Sometimes when I stop at a stop sign, with car in neutral, and I try to shift into 1st gear it is as if it's blocked, so sometimes I have to force the stick shift into 1st gear.

I have also noticed that sometime while driving, when from first to second, I almost grind gears (usually it's doesn't require me to try and force it into 2nd) because I am not able to easily shift into 2nd gear.

I hear a what might be called a "clunk" sound when I push in the clutch pedal and I think it hear it when I shift into the low gears. Do you think I should check my manual transmission fluid level? Have you ever had this problem?

Also, is there a grease zerk for the base of the stick shift that needs to be greased every so many thousand miles?

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1990 Honda Accord DX, 2.2 L, Manual

 

sounds like dragging clutch. This will show up the most going into R, which is not synchrmesh.

had a old old Triumph that had a dragging clutch. pulled out tranny and clutch had been contaminated with oil leaks.
I've not heard of something like this w/ modern cars though.

Think more likely cause is in hydraulic clutch mechaism: air bubble, leaking cylinder or insufficient fluid.

obvious question: have you tried pushing clutch all-the-way-down extra far?

 

Routine maintenance-wise: I change my MT fluid every 30K miles, drain/fill no filter involved.

 

I usually push clutch in almost all the way, but don't know if I have pushed it all the way down. Why?

 

I hate sometimes when I try to start off from a complete stop and I will let the clutch out wrong to where I can hear it make a sound like rubber rubbing from I am guessing the clutch plate or part of the clutch whatchamacallit. I try to let the clutch slowly so I slowly and smoothly start to move without possibly waking up people (I deliver the newspaper early in the morning..ugh!). Also, when I down shift into second sometime, maybe at around 20 or so MPH, I feel something shaking. But other times when I down shift at around the same speed I noticed the speed decrease but no shaking.

 

Do you use a turkey baster to fill the MT, or is there something else that makes it easier to fill? I think that's what it says to use in my Haynes manual.

 

Or a hose on the end of a funnel? Many creative ways of doing this

 

also Harbor Freight Tools sells a small hand pump for fluids (<$10) that looks like it should work well
for filling from below especially. I might get one for next time.

 

find a neighborhood old guy, who has driven MT since day one, and get him to ride w/ you.
then let him drive it a few miles to include many stops.
see what he says and observe his 'clutch, shifting technique' also.
$.02

 

I had the same problem. I first adjusted the clutch petal, which resolved the issue for awhile, but it returned. I finally figured out the issue when the clutch petal bracket completely broke. It had been slowly tearing out a spot weld preventing the clutch from completely disengaging. See the attached pictures of the clutch bracket.

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