its happening more and more frequently that the car will pop prematurely out of first gear when shifting to 2nd... I don't know if may be this is just a short coming of the non-cable shift crap. but the moment I go to shift, it will just POP (to center) rather than give the disenguage feelback.

I've also gotten some grinding noise when trying to select gears. Mainly if I try to enguage reverse while the car has started gently rolling down my driveway (and I mean that in the sense that if the car has any sort of rolling/motion at all). And I've gotten gear crunch noises on more than one occasion just with run-of-the-mill shifts into 4th or 5th.

Just to preface things, I am an adult, I don't beat on my cars and I don't think the tach has seen north of 4k, and I've owned stick shift cars before... its not the type of stuff I expect from a car with only 1k on the clock.

 

The shifter popping out of first is normal. You just have to cordinate your shifting better. It happens when you go to pull the lever before the clutch is 100% depressed so it was already on its way out. You could pull it out of gear without the clutch if you wanted too. Just make sure the clutch pedal is 100% in, just shift slower. Happens to me in the mornings when im not paying attention...

Also the car should always be at a complete stop when you engage reverse, other wise it will grind.

Any car will grind, its all a matter of technique. Im not saying you cant drive but 95% of the time it is due to driver error, especially on a new car. Just focus on your timing more and slow your shifting down.

 

^i was gonna say everything he said haha.

 

I noticed that popping out of first gear thing pretty early on. 100% depressed clutch pedal and slower shifting takes care of it. I'm sure the car is fine but it takes some getting used to.

 

The fit has a Clutch Delay Valve, which delays the clutch engaging. It's supposed to soften the shock to the transmission.

This is what causes you to feel like you can't drive stick. It's extremely frustrating if you switch back and forth between two cars, the fit feels like the clutch is almost at the end of its life.

 

For me when I start driving in the morning, the car shutters from take-of, like I'm about to dump the clutch and kill the engine, though I'm turning almost 2,000 RPM. My Cruiser would do this if you weren't giving it any gas at all from a stand still, but the fit does it the first 8-10 take-offs.

 

Do you by chance have the A/C on?

 

Especially in the morning, before the transmission is warmed up. That seems like when it "pops out" the most. Just have to be extra careful coordinating your shifts then.

I've had MT cars in the past that you could engage reverse without grinding gears if you were rolling backwards very slowly. The Fit isn't one of them though.

 

I've experienced all these issues as well. A couple reviewers complained about lack of clutch feel which I think contributes to this. The clutch is so light, there's almost no FEEL to where the engagement point is, it's just a learned, positional thing. In 25 years of driving stick shift cars (AMC's, VW's, Hondas, Nissans, Mazdas, and Fords as well as valet parking for a few years), I've never crunched the gears as often as I have in the Fit. If you're lazy or in a hurry and don't get the clutch pushed past the vague engagement point, you'll grind the gears. I had to be pretty deliberate about it in the beginning and still rush a shift on occasion and grind it.

We should probably clarify the "popping out of first" issue. Some cars have had issues with the transmission popping out of gear: no pushing on the clutch, no hands on the gearshift, and the tranny will just pop out of gear. What the Fit will do is while you're shifting out of first, the stick will pop as it disengages 1st gear if you don't have the clutch in far enough. Two fairly different "popping out" scenarios.

 

I do and let me add that I don't have this problem once the car gets warmed up and going or if the car has been sitting out in the sun. It's when it's been sitting overnight and I go to school in the morning or if I'm working till 11 or 12 at night and I go to get in it to go home. I'll try the AC off next time I get in it Sunday morning....

 

First of all, reverse is the one gear that does not have syncros, so you really need to be at a stop.

I think the OP said "non cable shifter" but it is a cable shifter.
So dealer could adjust it for free (wont hurt to have it checked).
50K miles under my belt now with 2 Fits, dont recall any popping out of first. I'll check for this specifically next time I drive it.

I remember a popular mod (subie forums as I recall) where guys drill out the restrictive oraface in the clutch actuation hydraulics.

JDMChris.com posted to use GM Syncromesh tranny fluid which I put in my GD3, it really improved shifting. Havent done it in my GE yet, and it does seem like they improved the syncros on the GE vs the GD.

 

I too find this car very tempermental when shifting. The grinding going into reverse is normal as reverse doesn't appear to be synchronized on this car. If you're already rolling you can either match revs and slip it in without touching the clutch or blip the throttle, then push the clutch in and pull it into gear as the gears and winding down through the 'correct' RPM.

Where I have problems is the inconsistancy of the engines response to throttle. Sometimes the RPMs drop like a rock when I let off, other times they hang. Sometimes I can pull away from a stoplight at idle, other times I really need to rev the engine before pulling out as once the clutch starts to engage its like the throttle pedal goes dead and I can't add throttle under load.

