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Greetings all, I have a small problem with notchy gears on my '01 5-speed. Just finished a DIY clutch replacement with OEM kit. Flywheel was machined while it was out (thanks to advice on this forum!).

Now that everything is back together, the gears feel a little rough whenever I shift. Usually it's fine for the first couple of shifts but once everything is warmed up, there is a slight resistance / notchy feeling. I'd also say the clutch seems to engage a little earlier (pedal closer to the floor) than it did before, leading to a bit of a jolt if I drive the way I did before.

My guess is that the clutch isn't fully disengaging, so I am considering a pushrod adjustment, but I wanted to ask first, is this notchy thing part of normal clutch break-in, or is the adjustment necessary right away?

Any advice would be incredibly helpful. Also, if anyone can explain how to do the adjustment properly, that would be awesome; there's a lot of conflicting advice on the ol' internet.

Thanks!!

 
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Funny that we would have clutch questions at such close time intervals. A lower bite point on the clutch pedal is typical when you replace the clutch. When a clutch is wearing thin, the bite point should move higher on the pedal. As far as the "notchy" sensation, be a little more specific? Does it have a harder time sliding into gear? Try and check to make sure you secured the shift linkages properly (if you removed them at all). Honda MT have always tended to be a bit notchy, especially in first and reverse. It takes me a couple tries sometimes to get it into reverse, but all I do is put it into first, then attempt reverse again and it usually slides in. Not sure why.

 
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Hi, thanks for responding! To be clearer, yeah, it feels like there's some resistance putting it into gear. It does go, but the shifts don't ever feel clean after it warms up; there always seems to be a hint of a crunch going into any gear.

Linkages on the transmission are definitely right; actually I replaced the shifter cables at the same time. I suppose this could be all it is - the cables are new and taut so I have more feedback on what the transmission is doing and perhaps it was always doing this and I just didn't know it before?

In any case, I mostly want to make sure I didn't mess up my clutch installation somehow. It's a pretty subtle problem, but I especially want to be sure that it's not failing to fully disengage. Is there any surefire way to verify that?

 
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I would try bleeding the clutch. If the clutch does not release completely you will usually notice it by the gears grinding when you shift into reverse. The synchros on the forward gears will mask the problem and the gears will not grind but they will be a little harder to engage. Reverse does not have a synchronizer so if the shaft is spinning at all it will grind.

Hydraulic clutches are usually self adjusting so if they are properly bled and there are no problems such as a broken mount, no further adjustment should be needed.

 
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Awesome advice, thanks for your responses! I checked reverse and there's no sign of grinding; actually it's easier to get it into reverse than any other gear. So for now I'm just going to check the MTF level and hope it continues to improve with time...