I was sent on a run to the hardware store from work and came back to my car to find that I can't shift out of neutral. The car shifts fine into all of the gears when the car is NOT running. While the car IS running, it seems like there is a gate blocking the stick from going into any gear from 1-5. It doesn't grind when I try to go into 1st - 5th. Reverse however, grinds really loud if I try to shift into it. Several times, I turned the car on and off, trying to shift into each gear, but the same situation occurred. I had to call work and get my boss to send a tow truck to pick me up. Now my Max is sitting at work (the local Chevy dealership) until I can get it fixed.
Is this a sign that my clutch is shot? Air in the system? Any other ideas?

 

Sounds like a clutch related problem..How old is your clutch ?? Was it showing signs of wear (slipping) If not that, then tranny related probably

-Matt

 

I had a very similar problem: At first I couldn't put it in 1st and 2nd gear, like that, all of a sudden! I had to drive to work from the 3rd gear! Thank god it's a v6...
Then it was stuck in the 1st gear, I couldn't put it in neutral. I had to play with it for about half an hour and it finally went out.

Hopefully your grinding doesn't come from the tranny, if yes, your bearings are worn.

Conclusion: Transmission got rebuilt with new clutch.
Suggestion: Never rebuild a tranny, get a used one in good condition instead. It's never the same...

 

Have you checked your clutch fluid lately?

 

You my friend need some more clutch fluid.My friends max had the same problem because he had some kind of leak, a pump was broken...anywho yeah put some fluid in it I'm 90% sure its that.

 

Now that I think about it, I should have just put it into second gear and drove back to work in second the whole time. I can't believe I didn't try this before getting towed. I guess I didn't think of it because I rarely park it in gear. I will get a ride to work tomorrow and add some clutch fluid to the reservoir. However, I read in my service manual that opening the reservoir may require bleeding the system and adding new fluid, since the brake/clutch fluid absorbs moisture from the air. Of course, moisture is not good to have in your brake system. My clutch has slipped a couple times in the last week or so, which lead me to believe that my clutch was the culprit here. Hopefully not, because I don't really have the money to pay for a new clutch and installation. If I do need a new clutch though, should I get an OEM or ACT street clutch? I am not planning on doing any major mods to my car, just Y-pipe, and Frankencar. Maybe some cosmetic mods like tint. What is the price difference between the ACT and OEM?

 

Its only an extra maybe $50-$100 and its the best money youll ever spend..my buddy just spent $260 on an OEM and it slipps alot when hes racing...if he does a burn-out and heats the clutch up, then he slipps second and third sometimes...get ACT

-Matt

 

Well, I just got home from work. The head mechanic at work said that he should have time to look at it and do an estimate tomorrow morning. I mentioned to him that the clutch fluid looked low and that I have had other Maxima owners tell me to check the clutch fluid. So I should find out what he thinks is the problem when I get to work tomorrow.
One question though......
How do you get the cap off of the clutch fluid reservoir?

 

Just pull it straight up, it doesn't latch onto anything.

 

Today, I went to work and managed to get the cap off of the clutch fluid reservoir. Seems you have to turn it counter-clockwise to get it off. I filled the fluid level up to the MAX mark. After pressing the clutch and letting it back out several times, I found out that it still would refuse to shift while the car is running. Also, I had a bad throwout bearing and it used to make a different noise when I let out the clutch in neutral compared to when the clutch is in. This change in sound did not happen now. This leads me to believe that the bearing blew up or the whole clutch assembly is shot. Looks like I'll be ordering an ACT street clutch soon, after I get confirmation of a bad clutch from the mechanics.

 

Finally, after 4 days the head mechanic at work told me that they don't do clutches on imports there. It sure was nice of them to wait 4 days to tell me this. They said they would send it to a Nissan dealer with my permission for my new clutch to be installed. I don't really want to send it to a Nissan dealer because of fear that they would charge outrageously high prices for parts and labor. I am going to look for a transmission/clutch specialty shop around Milwaukee. Anybody know of one around Milwaukee?