When I shift from 2nd to 3rd I hear a glump like sound. I don't know what this is but it appears to be the syncroids need to be adjusted. Does anyone have any experience with this? Cost and labor?

 

Me too. I've had this issue with both Maximas I've owned. The 2nd-3rd shift is very notchy. It's defintely not an easy shift if you are really trying to get through the gears in a hurry.

 

does it grind at all?

 

Not sure about Scott, but mine doesn't grind.

 

When in rush, i do it extremely fast (clutch - change a gear at the same brief moment) and it gets in very smoothly (strange, but truth). When drive normally, i pass to neutral, wait about 1/3 sec, hit the gas a little (the clutch is still ''in"), then engage the gear. Very smooth as well. All above doesn't work for any gear change other than 2d-3d.

 

Seems like the typical....

 

I've heard the Maximas don't have great transmissions at all. What else do I need to know about the 5 speed manuals?

 

sounds like thats normal to me, check tranny fluid anyway to make sure

 

Sounds like you're driving a truck!! (Double clutching).

 

4th gens are notorious to have bad trannies. 5th gens are actually reliable IMO. I've had both. I have had a STS w/ bushing for almost 60k miles and I have no leaks, no issues wit my tranny at 126k miles. I changed tranny fluid at around 70k miles. As long as you do proper maintenance, I think you will be happy with a 5th gen tranny. Stronger third gear, dif bearing issue improved. Its all about the driver too....

good luck though, i've had my share of tranny issues with previous maxima's and its very irratable and expensive.

 

That's why i love 5.5 gen LOL. Actually at this particular case it's not double clutching: the clutch goes in and stays "in" till the gear is changed.

 

Lol, it's a trade off. You get a better tranny, but it's tainted by the oil smoke coming from your tailpipe.

 

Where is the tranny fluid located?

 

in the transmission.. theres no dipstick for manual trannies.. i found that hard to digest when i switched from automatic to manual

on topic, i experience notchy shifts from 1st to 2nd in my 6 speed.. 2nd to 3rd doesnt really give me problems, but that 1-2 can be a b*tch sometimes.. i didnt know 5 speeds had that 3rd gear crunch also.. i thought that was just for the 6 speed trannies

 

I have the 6 speed Maxima, sorry if that wasn't clear earlier.

 

3rd gear synchro issue is fairly common from what ive heard/seen/

 

yup, sure is

 

i've got it too seems like you have 2 options after your tranny dies (if your tranny dies)....

1) get a rebuilt tranny throw in aftermarket clutch and flywheel

2) Get a 6th gen tranny and well throw in an aftermarket clutch and flywheel

 

oh yeah... they call it the 3rd gear crunch... its fairly common among 6 speeds

 

I don't know what you mean by a "glump" sound, but from my experience the 6 speed 5.5 is pretty noisy going from gear to gear, but doesn't grind much. Mine also shifts poorly when winter cold hits, I usually have to shift gingerly or go from first to third until the tranny warms up. Huh huh, I said "tranny."