Has the 2nd gear grind happened to your FL5 yet?

Zone47

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1500 miles here and no grinding. I'm pretty easy on it overall but will take it to the drags later in the year and if it grinds, that will be the time. :(
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It's the other direction, actually. It's sort of a one-way valve with a constriction that prevents the slave cylinder from *returning* at full speed. The point is to soften the engagement. Disconnecting the clutch quickly is 100% fine. If it actually prevented you from smashing the clutch at full speed, it would also stop the pedal and your foot from moving because the hydraulic fluid is incompressible.
My point was that unless you are rapidly moving the pedal, that valve isn't doing anything. You will feel the pedal normally until you start pushing it faster than the flow which is what slows everything down. I think we are saying the same thing haha.
 

TypeOne

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No i have not changed the fluid, and horrible to me is the fact that almost every time i shift, it has a grind or crunch. Either i know that it isn’t normal. It don’t matter if it’s hot or cold but it grinds. No i have not driven another Fl5, very few times have i had a smooth drive and really do love it when it is smooth. I will be doing a fluid change soon to see if it helps, which i shouldn’t have to, only 1k miles. When i had the Si a lot of people told be about the transmission issues they had but i never had anything and by far has been the best car from the FK8 & FL5. But i am aware that these transmissions are trash.
I would keep talking to Honda. I don't think the gearbox is trash, I think you are having an issue... that might be more extreme than others. My car has 8000 miles on it, with the factory fluid and it has never made any noises or anything since day one. I have even tracked the car and never changed the fluid. (I know, I suck. lol)
 

JonathanA0315

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I would keep talking to Honda. I don't think the gearbox is trash, I think you are having an issue... that might be more extreme than others. My car has 8000 miles on it, with the factory fluid and it has never made any noises or anything since day one. I have even tracked the car and never changed the fluid. (I know, I suck. lol)
Thank you and no i dont have any grinding noise its just a feel every time i shift.
 


JonathanA0315

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Ohhhh, ok, so it's just a feeling through your gear shifter? Is it a crunch feeling when you change gears?
Yeah its a grind/crunch feel but no noise, i just cant stand it and it doesn’t feel normal. It happens with up shifting and downshifting. I didn’t have that with the FK8. And i use to go hard on the FK8
 

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Yeah its a grind/crunch feel but no noise, i just cant stand it and it doesn’t feel normal. It happens with up shifting and downshifting. I didn’t have that with the FK8. And i use to go hard on the FK8
Is the feeling in the pedal or in the shifter?
 

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The shifter
I'd pop open the panel and see if there is anything interfering with the shifter. I had a piece tape from the harness that wasn't trimmed that got stuck in the shifter and caused issues with me shifting when I first got my car. Also like others have said, take it in to get it looked at, its possible that the shifter cables could be binding causing your issue.
 

JonathanA0315

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I'd pop open the panel and see if there is anything interfering with the shifter. I had a piece tape from the harness that wasn't trimmed that got stuck in the shifter and caused issues with me shifting when I first got my car. Also like others have said, take it in to get it looked at, its possible that the shifter cables could be binding causing your issue.
Thank you so much, i didn’t even think of that. I was just thinking that a brand new car should have no flaws but im wrong. Its just sad that to take it to any Honda dealer the answer will most likely be, nothing is wrong and everything is normal, or driver error and dont buy stick if you cant drive it.
 


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The notchiness of the shifter was greatly improved on my 6-6 Accord and S2000 with the use of GM synchromesh friction modified transmission fluid.

Not sure you can use this stuff on the FL5/DE5 with the LSD though.
 

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Thank you so much, i didn’t even think of that. I was just thinking that a brand new car should have no flaws but im wrong. Its just sad that to take it to any Honda dealer the answer will most likely be, nothing is wrong and everything is normal, or driver error and dont buy stick if you cant drive it.

You'd think that, but nothing is perfect and there can always be small issues that come up.
 

TypeRD

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You'd think that, but nothing is perfect and there can always be small issues that come up.
💯 My FL5 has had a small number of minor issues from the factory. The worst problem was slightly out of spec valves. Yep…out of spec valves on a Honda performance vehicle from the factory. Great. It threw a couple of random CELs within the first 3k miles. Meanwhile, no other Hondas nor Acuras I’ve owned (~10 vehicles) had any notable problems like this. None.

I understand your disappointment @JonathanA0315. I thought my FL5 would be “perfect” based on prior brand experience, but it simply isn’t. That’s not reality. But the car is yours and it’s best to just come to terms with this and not let it totally spoil your fun. Either that or just sell it / trade it and move on. It’s not a worthwhile thing to dwell on if it truly makes you unhappy every time you drive.

If I were you I’d take the car to the dealership ; Do it twice because they are required (by Honda Corp) to address it if the car is brought in for the same problem under warranty twice. See where this leads. Have the dealership change out your trans fluid for free as part of the things to check off the list of possible problems. If you don’t get it sorted out, then let us know. There are smart people here who can help you.
 
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JonathanA0315

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💯 My FL5 has had a small number of minor issues from the factory. The worst problem was slightly out of spec valves. Yep…out of spec valves on a Honda performance vehicle from the factory. Great. It threw a couple of random CELs within the first 3k miles. Meanwhile, no other Hondas nor Acuras I’ve owned (~10 vehicles) had any notable problems like this. None.

I understand your disappointment @JonathanA0315. I thought my FL5 would be “perfect” based on prior brand experience, but it simply isn’t. That’s not reality. But the car is yours and it’s best to just come to terms with this and not let it totally spoil your fun. Either that or just sell it / trade it and move on. It’s not a worthwhile thing to dwell on if it truly makes you unhappy every time you drive.

If I were you I’d take the car to the dealership ; Do it twice because they are required (by Honda Corp) to address it if the car is brought in for the same problem under warranty twice. See where this leads. Have the dealership change out your trans fluid for free as part of the things to check off the list of possible problems. If you don’t get it sorted out, then let us know. There are smart people here who can help you.
Thank you so much and yes that is exactly what im doing, i have an appointment and well i just need paper trail. I know Honda will do nothing. Im just disappointed and yes i have to move on. Thank you for your advice, i just been on the hunt for information and did find others with similar issues. I just dont want to go through the whole legal process, i wish the so called Honda techs would be honest and fix it accordingly but they wont. They are told otherwise and thats what sucks.
 
 







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