Hello!

I just picked up an ‘03 Daytona Blue Touring model with a 6-speed. It is all stock besides someone putting in an Injen CAI. So far the car is a blast and I cannot wait for my first autocross in it coming from an ‘05 Matrix XRS (Fwd). It has 125k miles and of course burns oil; I am going to stick with the 3k mile service using conventional oil that the previous owner prescribed. My intentions for the car is for daily driving, a monthly autocross, and if funds allow: a track day or two a year. Regardless, I have a few issues/ questions:

-Shifts hard when cold:
I looked into this and since the car is new to me, Id like to know how old the trans fluid is. What MTF do you all use? I’ve heard OEM is preferred as well as a mix of 2 Redline weight? All GL4 fluid I assume to not eat the ‘03 brass synchros? Or can I use the ones that say "compatible with GL4/GL5"?

-Hardened Tree Sap Everywhere:
The previous owner must have kept it under the juiciest pine trees in the PNW. I got old globs, new globs, and smears on every surface. The glass cleaned off fine with goo gone and a razor. The paint, I am using auto safe goo gone and elbow grease but Jesus Christ its a *****. Any tips?

-Bose speaker behind Driver seat:
Does not work besides all others working. The speaker tested fine but the amp for it had a big ole glob of duct tape between the amps housing and a relay on the motherboard. I have a new relay on the way. I came across the duct tape fix doing some research, anybody get good results replacing that relay?

-Driveshaft Clicking:
I heard it just needs repacked with grease? Simple as that?

I have a shop maintenance manual on the way!

Thanks in advance for any tips or advice with this platform! I would normally post pics but I don’t think you guys want to see a blue, stock z with tree sap for a clear coat.
-BrawnyMan

 

Welcome and congratz, we'd love to see your car after it's cleaned up!

I'd suggest using a wooden paint-stir for sap on the paint. It may work better if you saturate a rag with solvent and let it sit on the area 3-5 minutes to soften, then scrape with the stir stick.
The rear axle bearings are a known source of clicking and there is a thread here (somewhere) on how to correct it. IIRC the drive shaft U-joints are non-servicable (sealed, non- greasable). I'd get a passenger to help listen to the noise and pinpoint the source or ask a tranny shop for a free inspection.
GL!

 

Welcome to the madness!

Redline is a good replacement for your MT fluid and should help with smoother shifts.

I replaced the troublesome relay in my bose subwoofer amp and it has worked flawlessly for almost a decade. Pretty easy fix if you're staying with the stock stereo configuration!

 

Welcome-

Here's an online copy of the FSM: Nissan Service Manuals - NICOclub

Redline MT85 is the tranny fluid to use in your Z.

 

I just replaced the relay the other day and I feel like my two rear speakers above the amp seem louder/more pronounced but aren't those tied to the main amp in the trunk? I feel a little base coming from the sub but it has been difficult to differentiate it from the speaker above it. Could it be that the BOSE system isn't very powerful or should I be feeling a definite difference? Excuse my ignorance and lack of detail, I have not had the time to dive too deep, the sound is decent to my ears so this fix is lower on my priority list.

 

Thank you for the link to the manual! For the Redline fluid, do you use a dedicated GL4 for the '03 brass synchros or will a bottle that says "safe for GL4/GL5 applications" work just fine? I read somewhere that using a pure GL5 will erode these synchros quickly and gave me apprehension about what fluid to use.

 

Thank you for the advice, I have been slowly going over the bad spots like you have prescribed and it has been working. I got some mileage out of plastic razor blade inserts that came with a gasket scraper I bought along with using a clay bar and some cutting solution to clean up the residue.

 

A GL-5 rated lubricant is designed for high-pressure applications like differentials. You're correct that it will corrode soft metals like brass (syncros), so that's why a GL4 lubricant like Redline MT85 is specified. I've used MT85 in both my street and race Zs without any problems.