Darth Vader

Still getting used to the 2K2 6 speed. Is it me or do you partically have to stand on the clutch to ensure a smooth shift ?

Not possible to adjust is it.

Seriously, it does seem like you have to depress the clutch fully or shifting feels rough.

What do you think ?

MannyNJ2k2max

iTrader: (3)

you mean comin off of first- or drivin in general??

2k2-blk-6spd

I just got my car back from the dealership today...they were installing my 3rd tranny so I can honestly say it is IMPOSSIBLE to shift smoothly in this thing.

Goodluck trying though

IgS

iTrader: (3)

jeez!!! wtf do u do with your car????

1st to 2nd can be rough sometimes, but i only hold it about 3/4 when i switch to 3rd and 1/2 for all the other gears...

seems to be ok for me, plus ill be putting in MT-90 pretty soon so we'll see how that goes.

hope this helps

-IgS

2k2-blk-6spd

Honestly it's just regular shifting. I actually recently made a post about my problems. Basically it boils down to where it would ALWAYS grind when shifting into 3rd...ALWAYS. Both tranny's, both started to act that way at about 3500 miles. Weird

IgS

iTrader: (3)

eeee, ouch dude that sux...i only get a grinding noise when i umm dont press the clutch in enough....only happens when i try to shift fast
but thats about it (knock on wood), but yea i heard that maxima's transmission is not the best around....

-IgS

mille_3

What he said

Vadim

iTrader: (8)

I agree, no matter what I try, I can't shift smoothly either.

Triple8Sol

iTrader: (29)

I agree...I just blame it on the car! 3rd SUCKS A$$ when u shift fast...

John2KSE

I have to agree! The 6 Speed is one of the worst 6 Speeds out there. My Daughter has a Nissan 2003 Spec V, and her 6 speed is very smooth and has much shorter travel than the Max. I wonder why Nissan couldn't have used this tranny in the Max? I own a 2K 5 speed and the tranny is very smooth, I only wish I had that extra gear!

MannyNJ2k2max

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, I couldn't get third in @ E-town on Sat -
on what I though was my best 60ft of the day-
my max will be clockin 21K miles soon - Its happened maybe once or twice before- I hope its
doesnt become an isuue-

Igor911

iTrader: (10)

Mine shifts smooth like a babies behind when I drive normal...

Maybe u just dont know how to drive? jk aha

spirilis

iTrader: (2)

My 5-speed (2k) feels kinda rough shifting... especially in 3rd and 4th... I put in MT-90 recently but never double-checked the fluid level (couldn't since I have no flat areas around the house)...
Is it possible you guys could upgrade the clutch master cylinder somehow so the clutch disengages quicker?

(edited... haha... I wrote "brake master cylinder" before. Whoops!)

number2jcb

iTrader: (2)

My car shifts smooth as glass. My guess is that you are still not getting used to the electronic throttle which causes the revs to hang a little before slowing and also does not allow you to have a precise feel for a certain RPM levels. This of course is causing you to release the clutch while the revs are too high.

Patience is a virtue, and for my tranny's sake I am very patient with my tach. I also found that by letting your foot off the gas just a little earlier than usual compensates for the lag of the electronic throttle. I am 6'4" tall as well, so every time I put that clutch in, it touches the floor.

elmaximo

I agree with you on this. I have been driving cars with manual transmissions for a long time and this car is definately the worst. it is almost impossible to shift smoothly on the first three gears, and downshifting whe slowing down to a stop is just horrible. I am very sorry I bought this car with th 6spd. and sometimes I just have to drive my 97 auto for a while to get a brake from this car.

MannyNJ2k2max

iTrader: (3)

Yeah mine shifts smooth as hell - Downshiftin' isnt
rough either ( you just have to know when to down
shift , there's plenty of torque down low that you could slow to a stop in 3rd down before neutral w/out boggin out) Its just a matter of knowing
your clutch and tranny- The only issue i've had is
common- the same I've had before on my other standards-
Once in a blue moon(under heavy/fast) shiftin'
one can miss or grind third(not under normal drivi)
But thats a human error- not the cars

elmaximo

I don't think is so much human error, there is definately a poorly designed transmission
(maybe the syncros?) because even in normal driving it is very notchy, you can almost hear a "clunk" noise when shifting, you can definately feel it.

Kojiro_FtT

Well, yeah you have to depress the clutch fully on any vehicle to shift smoothly. Unless your clutch is worn, then you can get away with less and less as it wears. My guess is your last car just had a worn clutch, so going to a new clutch surprised you as to how far you have to depress.

Mine shifts fine, but I admit, when I get lazy I will have a bad shift once in a while. Also, cold weather makes it harder to shift, even with synthetic tranny fluid.

And why is everyone downshifting when slowing to a stop? Neutral, apply brake, stop. I only downshift when passing or making a turn.