The electric throttle is so slow to respond under normal driving I found out I can completely lift my foot from the gas before pushing the clutch in on a shift and minimize the RPM hanging. On a normal vehicle this maneuver would result in a jerk... but the Fit is still holding the throttle open for 1/2 second or so after I remove my foot from it.

It also chugs and jerks when I try to idle through traffic in 1st or 2nd gear. The engine gets very confused lugging along at idle.

I also have a difficult time backing it out of the garage in the morning when it's at the ~1800 RPM cold idle. Even at 1800 RPM it seems really down on torque and easy to stall. And when it starts to stall it's not very responsive to throttle input to keep it going.

After years and many, many miles driving Toyota pickups/4Runners with manuals and Dodge diesels with manuals, and lots of seat timing messing around in Corvettes and Camaros, not to mention my old IH Scouts, I'm having a heck of a time getting used to this Fit.

 

I have learned to drive my car smoothly (had to change my clutch actuation slightly because of the restriction in the hydraulics, compared to other cars I've owned)

however......
the AC does screw up the drivability of the car, especially when engine is cold. My solution to that is to keep the AC off for a minute or 2, that is unless the car is uncomfortably hot when I get in it.

 

I agree, the clutch and tranny definitely take a long period to adjust to. Even after almost 9000 miles, some days I can drive it perfectly, and others I feel like a rank beginner, learning to shift all over again. The two biggest issues are the clutch and the throttle. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the throttle "Hanging" during the shift isn't a characteristic of the electric throttle as much as the computer overriding the throttle commands in order to minimize emissions during a shift.

This may be the price you pay to drive "cleaner" cars.

 

I thought I was just crazy with the tranny popping on the 1-2 shift, especially after reading the raving reviews about the smooth shifting (car and driver I think compared it to an s2000).

Grinding when shifting to reverse while rolling backwards - has done it on all my Hondas (two 95 civics and a 90 CRX) but not at all on my RX-8

This car took a lot of getting used to in order to be able to drive it smoothly but I have no problems now. The biggest problem I had was I kept riding the clutch. I attribute that mostly to being used to the stiff clutch in the RX-8.

One quirk I find annoying sometimes is the delay in the engine dropping revs between shifts. It's definitely better for the engine but it's taking me more time to get used to. Another quirk is the clutch engagement delay. I agree it'll help the tranny last longer but it's the only quirk I would "fix", as I enjoy spirited driving (which includes spirited shifting!)

If I keep this car for awhile (and I probably will unless I am super impressed by the CRZ) I will look into "fixing" the clutch engagement delay, possibly installing a "grabbier" clutch if that doesn't work, and upgrading the front brakes (different subject, but these things don't seem to be matched to the weight of the car).

 

Curious, how would that improve emissions? I assumed it was to prevent harsh engagements, thus improving transmission longevity and the infamous Honda 3rd gear grind.

I definitely agree though that it is NOT a characteristic of the electronic throttle control. That's a myth I wish would go away. Someone tell me how long it takes for electrons to move down a wire that's a few feet long (hint: electrons move at the speed of light).
I agree that the delay is computer induced, which leads me to believe that it can be re-programmed IF a company spends the R&D on a re-programming device (ie. Hondata/Cobb).

 

I've noticed the pop out of first as well. I was guessing I was pulling before the clutch was all the way in and you can change you style to stop it.

Ah, the old evil clutch delay valve. I'll have to look into removing that. I did it on my M Coupe. it makes driving a manual 100% better. I still to this day don't understand why they put those things in cars. For those of you who don't know what a CDV is, read this web page:
(warning, bmw content!) CDV


EDIT: Does anyone know how honda does their CDV? Is it part number 10 that you would have to drill out, does hose #15 have a restrictive orifice, do pipes 14 or 19 cause restriction? The CDV has got to go.

 

They put the CDV in there to save the drivetrain from shock. As much as it sucks its smart on Honda's end.

Ill definately look forward to a DIY CDV removal. I removed it on my S2000 and the clutch feel was way better.

 

I just thought of another reason Honda might have purposefully induced the throttle lift lag.

For years Honda tuners have been installing lightweight flywheels to improve acceleration/reduce drivetrain loss. The only downside to installing one is the revs drop more quickly, making the car more tricky to drive.

Maybe, in looking to squeeze every last bit of power out of a 1.5L engine (117hp for a 1.5 L is admittedly real good), Honda made the flywheel lighter. They realized that the car would be "too difficult" for the average person to drive so they programmed in some throttle lift delay to correct the irregularity.

I like this theory the best because it means if we're ever able to reprogram out the delay we won't have to worry as much about longevity

 

Wow, after reading that the CDV definitely sounds like the culprit. Now to decide whether or not to mess with it yet hehe