2 door, auto everything except transmissions a manual. This car was showroom a couple years ago when bought used... now has 150k miles, runs great but always had hard shifting ... but now it's starting to pop out of 2nd and 4th gear .. A year ago we had the transmission fluid checked and greased the shift cable which didn't improve the hard shifting much. Just not sure if it needs a new cable or a new transmission or what! Any advice welcome!

 

You "checked" the transmission fluid. How about changing the fluid? Use Honda MTF or maybe Pennzoil Synchromesh.

Has it always shifted hard since you bought it? What about bleeding the clutch hydraulic system? (how fresh is that fluid?)

 

hard shift and popping out sounds like bad synhcro's and lock rings

 

I'll doublecheck to see if the fluids were changed...sounds a lot easier and much less expensive than the synchro and lock rings. So I guess the shift cable being rusty idea doesn't make much sense? Great car, strong engine, no rust..solid, no leaks.. may have to think about investing some $ back into it... Any idea what sychros and rings might mean cost-wise-- sounds like its labor intensive... or maybe a used transmission would be the way to go?

 

If it turns out to be the transmission, I would get a used transmission. That will be way cheaper than the rebuild. Those manual transmissions rarely fail, so the chances of a faulty used one is low. I would also consider replacing the clutch if you replace the transmission. Check out car-part.com for used transmissions in your area.

Not sure if you are doing this yourself. If you take the car to a shop, the labor cost will be the same as replacing the clutch anyway, because the transmission needs to be removed.

 

Corroded cables give extra friction in moving the shift lever. That would feel different than a notchy entry into each gear. And it wouldn't explain popping out of gear.