz, take a photo of the parts you take out to give others a reference for worn or damage. It would be interesting to see.
Fa sho
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Old Sep 28, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

Triz,

This thread has been in the grave for a bit. Any chance you have info on what the problem was after you switched out the shifters?

Winter is fast approaching and the problem persists!
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Old Oct 1, 2009
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

I replaced all the same stuff Triz was planning to and it did nothing for the problem. What fixes it for me anyways was where the shifter linkag is under the hood, particularly the bigger round one facing up "because there are 2" where the cotter pin is that holds it down try to jiggle it. Thats whats causing the problem believe it or not. I found this out by putting some sylicone in where the cotter pin is to reduce the movement and until the sylicone broke apart the car shifted great!! So to perma fix the problem I got some liquid metal, ill see how this holds up.

Anyways hope it works for you guys. Was just a chance thing I found this out because I was cleaning the engine bay one day and thought hmmm I dont think this thing should move around so much.
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Old Jan 4, 2011
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

so has this been resolved or nope? im having the exact same problem with shifting as the original post. one wierd thing tho. i bled the clutch and originally the problem was from second to third, after i bled the clutch the problem changed from 3-4. i bled them once again and the problem is now all over! this is so frustrating. any fixes for this??
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Old Jan 5, 2011
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Re: Stiff shifting into gears

Never had pictures, but it went away when I upgraded everything... since, I've sold all that stuff and went back to stock as far as my shifter, bushings, and all is concerned.

The issue with the sticky gears is cased by the lube wearing off of the shifter ball, or the shifter cables connected to the shifter.

Fix: Pull the center console and grease the shifter ball (shifting in all directions to work the grease in) and grease where the two shifter cables attach to the shifter assembly.
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