I am taking a manual tranny course right now and can offer
some of the book and ASE test answers, backed up by what I
saw in lab.

Having to be real careful when letting up on the clutch
pedal in order to get smoother shifting strongly suggests to
me that your Civic needs a clutch job: New friction disc,
pressure plate, release bearing. Also possibly resurfacing
of the flywheel.

You can try checking the linkage bushings and pivot points
shown at the link below, and performing the gearshift cable
adjustments shown. Replace the bushings as needed, or apply
light oil. I would not be optimistic this is going to help.

http://media.honda.co.uk/car/owner/m...2sf100/8-3.pdf

The engine mounts, if worn, can change the effective length
of the clutch or gearshift cables and so cause problems.

Other causes are internal to the tranny, but these tend to
be less likely than simply needing a clutch job.

For your reference: The Honda OEM MTF is also said by others
to give smoother shifting.

100k miles is a good lifetime for a clutch, though this may
vary a lot from one driver (and driving locale, etc.) to the
other.

My 91 Civic has 180k miles on it, original clutch.

I had a Nissan whose clutch gave up at 115k miles.

"Me" <help@yahoo.com> wrote
> Hello,
> I have a '97 Civic that I bought recently. It has a 5 spd
> tranny. If I am reeaally careful letting the clutch out,
> I can make it shift smoothly. Shifting like I have any
> other car I've driven tends to be kind of rough and jerky.
> It has 100K miles on it. After I bought it, I changed the
> manual tranny fluid with the Honda fluid and noticed a big
> difference although it is still sensitive. I think that
> this was the first time that it had been changed. Would
> it be worth changing again to flush out the rest of the
> crap that may be in it? Are there any adjustments I can
> make to the clutch? Lastly, any other thoughts on why this
> is? Other than that and a vibration that I think comes
> from a heat shield when cold, it is a great car.
>
> Thanks,
> Bob
>