Yes I know this topic has been discussed quite a bit too, but I did the swap this morning and its a huge difference. Downshifting is like butter and the infamous 2nd-3rd gear notchy shift is gone too. Anyways just wanted to let people know my experience.

 

Did you do it yourself? How difficult? I've done MTF on other cars but not on the Max yet.

 

Let me know if my symptoms are as yours (I want to do this change as well.) My tranny is generally crunchy when its cold (has been from day 1.) Improves when warm, but doesn't completely go away (especially in 3rd, and some in 5th.) It had 11 miles on it when I got it, so I don't think it's been abused too much (if any.)

This is just the OPPOSITE of how it is in other cars I've had with worn synchro's. The fluid is thicker when colder which helps prevent the grinding. That's why I don't think its a synchro issue.

My only concern is that while eliminating the crunchiness now, I may be opening the possibility for synchro damage under hard shifting.

It's funny though, it only wants to grind under light shifting, when I'm bangin' em it drops right in every time without dispute. (Again, evidence that synchros are good.)

 

Yes this is supposed to be very easy to do. No, I had it done for me though, when I got my oil changed. here are instructions.

http://www.greghome.com/Greg's%20Garage/2002MaxSE/MT-90.htm

Pretty hard to screw up if you take your time.

..And yes those were the exact symptoms I experienced. I haven't had a chance to test it in the morning when its cold but that was when it was the worst.

 

I'm not sure exactly how syncros work. Is it an electronic device that opens the gate to allow the shifter in at/around a certain rpm?

I changed my transmission fluid to Redline MT-90, but i don't notice a difference getting into 1st gear. It's still tough to downshift into 1st even if i'm only going 10-15mph. I assume the synchros are responsible for this?

 

There is nothing in our trannies that "block" gear changes. Synchros are non-electronic. They match clutch (or input shaft) speeds with output shaft speeds allowing you to engage the gears without grinding. They are on the same shaft of the gears (set with each gear cept' reverse.)

Heh, that either helps or confuses you more.

 

You know, I had thought that I had this problem licked when somebody else on another discussion thread mentioned using Redline MT-90 as a solution. But, last week, when I took my car into my regular mechanic's for an oil change (yes, I'm too lazy to change my own oil ) and asked him to swap out my tranny fluid with with Redline at the same time, he tells me that doing so may void my warranty. According to him, there's more to the problem with our shifters than just the notchiness, and he went on to say that, although they're not being recalled at this time, in case anything happens, Nissan may blame it on the Redline. So, I ended up not having it put in. What do you guys think about this?

 

When I first got the car, the notchiness was very noticeable and annoying. However, I now have 3300 miles on the car, and the shifting has improved tremendously. I think I've only grinded gears once or twice, and that was my fault (let the clutch up before hitting the gate completely).

For the people who are grinding (especially during light shifting): are you pressing the clutch all the way down to the floor? I was somewhat surprised at reading threads here and there on various discussion boards, where people were saying they don't press the clutch pedal all the way down when they shift. Since my Max (and I assume others as well) has a pretty low engagement point, it's mandatory that you press the clutch all the way down.

Anyhow, I think I'm going to hold off on my Redline plans for now...

 

Legally, Nissan doesn't have a leg to stand on to deny a claim if you use Redline. Their fluids exceed the specs that Nissan requieres and the company has the burden of proof to prove that the Redline caused the actual problem in order to deny coverage.

 

My Nissan Dealership put my MT-90 fluid in for me.
They won't deny any warrenty work if they put it in.
I am hold on to the receipt just in case something comes up though.

 

I know I'm hitting the floor with the clutch. I've been driving manuals for 12 years without a problem.

It seems to me when I'm granny shifting it's crunchy, and when I'm shifting faster it's fine. Heh, maybe I'm just going tooooo easy on it!

 

That's really weird that it crunches when you granny shift. Usually you'd have this problem if you were slamming gears and your synchros couldn't match the shaft speeds in time (i.e. worn down synchros). But if you're granny shifting and it's crunching, but not when you're shifting faster, then

 

This is a simple mod which I thought might be useful. The link as to exactly how to change the oil does not work for me.

Previous post indicated about 3 quarts of Redline are needed. Is this correct?

However, the initial replacement will result in a "mix" of previous transmission oil and new Redline oil. So it seems logical to drive for a few hundred miles and then do a second change. Does this make sense or am I too compulsive?

 

Yes three quarts is correct.
It actually uses slightly less.

 

Sorry try this. Cut and paste the whole address. For some reason it doesn't work the other way.

http://www.greghome.com/Greg's%20Garage/2002MaxSE/MT-90.htm