1998 Honda Civic - hard to shift, pops out of gear

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I have a 1998 Honda Civic LX that I absolutely love. Unfortunately at the momenet it is giving me a hard time when I try to shift it. It is a 5-speed manual transmission, just shy of 250,000 miles. The original transmission was replaced at a 150,000 after a bearing shattered with a rebuilt transmission from a local transmission specialist in northern NJ. The clutch was also replaced at that time since it had a 150,000 miles on it already and was only an additional $50. We did not replace the clutch master or slave cylinders.

Now I am having a problem with shifting gears. The clucth feels normal, but I have a hard time getting it into (and sometimes out of gear) and it occasionally pop’s out of gear just as the clutch engages. The problem originally only happened in the winter when the temp dropped below freezing and only if the car overnight and very infrequently. It would get better as the car warmed up. Now it is happening all the time. Does anyone have an idea of what might be the problem? I’m wondering if it might be the master cylinder - the symptoms are similar to a previous Honda that I owned in which the clutch cable failed.

2

Shift through all the gears with the engine off. It it shifts okay then I would replace the clutch master cylinder and slave. If you have problems shifting with the engine off then a good transmission mechanic is going to have to check out your tranny.

3

Thanks - I just ran through the gears - just as much trouble as when the car is running. Any idea what might be the problem? I prefer to go in with an idea of what the problem is before I take it to the mechanic.

4

The problem is probably the transmission. Once it pops out of gear on its own, its days are numbered.

How often do you change the transmission oil?