31,052 miles.

have had 3rd gear grind since the beginning, Dealer says I am driving it to hard, and that it's not designed to be a "sports car".

Gee, if the Maxima isn't a sports car, than I guess my dad's 1991 Hardbody is?

It has a few more miles than my Maxima, and it has never had any trouble w/grinding, even when driving hard.

My '98 Sentra SE w/SR20DE never had problems with the tranny, and I would routinely downshift from 5th to 3rd on the highway when I wanted to pass...

My '94 Sentra LE w/GA16DE never had problems with any grind either..

There are a few of us that are having tranny issues..

Its a potential problem for anyone looking to buy a used 6 speed Maxima. If you own one now and have no problems, then hey, it's not a problem, but it is a potential problem if you are looking to buy one, because there is always a chance you could be one of the unlucky few (like me) with the 3rd gear tranny issue.

-vq

 

I am guilty of abusing mine but these 6 speed gearboxes seem to have a smaller tolerance for hard driving. After killing the first tranny in a very short 7k miles I had to adjust my driving style to extend the life of the second one. It did last longer since I granny shifted most of the time but it still died from racing. Perhaps tranny #3 will last even longer with the Amsoil 80w-90.

Im not saying that these things are junk or poorly designed. I do think there are some things that Nissan should have done differently. It's just not designed to withstand my lightning fast speed shifting when I race. So I am prepared to deal with the issues as they arise.

 

what did you say/do at the dealer to get them to replace the tranny?

-vq

 

Very little.


The second one I replaced on my dime because I got one cheap.

 

How bad was the first tranny when you took it in to get replaced? If you had to say/do very little to get it replaced, it must have been hanging on by sheer will.

My grinding only happens once or twice a week, so it's hard for the dealer to duplicate, but it really bothers me.

-vq

 

Well I see how many people have had tranny problems, but I can say that I have had no such problems (I am knocking on wood as I type this). I have 68k miles on my 2k2 without an issue, however most (60K) of the miles are highway where there is very little shifting, although I do drive aggressively at times.

 

I have a 2002 6spd Max with 18,500 on it. And have experienced no problems... I am selling it for $16.999. I have pic if your interested...

 

I always love hearing this arguement. Ask them to go out on a test drive with you and obtain the published and advertised performance numbers w/ the car. That shouldn't classify as driving hard right? I mean, they sold it to you for a price based upon a capability to achieve the advertised performance numbers. If you wanted a car you had to grandma-shift, you'd have bought something else. Does that mean we can beat on it, of course not, but having to slowshift to avoid a problem isn't a satisfactory answer in my book.

I'm in the middle of this w/ my dealer right now if you can't tell.

 

count me in the handful...nissan wanted to rebuild it with 38k...dealership got them to conceed to a brand new tranny. 3rd gear is the problem...syncros are going out and causing some probs with up shifts and down shifts that are not at a leisurly pace. i am supposed to take it in next week when they receive the new tranny and should have it back in a day. i will be so happy to get rid of that nasty grind-not a nice sound.
my solution to people staring at you when it grinds in 3rd...just tell people its your blow off valve!

 

Trust me, I'm not a Nissan rep. And, I have intermittently experienced a mild "grabbing" going into 3rd and even some of the other gears. I've followed some of the items I've defined in my prior post and had some success in terms of improving the feel/performance of the transmission. I'm not defending Nissan, nor am I stating the 6speed is great tranny, it isn't. However, I think that some people may be overexagerating just how much of a concern this "3rd gear grind problem" really is. This is not to say that some people aren't having a problem, but it is to say that some people who are reporting the problem may not be shifting right or may not be maintaining their tranny. Nissan clearly recognizes there is some type of issue since they have published a TSB specifying a particular lubricant for the tranny when any dealer repair is performed on it.

One thing that happened to me was that when my clutch was replaced for the clutch howl tsb, the dealer put in GL-5 fluid which performed poorly in the tranny and I learned also eats away at the bronze and brass parts like the syncros. As soon as I realized the problem, I replaced the fluid. I wonder how many people who are complaining about problems now had the clutch tsb perfromed and might now have the wrong tranny fluid in their gear boxes?

For anyone having a reproducible problem with their tranny, I believe Nissan should honor the drive train warranty and replace the defective unit. For me, the occasional notchyness isn't enough for me to worry about. For others it could be more of a concern depending upon how extreme it is.

One last comment, my brother had a Honda S2000. That car also had known issues with its manual 6speed tranny. If the tranny was too hot or too cold it didn't feel right. It made strange noises as it warmed up (whining sounds IIRC). Sometimes it felt smooth sometimes notchy. From what I've heard, S2000 owners just deal with it as a quirk of the car. Maybe our tranny's are similar in that regard?

 

Besides having creeking sound TSB clutch plate replaced under warrenty at 8k miles. Right now at 26K and just had my second tranny flush and replaced with Redline MT-90 for the second time. The Shifter is SUPER SMOOTH!!

 

The prior owner could have beat the hell out of your car.

 

a quirk?

Like the paint chips? I'm not experiencing just occasional notchiness, I'm experiencing constant notchiness, and occasional 3rd gear grinding.

Extremity doesn't matter, if it's happening to a great number of cars, they should do something to keep their customers happy.

 

I just bought an 02 with 6 speed 2 days ago. Obviously its too early to tell, but i've punched it a few times and the shifting is smooth as butter, with the exception of 1st being a little stiff going in when cold. I'm a little worried now, but what can I do? Oh well pray for the best! I have 25000 miles on it. I did however notice a howl once when I was reversing into my driveway. What exactly is that. Is Nissan fixing this for free? Where can I get info on all TSB's and recalls on my car?

By the way....the car is AMAZING!!!!!!

 

trany is covered to for 5 years 60,000 miles under drive train is it not? My 6-speed had a new tranny/clutch at 35 thousand miles under warranty.
-Getz

 

I have a 2002 SE with 64,000 on it. I bought it used 2 months ago with 61k on it. Tranny is a bit "notchy". Second gear is tough when cold, but after 2-3 min is OK. 3rd gear, I guess, has a smal "click" when you shift into it very quickly. That's about it. Changed tranny oil at the dealer when I bought it, they did not notice anything abnormal.

 

Anyone know if the 6th gen is exhibiting any of these problems? I tried to go test drive one the other day but they didn't have one on the lot.

 

Spec V SE-Rs have the same problems, they share the tranny with the 3.5L Max. I've seen ALOT of em getting repleaced on the Spec Vs since there is ALOT more of em out on the roads vs 6spd Maximas. My tranny shifts as good as new with 80K miles.. but I got the good ole trusty 5spd I work for Acura and our RSXs, TSXs and TL 6spds all grind from the factory, ESPECIALLY RSX Type S... I do alot of em at work so Nissan aint the only one with messed up FWD 6spd transaxles.