missing 2nd gear at high rpm / WOT
 

For some reason I feel as though a successful 1->2 shift at wide open throttle in the 6k+ region is virtually impossible in my car. I have grinded a few times and often im simply locked out unless I grasp the shifter like a madman and force it way harder than I feel I should.


I've never had this issue on my previous cars... Is there a reason for this? Is this normal?


inb4 learn to shift, noob :rolleyes:

Can't say I have the same issue, I'm no expert but when I'm driving aggressive like fast and the furious style I tend to shift like it

You should be able to get it in the gate without a problem. I've never missed it going into 2nd though. Maybe you just need some practice? The 1-2 shift is always tricky. If you're getting locked out, maybe it's your footwork.

Same thing happened on my car. Started at about 8k miles. Got tranny replaced under warranty at 14k. Bad 1st > 2nd Synchro. No issues since.

Does not sound normal. I have no issues doing so in mine.

Single synchros are going out. I get the same trying to accelerate hard. I thought it was me at first, but then did a double-synchro test: Go to 2nd and run high to rpms (6K range) then shift to 6th. If it grinds, that's your primary indication. Next to go will be 5th, then fourth. All the synchros will soon fall and getting the dog gear up to speed will be a chore for any gear at high rpms. I'm still waiting on my warranty replacement transmission because of this. Only a few people I've talked to here have experienced this.

I have this issue too , but that shouldn't be a surprise

So warranty covers this? im at 24k miles so i wanna make sure its done before 36k

:confused: why wouldnt this be a suprise?

Yes it does cover it.

Yep. I'm getting a new transmission when the dealership gets one in. It's 'drive-able' until then. Did you try going from 2nd directly to 6th? That's the easiest indicator if the issue.

:iagree:

1-2 shift at high RPM has always been a pain since the 350Z. I get locked out half the time. I literally have the pedal to the floor, and every attempt getting into the gate would grind until the revs fall low enough for it to slip in.

My newest transmission is doing well so far, though. The last one would also lock out in the 2nd-3rd shift. But I can achieve no lift shifts with the latest one. Fortunately, this is something I don't need to do often.

I haven't noticed this issue. Hoping this isn't a common thing? I have noticed that when the trans is cold and I do a quick 6 to 5 downshift, it grinds. If I go slowly, no issues. Dealer, of course, said it's normal...

It is notorious for Nissan sports cars to have Tranny issues in the first 1-2 years of a new car even as similar as the 350Z to the 370Z was still had issues with the 2009 to 2010 370z.

My 350z had a tranny replaced at 15k miles it was built in 2002 so it was one of the first 350z's made... My 2004.5 (made in July 2004 so was the 2004.5 model with revised tranny) no problems and had that for 60k.

My assumption like above is your synchro was toast.. it wasnt your driving.
New tranny, clutch etc will be done under warranty.

I'm 100% sure that if I go from 2nd to 6th at any rpm it'll grind, heck if Im not sure to rev match the shift into 6th, it WILL grind. Question is, how do I get nissan to replace the trans? Especially because Nissan has to replicate such "problem". What do I have to tell them to look for?

Here's the thing you can't bring a random intermittent problem into Nissan.. Here's the good news (well sort of) your synchros won't get any better. My 03 transmission issue started with a slight grind and this was sitting in a parking lot clutch all the way in not moving!the synchro got worse by the day...

So that being said you have 2 options kill the synchro... Power shift the crap out of that tranny or wait until it goes because if it isn't good now it will only get worse every shift

I also find 1st-to-2nd shifts a little on the tricky side in the Z, but for different reasons I think than the OP. The gear sometimes grinds slightly before slotting in, and clutch re-engagement is sometimes a little rough, even though I've never had issues with previous cars. Ironically, I find that the car shifts to 2nd better at higher RPM (4.5k+) than at lower RPM (~3.5k) - almost like it was designed to be driven harder. I'm only at 22k on an '09. Drove a friend's brand new Nismo the other day - shifts a lot smoother than mine.

You kind of got it know the RPM to shift. After 4 yrs I got used to it, but at lower RPMs is more difficult to find that 2nd gear for sure...

That should be cover under the Powertrain Warranty even after 3yrs or 36K

Again, Nissans first to 2nd years of a new car even just the car being basically a revised 350z always have tranny problems. Personally I have been driving a 350z/370z for 11 years now so shifting this car is super easy to me and have never grinded. Only issue was my 03 Z (built 2002) that had a bad transmission but it was in and out in 2 weeks with a new transmission replacement.

FYI for all with that notchy tranny feeling... Change your fluid to Amsoil transmission fluid and it will be 100X smoother. If your tranny is going let it go and replace the fluid as soon as you can.
I ran this in my 350z and the notchy 1st-2nd was like butter after!!

7500 miles on the 2012 here. Started noticing slight notchyness in 3rd/4th, and going into 6th. No grinding, just doesn't glide into the gate like it did when new. Going to change out the MT fluid to redline mt-85 in the next week or so (will do the diff while im at it). We'll see if that smooths things out. More importantly, i'm hopeful it'll take care of the whining noise heard in lower gears and nonhighway speeds.

As for shifting 1-2 at or near redline, keep in mind you're asking alot. The rpm difference between the two gears for the same speed is some where along the lines of 3000 rpm. So unless you're letting them drop by that amount, the syncro's are have quite a bit of spin down to do.

Going hard from 1st into 2nd I started getting a grind the last few weeks, but it'd still go into gear (no lock out). What I found is that I was not to the floor with the clutch before going into second and letting the clutch out again. If I take a split second to make damn sure the clutch is to the FLOOR and then go into second I have no problem. Anyone else notice this? I'm just hoping it doesn't get worse! I know I just have to pay more attention as well...

