Honda Element Owners Club banner
741 - 760 of 772 Posts
Anybody have 6th pop out of gear on acceleration? I am having that issue and clearances were good, motor/trans mounts replaced. running out of ideas... Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Hey All!
I’ve got to be honest, I have not read every post on this 38 page conversation on awesomeness!

I have a lead on a 2009 TSX 6 speed manual transmission, so Second Gen TSX and am wondering if it contains what I need to convert my 2008 Element SC to a 6 speed, as in break both transmission open and harvest parts from the 2nd Gen TSX to swap into the 5 speed MT E.
I see 2004-2006 TSX transmissions referenced for use everywhere but nothing about whether other years will work or not.

Thank you in advance for any help and I appologize if this has already been covered.

🙏🏼
 
I ended up receiving an answer to my question from a local K series builder. He says Yes it will work.
I haven't done it but I will update when the time comes so someone else will know whether or not a 2nd Gen TSX 6MT parts are usable for this purpose.
So I have the 2009 transmission in my possession now.
 
From what I’ve been reading, some people have just took the entire gear set and replaced as a set rather than popping off the 6th gear and adding it to the E gear set. I’m trying to find specs of the gear ratios of the 2 trans
 
Thank you for contributing Iyan.
I agree that would be easier but, I’m not interested in changing my 1-5 gear ratios to the TSX.
Here is what I’ve found for the 2009 TSX gearbox ratios from Acura’s site, not certain they are exactly the same for the entire 2nd generation.

Image


And then for my particular application 2008 SC Gear Ratios from Honda’s site:

Image


I know little about gear ratios but I would rather stick with what I’ve experienced in my vehicle and am happy with. It’s got great gearing to be peppy I just want it to calm down on the highway.

And I may as well throw the 1st gen TSX gear ratios on here from Acura's website to have them all together. I’m certain they are already in this thread somewhere.

Image
 
@CRV919 - I haven't done the 6speed conversion yet, but I did read through the various posts. There was a person out in Colorado that did the conversion and had trouble keeping the 6th speed from popping out while climbing a hill. He went back and checked the transmission fluid and it was indeed low, but I don't know if that permanently fixed his problem. If I run across thread I'll post it here....
 
Found this chart. 04-06 6th are very close.
1and 2 on years of this chart. The TSX have slightly taller gears so you’ll loose a little torque but could be more useful if paired to a K24a2. Higher top speed on 1&2 but 3-5 are the same and added 6th for better fuel efficiency.
View attachment 218898
Thank you for contributing Iyan.
I agree that would be easier but, I’m not interested in changing my 1-5 gear ratios to the TSX.
Here is what I’ve found for the 2009 TSX gearbox ratios from Acura’s site, not certain they are exactly the same for the entire 2nd generation.

View attachment 218897

And then for my particular application 2008 SC Gear Ratios from Honda’s site:

View attachment 218895

I know little about gear ratios but I would rather stick with what I’ve experienced in my vehicle and am happy with. It’s hot great gearing to be peppy I just want it to calm down on the highway.

And I may as well throw the 1st gen TSX gear ratios on here from Acura's website to have them all together. I’m certain they are already in this thread somewhere.

View attachment 218896
Image

After further research, the TSX 1st and second are shorter gears so ideally it be better if paired to a TSX and you could wind out those gears more with the use of Vtec, but being the element are taller, it’s more for Torque and which is better for AWD, larger wheels and tires and towing. How much of a difference or drivability it would affect take offs, I can’t for sure say.
 
Any new changes since the initial post? It looks like out of the big Honda/Acura partsnow websites only Acurapartsforless has most of the parts required?

My local junkyard has crazy prices but I'm sure I can find a 2009 tsx 6 speed transmission online if that's easier/cheaper and taking the -innards.
 
Any new changes since the initial post? It looks like out of the big Honda/Acura partsnow websites only Acurapartsforless has most of the parts required?

My local junkyard has crazy prices but I'm sure I can find a 2009 tsx 6 speed transmission online if that's easier/cheaper and taking the -innards.
I’m not sure what your parts yard is charging for a second gen TSX transmission manual transmission but mine was very economical. I did have to pull it myself of course.
The other option is to find a sub $1000 manual TSX entire car, pull the tranny and sell the rest back to a yard or part it out. 🤷🏽‍♂️
 
I’m not sure what your parts yard is charging for a second gen TSX transmission manual transmission but mine was very economical. I did have to pull it myself of course.
The other option is to find a sub $1000 manual TSX entire car, pull the tranny and sell the rest back to a yard or part it out. 🤷🏽‍♂️

$400-500, with the price for new parts at ~$900, again on Acurapartsforless. My junkyard is also skilled enough to take the one interior picture just above where the shifter would be so aside from decoding VINs, it's anyone's guess.
 
I also just bought a wrecked 5spd, awd element for parts off an auction site, and then found a wrecked one locally for half the price...
Wow! Well you could sell that second AWD Manual transmission for $1000 and recoupe some cash. Lots of potential there.
$400-$500 for the TSX trans is a bit steep but it is what it is if you want 6spd.
 
FYI, I purchased the TSX gearset from a seller on ebay - wozbi. He's in Cananda and often has drivetrain parts from Hondas and Acuras. My gearset came extremely clean.
 
@vtech92 thanks for the tip! Please let us know how the install goes. Did you purchase the just the gearset or the entire transmission with housing?
@SurfShack I did the conversion back in Oct '21. I purchased the gearset which included shifter fork for 5/6, new bearings, seals, etc. and reused the Element original shift forks (1/2 & 3/4), final drive/diff, and tranny housing - dropped right in. While transmission was out, I also replaced the clutch, flywheel, and rear main seal. 1.5 years later, no problems and still enjoying the chill 6th gear.

FYI, was speaking to a local Element 5sp driver and we compared gas mileage. I'm getting 23-24 mpg total and he's getting 20 or below so that's another benefit. Granted, his is AWD and mine is FWD but I guessitmate that I'm saving 2 mpg with a 6sp.
 
Anybody have 6th pop out of gear on acceleration? I am having that issue and clearances were good, motor/trans mounts replaced. running out of ideas... Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!
Did you find out why this was happening? I had this happen to my '01 PT Cruiser 5-speed and it was because the output shaft bearing had a blown cage. Was seriously considering a 6th gear upgrade for my E but if this pop-out is a known risk, I might not. In the case of the Honda MTX, when you swap in the 6th gear parts on each gear stack you also have to check that the end play is within factory spec and install new shims otherwise, axial forces across the two gear stacks can take advantage of the slop and pop the gear when under load.
 
@SurfShack I did the conversion back in Oct '21. I purchased the gearset which included shifter fork for 5/6, new bearings, seals, etc. and reused the Element original shift forks (1/2 & 3/4), final drive/diff, and tranny housing - dropped right in. While transmission was out, I also replaced the clutch, flywheel, and rear main seal. 1.5 years later, no problems and still enjoying the chill 6th gear.

FYI, was speaking to a local Element 5sp driver and we compared gas mileage. I'm getting 23-24 mpg total and he's getting 20 or below so that's another benefit. Granted, his is AWD and mine is FWD but I guessitmate that I'm saving 2 mpg with a 6sp.
You have to ensure that you both have the same driving habits. 80 MPH in either 5th or 6th gear will give you poor fuel economy because its the aerodynamic drag that matters the most at speeds above 30 MPH or so.
 
741 - 760 of 772 Posts