Automatic transmission - delay in reverse
 

Need your opinion. Test drove a 2007 automatic 350z Roadster and after about a 15 minute run, I noticed that the reverse gear took about 2 to 3 seconds to engage. Felt weird and out of character. When I test drove two other Z's, 2005 & 2006, gear shifting between D & R was normal. Is this a sign of potential problems???

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Vitamin-Z

Moved...

There's shouldn't be anything wrong with it. It's random and quite typical of manual calls. It use to happen to me in my 5 speed Eclipse and Civic as well. Try putting it into another gear first, then reverse again when this happens. It should slide right in...

wait, is it manual or auto?

automatic transmission
 

It's an automatic transmission. The car was stopped and when I put it into reverse, there was a delay of 2 to 3 seconds before engagement. The dealer suggested that this was normal, but it did not feel right to me. I remembered with the other Z's I tried, the engagement was almost instant.

Thanks for your response! Any thoughts?

Its normal so dont worry about it.

I dunno. I've taken out a few loaners and never noticed it. 3 seconds is a long time.

Auto Tranny
 

Is it a sign that the tranny is on its way out?

Thanks all for the reply thus far.

The way I understand it, the shifter goes into the R position like it should, but nothing happens for several seconds. Right?

I'd be wary of that. No AT of any make I've ever driven has acted like that, and I'm sure my '08 Z has never done that either.

That's right. The shifter goes into "R", but there is a 2 to 3 second delay before I feel the actual engagement. I sense trouble and when I expressed concern to the Nissan dealer who is selling the 07 Z Roadster, they said they had it verified by a mechanic and it was "normal". Very uneasy feeling about the response and walked away from the deal.

I don't see how this could be normal, I wouldn't worry tooo much though unless this is happeneing with the gears as you drive

Normal has taken on a new meaning:

Anything a dealer doesn't want to fix until the car is out of warranty.

Not normal at all my friend. I had my tranny replaced and the old one tend to do that when it was hot. Fluids were all up to par mind you. But my new tranny takes less than a second so i would be a little concerned.

What's crazy is that the Z only has 40k miles on it. Must have been badly abused.

verify any AT problems.
 

Hey, good read for anyone that wants to verify any AT problems.

http://www.samarins.com/check/transmission.html

happens to me all the time. i have a 2008. if you shift into reverse and press the gas too fast the car studders. so you have to make sure it gets locked into reverse. it takes 1-2 seconds not 3 for me.

AT...
 

Interesting, so the 2 second delay that you experience is normal? Is it an intermittent symptom or do you feel that this could be a sign of potential AT problems in the near future?

was the tranny serviced anywhere in those 40K miles? Maybe it's about due...

Mine takes a second to lock in as well, but it's definitely not 3... Slower than a lot of others I have tried though in the car world. And like dmroberson said ^^ maybe it needs a fluid change, it makes a huge difference with fresh fluid honestly.

Going for it.
 

Hey all,

Thanks for your reply. The dealer performed a transmission flush and according the Nissan Service Manager, the delay of 2 to 3 sec is gone. I will go and test-drive it once more before making a final decision.

It’s nice to know that the Z community is strong.

Need that dose.

Regards,

Vitamin-Z

AT transmission delay issue
 

Good news, the AT transmission delay issue I felt was corrected with a tranny flush. The Nissan dealer performed a few verification tests and they concluded that the tranny fluid needed changing. Strange that the Z only has 40k miles on it and the oil needed to be flushed.

Well, needless to say, the delay in reverse is very little, however, the drive engagement is a little longer. All gears shifts nicely though.

I found that the 2007 model takes a few seconds to think about what it wants to do, and the 2006 model felt more responsive. Did anyone else notice the same thing?

Now officially a Z owner….feels GREAT!