Kojiro_FtT

Haha, just talked to my buddy, he says the WRX forums have the same threads. People ruin their trannys all the time. He says at first, people were all sympathetic. Then when people kept ruining trannys they dropped the sympathy and just reply "learn how to shift."

I doubt the WRX tranny has the same supposed "design flaw" as ours.

jjs

While not a 6 speed driver, I agree on this one.

IgS

iTrader: (3)

i would totally agree that the human error is the problem...i already got used to my trans and if i "pay attention" to how i shift i can do it without the car jerkin or doing anything...lol better then auto. My friend has a 2k1 AE and i was one of the first people to drive it, and the trans seemed pretty smooth and easy going, better then mine. But when i try to drive it now, the shifter is VERY notchy and you have to almost force it in gear..... (but my friend isnt the best stick driver out there....)

so i wouldnt be blaming nissan for the quality of the shifter but just get used to the shifter...

IgS

iTrader: (3)

lol true that not only are you wearing out the clutch more but ur wasting your energy.....neutral baby!!

2k2-blk-6spd

Okay since everyone seems to know how to shift better than us "newbies" with tranny failures, I'd like a short paragraph on the fine points of shifting please.

When I shift in the max I have to shift kinda fast because the tranny is notchy so by the time it goes into gear I have to release the clutch to ensure a smooth shift.

Don't get me wrong people, I can make the car shift smoothly but it's hell on my tranny.

At what RPM do you all shift during REGULAR city driving?

IgS

iTrader: (3)

its really hard to explain, i cant say im a "good" stick driver since i only had the car for like a month, but i just kinda got the feel for how to shift. if i shift too fast the car jerks and ditto on if i shift too slow...

and umm when i try to save gas i try and shift under 2.5-2 shifting at smaller RPMS every time i go to a higher gear.

ex.
-1st to 2nd at 2.5
-2nd to 3rd at 2.25
-3rd and up below 2

but like i said only when i try to save gas

-IgS

jeepik

iTrader: (2)

mine shifts fine if i pay attention..if i am distracted sometimes i can make it jerk a little

i have 8+ years of driving a stick..in my opinion this tranny is no different then others i have driven

Its about the driver

Kojiro_FtT

I almost always shift before 3k, unless I am getting up to speed on an expressway entrance or what not.

I'm no pro, I'm pretty much a newbie myself, but here are some of the things I remember going through when learning how to shift the Max:

(1) remembering to fully let off the throttle before depressing the clutch. Our electronic throttles are really sensitive, and you may think you are completely off before you are. This will give an almost unnoticable rpm blip when you depress the clutch, and it makes shifting harder. This was my biggest problem; it took me a while to realize I was doing this.

(2) The flywheel is weighted for a casual shift (family sedan, remember?) so shifting too fast can cause unnessesary wear on your synchros because the engine rpm won't have time to drop enough. Try slowing it down.

(3) And of course, always double clutch when downshifting. And double clutch when coming from neutral, and double clutch if you upshift too slowly. Save those synchros, they are what keep you from grinding gears, and ultimately ruin the tranny.

If you are unsure about how transmissions work, read up on them.
HowStuffWorks: Transmissions
HowStuffWorks: Clutches

I found that understanding the internals of the tranny helped me understand what I was doing wrong. Hope that helps somebody.

elmaximo

I don't downshift as if using the transmission to slow down the car, but
lets say I' driving in fourth gear and I see a red light ahead, I prepare by dropping to neutral and start applying the brake, but the light turns green before I have to stop completaly it is very hard to shift down (lets say to 2nd) unless the car is going very slow, even with the clutch pedal all the way down.It is a little bit hard to explain

vito1281

Ok, lemme chime in on this. I think the 1-2 shift is the trickiest to get smooth. The rpms fall off at a different speed depending on what range you're shifting at (fall off quicker if at lower rpms, and fall off slower at higher rpms).

Also, shifting in the lower "power" gears amplifies any mistake you make, such as letting off the clutch too fast and feeling the jolt from the engine engaging at too high of a rpm. Let off too slow and you'll feel a jolt as the tranny speeds up the engine to catch up.

Right now, I can shift pretty smoothly if I'm paying attention and not tired. Sometimes when I'm coming home from work after a particularly busy day, I may get careless a little, and have slight jerking here there.

Sometimes I get a really big jerk going from 1-2, even though I go through the same motions as before. I'm not sure if it's the retarded electronic throttle or what, but it happens once in a while when I'm simply going through my regular shifting routine.

As someone already mentioned, the car can be tricky to shift smoothly when it's cold out and the tranny isn't warmed up fully. Going 1-2 w/out slipping the clutch significantly will cause a huge jolt.

