No Gearbox Chatter?
 

There are multiple threads on here with 370z owners stating they have problems with the new z's transmission, especially 1st gear and some claim 2nd also.

I have a 350z with about 46000 miles on it and I'm trading it in on a Base 6mt with Sports Package. I'm actually supposed to be calling the dealership right now to put the deposit down on it but im not doing anything until I feel somewhat reassured that this transmission won't make all this "noise" everone is talking about. I watched the vid posted on here and the sound was horrible. I won't buy if I know I have that to look forward to.

So the question is....

IS THERE ANY 370Z OWNERS WITHOUT TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS???!!!
(and have enough miles on it to have a legitimate testimonial)

no problems here!!! it comes down to shifting technique... I have 5000 as of today and the only instances I have had is when I am power shifting and I shift to hard and not smooth or I let the clutch out just slightly too early. I think alot of guys complain about the transmission having a problem from 1st to 2nd. We have a strong transmission so i would take these issues like a grain of salt.

also the only thing I can hear noise wise is a slight rattle but that is occasional... nothing that should deter anyone from buying the car... its a sports car dangit its supposed to make noises!!!

i'm one of the guys who has the gearbox chatter.. all in all, if i were you i wouldnt let that deter me from buying the car. It's just a noise and not a performance issue. i've had other cars do this in the past and never had a problem come from it.

like bullit said.. "it's a sports car.." drive the crap out of it and have fun and you wont worry so much about the gearbox noise.

It's just noise. It's a loud transmission... don't worry about it.

No issues here. Just normal noises that a sports car should produce.

Absolutely NO problem here! "Clunk" and shift knob vibration is still there like the 350Z but that's totally normal for this transmission. You're going to LOVE the SRM! :driving:

Like some were saying, there is the occasional "clunk" for second gear. But it's nothing that should deter you from getting the car.

Thanks for the feedback guy's.

Im not worried about the shift "clunk" im used to the from my 350, i just dont want that first gear "chatter".
I had the nismo LSD in my 350, until I took it out before the trade in, and i am so sick of the chatter noise its not even funny.

Ok I think im convinced. Faxing my paystubs to Penfed (Thanks AK for the info on that), putting the deposit down and picking her up the week of the 22nd.

Pearl White Base 6mt Sports!!!!

It sounds weird, but I've changed my clutch pedal footwork habit. It definitely improves smoothness as well as reduce the clunk. I also try to rev it up higher, since it seems to like it ;-)

No issues here as well.

John

No issues. Changed my trans fluid to Redline, FWIW.

the chatter!!!! it plagues me!!!
 

so does anyone know why these things chatter like they do, and is it normal? mine only does it when its been driven for an hour or so, but it still does it. i'm ready to take it to the dealer and see why its making the noise, its annoying as hell.

Can you guys actually hear it from inside the car? Do your windows have to be down in order to hear it or anything like that?

negative
 

you can mainly hear it when you have the windows up and no a/c or radio on. theres a clip under the thread title: 1st gear noises, of a guy with a camera on the ground driving back and forth past the camera. thats exactly the noise everyone is talking about. its sounds like clutch chatter.

Right I watched that clip. But like you said, he has the camera on the ground. Well, I'm sure there may be plenty of subtle noises that are audible from outside of the car, esp. if we have our heads planted against the pavement. But I wouldn't worry about it unless you can hear it from inside the car as well. Now, from what you wrote above, I guess you can hear it inside if you have no a/c or radio on. So I guess the concern is justified. On the other hand, isolation from outside noise in general isn't this car's strong point. I guess take it to the dealer and see what they say. Who knows? If it's widespread enough of an issue, maybe they'll issue a TSB with a quick fix for their techs to perform.

so i'm guessing you aren't experiencing this noise at all?

Correct.

You know...it could be that my car does make this noise and I'm just so used to it that I don't 'hear' it. Sports cars tend to make noise. My350Z was way worse because I had a lightweight flywheel in it. Coming from that, the 370 sounds positively quiet. Point being, there's an element of subjectivity in this. I don't know if this is your first sports car or maybe just the latest in a long line of them. But there's a chance that we could listen to each other's cars and find out they sound exactly the same. You'd be like 'There! Can't you hear that??' And I'd be saying 'What? Hear what?'

next time your driving for a minute roll the windows up and see if yo hear it, (no a/c, or radio). I would just like to know if there is anything to worry about. The dealership always feeds you b/s when theres any kind of issue regarding warranty. now if you bring a car in that doesn't have a warranty on it suddenly they have all this knowledge on common issues the car has and expensive solutions. gotta love it.

I already did this. Didn't hear anything. But keep in mind that my car is pretty well modded already, so my exhaust note may have drowned out any flywheel noise.

Btw, how many miles do you have on your Z?

just pushed past 2400. the wierdest thing about it is the car only does it when i've been driving it for a nice minute. its done it since i've bought it. i was concerned because i ran throught the gears pretty nicely a couple time when i first got it, but too many people are having this issue. and the majority of them say that it only does it when the car has been driven for a lengthy time.

