My transmission isn’t in the best condition, I’ve replaced the transmission fluid and it still grinds and pops out of gear, and I was wondering what the options are for transmissions that are drop in replacements or are relatively close to drop in or if I should just go with a replacement of the original transmission. I’ve done some research and haven’t come across to much. If you have any ideas or personal experiences I’d love to hear them. I was also wondering where a good place to buy transmissions are.
Its a 91 gs if that makes a difference.
That helps a lot… There are four main things to consider
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Clutches. 90-91 Integras (89-91 in Japan) have a smaller dia input shaft than 92-93 This means that 90-91 and 92-93 clutches are different. If you want to use a 92-93 trans you will need a 92-93 clutch.
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Clutch operation. All 90-93 Integras and 89-91 Civics use a cable actuated clutch while 94+ Integras and 92+ Civics use hydraulic clutches. You will want to use a cable trans or one of the handful of hydro conversions + a hydro trans. (On a side note, 92-93 cable transmissions were designed like the newer hydro ones. So 92+ hydro trans internals will fit into a 92-93 cable case)
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Gearing. There are short geared and long geared transmissions out there. The long geared ones came with the b18a equipped cars and the shorter geared versions came with the DOHC VTEC equipped cars (b16a & b17a). A short geared trans mated to a b18a is a fun upgrade and makes the car a lot more fun to drive - less than ideal for lots of freeway cruising.
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Trans sticker does not denote gearing. For whatever reason Honda used the same designation on transmissions with different gear sets inside.
A1 S1 J1 and Y1 are all 89-91 cable transmissions but gearing will depend on the car it came out of. So basically you have to trust the person you’re buying from to a) tell the truth, and b) actually know what they have.
All 92-93 b series cable transmissions were labeled YS1 regardless of gearing. There’s a long gear version, a short gear version and a shirt gear version with an lsd.
My recommendation is to get a 92+ setup if you can. Then just decide whether you want short or long gearing and start looking for one at a decent price.
Thanks a lot, do you have any ideas where to look for them or am I going to have to search locally? Also will the 92+ cable transmissions fit without modification, besides the clutch? Thanks again Colin you’re, extremely helpful.
Correct, no modifications needed to use the 92-93 other than changing the clutch. As for where to buy one… There are Japanese importers such as M’s JDM and H Motors Online - you may have some local to you. Then there’s eBay and Craigslist as well as all of the Honda/Acura Internet forums.
Thanks Colin, your the best. I’ll look and see what I can find.
Good luck 
Well I’ve been looking around and really haven’t been able to find much sadly. I couldn’t find just transmissions on HMO unless i have to call them and ask about it. I’ve found a few on Ebay, but i’m a little worried about trusting someone on there.
Definitely call the JDM importers, I’ve yet to see one that actually keeps their website up to date with their inventory. Check out the forums and craigslist too. Unfortunately when buying an engine or trans it’s always a gamble. You could also look into rebuilding yours.
I was thinking about getting a kit, but i wasn’t sure if i’d be able to do it myself.
I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’ve done it before, are very confident in all things mechanical and have a decent amount of experience working on cars, and/or you have a friend who can help you. It’s easy to screw something up once you start working on the internals of a trans.
Alright I’ll just replace the transmission then, thanks for the help.
similar issue here, I can very confidently rebuild my trans tho and have, but mine is a small spline XSi trans 4.4FD B16 with synchrotech full carbon synchros and hardened 3rd gear collar/sleeve and synchro gear but from what I’ve read the tq of my motor is flexing the shafts apart inside and this is the cause of my wearing bearings out after a good season of driving with a few good track days here and there.
Colin, or anyone else with experience…
there are final drives which would include a stronger counter shaft (this is the one that’s eating bearings) available, I know my trans is good other wise, LSD is a bit hard to find tho, but not a high priority upgrade to me (I know the benefits of LSD) tho I do still kinda want that but more I want the good gearing I have and to strengthen my trans for increased reliability.
OR
Should I give up on my trans and buy and build up a big spline. I don’t wanna spend the coin on a hydro conversion, I’d rather find a ys1 trans and drop synchros/LSD etc into it vs if I did hydro I’d want an ITR trans…
Side note I do have an opportunity to buy a 92 LS with a stock motor/trans and an eBay turbo kit cheap because the car needs rings, this would be a trans that I’d do an FD swap too on top of synchros, replace the turbo or at least rebuild it with better parts and have a turbo teg, then rebuild the motor from the donor car and my small spline trans to drop that into my commuter CRX that currently needs a new motor swap anyway.
