texasnoob1

I don't really know when this started, probably gradually a couple of months ago. The shifting is really clunky. Sometimes when I go to shift into 3rd, it feels like it just hits a wall and won't go in or it just goes into first. Same thing sometimes when I try to shift into fifth it goes into third instead. They will then go in if I wiggle it around in neutral first. It has also required more force than usual to get it into fifth and reverse. I checked the pivot ball in the shifter because that's what was wrong the last time this happened and it looks fine. I also checked the cable where it hooks on top of the transmission and it looks alright but I don't really know how to tell if a cable's bad. I really want to get this figured out and hopefully it is not the transmission. The car has almost 200,000 miles. But the trans works fine besides the crappy shifting. Anybody have this happen and any ideas?

lazlong

Probably sychronizer(s). Take it to the transmission shop and have them look at it. Probably tell ya it needs to be rebuilt. Usually runs $1500 to rebuild a standard tranny or less than $1000 if you pull it yourself.

texasnoob1

Well I put everything back together and took it out driving. It shifted perfect for about 30 min. then started up doing the same thing again.

palsana

If all of your gears P, R, D D2 D3 in 03 civic ex works fine (meaning shifting smoothly, without any cranking/slipping/noises) but when you give gas it revs up,doesnt move immediately but tries to move into gear but doesnt (or should i say if i pull back giving gas and let it just run without my foot on gas pedal, it does end up moving a bit but not for long and then doing that so often/frequently like pulling/pushing foot off/on gas pedal, it carries you farther and farther) can that be a problem anything other than a tranny!!!!.. like Fuel Filter, O2 sensors, clogged Throttle Body, IAC valve
EGR valve or some Synchorinzing/wiring issue. can it be the Head Gasket that would affect tranny.
Myresearch so far has not led me to believe its the Tranny thats the problem, just like earlier thru a lot of my own research i believed that it was not a HEAD GASKET!!!!. (My overheating problem for now seems resolved after having the opportunity to drive it for over 200 mi & no indications of any overheating observed).

ezone

Bulletin 02-039 for dry ball on the shift lever. This only says to replace the shift lever housing assembly.
(I have seen the ball split in half too.)

Then there is a Service News, that says almost the same thing, BUT adds this handy info:
"Remember to lubricate the pivot ball on the new
lever with Super High Temp Urea Grease (P/N
08798-9002"


The question now becomes: Did you lube the ball pivot in your new shifter housing when you replaced it the last time?

Maybe you have the same problem all over again.


HTH