I have a 2002 ex manual.
The car sat for 3 or 4 days in the peak of winter. I got into the car and it seemed very stiff to shift. I changed the tranny fluid. smoother to shift but still verystiff. There is no grinding and it does not pop out of gear. I checked the clutch fluid and it was fine too.

It is not consistant and does not happen all of the time. It has good days and bad. It does not happen in all gears all the time. It happens both up and down shifting. It does not grind but it squeezs going into the gears when it is stiff. It is a clear squeeking noise not grinding. If I put it in nutral and shift through the stiff gears they seem to loosen up. The more I shift the better it gets. Also, if it seems to be stiff, i will rattle the gear shift in neutral before moving it into gear and it goes in super smooth. It seems that moving it around in neutral clears the path to get it into gear.

It was suggested to check the bushing in the shifter assembly. Apparently this was easier to do in older modles then the new ones. You have to replace the entire assembly now, not just the bushing. That's what honda told me anyway. They also suggested cheking the cables. I have done lots of searches and can not find any DIY for checking or replacing these cables. i don't know how to get to the cables. It was also suggested that i disconnect the cabels from the assembily. this will help determine where the problem resides.

Any info would be helpful!

thanks!

 

I drive a 2001 LX manual with 250,000 miles. I have the exact same problem. Does anyone know what the problem is, and how to fix it?

Thanks

 

1) Drain your transmission fluid and replace with genuine Honda MTF.

2) There are several places in the shift mechanism that require lubrication. Try regreasing them: