Whenever I wanna do some spirited driving and shift fast enough to chirp the 2nd gear i find it's somewhat hard to pull into 2nd. It's like my box is sluggish for some reason, takes a lot of effort to shift fast. Is this normal?

I'm kinda thinking of taking another Z for a test drive and see how it goes, because I'm worried my gearbox might be ****ed. I have an 05 and as far as i know there aren't many with transmission problems, could it be my driving? I mean to put it in 2nd you don't need to be a genius but it seems i need to really slam it hard in order to make it in 2nd. When i'm standing still it's a lot easier too to fast shift in 2nd.

 

All these pageviews and no answer? Anyone else finding it hard to shift fast into 2nd?

 

How long have you had your Z? I had some problems with mine at first, and occasionally still do, but I haven't had any other problems with the tranny. These days my main problems with 2nd is that it's still a tight notch, and also, since the first two gears are much more aggressive than the remaining gears, downshifting from 3rd to 2nd often means the syncros have to pick up the slack ... a throttle blip like what I would do from 4th to 3rd or 5th to 4th is still not enough. When the syncros do your work for you, it tends to feel a bit sluggish. But I think that's normal.

Hope that helps.

 

When I first got my Z it felt like it took a lot of effort to shift relative to other cars I've had. I assumed it was normal and don't even think about it any more.

 

2nd gear is a little tougher to put into gear. I think it has to do with the soft motor mounts, when gunning it, going into 2nd will be tougher with the engine and tranny shifting around under hard acceleration (like drag racing).

 

I have had 2nd throw the stick back out a handful of times in two years. It has also grinded on spirited driving. Just doesn't like the hard shifts. I thought that the short-shifter fixed this 'problem' and I think Alberto said he doesn't powershift 2nd for that reason???

 

Funny I was thinking about Alberto when having this problem today, saw his drag video and was impressed how he could shift so fast with the stock tranny

 

Yes. My first to second gear shift is notchy. 30,000 miles on my Z BTW.

 

Welcome to Nissan 350Z's infamous 2nd gear Grind or Knochy or Clank issue.

 

Any way to fix it?

 

Weird today the shifting was a lot easier, didn't do anything since yesterday, just drove the hell out of it today and was a lot easier to chirp 2nd

 

yeah mine is the same.. i had the transmission replaced already but going into 2nd and 1 u have to slow down almost to a stop for it to even go into 1.. i use to be able to go into 1st very easy and rev match

 

I have an '05, I have the same problem, but once the car gets going, I have no problems. I have another American-made speedster at home, same problem. Hard to shift into second gear, I was told it is easier if I drive the hell out of it, which means drive at higher RPM before shifting.

 

If you're doing really quick shifts and let out the clutch before the lever is fully in gear, you'll probably experience some "hard shifts." Technique first, then speed.

 

I've had over 50 runs at the drag strip and man it's hard. I have the Rogue Engineering short shifter and a Nismo ****. This combination makes it even worse, I feel. Every other gear shift is great, minus the 1-2. I can shift faster in my friends' Z's with the stock shifter and shift ****.

 

I don't understand why bother with a short shifter if the shifting is worse. Also would lowering my clutch engagement point help?

 

Drag racing isn't the only thing I do. When I'm driving normally, it feels so much better than stock: shorter throw, precise engagement. Also, sometimes, my 1-2 shift is magically smooth. Though it's a rarity, sometimes it'll just slide perfectly into second without resistance.

 

i thought i was the only one T.T
i always ended up jerkin

 

I've had problems getting into 2nd ever since I first got the car.

The B&M short shifter made it A LOT worse. With the B&M, there would be moments where I was locked out of 2nd. I eventually put my stock shifter back on, and it's better now, but still a slight notchy at times going into 2nd. I guess some people have it worse than others.

 

When you're "Shifting Hard" you are most likely jamming the stick all the way to the left really hard as well. This impedes the motion of the shifting.

What you have to do is apply force *gently* to the left, then shift firmly, but smoothly, down into 2nd. It will slide right into 2nd like butter if you're not jamming it to the left.

It just takes practice, there's nothing wrong with the tranny (most likely). Just don't force it too hard.