2nd gear clunk, rubbing, grind

spinhead

I know there have been a bunch of tranny threads but I can't really find one focused on what I'm experiencing. When shifting to second gear, at least 50% of the time it'll clunk. About 20% it'll clunk and I'll also feel rubbing through the shifter, like metal on metal, not pleasant at all. Sometimes it'll also grind. This is all when shifting first to second. When going third to second it behaves much better. Another thing I've noticed is that the problem is barely noticeable when the car is cold, but when it warms up it gets bad. Whether or not I granny the shift seems to make no difference.

I took it to a dealer, a tech drove it and then gave me the usual about how the tranny is clunky. They let me drive another Z, and while second gear on that one also clunked, I never felt the rubbing or grinding on that one. What can I do about this, it's really starting to piss me off.

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wafflesarefun

I noticed the clunk when shifting from 1st to 2nd a lot. It always happens to me when I'm at low RPMs or holding in the clutch for a while before shifting.

I've also noticed that sometimes when downshifting and the clutch is IN, it grinds so i put it in neutral and try again without releasing the clutch from the first time and it's okay. (this has only happened to me twice so far so I haven't really been worried about it).

bradcc

i'm also getting the grind/notch going from 1st to 2nd when cold in the morning going to work. it slowly gets better as the powertrain warms up. but this is getting annoying to the point that i'm afraid to shift into 2nd. I wonder how many more grinds can it take before the 2nd gear is gone?

The car only has 600 miles now, would it go away after the break-in? Or is it something that I need to live with? It's as if there is no syncro in the 2nd gear..

Cmike2780

What RPM are you shifting into 2nd? It helps to shift at a higher rpm. 4000-4500 rpm shifts are a lot smother the 2500-3000 rpm shifts. If you've researched this topic in other threads, I don't have to tell you how noisy this transmission is. All of the above are unfortunately normal for this car. If you experience any girding in 5th or 6th, have that checked out because it could mean a new transmission is in your future.

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bradcc

in the morning traffic in LA, i usually accelerate very smoothly and shift arouond 2000 rpm.. which is even more puzzling as I would expect grinding would occur in fast/power shifts but not my granny step-by-step shift in heavy traffic...

my 5th and 6th shfits fine. but i'm still in my break-in period so don't know yet how the tranny will behave when I push it hard

the AP1 S2000 I had got a lot of 1st->2nd grind as well when cold. but just not as much and as pronounced as in the Z..

daisuke149

Red Line MT-85 Transmission Fluid - Now Available at Z1

noticeable difference for me in terms of sound/clunk/smoothness.

fxroar

I had an 09 base no sport. Clunked all the time like your statement above. Same thing happened to me when I brought to dealer.. All they could say is "that's normal for that tranny". Funny enough.. I traded it for a 40th anniv. and there's absolutely no clunk. I have to try super hard (gunning the clutch at low rpm etc etc) and for the 3 months I've owned it and it has clunked 1 time. The metal to metal feel however is there and there is some grinding from 2-3rd gear.

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m4a1mustang

^ This

The 6MT is very noisy/clunky. Heck, even the Getrag MT82 in my Mustang, which is 100x smoother than the 6MT, still gets that hard/clunky 1-2 shift when the transmission is cold.



When I switched to Redline MT-90 in my Z it was noticeably smoother during cold shifts.

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StealthZ

I totally agree. Swap trans fluid man as soon as you can. For one I think Nissan didn't put a whole lot in mine but afte switching to redline MT-85 it is a lot smoother and gave a lot less NOise and vibration clunking etc...

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bradcc

I found out that the grinding only happens if I shift slowly. Ie. gently push the gear lever down, waiting for the rev to drop a bit and let the lever slide into the 2nd gear gate like I usually do.

However, I don't get the grind if I shift faster and push it into 2nd. Would this be bad for the synchro? I learned to shift slowly to avoid grinding on my S2000, but the z seems to like it hard...

Is it better to screw the synchro by shifting fast, or screw the gear by letting it grind?

The grinding goes away once the car warms up though.. it slides into 2nd gear effortlessly when the rev is in the right range..

daisuke149

honestly get the fluid changes.. its easily worth it!

chuckd05

go to another dealer.. Im begining to realize the deeler by me is VERY good with warranty work... the littlest complaints by me have all been answered and taken care of...

If theres clunking and grinding you should be entitled to a new transmission

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bradcc

do you remember how many quartz of MTF does the z need? not sure where I can find MT-85 in LA.. will probably need to order it online

daisuke149

the tranny I believe takes 3.1 quarts. so buy 4, dont just go with 3. you will need a hand pump to get it in there.

also you can order from here
Red Line MT-85 Transmission Fluid - Now Available at Z1

since you have a bit extra with the drain plug open. squirt a lil bit into the tranny and let it flow out. then close the drain plug and pump away.

spinhead

I guess I'll show it to the guys at Criswell Nissan. Also I plan on changing tranny fluid and differential fluid with the next oil change. Thanks.

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