I have a 98 honda civic hatchback 5 speed manual transmission. It's got 200,000+ miles on it. I do most of the 'big' maintenance myself, although I have a Honda specialist mechanic I take it to for oil changes (I'm lazy) and diagnostics when I have a new problem that I don't recognize. It's been very well cared for and I'm the first to admit that I'm an annoyingly slow and cautious driver (but I get great mileage!).

The transmission is starting to get 'weak' - slipping in and out of gear pretty easily and running louder than it was a year or so ago. My mechanic has been telling me it needs a new transmission for about 6 months now, but we've not had any problems with it so far so I've been putting it off.

I'd like to do the work myself so I can learn. I've never done a transmission replacement or rebuild before, but I have a mentor who will help and the idea of finally doing a really big project on the car is exciting to me. We work from home so we can be without a car for a week or so if I run into any big problems that take several days to fix.

Here's my question: Can I simply rebuild it or do I have to pay and get a new/used one at this mileage?

I know that a rebuild is a huge job, but spending 1,000 for a used transmission with a bunch of miles on it doesn't seem like a good solution to me- we only paid a thousand for the car itself. I'm hoping that I can rebuild it with my labor and time for less than $500 (I have the tools, except the shop press, which I'll rent) and get another 5 years out of it. Plus, I figure if I learn to rebuild the transmission this time, doing it when it needs it again will be easier and allow me to keep the car even longer.

Any ideas and suggestions from folks who have gone this route before with one of these would be great! Thanks everyone!

 

A rebuild is a HUGE job usually. It's one of those things that you probably shouldn't tear into unless you know what you're doing.

I would recommend finding a used one. You should look in your local Craigslist and also over at the Honda-Tech marketplace. They're at www.hondamarketplace.com and have regional classifieds to search through.

The replacement itself isn't too bad. You have to have a few spare jacks to lift the car up and then support the weight of the engine while you pull the transmission out, and another jack to support the transmission as you lower it.

 

Thanks WellFedHobo - I'll look over there and see what I can find.

I was actually looking for more of a pros/cons regarding reliability of rebuilding a transmission vs. buying one. Like, if I do rebuild it, will I end up just having to do it again in 30,000 miles? Is there some point at which you can't rebuild a transmission any more and just need to get another one? I did a bunch of research online and it seems that all I'm hearing is convoluted with a bunch of transmission sales talk so that I'm not really sure of what's what.

I'd like to get another 200-300k out of this little car. I don't have the money to replace with a new transmission at this point, which would probably be the best way to get it there, so I'm looking for which option would be most reliable. With a used transmission, I'm concerned that I don't know what kind of driving history it's had. I know all of the history of this one, which is why I'm even considering rebuilding instead.

 

It is not hard at all to rebuild a civic manual transmission. It really isn't. It's a very simple part. The noise is most likely the input shaft bearing. If you break open the case that needs to be replaced anyway. What you need to do it crack it open having the factory service manual (or alldata printout) in hand and inspect all of the synchronizers, sleeves, and the synchro teeth on the gears. If they are dull they will grind. Basically I'd replace all the synchronizers, 2nd and 3rd gears since they usually see the most wear and the repective sleeves. Also the ISB bearings and possibly the other bearings. It will absolutely cost more to rebuilt it than buying a used unknown transmission, but the benefit is that you will have a basically new transmission. It's also a perfect time to think about gear ratios if you want to change them and maybe an OBX LSD. You should replace the differential bearings regardless of getting a new diff though. It should take you about 16 hours of labor when doing the for the first time. This doesn't include running back and forth looking for the correct pullers and hooks...