Hi all, I picked up an 03 touring 6 speed a year ago with 71k. Before this car, i had an 04 mustang gt convertible 5 speed and 04 civic 5 speed. My Z seems relatively harder to shift then I'm used to compared to my mustang or even my 04 civic as far as getting the shifter into a gear. I can't tell if Z's are all like this, or if it is my car specifically. My gears don't grind, slip, or miss, and every shift seems to require an equal amount of force to get into, but it feels like I have to put more force into each shift then my mustang or civic required. Is it normal to feel like you have to use a little muscle and pop it into each gear, or are most z's easy and require almost no force? Seems odd to me that every gear requires the exact same amount of muscle if there was a problem, but this is why I'm here. In a perfect world, i'd like each shift to be smooth and instant, yet I feel like I have to push/pull harder then an optimal amount. I'm 6'0 230 lbs, and if I feel like i have to put a little effort into shifting, something is probably wrong..but with all gears requiring the same effort, I'm lost on this. Should I just buy a new transmission on ebay, or is this normal? Sucks since I have only put about 4k on it since I bought it. I appreciate all responses Thanks.

 

Are you saying you have to apply more force to the clutch pedal when shifting or applying more force to the actual shifter? I am confused as to what you are asking?

 

No, clutch is perfect. It's actually putting the car into each gear. For example- putting it from 1 into 2 isn't buttery smooth- I don't hear any bad noises at all, it just feels like I have to use some muscle to do the switch, unlike my previous rides. I want a "bam second" or "bam third", etc- not a "I have to think about pulling/pushing" into gears. Not sure if popping between gears is as intended or if it's liquid smooth for "normal" cars. By "muscle", i'd say on a scale of 1 being no force at all and 10 being almost impossible to switch, my car is like 3-4ish.

 

All three MT Zs I drove before I bought one with the 5AT were very easy to shift and buttery smooth. Keep in mind that I hadn't driven a stick shift for years when I drove them, but I do have a lot of experience with MT. A lot of it was in '78 and '85 Zs.

I'm wondering if your clutch is disengaging all the way, either because of mis-adjustment or driving technique. That would make the synchronizers work harder and would increase the shift effort.

 

I tend to have this problem as well. Very notchy shifting. Will be following thread, hopefully someone can help

 

Get a new clutch. Plenty available at reasonable prices.

 

Look into changing your fluids...I've heard this makes a world of difference.

 

Yep change your transmission fluid to something like Amsoil or anything synthetic really. Then flush and service your clutch fluid. If that doesn't fix it then let me know.

 

This could also be due to a worn pressure plate. I just picked up an 03 with 70K+ miles and had the same issue. It got worse as the car was ran longer. I bought a new CC clutch kit and as I took the old out RPS out, it was missing two tooths on the pressure plate. I also replaced the tranny fluids with synthetic Mobile 1and it shifts like butter now. Third is a little tricky but it is 99% better than what it was. Hope this helps.

 

I have a 03 that was like that so I swap the transmission and got the cd009 transmission.. works great now got the nismo short shifter and a fat boy (TK) shift ****, smooth as hot knife through butter (red hot knife). Just like others have said, change the fluids and get a heavier shift ****.. like the Tommy K. shift ****... Z1 has them coming in mid may, i think...

 

Have an 06 with Fresh synthetic fluid in trans and clutch fluid flushed and bled. 2nd is near impossible to get into when the trans is cold, unless I run first out 3400-3600rpms, then shifts perfect once warm.

 

your syncros may be going bad, one thing you can try is redline synthetic transmission fluid.

 

make sure you have the right weight of gear oil(75-90). I heard you need to use a gl-4 spec fluid also, which can be harder to find. but I don't know if the higher end synthetic oils(royal purple, redline) make a difference on the fluid spec.

 

Mine is hard sometimes too, if I dont press the pedal to the right point. There is a safety feature on our clutch pedals that require the clutch to be fully depressed to go into gear, and there is actually a couple write ups on fixes for such a problem, as well as a fix you can buy from someone. it puts a spacer at the bottom of the pedal on top of the existing pedal stop. As winchman said it could be an adjustment issue, or driving style, but if your 6" your prolly not having an issue pressing the pedal far enough, it could also be a worn pressure plate/friction disc..

 

I get the same with 2nd gear it feels like i have to put more force into it i already swapped out the fliuds with amsoil and didnt notice the differences i took it to the dealer and the tech said it was fine and i even went along and it looks like he was putting some muscle into it but didnt admit to it He said to push my tranny to see if it worsens because i have warranty until the end of the year Im going to throw in a new clutch an flywheel and then going back for a new tranny

 

I've heard that a short shifter can help with these issues. I know the EvoX guys have a whole slew of problems with notchy transmissions and grinding gears. They all swear by doing a synthetic tranny fluid flush and then getting a TWM Performance shifter. I know that they (TWM) just released one a few days ago for the 350Z so I'll probably be picking it up because I'm having a few of the same problems.

I'll make a thread about how it turns out. Here's a link to their sale thread on the forum:

https://my350z.com/forum/drivetrain/...7-_______.html

I'll probably be ordering today. I've heard a couple good things about their products, so i figure it's worth the try.

 

I had that issue on mine a couple o fyears ago and it ended up being the clutch was bad.

 

Just a couple tips, generally Nissan's like GL-4 fluid because of the Nissan syncros get worn away by GL-5 fluid. Also when buying your fluid if it is having shifting issues, don't buy the highest end racing fluid because your transmission will continue to shift hard when its cold. Racing tranny fluid operates at higher temperatures for racing conditions so any synthetic fluid would be perfect.

Hope that helps you guys out bit!