Anyone had any issues with shifting? (6MT)

[FSUZ33]

Not sure when Nissan decides to do what, but (almost 20 years ago) I took my Z33 to the dealership to deal with a power window issue at about 30k miles. I mentioned 6th was notchy/grindy, and picked it up the next day with a new transmission. As expected, they did NOT fix the window issue.

Same or similar deal with the trans. I could shift to 6th, but I couldn’t just force it in. If it was at a certain point it would grind at me. Best way was to apply pressure then 1 to 2 secs it would pull itself into gear OR leave it out of gear, cycle the clutch pedal and try again. Not ideal, but not overly terrible being it was 6th. That happening in a lower gear has gotta be pretty frustrating.

 

[trackratZ]

I purchased the 26 heritage 6 speed and i feel the notchy shift from neutral to first and first to 2nd gear i also noticed that if i dont force the gear shift, it will shift into position on its own with slight pressure , almost like the transmission is saying, i’ll shift into gear when im ready. This makes for long shifts and it gets irritating fast.

If still under break-in miles could be normal. How mine was when new, especially after morning cold start, it’s much smoother now, still a little notchy but expected, I like the feel.

 

[loki2191]

No issues for me, been driving manual for over 30 years. 86 Toyota Corolla, 79 Rx7, 92 Ford Probe GT, 91 Eagle Talon TSI, 91 300 ZX and none feel as smooth as my 26 Heritage.

 

[Supremekai]

Mines quite notchy sometimes, after warming up, grinded the 2nd, 3rd, 4th gears 1-2 times over the 2+ years. I'm not switching the gears at a fast speed either.

 

[Katum68]

Mines quite notchy sometimes, after warming up, grinded the 2nd, 3rd, 4th gears 1-2 times over the 2+ years. I'm not switching the gears at a fast speed either.

Have clutch fluid switch to GTR fluid. This was recommended by NISSAN USA.

 

[Supremekai]

Have clutch fluid switch to GTR fluid. This was recommended by NISSAN USA.

Wouldn't it be the transmission fluid that would affect it and not the clutch?

 

[Katum68]

Wouldn't it be the transmission fluid that would affect it and not the clutch?

Hey, that's what Nissan USE engineers said. And truthfully it has helped.

 

[KrackaC8]

Fresh clutch fluid (any high-temp DOT4 brake fluid is fine) and transmission fluid (GL-4 synthetic). I personally used ATE TYP 200 brake fluid and highly suggest Redline MT-85 based on its cold & hot temp performance (use MTL to prioritize cold temp shift quality or MT-90 for high temps). Both are simple DIY jobs.

From reading this thread, it sounds like at least a few of you are having clutch release/dragging issues. Fresh fluid and a bleed can improve this condition.

 

[Supremekai]

Hey, that's what Nissan USE engineers said. And truthfully it has helped.

Clutch fluid would only affect the clutch pedal and I guess the response, which I don't think I have a problem with.

Only when shifting the gear. it gets stuck and not fully in gear and then I released the clutch and grind noise, I quickly shift back to neutral and try again.

 

[Katum68]

Fresh clutch fluid (any high-temp DOT4 brake fluid is fine) and transmission fluid (GL-4 synthetic). I personally used ATE TYP 200 brake fluid and highly suggest Redline MT-85 based on its cold & hot temp performance (use MTL to prioritize cold temp shift quality or MT-90 for high temps). Both are simple DIY jobs.

From reading this thread, it sounds like at least a few of you are having clutch release/dragging issues. Fresh fluid and a bleed can improve this condition.

That was supposed to be Nissan USA, not USE. Anyway, they said the GTR fluid.

 

[KrackaC8]

That was supposed to be Nissan USA, not USE. Anyway, they said the GTR fluid.

It's a good quality high-temp DOT4, just very pricey. Absolutely request it if you're having the job performed at the Nissan dealership as it is what the owners manual calls for:

Genuine NISSAN Brake Fluid R35 Special II or equivalent DOT4
: Never mix different types of fluids.
: NISSAN recommends Genuine NISSAN Brake Fluid R35 Special II
available at a NISSAN dealer.

Dry boiling point: 292C / 558F
Wet boiling point: 178C / 352F



Dry: brand new from the sealed can
Wet: used

ATE TYP 200 is 536/388F, for comparison.

 

[Zerious45]

If still under break-in miles could be normal. How mine was when new, especially after morning cold start, it’s much smoother now, still a little notchy but expected, I like the feel.

Yes only 285 miles on odometer, still in break in period, i did find the syncrorev mode to be more friendly in the shifting smoothness. Especially the morning drives is when i feel it the most. Today i tried to down shift into 1st gear with the car rolling at 10mph and it did not like that idea. It did not want to go in, i didn’t force it, the clutch was all the way engaged and i just held it there and as it started to downshift into 1st i felt the vibrations like grinding so i left it in neutral came to a stop then shifted into 1st. That is the first time i felt the vibration of a gear grind. Im still learning this 6 speed i just hope i dont ruin my tranny going forward.

 

[Zerious45]

How about shifting into reverse when the transmission is WARM? After going through a bunch of stuff, and some parts from Z1, I can finally get it into Reverse when hot. Gear still a bit notch but livable.

I have not had trouble with reverse. I have a 26 sport automatic and this 26 heritage 6 speed, and im starting to feel like i should have stayed away from MT. The notchy feeling in the shifter makes me feel like im doing something wrong or have created some damage to it already. As much as i dont carr for CVT, im feeling like the automatic is so much more fun to drive.

 

[Zerious45]

No shifting problems, but i can say it is 100 times better in S mode.

Yes, i found out a week later that s mode is not sport mode and i have been using s mode for the syncrorev match makes little to no rev hang and glides through the gears. With this 6 speed i feel like that should just be the standard operation for this Z

 

[HWill]

I picked my 25 performance Z up with 6 miles, never have done a break-in on any vehicle I own and no problems shifting. Really is a smooth shifting trans.