I'm hoping you fellow manual transmission people can check your Fit and report back.

The past couple days moving the shifter left to get into 1st/2nd feels different from moving it right to get into 5th/Reverse. This movement left and right I'm talking about is all in the neutral position.

Here's what I'd like you to verify. When you move all the way to the left and right, does it feel like you've hit a wall? Both feel and hearing that you've hit a wall. or does it feel like you've hit a sponge and if you push more, it will move a little more.

I'm getting a sponge feel moving left and the wall feel moving right, so help a fellow fitfreak out and check yours for me please. I remember it feeling like a wall for both sides.

Thank you!

 

I've noticed somewhat similar things. I suspect it's just the cables (between the shifter and the transmission) stretching a little bit with use and nothing to worry about.

 

Mine feels the same going left or right. Yours doesnt sound normal.

 

Go to the dealership and compare with the other Fits on the lot.

 

By draining the gearbox oil you understand the conditions of the bearings.

 

I get the wall feel either left or right. I do notice when my trans oil is about ready to be changed the feeling gets a little funky, I don't know how to describe it. Once it's changed it's fine.

 

+1

10 char

 

As above, change out your MT fluid. You'll be glad you did.

 

thanks for the confirmation. I hope it's something as simple as draining the MTF, but i'd still be worried considering I'm at less than 10,000 kms. The problem now seems intermittent. The day after I made this thread, the spongy feeling went away after about 5 mins of driving. It well like a wall again, but not quite as hard of a wall as going to the right. It stayed normal for a day, then just yesterday, it happened again for about 5 mins.

 

After driving the past couple of days and consciously checking things, I think I should clarify what I notice. The stop for the shift lever on the left side is solid and not spongy, but it comes rather further to the left than is necessary. There's a good little bit of slop to the left when in first or second gear which isn't present in other gears, and I think that's due to cables having stretched a little bit. The neutral centering spring does keep the shift lever on the right side of this slop so the shifter doesn't bounce around or anything. No effect I can see on the car performance (and I'm getting up towards 60K miles now).

 

Oh...

You're in Canada? The fluid is probably just cold. Mine takes a minute to warm up here in the morning and it's nowhere near as cold as it is there. I stayed in Vegas for a few days over the holidays and temps were getting down to about 20 at night, and the shifter felt terrible after I first got in the car.

 

Almost certain it's not due to cold fluid. Temps are actually starting to pick up here (I had to take some air out of my tires today). The first time it happened, I had just come off the highway. The second time I had already been driving for about 5 mins before it happened.

Tonight I drove to the same areas where it happened and tried to drive in the same manner, but wasn't able to reproduce the spongy feeling. I don't think i'll be bringing it into Honda if I can't reproduce it. Last thing I want is to waste my time and be given a bill for diagnostic time and them saying "sorry, there's nothing wrong with it because we can't reproduce it; now give us $100"

 

My shifter is slightly stiffer when cold, but otherwise feels the same. Sounds like your problem is shifter, not transmission. You might see something if you remove center console and watch the shift mechanism as you reproduce the problem.

 

As others noted the shifter feels funny when,
trans fluid is very cold AND
Trans fluid is old

I do also have similar experiences occasionally like you describe,

You know the shifter is in correct location as you try to get it into the gear but, it just resists and when you press harder you feel the cables/bushing stretching.

I usually pull it back into neutral and try again a couple times and it jusrt clicks into gear like normal. Its a bit random and not entirely sure what the issue is.
I think its just the shifter is a little out of adjustment and you catch it just right (or wrong) sometimes.

Had the issue other day on a long drive from boston to NH after traffic cleared some every time Id try to down shift from 5th to 4th to pass it would do this, very annoying when you go to pass and you cant get the thing in 4th a few seconds.

Maybe not the same exact issue but sounds like what I experience sometimes.

 

Me, I have a sticky second gear. Sometimes it's easy to get into gear, other times it's not. Can be totally different on the same drive. Will get me when I least expect it - when I'm trying to quickly change into second for a roundabout. I'm hoping a tranny flush will solve it, and it's booked in with Honda on Thursday for that. Otherwise we're looking at synchros.

 

Id inquire about what they mean when they say "flush" the only way to really flush is to drain it and fill then drive then drain and fill again. The doesnt give up all its fluid when drained so some old stuff stays in there.

There is allot of scams with tranny flushes going on. Dealer usually more reputable but, still may be like when sell you 4 wheel alignment on cars like ours with zero adjustment capability in rears .

Id at minimum ask; if a flush cost more than a drain and fill, and the method of "Flush".

 

Drain and fill then. It's a half hour job and costs less than $150 in local money.

It's been seven years. It needs new transmission oil.

 

This gentleman is correct. If it has been that long, you really should change the MT fluid. And start changing it more frequently in the future.

 

I have to agree with Wanderer. Transmission fluid, engine oil and tires need to be warmed up. Just because your blue coolant temperature light goes off, it doesn't mean that these other things are fully warmed up yet.

 

Seeing as it's been bumped, the fluid change worked. Much smoother now. Seven years is the change interval anyway, so I didn't care about spending what turned out to be $130 on it.