Just purchased '05 w/40K

[zomBeej]

I just purchased an '05 S2K, and it's got 40K on it. This is the first nice car I've ever bought, so I'm extremely paranoid about every noise and vibration I notice. Just wondering if there's anything I should be listening/looking for. Looks like I'd better go ahead and have a tranny/diff fluid change done just to be on the safe side.

The car runs great. 3rd gear seems slightly notchy at times, but not always. Can't find a pattern to it. Drives straight as an arrow.

Anyways, any tips would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to take great care of this car and have it last a long time.

Thanks a lot!

[wtmohr]

Your first accessory should be a club membership. Best mod you'll ever make. Tranny/Diff fluid change is a good move, S2K's tend to have notchy transmissions depending on gear and temperature but a fluid change will probably help. Make sure you use the right stuff for the differential, Honda has to get it from the motorcycle side since its the only rear drive car they make. I'm sure someone will chime in on other suitable brands.

Welcome, and good luck with your new toy, you're going to love it.

[jimmynumbers]

Congrats! You are going to love it!:thumbup:

[repiv]

An '05 by now is likely around 3 years old or more. If you don't know the service history, change engine oil/filter, tranny fluid, diff fluid, clutch fluid, brake fluid, air filter, cabin filter. There are lots of threads on here to direct you to what kinds of fluids to use. Check tires for odd and assymetrical wear. This will give an indication of a need for wheel alignment.
If you are really paranoid, use a mechanic's stethoscope to listen to all the valves to see if a valve adjustment might be in order. If there is a clear ticking from the front of the engine, listen to the timing chain tensioner.
Can't find a pattern to it.
It's a double "H" with a tail on the end (reverse). You don't have to find the pattern. Let the gear box find it for you. That's the biggest problem that people new to manuals and new to 6 speeds encounter. They try too hard to "find" the gate. Let the shift lever spring be your guide. It centers on the 3/4 gates. When you let the spring do its job, you know it's in the 3rd and 4th gear gates. All you do is to push it up for 3rd and pull it down for 4th. If you manhandle it, you'll usually get it wrong and find the "notch". The1/2 gates is simply holding the shifter along the left side rail and similarly, the 5/6 gates is holding the shifter against the right side rail. Don't take shortcuts when shifting. IE, don't take the diagonal and cut the corner. That's when you get notchy and grind gears. There's no mystery to it if you know why the spring is there.

[tiki]

Congrats on your new ride. A good tip is to clean all rubber moldings, especially on the top. Then apply a good rubber preservative. I like 303. It is often found at marine supply stores.
I am originally from Tulsa, so I know you have alot of great roads for cruising! Have fun!:vtec1:

[lane_viper]

Yes congrats on being a new S2k owner, Join up here and plug in!

[JulieU]

It's a double "H" with a tail on the end (reverse). You don't have to find the pattern. Let the gear box find it for you. That's the biggest problem that people new to manuals and new to 6 speeds encounter. They try too hard to "find" the gate. Let the shift lever spring be your guide. It centers on the 3/4 gates. When you let the spring do its job, you know it's in the 3rd and 4th gear gates. All you do is to push it up for 3rd and pull it down for 4th. If you manhandle it, you'll usually get it wrong and find the "notch". The1/2 gates is simply holding the shifter along the left side rail and similarly, the 5/6 gates is holding the shifter against the right side rail. Don't take shortcuts when shifting. IE, don't take the diagonal and cut the corner. That's when you get notchy and grind gears. There's no mystery to it if you know why the spring is there.
LOL! I think he meant he couldn't find a pattern to when third gear is notchy as it's randomly intermittent. Good info tho. :thumbup: However, if it has a short-shifter (unlikely, but possible), isn't the centering spring eliminated?

OP, if you want someone local to check it over, stop by Steve Bailey Honda and request Jamie Walters. He's one of their techs and also an S2K owner (formerly turbo, now V8-in-progress).

I am originally from Tulsa, so I know you have alot of great roads for cruising! Have fun!:vtec1:
:confused: Tulsa... Oklahoma? Have you been here lately? The roads suck! :thumbdown:

[zomBeej]

It's a double "H" with a tail on the end (reverse). You don't have to find the pattern.

Yup, I meant the intermittance of the notchiness (is that a word? :)) of 3rd gear. I have no problem finding the gears. :toocool:

OP, if you want someone local to check it over, stop by Steve Bailey Honda and request Jamie Walters.

Good info to have. Much obliged.

Looks like there's lots to learn here! I'd love to find a local track and some people who can teach me how to drive my car! (I've already managed to swap ends once... haha) A 50/50 car is a new animal for me. Exciting times!

Thanks again guys!

[JulieU]

You just missed a lapping day today at Hallett. It's an OKZCC event, but they opened it up to us S2K peeps. There's a double-header autocross event up here in Tulsa next weekend. It's being put on by the local NEOKLA SCCA (http://www.neoklascca.org/) chapter. Also next Sunday (September 7th) there's an open track day at the Sheriff's training facility in OKC... also hosted by OKZCC but open to us. HTH!

[repiv]

However, if it has a short-shifter (unlikely, but possible), isn't the centering spring eliminated?
I hope not and I wouldn't think it would be. That spring is part of the shifter function of any manual, floor mounted stick shift. I believe the short shifter still uses the stock shifter base and that's where the spring is.

[repiv]

Yup, I meant the intermittance of the notchiness (is that a word? :)) of 3rd gear. I have no problem finding the gears. :toocool:

Oops! :o Sorry for the misunderstanding.
To address the randomness of the notchiness, I've spent some time experimenting this since so many people have remarked about it. I've discovered that the notchiness is partly to do with the temperature of the fluid. As it warms up, the notchiness tends to be less noticeable. Also, the main thing I've discovered is that the notchiness is directly proportional to the accuracy of the rev match. I you do the shift at precisely the moment when the revs have dropped to where it should be once the gear is engaged at that road speed, it slips right in without any odd feeling to it. If the revs aren't quite matched, that's when the notchiness is most apparent.
Experiment with this and I think you'll figure it out pretty quick. It's not so much when you take it out of gear (2nd in this case), but exactly when you push it into 3rd. Depending on how you are driving and how high the revs are at the shift, you may need to do the shift a bit faster or bit slower to match the revs up precisely.

[zomBeej]

Ah, yeah. That's what I had begun to suspect. I read a post somewhere about how the tranny's built to shift up high, so normal driving makes getting those synchros aligned a bit more difficult. Does that make sense?

[repiv]

Not sure about it built to shift high, but it does have to do with the gear ratios of this transmission. When people have an issue with notchy shifting, it's predominantly one particular upshift. It may be 1 to 2 for some and 2 to 3 for others, whiles others may have an issue with another combination.
Notchiness itself is not a detrimental thing. The syncros are there to work and that's what they do. It's only when notchiness turns into a grind, that syncros start to suffer. And you can grind gears a lot before you toast a syncro. There's no reason to be concerned about notchy shifting yet owners of S2000s have always been this way.