Transmission shifting problems
 

Hello all,

I just had a few questions about the transmission on my Z, sometimes it wont let me shift into first, second and fifth gear

i feel a notchy feeling when i am shifting and i have to force it into gear when i am shifting plus i just noticed today that my RPM is a little bit high when driving on the highway

usually when i am going 80mph, i am sitting @3000 RPM(according to gauge) but just today i noticed when i am going 80mph, it now sits a bit higher then 3000rpm(maybe 3100-3200rpm)

could my clutch be going out? when i bought the car, it was a certified preowned and i am not sure how the previous owner drove the car

i am not the best manual driver in the world, but i know i dont ride the clutch unless im hill starting on a steep hill which i dont do very often

thanks in advance for the help

I would think if your clutch is slipping at 80 MPH you could smell it. Try flooring it in 4th gear at very slow speed. If it is going, it will slip then.

The thing is, I'm not getting clutch slip what so ever.

It just gets really hard to put it into gear, even when the clutch pedal is fully depressed

If it was a clutch issue it would be that your clutch isn't fully disengaging.

Red Line Synthetic Oil - Gear Oil for Manual Transmissions - MTL 70W80 GL-4 Gear Oil

Could try that, help my altima 6 speed with a shifting issue. Is it when it is cold or all the time?

Its only happening when its hot, when it is cold, it shifts like butter.

Would different fluids void warranty? I'd hate to try the different fluids and have the warranty voided if it ended up being something else(like CSC or bad synchros or something)

i am having the same problem with my z right now. have you found a solution yet? i was thinking about flushing the clutch fluid.

I know it's been months since this was asked, but no. This is actually one of the few times the Magnussen-Moss act actually applies. It gets incorrectly thrown around for all types of warranty questions, but it specifically protects you from having warranty claims denied for using a different-than-oem yet still properly specced fluid, filter or other consumable.

Yes, quality synthetic fluid will result in smoother shifting. It doesn't cure problems though, so if your issue was mechanical in nature it would have no effect whatsoever.

I realize this is an older post... but
 

I also have had the grinding noise you are talking about. I have had 2 370's (both 2009, one base and one sport) and the first one I had would only grind in second gear. It was my first manual car so naturally all of my friends and mechanics chalked it up to user error. However, none of the other gears would do it.

On my second 370 I was so happy when it did not grind in second! I realized that it was not my driving but a problem with the other car. But my happiness was short lived when my 6th gear began doing the same thing. Slow speeds or fast speeds if I tried to shift normally it would grind. I finally had time the other day to take my car to the dealer. They did not find anything wrong with it so I asked if I could drive one of the techs because I knew I could reproduce it. I showed him and he agreed that it was not user error and that there was a problem.

I has been a day and a half since then and they just called me and told me they ordered a new transmission for me under warranty. From what I have read online (the tech seemed to agree) that for whatever reason the sixth gear syncro was not working correctly. I did a lot of research and this problem is by no means isolated. I just thought I would post my story, and express how completely satisfied with nissian's warranty. As soon as they saw there was a problem they began fixing it.

So this will make 3 transmissions in 2 cars so hopefully this one will not grind in any of the gears.

mine wont shift into first easily when its cold. i have found that it helps when you have your left foot FULLY FULLY depressed on the clutch. ive noticed some of my shifts get lazy and im about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the floor pedal wise, and those shifts usually are hard to get into and end up with an all around bad shift.

oh and getting into 5th and 6th at high RPM are a tad unnerving.

Well I make it a point to push the clutch to the floor. Also, I can shift into 6th from 2nd at 20 MPH and get the same result. I can reproduce my problem at any RPM and any speed. When I showed the tech I pushed the clutch so both of us heard the thud (from it hitting the floor). Like I said user error was ruled out, and many other people (including on this site) have had the same problem. The only way I found to stop the grinding into 6th was to double clutch and baby it in, but even then it is not always a clean shift. It is hard to prove that it is not user error without showing the problem in person lol. Like I said though, as soon as I get my new transmission in I will let you guys know if it has any problems.

Update!!
So i got my car back from Nissan last week. Bad news... It now feels like my first 370. Second gear is now a problem. Obviously it is not bad yet, but I can feel it catching going into second. So now that I am 3 for 3 for transmissions and so many other people are having thse problems I am windering why this has not been addressed yet...

I have the same issue. I have a 370z base model. When it's cold first and second gear are hard to get. Kinda have to force it into those gears. Once the engine warms up, the problem is gone. Has anyone found a fix for it yet?

Only fix so far is replacing the transmission fluid or a new transmission.

thanks bud. I'll have to take it in I guess

Just take note that a bit of resistance into 1st and 2nd is normal. My 1st transmission started grinding/crunching into 4th. I believe the syncros were to blame, but never got a real answer.