I sometimes get grind (or a crunch) going from 1st to 2nd when doing full acceleration and its caused by shifting a bit to fast for the synchro's. If you shift a bit slower you will probably be ok. I don't ever have this problem with anything but 1st to 2nd.

See the freaking point is we're driving a sportscar and a 1->2 shift in a very quick fashion is ridiculously important, when we decide that we need it.


To make an automatic tranny that shifts in under 100ms is no problem, but to come up with a synchro that would let us do the same by hand is too difficult?

I swear to god once i'm done with grad school in 3 years I will do my PhD research on this or something :rofl2:

Definitely takes some getting used to over time, but also feel like there's little else I can do to improve my technique. It happens especially when running cold - low-rpm shifts, quick or slow - into second, with the clutch firmly depressed, just seems to clunk into gear, with an occasional grind. But not serious enough for me to take it to Nissan. And it doesn't seem to have gotten any worse in two years. I've just learned to live with it. Because Nissan, right?

Mine will sometimes be a pain from first to second but here and there its smooth as butter and I'll tell you, yes it's the transmission, not my driving skill.

You hop in a Carrera and go from first to second at redline with confidence it's just smooth as butter every time.

remember the op is saying high RPM shifts. At the drag strip it had some trouble, around town normal driving... Never.

Same here, normal town driving 1-2 shifts no problems, ever. Redline 1-2 it grinds, yes clutch is all the way to the floor. Every other gear shifts nice and smooth even at redline.

Is everyone here having this problem pre 2011 for build date? My 2013 tranny is very smooth and I can power shift in any gear with a super smooth shift no issues.

My 350z tranny I could do the same I did notice before changing the fluid in this car when it was not warmed up yet 1st to 2nd was notchy but never a grind. After amsoil fluid it was smooth as butter.

I think it's a "less-than-.05%" issue for all the transmissions. The grind is very harsh, almost like trying to no-clutch shift when the RPMs are way off from the transmission speed. Imagine a 15yr old trying to drive a standard for the first time. That kind of grind. If you give the dog gear time to spin up (which it shouldn't have to with synchros, you can smoothly shift into gear. But, that delay is a couple second or longer. Trying to track the car would be impossible at that shift rate.

NOTE: I got a call today while I was replacing a RAID controller on an old failing server :shakes head:. My transmission just came in. The service Mgr expects a 1 day install. So, dropping it off tonight after work - hopefully picking it up on Thursday. Woot! :tup:

When I see people post 'shift slower' I hear, "you have a sports car, but don't accelerate as hard as if it were a true sports car". I've taken out a 2009 and 2010 from a dealership after mine started acting up and the another dealership said 'it's normal'. I couldn't replicate the issue on the others, and I drove them harder than I do my own. I took the Service Mgr out for a drive in mine, chewed up some gears from 1st to 2nd under hard acceleration, "shift slower", he said. I pulled over and stared at him for at least 15 solid seconds, then pulled back out. I wanted to ask him if he was drunk, but held my tongue. I shifted slower, from 6500 RPM in 2nd (approx. 45mph or so) to 6th with a full 1 second delay. Same horrible grinding. "Oooooh. That's not right", he said.

"Not normal? You sure?" - I asked in a very demeaning tone.

(I'm an @$$ most of the time)

Its not normal... My 04 350z and my 2013 370z DONT DO THIS.

Also some of you may have purchased one that someone test drove it and grinded the crap out of the gear and ruined it before you took ownership...

I bought my Z with 7 miles and NO ONE drove it besides me so its smooth as butter.

09, 21k miles here and I get the 1-2 grinding under hard acceleration also.

I bought mine from an individual, but don't think his driving was the culprit. I think it was a bad tolerance in the synchros. It seems to occur around 20-30K miles in only a handful of Zs. Mine started around 23K. If it was because of that poor synchros tolerance, we would expect the lot of sychros to wear about the same based on the use (mileage and number of shifts). The pattern is weak, but there.

Mine's in the dealership today getting a whole new transmission under warranty. :tup:

My 2011 does not do this. However, I think it's worth mentioning that these transmissions don't like to be hurried.

I'm about to go to lunch so I can test this real quick.

UPDATE: Yeah, I was able to confirm that mine doesn't grind, just a swift sound of the gear lever.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7421/8...b8c775a5_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/8...1c34b32d_b.jpg

Out with old, in with new...shiny clean and about ready to roll!

This is very interesting. Would you provide more detail about this test going from 2nd to 6th? What does it do internally? Is this test applicable for any manual trans?

Thx.

:shakes head:

AT > MT no missing gears.

CVT > AT ..no gears..

Yeah, this transmission is not fast on the intake. I'm thinking carbon synchros would help if they have that option for them. When you are stomping the car, even if you let go of the gas before the shift and back into the shift, the person who pointed it out before was correct, the synchro doesnt catch up in time and in return scratches slightly. You have to wait for the rpm to go down to match the gear depending on mph and what gear you are switching to is what rpms match the gear if that makes sense. However, i never scratched doing fast shifts into any other gears. It seems only a 2nd gear thing.You'll just to have to have patience during the time of adrenaline and remember to slip it in a little later. Sometimes you can fast shift into 2nd but it seems a very risky gear to make it seem like you have an automatic transmission. If you do power shifting, its probably worse. I wouldn't know though

This use to happen to me on the 1 > 2 shift about 80% of the time. I've switched to Redline transfer case fluid and the issue is gone. I can shift as fast as my arm will let me and it doesn't grind.

Did you mean transmission fluid? I wasn't aware of a transfer case on the 370z unless you mean the synchro rev match thing that i didnt get. I always thought transfer cases were for 4wd and awd. If thats the case, I'll change the transmissions fluid this pay day.