Haptic

iTrader: (2)

So i know the first thing going through your head after reading the title is "what a noob, there's a billion and a half of threads discussing this" and while this is true and i have unfortunately had to read through almost all of them, this isn't what you are thinking.

To start off i would like to say that my 03 350z has been having grinding issues less than two months prior to purchasing it. It started with very light 6th gear grinding, followed by very rough 3rd gear grinding and now 5th unfortunately . I believe my transmission is on its way out and as this happens i am formulating how to respond. I have absolutely no intent on contacting Nissan about this issue being as my car is at 89k miles and 9 years old. I am almost 100% certain that this is due to the unnecessarily common grinding issue among Z transmissions. However i am not a mechanic and have little technical experience with cars in general. I know it is a shot in the dark but is there the possibility that it could be anything else? There are no other symptoms besides the grinding which is very apparent in 3rd. My plan is to purchase a used revised CD-009 transmission which is highly recommended and (as i've heard) fixes this issue. In your opinion (people with experience in this area please) what is the best option in terms of permanently fixing the problem? i plan on having the car for a long time and i want to make it operate flawlessly. Also one last thing, when the transmission is being put in what should i have done besides a clutch replacement and a throw out bearing replacement? I was thinking about throwing in a JWT lightweight flywheel for a bit of added performance. Any opinions on that? Lastly i would like to thank you for your time and helpful response if applicable.

Jah70

I just asked this question a week ago after my 03 enthusiast started giving me trouble. Someone told me to blip the throttle when going through gears, I drove my car today doing that and I felt no grinding at all (not really a fix, it's kinda like sweeping dirt underneath the rug). From my research I found that the grinding is just a grinding, the transmission didn't eventually crap out it just grinded going through gears and some people kept replacing the syncros, upgraded to another transmission (but some reports of grinding in the newer transmission is noted), or they just lived with it but I couldn't find any crazy long term effects other than just the usual grinding if they lived with it. I know exactly how you feel because I plan on being buried with my Z and I want it to be flawless in every way. Hope this helps.

mr. sparco

iTrader: (13)

Previous owner, owners, didn't take care of it or drove the hell out of it. Try changing out the tranny fluid to synthetic (I use MT-90) if you haven't done so.

2004Black350z

iTrader: (37)

Get RPS Clutch and flywheel or Southbend

Run good fluid

SilverStone2003

iTrader: (3)

Change your fluid. I rarely drive my Z, I got it from a friend of mine who bought it from someone who was basically car illiterate. My trans was sometimes hard to go into gear, notchy, and sometimes would grind into 3rd. This is a 03 touring btw. Long story short I decided to change all fluids this past weekend, swapped my transmission fluid to Redline MT90, instantly I noticed a major difference. The oil that came out of the transmission I could tell had never been changed (98K miles). So I really wouldn't be surprised if one of your previous owners didn't know what regular maintenance was and your fluids have never been changed. Better to spend 30 minutes and $60 than 5-6 hours and $1000 on a new transmission.

2004Black350z

iTrader: (37)

new CD009 tranny from Nissan is 1800 wholesale btw

jerryd87

iTrader: (4)

I've been in contact with syncrotech as well about mayby making carbon syncros for our car which should outperform even the cd009 triple cone and mayby help with shifting notchyness but idk on that one. There just has to be a market for 500 sets and they are checking into that. Hopefully they can find shops who will do it and we could have a more affordable option. By comparision there parts for honda transmissions(all they currently make since outside our early transmissions its all that needs em) are around $300 for a rebuild kit.

Haptic

iTrader: (2)

I did change the transmission oil a couple days ago. I was looking for redline mt-90 all over after being told by a dealer that they dont sell oem oil by the bottle and only get it in bulk (which is ridiculous). At which point i talked to the head mechanic at the car lot where i work and he recommended lucas. So the car goes up on the lift and the change goes smoothly minus a little oil on my shoes but whatever. When i drained the oil it was incredibly clean, like suspiciously clean. So my assumption is that this transmission is not the cars first and that oil was probably very fresh meaning the Nissan dealer swept this problem under the rug crossing their fingers it would appear within 30 days... And after the change i come to find out that the grinding is actually worse, so a bit of advice, i dont recommend lucas. Anyways, i plan on buying a used CD 009 shortly after christmas and crossing my fingers everything will work well. Oh and i will be ordering oem oil to put in it this time, lesson learned.

SilverStone2003

iTrader: (3)

take that garbage out and put in Redline or Amsoil GL4. Doesnt Lucas have the GL5 additives in it. And dont put in RP either its been known to eat the synchros inside the transmssion.

2004Black350z

iTrader: (37)

+1 Lucas would be my last choice. Get it out NOW!!