I've had my 02' manual maxima since sept and it has always had more friction when shifting into 3rd than the other gears. If I'm taking it really easy driving like grandma it will go in smooth but if I'm punching it or even driving average it feels like it's grinding into 3rd and you can hear it. The past couple days it's gotten worse, more grinding sound. This is my first manual so I'm not experienced but my boyfriend has the same problem in my car and he's had a manual for years. Any thoughts?? Thanks!!

 

3rd gear grind ...

Every gen 5.5 has it.....

Try Redline fluid

 

The 02/03 had a weak syncro ring for 3rd gear. They fixed it in 04. Not much you can do about it other than switching to Redline MT90 fluid. That's recommended anyway though. It might help but it wont fix it.

It should be fine for a long time. It doesn't usually happen in normal driving. You'll naturally develop a habit of slowing down the 3rd gear shift during more spirited driving. The only time it'll be an issue is when going all out.

The real fix is to swap to an 04-06 tranny. It's even better if you can find one with HLSD. It's a pretty heavy fix for a small issue but the good news is that it's a direct bolt in with no new parts required.

 

I have two that do not (and an 02 sentra spec v).

Maybe some day, but they have 181k, 154k, and 148k. They sure last longer than the cats lol.

I wonder how many are accelerated by gl 5. Unless people cannot drive, how is it not more uniform?
I had a non-hlsd that did it, but I doubt there's a correlation.

 

Damn, so will 3rd gear eventually break or something? I can shift it smoothly but not driving the way I want to, have to be takin it easy. I am extremely spirited due to having a 97' maxima as my first car, way too much fun!

 

It'll probably outlast the car unless your constantly racing

How do you like gen 5.5 MT system vs gen 4 though?

 

It's hard to say. Mine was grinding it when I got it at 68k. All the service was done at the dealer and he used it for traveling a large sales route so it was a lot of highway miles. 68k in two years and the trip computer read 29MPG for weeks after I had it. I don't think it was a matter of abuse with mine.

Problems like these are usually inconsistent. Sort of like the oil consumption. Some cars burn it fast but I only add about a quart over my 10,000 mile oil change interval.

 

I really love them both, but my 4th gen was auto, manual would have been awesome! When I was car shopping last year it was such a tough decision btwn 4th and 5th gen. 5.5gen manual is obviously faster but my 4th gen seemed bullet proof!

 

As George said, It's more of an annoyance. It may get worse but it's probably not going to just fail.

I went the route of finding a low mile 6th gen tranny but I was able to source it and do the swap my self. I also sold my 02 unit to a tranny rebuild shop for $250 to offset the cost. In total it cost me around $600. For me it was well worth it because I also wanted the HLSD.

 

Thanks for the helpful input guys! I'll try to slow my roll for a little while and probably swap to an 04-06 tranny if it becomes a bigger problem.

 

I can deal with the annoyance I just don't wanna hurt my girl! But I showed my boyfriend your posts and he's already shopping for a trans lol you happy with your 6th gen tranny?

 

Sounds more and more like defective parts and not a design problem. That's very low mileage for that to happen.

 

I love it. I actually had to relearn how NOT to delay my 3rd gear shift after the swap. The addition of HLSD was the best thing I've done to the car. The cornering, acceleration and wet weather handling are WAY better. It's been over 10 years now and well over 100k since the swap and it's still going strong.

I found that nearly all the manuals that went to Canada were HLSD so that's a good place to search on http://car-part.com/
I got mine from a yard in Canada and the freight to Florida was very reasonable so don't rule them out.
There's a code in the VIN and on the tranny but I don't remember it now. If you can't find it I'll look it up.

 

rs6f51h

 

mine has been doing that since 5k miles since 2002, now at 145k it still does it haha redline in the trans since 55k miles, start with switching trans fluid, it should get a little better, especially with who knows how old your trans fluid is

 

I think anyone with a 6-speed should be running Redline MT90. I've been running it since I got the car but was recently reminded how good it is.

A few months ago I had the tranny out of the car and was planning on reusing the fluid. Long story short, I wasn't able to reuse the fluid and found myself scrambling to find a GL-4 fluid locally. The only GL-4 I could find was the Nissan fluid from the dealer. I used it but the car didn't shift as well after that. I ignored it for a few months and finally got around to swapping some MT90 back in. It was an immediate night and day difference. Feeling the back to back difference, even with brand new Nissan fluid, confirmed what I already knew.

 

Another thing for 6-speed owners. You should pull the panel that holds the shift boot and inspect all the bushings. If they haven't been replaced by this point they're probably shot and causing a lot of slop in the shifting. There are two bushings under the hood at the tranny that wear out too.

This won't stop the grinding but it really tightens up the shifting. The 6-speed uses a cable system instead of the solid linkage of the 5 speed. Good bushings are crucial.

 

Great information! Thanks so much! Thats why I love this site! I'm on a maxima facebook page too and the ppl are clueless idiots that don't even know the year of their car lol I will get that fluid asap and I def wanna swap to that tranny one day! Sounds awesome! I need to upgrade my exhaust first though $$$ I wanted a maxima from Canada for HLSD(I heard canadian ones offered it) but didn't know about purchasing a car out of the country but I'll def look for a tranny there!

 

Just change you fluid. Makes a world of difference especially when cold. Any synthetic fluid will do the trick

 

Amsoil and Redline are the only suitable ones.

 

Any fluid rated for GL5 will damage the transmission. This includes most of the fluids you'll find on the shelf. ONLY GL4 fluids are suitable for our transmissions.

The 3rd gear syncro issue is well known and well documented. It's not just dirty fluid.

 

I wasn't even thinking about that lol. There I go assuming people know it's GL4 only.

I think the only other readily available GL4 fluids are pennz synchromesh and valvoline MTF, but the viscosities are way too low.

 

Yeah, I don't think it's common knowledge for people who haven't been around these cars for a while. Most people don't think twice about tranny fluid.

 

I switched to redline and there was a huge improvement in 3rd! But all of a sudden 1st is harder to get into, coincidence? We still have to check bushings.

 

Redline MT-85 + Energy Suspension bushings and the transmission will feel much better. And get a short shift adapter (or drill and modify it yourself) which will ease up shifting even more.

 

I run Redline MT-85 in mine and it almost completely eliminated the infamous 3rd gear crunch. Also, be sure to bleed your clutch line if you haven't already. I just did mine tonight using a pneumatic brake bleeder I got from Harbor Freight. Let me tell you, I've done this job the old way with the wife pushing and pulling the clutch pedal and the HF tool was WAY easier and faster. I did the job myself in 15 minutes and it did a better job than the old way.