Yea sorry to post this but im having a fit right now thinking about it. My tranny is being annoying and its freaking me out. I get lke a clunk going into third not neccasarly a grind but like a nice notch and i can feel it in the shifter too im at 48,000 miles. so i was wondering is it gonna start to grind? i searched and i came up with the explanatiopn that my transmission is short? put it this way as i shift to third from second its as if i have a midget hitting my shifter with a metal rod in the gearbox or its like i pass through a gate when i go into third and it feels like its blocked but it goes through with a heavy notch. best i can describe it lol

 

What year is your Z? There have been tranny issues on the earlier models. I would have your dealer check it out if you are still under warranty.

 

I get that feeling with my '06 base occasionally as well. Just a loud clank pushing the shifter into 3rd with significant resistance. I also think it isn't a typicial grind. Anyone help?

 

Mine is an 03 every thing else feels fine tranny wise no grinds not notchiniess just thr third i was concerned thinking ti will lead to the third grinding so im not sure what to expect i was also thinking maybe its my synchro. so im thinking two things go to the dealer and get it checked out and maybe get a new tranny or just get a new synchro if thats the problem.

 

My 03 is at the dealer right now having the tranny looked at because of the same thing. I'm also getting a grind going into 5th and 6th and then back down to 5th and 4th but only when I'm into it. I'll try and post back when I hear from them

 

Makes a crunching noise during 1-2 shift. It is worse when engine/tranny are cold, but still does it a little once warmed up. All other gear changes are good.

Really makes me uneasy about making the 1-2 shift.

I'll be having the dealer look at it when I take it in next.

 

I have a 2006 and while my 2nd-3rd shift feels good (slightly notchy, but not so smooth that it feels like a honda civic, and not too notchy), it is my 1st-2nd shift that bothers me. I get a significant 'thud' that I can both feel and hear when I shift 1st to 2nd, not to mention it is notchy as hell. I have done some research and while it seems that this is 'normal', I'm not sure if I would call it acceptable. Unfortunately it is probably one of those things I will just have to live with. I just really don't like having to pull on the shifter as much as I do to get into 2nd from 1st. Come to think of it I believe the shifter moves much more freely from 3rd to 2nd than from 1st to 2nd, so my issue is specific to the 1-2 shift.

 

Do you get the thud all the time? I notice that sometimes it just slides into gear ridiculously smoothly and others it gives me more grief than my gf during her period. Is it normal for this to be intermittent?

ChiShi

 

The 03 6MT's are well known to be a potential problem. there are several people I know on their second or third tranny.

 

Yea i get the thud. weird though i went to a 350 meet today in miami and cruising on th highway about 45 minute drive i rode it i n sixth for a long time good 30 mins or so hitting up to 121 and i noticed that after all that driving the transmission felt as if i was shifting through a pool of oil with not gearbox thats how smooth it was weird i dont know but pretty much everyhting is fine i guess im happy with it so far hopefully it stays the same.

 

^ yeah Ive noticed that too. After driving it for a while, or driving it hard, it shifts smoother for some reason. Maybe because the fluid heats up and it just shifts smoother I duno.

 

I notice the same thing. After I drive on the freeway in 6th gear for a long time, it shifts like butter. I bet its the temperature as well.

As for the 3rd gear clunk issue, I feel this as well with my 05' 35th Anniv. I have no grinding in any of the gears, but every so often when making the 2-3shift, it feels like there is this notchy clunk when you engage 3rd, almost like a single gear tooth hits momentarily. Its not a grind at all, but as the original poster said, it feels like somebody taps the shift rod with a piece of wood underneith the car... I know thats a strange explanation, but it really feels like a dull clunk as if something hits the shifter momentarily under the car. Since so many people say they feel this same thing going into third, I think its normal. My 05 has done it since day one, and it hasen't gotten any worse, so I think its just fine.

 

Yea your right it does feel like it hits a tooth lol and since you said you have had the problem from day one and it hasnt gotten worse then i suppose its some what in the acceptable range for me and makes me feel better hoping that it doesnt get worse thanks.

 

Mine acts exactly the same! It's just the 1-2 shift especially when cold I have to shift slowly or it will crunch/clunk like it's slow to align the syncros. All other gears are fine. I wonder if it's the oil viscosity, since it gets better when heated from a long drive in top gear.

 

Dude i have the EXACT same problem.. SAME 3rd GEAR ...i called the nissan dealer and he told me to bring it in. it sounds like a synchronizer problem, but i've read up on this and ALOT of people are having new trannies put in by the dealers. MOST Z's come with a 60,000 mile warranty.. BRING THAT SUCKA IN! mine has 55k so i'm ECSTATIC i get to bring it in.

 

Maybe but just how thin does the oil get i also noticed today that after redlining and driving hard its smooth too so i guess it is the viscosity when it heats up kinda weird and if this is the case can it be a synchro issue? makes me wonder,

 

Has anyone here tried a less viscous fluid (thinner) than the oem. I know people usually go redline or royal purple, but I think they use the same viscosity. If the oil heating up and thinning out is the reason it shifts smoother, then maybe starting off with a thinner oil might help, or hurt?

 

Yea i read all about it im swithcing to redline trans an diff oils this week. yea but thinner will also find leaks quicker especially qhen you run hard. and especially in the difs when it heats nice an high it just starts to leak