Hey guys, i've been noticing for some time now that my tranny has been getting quite rough. By that i mean when i shift, even with the clutch fully depressed, i get resistance going into third and fourth, and sometimes into second. I got the fluid replaced but it only helped for a couple of days and then it was back to the same ol clunky shifting. I had my clutch checked and it was fine, so i know thats not the problem. Any recommends on how to help out to make it shift smoother, i drove my buddies passat and it was like butter, i just wanna make mine smoother ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE

 

What yr is your car?? It sounds like your synchros might be going bye bye, hopefully not. My car is kind of hard to get into gear as well, first and 2nd to be exact. What kind of oil did you put in? I heard redline oil is really good and eases the prob but its pretty expensive.

 

Sounds like you may have GL5 gear oil in there. Our trannys only work well with GL4 stuff.

 

My tranny guy put the oil in so im pretty sure its just common stuff, but i am sure he put the proper stuff. Is there an easy way to check if the snychros are out of wack? And any recommends on some high end tranny oil brand?

 

I'm sure he put good oil in, but nobody seems to understand our cars. The trannys will shift funny with regular GL5 gear oil. You HAVE TO get GL4 rated gear oil in that tranny. That is where your problem is. GL5 is too slippery for the Nissan syncros. GL4 oil has just the right additives for a good shift feel. I just ordered Redline MT90 $40 for 5 qts. Amsoil is good also. GL4 is hard to find so you may have to order it online.

Here's a link on it.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=225766

 

Ask the mechanic for proof of what gear oil he used. Like stated above, GL4 gear oil is not particularly easy to find. Also do not use a gear oil advertised as GL4/GL5.

Use only a GL4 75w90 or 80w90.

 

thanks for the help guys, im pretty sure that if GL4 is hard to find he probably put in the GL5. I'm gonna go ahead and get the GL5 and get that put in, which is better for the car 75w90 or 80w90. I have a 1998 GXE with 107,000 miles on it

 

Its probably the Clutch fork. I had the same problem on my max. You gotta take out the whole tranny but the actualy fork is pretty cheap, under $50 i think

 

I've been using GM-synchromesh fluid for quite some time, along with a few other .org members and I have ZERO complaints. Problems going into r, 1 & 2 even with clutch fully depressed is usually a sign that the pressure plate is on its way out, problems with the syncros usually cause it to pop out of gear or feel like it's not even really fully in the gear or cause a terrible grinding noise if the hubs or cones are bad, though it could possibly be the syncros, I'd check other things first. As Reket said, problems in higher gears could be a worn/bent/ sticking clutch release fork. You could also have a bent or sticking linkage, horribly worn control rod, damaged shift forks or shafts, or a hydraulic problem. As you can see, there are alot of possibilities......How many miles are on your car? When was the last time the clutch was replaced?

 

ok, I'm realizing I might have confused the hell out of you there with that post, so let me try to break it down like this-- All of those above problems fall into 2 categories. 1: Either the clutch isn't fully disengaging, or 2: somewhere between your hand and the gears [syncro assemblies inside tranny that lock the selected gear to the shaft, and all of the parts required to move them] there is a problem. Start with the simple stuff like re-greasing the linkage and checking the clutch fluid, and while your under your car check everything out, look for leaks, worn mounts, etc. Hope all this helps, and again, XXX miles on car and clutch??

 

I would guess your clutch isn't working properly or your tranny has something internal going bad and blocking the shift mechanism. Just a little bit of metal shards can change a smooth-sliding striking rod become a housing broach, and that is somethign you'll really feel during a shift. Or you could have junk blocking the shifter mechanism since it sits in the bottom of the tranny. One last possibility is worn out shifter bushings/mounts or a loose support rod (the stationary rod that connects to the tranny and runs alongside of the striking rod).

I don't think GL-4 vs. GL-5 will make the difference like this. The GL-5 oil tends to create clunky engagement, not resistance to moving the shifter mechanism.

Dave

 

try adjusting your clutch pedal

 

Thanks for all the input guys, i really appreciate it. Oh and KRRZ350 thanks for the clarification, helped a lot. I had the clutch changed at about 80k cause the previous owner pretty much burned it.

The car has 107k on it now and im pretty sure my clutch is good, but the other things you guys mentioned could very well be the problem. I'll re-grease the linkage to see if that helps

 

wtf? is this even an option? If so how do you "adjust" ur clutch pedal? this is new to me...

 

GL5 fluid caused hard shifting for me.

 

It's possible to adjust the clutch pedal. But it's hydraulic, so unless someone monkeyed with it there is no reason it should be out of adjustment.

Dave

 

I'm having similar problems with my 95 SE, now at 104K miles. First is especially hard to engage. Reverse, sometimes, but not always. Just had the Master and Slave cylinders replaced, and added a stainless clutch line. Seems to be slipping initially shifting into third when I'm really on the gas as the revs go up, but no commensurate acceleration. I'm inclined to think its the pressure plate at this point, but won't rule out GL5 being put in somewhere along the way. If I'm gonna do the pressure plate, I might as well do a clutch upgrade, so I'm looking for options, but I don't need a racing clutch, rather something that is streetable. Ideas?

 

My car can sometimes be hard to get into 1st gear, but IIRC, there are no synchros on 1st gear. Also, if I creep in first gear - there is an odd whining sound...

 

She's a virgin clutch I'm sure, and you are correct that your pp is causing those symptoms, so you should do everything=clutch kit and rear-main seal. The two different clutches nissan used are bomb for street use, the 5th gen is what I would recommend. Basically, get an exedy or valeo disk w/stiffer pressure plate off of e-bay. Theres alot more opinions and info about clutches, but lets not take over this kids thread anymore, pay the damn $20 donation so you can search. here's a post about clutches

And here's my thread when I upgraded my clutch among other things

 

You're clutch is shot, there are syncros for 1st gear, and you need to replace all the bearings in your transmission. At least your not alone. Go to the 2nd link in the post above.

 

Yea, i figured this much...

Never heard of anyone adjusting the clutch pedal on a max b4

 

I adjusted mine less then a month ago...i made it sit a little lower then the brake pedal. Alot easier to shift gears faster and i feel it's alot more comfortable to drive.

 

Hardly - the clutch grips like a maniac. I did the slip test and it gripped at 4th gear from a stop... I doubt the clutch it bad.

 

alright it seems liek this may be a common issue with some cars but i really dont know. sometimes my car wont go into reverse almost like its getting locked out, all i have to do is go back into neutral let off the clutch then push the clutch back in and it goes into reverse fine. Ive noticed all my 3 transmissions did this, and my freinds corvette does this. Is this normal because reverse doesnt have a synchro?

 

That's correct. Reverse has no synchro. Just back off into neutral, clutch out/in, then try again. The clutching trick works every tiem.

 

It can still grip fine but fail to disengage if the pp is bad. Either way, unless it has under 25k you should replace it when you rebuild your tranny.

 

Put in 4th gear first then try to go reverse....

 

What should I expect to happen under normal circumstances?

 

I started in 4th once (I was showing a friend that didnt know how to drive stick what happens if you start in the wrong gear and how the car reacts), and the car started, but then the clutch slipped and reved like it wasnt in gear. I shifted back to second...waited a second and then let the clutch out, and it engaged like normal.

Does this mean my clutch is wearing out and it will be time for a new one soon? Or, does it just mean that i shouldnt put this abuse on my clutch I have 124K on the car, but the clutch was replaced last in 2001 (the millage isnt listed on the reciept that i have).