5th gear died on me... Suggestions?

[Haxxorz]

So i was returning from a thing in southern oregon. Driving up the interstate going around 75ish and randomly my fifth gear is just gone. like my tach starts revving so i downshift and am like REALLY??? its like there's nothing there anymore. :< kinda made me depressed. Should I take it in to have my tranny rebuilt? put in a teg tranny? What should i do?? Its perfectly drivable but going 60 in 4th is like 3k RPMs which sucks balls for mpg.

[AccordB20A]

i think the 5th gears in the a20 boxes are easy to change you just pull of the end cap and undo the big nuts and swap them.

random how your car does 3000rpm in 4th at 60mph mines at 4000rpm

[Civic Accord Honda]

a20a trans love to do this, just be glad when u downshifted to 4th it didnt blow and then 3rd and then 2nd and then being stranded 80 miles away from home (happened to me lol)

but yeah its most likely happened from being low on oil when was the last time u checked it?, and i would just find another trans from a junkyard

[carotman]

The 5th gear can be replaced with the transmission still in the car.

It all depends on how much money and time you want to spend.

[Haxxorz]

Well if its fairly easy to change that's nice. I've never had to work on my tranny before, anybody want to give me the rundown for replacing just 5th gear? And what i would need from a junkyard etc.

[kentwat]

I was tripping went mine went away on the interstate. It got me home and then the next day I heard a pop and metal flying. I ended up just getting another from a salvage yard. Then I heard about being able to swap in a new 5th. Oh well, good luck.

[ecogabriel]

The 5th gear can be replaced with the transmission still in the car.

It all depends on how much money and time you want to spend.

I have seen a 3g in the junkyard with the 5th gear removed. The rest of the transmission was attached to the engine; only the metal cover and the gears were gone.

[Haxxorz]

Oil in the transaxle CAH? my engine oil hadn't been checked in a long time though i doubt that was an issue. I tried to check the oil in my transaxle and its was a freakin pain and couldn't get the bolt off to check it.
So i called a mechanic and a transmission shop and they both said i'd prolly have to at least take out the transmission. I want this thing to last but i dont want to spend a crapton on it. If I get one from the junkyard, there's a chance that it won't last long possibly. something preferably 500$ or less, ideas please? The mechanic is going to call me back tomorrow about it and i want an answer by then.

[Ichiban]

Maybe pull off that pan and see if the fucking roll pin didn't fall out of the shift fork?

[Civic Accord Honda]

The oil in the trans, i know that bolt is a bitch anit it? thats how i killed mine, i knew it was low but i could never get that damn bolt off to get oil in it... same way i killed 5th in my replacement >< bolt just wouldn't come off , got it off after i blew 5th had to go to a friends place and use a breaker bar with a 4ft pipe!

id try to look for a parts car that has a good trans normally can be found for around $200-$400, i got a 87 dx with a newer rebuilt trans and a low mile jdm engine with a blown head gasket for $300, even had decent tires and a decently clean body other then a bashed in trunk.

[Dr_Snooz]

Oil in the transaxle CAH? my engine oil hadn't been checked in a long time though i doubt that was an issue. I tried to check the oil in my transaxle and its was a freakin pain and couldn't get the bolt off to check it.
So i called a mechanic and a transmission shop and they both said i'd prolly have to at least take out the transmission. I want this thing to last but i dont want to spend a crapton on it. If I get one from the junkyard, there's a chance that it won't last long possibly. something preferably 500$ or less, ideas please? The mechanic is going to call me back tomorrow about it and i want an answer by then.

So you don't want to spend a crapton on the car and you do this by not checking oil? Hello?

If you can't get difficult bolts off, then read this thread.
http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64355&highlight=free+frozen+bolts

[LX-incredible]

So you don't want to spend a crapton on the car and you do this by not checking oil? Hello?

If you can't get difficult bolts off, then read this thread.
http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64355&highlight=free+frozen+bolts

:werd:

Fill/check the trans fluid by removing the speed sensor (has speedo cable and 2 power steering lines going to it). Hopefully you have a 10 mm socket and won't need to bust the vice grips for that one...

[Haxxorz]

The oil in the trans, i know that bolt is a bitch anit it? thats how i killed mine, i knew it was low but i could never get that damn bolt off to get oil in it... same way i killed 5th in my replacement >< bolt just wouldn't come off , got it off after i blew 5th had to go to a friends place and use a breaker bar with a 4ft pipe!