I always press the clutch down all the way, since that's the way I was taught. You basically need to push the clutch down beyond the engagement point, so if that point was half way up/down, then you only need to depress slightly more than half way. However, on my Max and probably yours as well, the engagement point is pretty low to the floor, so I depress the clutch all the way.

vito1281

Forgot to add one thing...Sometimes starting out in 1st from a stop is jerky as well. It almost feels like the clutch catches differently from time to time, I don't know, it's weird!

Kojiro_FtT

Sounds like you need to double clutch. Say you're going 20 when the light goes back to green. While still in neutral and foot off the clutch, press the throttle to get the rpm to about 2,000. Then depress the clutch, shift to 2nd, and then release the clutch. Should be smooth as butter.

Also remember double clutching is not the same as simply rev matching. Double clutching you are trying to match the rpm of the layshaft to the rpm of the drive shaft so the tranny goes into gear smoothly (saving your synchros). Rev matching is the second part of double clutching, where you are already in gear but with the clutch in, and you match the revs of the engine to the layshaft (which is already hooked into your drive shaft because you are in gear) to smoothly let out the clutch.

Cabowabo

I've been driving Stick for over 10 years and my max is definitely the worst manual I have ever driven. 3 out of 10 times out of first is not smooth, never had this problem with any other car.

Incidentally, I'm have some clutch surgery tomorrow for the howling it makes out first and reverse gears. We'll see if any improvements are made.

vito1281

What's the "howling" that you're talking about? My Max has a whine in 1-3 gears when I let off the gas, but I was under the impression that it's natural for a manual tranny.

Cabowabo

It's only when the clutch is being engaged in 1st gear, the car makes a weird howling noise. It will cause the car to shiver as well. But it only happens once the clutch is warmed up pretty good. For example, if I'm inching my way up a hill in traffic where constant first gear launches are required. I actually found a TSB for it but I don't have the number handy.

Kojiro_FtT

Listed in the TSB sticky:
NTB02-084
02 Maxima - Howl Noise When Clutch Is Released

Studman is cool enough to host pdf's of the TSBs:
Studman's TSB list
And a direct link to howl TSB: here

I had this done a few months ago. Free clutch! So get your practice launches in before doing the tsb, lol.

chinaonnitrous1

iTrader: (12)

you guys are weird my 2k2 6 speed was one of the first production ones, and it shifts smooth....*shrug*

WILLSE

i noticed this too. i got used to it. i also noticed that the clutch engages in diff pedal positions... sometimes i have to push it 1in sometimes to the floor... these hydraulic clutches BLOW!!!!!

will

MiniRX7

ITs so funny that people continuously blame it on the driver.. Sure that maybe the case in alot of situations however....

I have been driving stick for 8 years.. and 2 of the years was with my 96 protege with grenaded synchros..

I have driven the porshce 944, Mazda RX7, miata 6 speed, and most hondas and mazdas and i swear to you, the maxima 6 speed is the worst shifting..

IT feels the same notchiness as my busted up old protege.

And its not just one car.

I owned a 2k2 for 7 months before it got totalled and now own a 2k3. I complained to the dealer with my 2k2 about the shifting, and they gave me 2 different 2k3's to drive around at the time and all exhibited the same problems. My 2k3, i used MT90 and it still feels crappy..

As for the clutch, it has very weird engagement points. What i found with this car is when i drive moderate to hard (shift points 4K - redline) it shifts smoothly, and feels good.. but when i shift at normal levels ie 2.5K RPM's it feels awful..

I used to think the grinding was because i wasn't pushing my clutch hard enough.. and on my 2k2, i pressed the clutch so hard to floor you can start seeing markings on the carpet from the pedal..

Oh BTW... The sentra Spec V has the same 6speed as the maxima, and even the Hyundai Tiborun uses the same tranny..

shysmax

As u may know, I took my car to Nissan last week, and they have verified the 3rd gear grind. They told me to take the car home, bec. they have to contact Nissan of California, to determine how to fix this. Today is Wed. and I haven't heard from them yet...

How's the car feeling now after your 3rd tranny? Is 3rd a lot smoother now?? What did they say was wrong??

REgards,

ShysMax

Cabowabo

I hate the different engagement points. It becomes very annoying. I'm almost thinking about getting rid of the car because of it. Maybe I'll get me one of those mini cooper S, it's probably more fun to drive than the max anyway.

ChrisK327

I don't have a 6spd so I really can't comment on smoothness.... I have had 3 cars with sticks... all were different. Personally I'd love to be back with my 92 5spd SE-R, Cable linkage, great feel and easy.
I would think that by now carmakers would get the transmissions right in a car that costs something...

Only car I've ever had a complaint about was my 4spd Chevette. That thing had to be the worst tranny ever...

If the transmission doesn't shift smoothly ffor so many of you... Why do you recommend getting the 6spd???