Is it just a sound issue? Or can you actually feel it as well?

I'm thinkin its just a sound, not possitive. I'm actually getting ready to go get some food. I'll post a reply in about half an hour and let you know. Thanks for all the feedback. Its funny it seems like your online everytime I am.

yeah I think its just a sound. it didn't chatter really when I was driving it earlier, but i didn't drive it that long either. i don't think the pedal vibrates or anything when it chatters, it just chatters.

Well, unless the sound suddenly gets a lot worse, or you can start feeling it, I wouldn't stress over it. One thing you need to keep in mind is that in the case of flywheels, there isn't a simple correlation between the way it sounds and whether or not it's functioning correctly. I upgraded the flywheel to a JWT lightweight flywheel in my 350. That thing sounded AWFUL. I mean, from outside the car especially, it sounded like something was broken! But nothing was broken. It was functioning just fine, and the harsh noise was a simple byproduct of going lightweight. We're accustomed to thinking that something's wrong if it doesn't sound good, and 99% of the time, that's how things work. But flywheels are one exception to that rule. Bad sound doesn't necessarily equate to bad function in the case of flywheels (which is what I believe is causing the sound). So stop stressing and enjoy your Z! ;)

i hear ya. its my daily driver though so that kinda thing makes nervous what it will sound like after 50k miles. and trust me i still enjoy the hell out of the car. thanks for all the feedback guys.

f***ing chatter is driving me mad!
 

I've been reading up on a bunch of 350z forums that date all the way back to 2005, and apparently this was a major issue with the previous 350's as well. They ended up recalling the throwout bearing. Lots of guys still complained of the same chattering even after the recall. I'm gonna take mine to the dealer and see what they say. I know I'm gonna push for them to warranty my clutch and transmission for the length of my loan. The car is fast, handles like its on rails, its comfortable, stylish, powerful as hell, and sounds like a dump truck pulling out from a stop light.

Why don't you take it to a transmission specialist like AAMCO and ask them to listen and give their opinion? I doubt they'd even charge you anything for what's really just a consult.

I don't think I've ever heard of them before. I'll have to look them up.

Really? They're a national chain. Oh well. Here's their site. AAMCO.com - Home (Transmission Repair, Transmission Service by Aamco. Car Repairs & More)

This link shows all their St. Louis locations.
AAMCO.com > Store Locator

so for the past few days i've been driving around with my srm off. no clutch chatter. how many of you guys with the clutch chatter issue keep your srm on all the time? and how many of you guys that claim to be having no issues with clutch chatter keep it off on a daily basis?

Mine stays on.

Man, compared to the 350Z the 370Z's gear box chatter will be all but non-existent. The 350Z had the noisiest gear box I've ever driven.

OP, I don't think you need to worry. The 370Z has so much more rubber insulation that even if it DOES chatter, you won't hear it.

Dont, i have never had anything but bad luck with AAMCO. Hell, they charged me $1600 for new transmission that only lasted a year before self destructing again. Go to the dealer unless you absolutely dont trust them.

i had some chatter when i was in 6th gear but i took it to the dealership and they fixed it

its not chattering going into any other gears, its just when i take off from a dead stop in first gear. it only does it when i've been driving it for an extended period of time. if i engage the clutch at 1300-1500 when its hot it won't chatter, but when its cold or i just haven't been driving it for more than an hour i can engage the clutch at 1000 or so without hearing any chatter, definitely not the case once its been down the highway to the store and back.

So don't engage so low. I never engage the clutch that low. I always engage right in around the 1200 rpm range. Keep in mind that these cars don't have a ton of low-end torque, which means you typically need to engage at a slightly higher rpm to get a crisp launch. I used to have an S2000 which was even worse. I had to engage at around 2200 rpm. It's all relative. What I mean is that there's no set 'correct' rpm to launch a car at -- it all depends on the car. If you're driving a car that has gobs of low end torque, then you launch with lower rpm. I'm beginning to think that this explains why I never hear this chatter. We have different driving styles! I don't want to outright say that your launch style is wrong, as we all have different styles. But try experimenting by adjusting your style to launch with a little more throttle. It might help. Worth a shot at least (?)

thats funny, i went over to my dads house today and of course he asked me how the new car is holding up. i told him great EXCEPT.......... then we got to discussing what, if all these people are having this particular issue, is causing this plague of a noise. and like i said when i first replied to this thread i come from mustangs and sbc's. i've always been a v8 guy. then we came to the conclusion that its probably the lack of low end torque that is our culprit. try taking off at low r's on a hill, it sounds like you have a jack hammer going off underneath your car. yeah i'm thinkin my take off rpm's are all wrong. i'm not driving a 400+ rwhp mustang anymore.

It all makes sense now. If that's your background, then yeah, you're going to be used to low rpm tip-in (otherwise you'd roast your tires). If you tried driving an S2000 you'd probably stall half the time. LOL. On the other hand, an S2000 driver getting into your old Mustang would probably fly off into the ditch!