PS Colin still haven’t done the suspension yet due to the trans making noise, I have a new job now that I can get a good price on the Koni’s or Bilsteins but I don’t think we have a direct link on the GC’s unless I can order thru Eibach.
Unfortunately I can’t help in regards to building your old trans. I’m not sure if the big spline transmissions fixed the issue you’re having or not. But seems to me that you shouldn’t be having that issue so quickly with so little use. Patrick (Tnd2ndgen) had a small spline trans and put it through tons of abuse and as far as I know the internals were stock apart from being rebuilt and having a Cusco (I think) LSD.
Personally I don’t think the small spline transmissions are worth messing with, I wouldn’t put any money into it unless your other options just don’t make sense. I’m not sure what your budget is, but what about using the YS1 case from that car you mentioned, find an ITR trans (they’re actually pretty affordable compared to how expensive they used to be) and then throw those gears into the YS1. With the age of these cars you have to assume any used trans you buy (YS1) will likely need work, or at least need work in the near future. But you should be able to find a lowish mileage ITR trans that doesn’t need work a little more easily. To me if I were looking for a new trans I’d be weighing my options between 1) Find a GSR YS1 to rebuild; or 2) Find a good condition ITR to swap into a YS1 case. Which option is easier or cheaper just depends on what you can find out there for sale and what work you’re able to do yourself. The benefit to the ITR is that it already has LSD, which if you want to add it to a YS1 just means you’re adding more cost (ITR LSD goes for about $350 I think currently).
Regarding the suspension, can you not order directly from GC? What about buying used? There’s a Canadian member right now selling his Koni/GC setup: http://forums.g2ic.com/showthread.php?219368-Time-Attack-Integra-Part-Out!!! The spring rates are pretty aggressive so you would likely want to consider changing those. With the top hats that look to be included his price is pretty good so long as there aren’t a lot of miles on them (those spring rates are a bit high for the stock valving). I’d also inquire and make sure you know what valving is on them (in case he had them rebuilt or they’re RACE valving) as well as what chassis they were originally for.
I haven’t put a big spline in my car yet, just I’ve heard the small spline is more prone to issues. I wouldn’t say it’s been a little use, I drive the car daily, and very hard. In one of the worst cities for bad traffic in North America. A dozen or so track days where I definitely pushed the car for longer than I should have each time. Toasting brakes, cracked rotors, 2 sets of tires plus even some winter rally stuff so even in the winter the car was driven hard and the only problem seems to be the one bearing that I don’t know what quality the bearing was that replaced the original. I bought a trans that had been “rebuilt” but really they just opened the case, swapped out the bearings and seals and put it back together. Had a slight 3rd grind right away so I replaced the synchros and as much of 3rd as was available from synchrotech last year. I also replaced the clutch with an OEM spec Exedy at that time. All this is why I don’t really wanna get rid of this trans, but I can use it later for my other car anyway. Fix it, mate it to either a stock B18a/b or B16 and drop that into my 1G CRX and it should be a good combo for that car which won’t ever be raced anyway.
Given your advice and my current options, I think I agree and will most likely buy the turbo teg tomorrow (I have to actually look at the car first) and then either find an ITR trans or just swap out the internals for built/aftermarket stuff.
Back to suspension I’d really rather go with new stuff than used. That one example in particular being I don’t wanna buy used struts that I could get new for a good price with springs I’m gonna want to replace anyway. I might even just get struts and a little stiffer springs matched accordingly and transfer over the sleeves I have on the car now. Also one good thing about my current tokico/sk2 combo I have now that I forgot to mention before is that I have extended top hats in the rear and sk2 top hats from an old 1st gen set of pro S coilovers I had long ago with polly bushings so I’m not too worried about that part either.
Again thanks for your input, it’s valued as always.
As per my recommendation you should get a 92+ installation if you can. Then just choose whether you want brief or long gearing and start looking for one at a reasonable cost.
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I couldn’t find a cable tranny any where… So I bought a whole parts car instead… WAYY cheaper than buying a hydro and buying a conversion on top of it. Plus i have TONS of spare parts… Just my .02
Parts cars are great to have