Howdy fellas. New to the forum, and in need of some advice. I tried searching through some of the old threads for an answer, but I haven't managed to find anything. If you know of a thread that answers this, feel free to link me to it rather than have to repeat what may be in it.

I have a '96 Accord LX with a manual tranmission. Over the past ~4 years, I've gone through a couple of transmissions and clutches. I've so far had used ones put in, and have had absolutely no luck with them lasting any amount of time. Each time they've gone bad, the same thing has happened. I've started hearing this strange "grinding" noise..more of a whine than a grind, but hard to describe, whenever the clutch isn't engaged. Every now and then, the gear shift will stick or refuse to go into gear without some work. Eventually, something will end up snapping, and the transmission will seize or the clutch will just go out, or both. I'm not looking forward to this happening again, and I want to go ahead and hopefully remedy the problem for good (or at least for longer than a 2 year period).

So my questions are as follows: 1. Do any of you have ANY idea what is causing this to happen repeatedly?
2. I've been trying to research what transmissions/clutches that are new (both OEM and Aftermarket) and have no idea what to look for in this case. The car, currently, is completely stock. I have no qualms whatsoever about going aftermarket if it will fix my problems and keep me from breaking down. Do any of you know what transmission/clutch combo are best in my situation?
3. Do any of you know any mechanics in Alabama that are good at fixing issues? I have had horrendous luck to this point in finding one that doesn't break something completely unrelated when I take the car in to be fixed. I unfortunately am no mechanic myself (I know enough to get by with small easy repairs, but don't have the time or tools for a job this big).

Thanks for any help, it's greatly appreciated.

 

This is a strange problem. Is the clutch friction plate completely worn out when you have the transmission pulled?

 

Welcome to the forum.


This just comes off the top of my head. No offense. WAG answers for:

1) errors. I'd guess: operator error, first & second; lack of changing tranny fluid third; mechanic unfamiliarity with manual tranny fourth.
manual tranny operation is taught to no new drivers where I live.

2) if I want reliability in any component, I always stay with stock OEM.
one of the local wrecking yards should have tranny.

 

Unfortunately, I do not know. I've had so much trouble with the mechanic I took the car to, that by the time I got the car back I didn't bother to take the time to ask enough questions. I should have, and I admit it's a mistake on my part, but it just didn't happen.

 

I won't rule out operator error, however I've been driving a manual transmission for quite a long time. Not only in this car, but trucks, motorcycles, etc. It's possible I may be doing something wrong, but at this point it isn't the likeliest suspect.

It may be possible that I don't change the fluid enough. I try to make sure it gets done frequently, and in reality I probably should go and get it done again just to be sure that isn't the problem (when this problem originally happened the transmission was leaking fluid, but that problem was fixed when I got it replaced).

Also, you'd be kinda surprised how hard it apparently is to find a transmission from one of the local yards. There are quite a lot of 96 accords on the road where I live, and the pickings are slim.

 

Two suggestions.

Check car-part.com for transmissions w/i 75 miles (or how far would you travel to pickup?) of your location. You'll be surprised how many parts there are available.

Check ebay for a part shipped to you. Shipping costs are not unreasonable at $100-$150. Looks like a good part will run $500-$600.

I would replace clutch at same time as transmission. A bad clutch installation (not fully releasing) can cause poor shifting (speed mismatch not compensated by synchronizer and excessive wear). If someone is forcefully shifting, this could lead to premature failure.

Suggest inspecting motor mounts for wear damage. This might also affect the tranmission.

good luck

 

Great to know, thanks for the information. I'll see what I can find. Hopefully I can get some good parts and find a mechanic who isn't going to jack things up.