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So starting about a week ago I've noticed my shifter squeaks when shifting, and is starting to become difficult to shift into 3rd or 5th.

So I just took it apart to lube it up and noticed what appears to be the problem, when you shift out of 2nd or 4th, the bottom half of the ball seems to get stuck and the seam splits open farther, then when you try to shift up into 3rd or 5th, it sticks because the bottom half of the ball is still stuck on the bottom. I've attached a pic ( and yes... I know it desperately needs a clean :-P ).

I'm going to lube it all up anyway, but my main question is:
Are the 2 halves of the ball supposed to come apart? It seems like a natural seam in the ball and not a crack, but is it supposed to be glued together or something?

Thanks in advance.


Edit: So I sprayed some lithium grease around the ball and worked it in a bit, seems to not get stuck as much, but now its squeaking really loud when shifting into 5th or reverse :-(.

I only sprayed grease around the edges of the ball from the top... is there a way to remove the ball entirely so i get get some grease down around the sides and bottom?

 
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That sucker is broke, you have to buy a new shifter to fix it. Lubing doesn't help the fact that the ball is split in half.

Pretty cheap, considering what it is.



A little over $50 from Majestic. Probably a bit higher in Canada.
http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...y5=SHIFT+LEVER

 
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Ah, good to know... thanks for the quick reply. I shall have to stop at the dealers tomorrow after work, see what their price is. (Hopefully its not much more, $50 is certainly alot less than I would've expected it to be)


Just in case I end up having to grab one at the wreckers, I'd like to confirm that all 01-05 sedan or coupe use the same assembly, correct?

 
Rep Power: 518

You had better look in a real parts catalog.

The catalog I linked above shows MSRP in the US is almost $80. I'm guessing Canadian will be higher than that.

You will not walk into a dealer and get that part for only $50.

54100-S5A-003 is the part number.


As for a used part, I would get one from 03-05.
01-02 had the problems so do not use those.

 
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I actually have the exact same problem. So you have to replace the entire subassembly to fix this? The ball is not broke completely yet but you can see the split pry open when one side starts to stick. I am surprise lubricant wont fix this problem.

 
Rep Power: 518

The problem could have been caused by lack of lube, but once the ball starts to split it must be replaced.

That means the whole thing, as already explained.


I have not seen any aftermarket solutions thus far either.

HTH

 
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Bump, did anyone change out this shifter sub assembly?

Mine slips out of gear into neutral and I noticed that my pivot ball is splitting open...I'm hoping this will fix my issue instead of being the syncros.

 
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Sounds like a good excuse to get a short-shifter kit. Though I have to admit... $56 through Majestic is a pretty good deal.

 
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Yes I have replaced a few of them, and of course you need to fix the obvious problem first.

Seems like the usual complaint was "the shifter is very stiff to move" once the ball splits like that.
I don't remember anyone (customers at work) saying theirs popped out of gear, but it's certainly possible.

 
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My shifter does not feel stiff to me, it had grease around the ball before I lubed it up...I don't think this is causing mine to slip into neutral but again I wasn't sure if this was normal or not.

I asked a few guys at the Honda dealer and none of them had replaced the assembly on these cars.

 
Rep Power: 518

Shifter is a hell of a lot cheaper and easier than trans guts. Just sayin.

If you were really ambitious, you could completely disconnect the shifter from the cables and see if it still slips to neutral. Of course you'd have to figure out how to work the bare cables as you drive around to do that though.


It's been several years since I replaced one, and I can guarantee you that I'm the only person left at my dealer that ever replaced any of the shifters. Anyone else that might have no longer works there.




It's a known issue with 01-02 cars, there's a couple bits of service info about it.

Lack of lube for the pivot ball (PDF)http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...65058239,d.aWw

Stiff shifting? Check the shift lever pivot ball. Page 2.
Honda Service News June 2002 http://techinfo.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SN/a020600.PDF
You can't see the link above, follow the instructions in this post to see it.

HTH

 
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I can't see Honda Service News in the link, mostly because the steps in the driveaccord post don't apply to the linked page in that post. Definitely something I'd like to see, though.

 
Rep Power: 518

The linked instructions worked for me, using Firefox.

You must use the estore site,
click shop for accessories,

go to the right hand column and click the link "If you looking for installation or DIY instructions for a purchased accessory, you can find it here" to get installation instructions..... (this opened a new tab for me)


enter a car like an 03 civic sedan LX,
You should have a list of installation instructions to choose from.
then copy/paste the techinfo link into the address bar.

I assume at this point it opened a portal to the instructions list direct from the Honda sites...which allows you to also see the techinfo link now after you paste it into the addy bar.

 
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Ah, THAT did it. Thanks!

 
Rep Power: 518

The driveaccord forums has several years worth of the service news links someone posted, and talks about their numbering scheme (explained around post #6). I found most of it by googling 'honda service news'

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/showthread.php?t=8253

Happy reading!

 
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So can I order a shifter assembly from 03+ and would it bolt right in?

 
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The part number given in the linked service info is the newer version.
As far as I can tell, it is now the only part number for all versions of the car from 01-05, IF you are purchasing brand new.


If you get one from a wrecking yard, then you want a unit from an 03-05 car.

 
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No problems with my shifter, and it's an '04. Ball is unsplit. Did have to spray a bit of lithium soap grease in there to get ball and pivots to work more smoothly when I bought it (that cavity where you see the ball work, must trap a lot of dust/grit or something). Other than that, it's been better than expected from a Honda manual with 145K.