I live in the Chicago suburb and this past week, the temperature was in the negative teens and my 2002 Maxima sits outside. Now I have a very difficult time shifting into the gears, this is even after the car is warmed up. I had to turn the car off just to get it into the first gear and then start again to drive away. After driving the car, it was still difficult to shift into other gears and would have force it. The clutch resovior is filled correctly. Can anyone tell me what are my concerns are? Thank you in advance.

 

check and see if the clutch slave cylinder is bad

 

Did the pressure in the pedal feel "reduced" when you were having issues?

Maybe your transaxle fluid could be replaced. If so, look into Redline MT-85. It's synthetic and isn't affected by temps. Works awesome in our cars.

 

Yes the pedal feel was reduced. You said I need to replace the transaxle fluid. Why would this happen after sub zero temp?

 

Check the shifter bushing, it's probable worn and dried up.

 

You say the clutch res is filled? Is the fluid dark? Brake fluid (which is what's in the clutch res) is hygroscopic, which means it absorbs water. If it's dark, that's water contamination (not dirt as most people think). Bleed the clutch system until you have nothing but clean, clear fluid coming out. While you're there, may as well drain/fill the trans with Redline MT-85 if it's been over 60k. Moisture in the fluid would explain why you're having problems after a cold snap.

 

Werd.