I'll definitely try again on that sucker... Yeah, i know it sounds lame that i don't want to spend alot of money on it and i can't even check my gay trans oil haha. Trust me i tried. thanks snooz for the link, i think it'll help. i put WD-40 on it and was using like a foot long socket wrench and hauling but i think i just need a longer wrench lol. :rolleyes:

Regardless i'll probably hit the salvage yard and see what i can find regarding good transmissions. all the accords in my area have like 250,000+ miles with original tranny or they're over $1000, which isn't worth it. mine as well rebuilt at that point.

[Dr_Snooz]

I don't know about the carbed cars, but I can reach my bolt from the top. Get a breaker bar and get on it. It will come loose. If you can't find the sealing washer (it needs to be replaced when opened), just smear the old one full of RTV.

[AZmike]

Replacing the fifth gearset with the transmission in the car isn't too bad. I've done it twice now. The only somewhat special tools that you need are a 5 mm punch and a 30 mm socket. Hopefully I didn't forget anything--last time was almost six years ago.

1 Remove intake plumbing, battery and tray (for access), drain transmission (remove fill plug first*), remove the fifth gear cover (8 6mm bolts I think)
2 Unstake both shaft nuts, remove the fifth gear fork spring pin (with punch)
3 Shift transmission into 1st or reverse, also engage fifth gear by hand. If your fifth gearset has bad splines you may need to jam a rag in the gear or something else creative to remove the shaft nuts. The idea is to get the shafts not to rotate freely.
4 Remove the shaft nuts with 30 mm socket. ONE OF THEM IS LEFT HANDED, but I forget which one. Check before you start. The Helm manual is posted on 3geez somewhere.
5 Pull everything off both shafts: fifth gearset, needle bearings, spares, shim(s), synchronizer assembly
6 Reassemble in reverse order. Use new shaft nuts and STAKE THEM HARD (don't ask). RTV alone is fine for the fifth gear cover.

*an air chisel on the fill plug flange should knock a stuck one loose, but plan on buying a replacement

Usually the splines on the gear shear off and there is enough material left on the shaft that a new gearset is all it takes for a fix. I pulled two gearsets from from a junkyard and kept the one with the synchro ring in the best shape.

The alternative is to pull a used transmission. In my area they run around $100.

[1ajs]

whats under the black cover
http://pointdouglas.com/plugins/p17_image_gallery/images/597.jpg

[Stephenlr2007]

Where can I get the gear? 5th is smooth on the inside!

[Stephenlr2007]

Where can I get a fifth gear? I can't seem to find one online, so who do I call?

[MessyHonda]

your best luck is to go to a junkyard and try to find a tranny that has a good 5th gear

[davew833]

The nut he DOESN'T have his hand on in the picture above is reverse-threaded.

[KillahKitt]

I'm getting frustrated. This is a little more than I feel confident doing on my own. I've gone to the Trans shops in my area and they say replacing 5th in-vehicle can't and/or shouldn't be done. Keep pushing me to buy a rebuilt. One said they could do the replace, but I'd need all these other parts and by then I might as well buy a rebuilt. I'm friggin broke. My hubby is locked up and I can't get a job bc of my special needs kid. And I NEED (not to mention LOVE) my car! Anyone in Dallas area wanna volunteer some time to teaching me how? Lol I'll bring the beer! :)

[MessyHonda]

yeah you might have to find a small local shop to do this conversion for you. the best part about our trannys is that it has the 5th gear plate that can be taken off with out dropping the transmission. I bought a brand new 5th gear around 7 years ago cost me around 230 dollars for the 5th gear and courter 5th gear. i paid 430 for a tranny rebuild because i was switching over to Integra gears because they are shorter. maybe try to source a gear from the junkyard from a car thats been hit or something.

[Dr_Snooz]

I'm getting frustrated. This is a little more than I feel confident doing on my own. I've gone to the Trans shops in my area and they say replacing 5th in-vehicle can't and/or shouldn't be done. Keep pushing me to buy a rebuilt. One said they could do the replace, but I'd need all these other parts and by then I might as well buy a rebuilt. I'm friggin broke. My hubby is locked up and I can't get a job bc of my special needs kid. And I NEED (not to mention LOVE) my car! Anyone in Dallas area wanna volunteer some time to teaching me how? Lol I'll bring the beer! :)

The 5th gear swap is the sort of thing that an owner does in his driveway to dodge a big repair bill. It is well outside the bounds of what any reputable shop is likely to do. I hate to say it, but if you can't do the repair yourself, then you have to do it the way the shops want to. If funds don't permit that, then be happy that the car runs, albeit more slowly than you might like, and table this particular repair for a later time.