I recently changed my transmission oil on my 96 5-Speed MT





Here is what the old oil looked like. I talked to someone who has extensive knowledge on car repairs for like 70's and 80's cars and he said the fluid looked fine and probably didn't need replacing. I thought this fluid was supposed to be red. Anyway, I replaced it with ~4.5 quarts of Redline MT-90 GL-4 75W90 Oil. When I drive with the thermostat reading cold, the car shifts smoothly but when the thermostat is centered, the car seems to be rough or stiff in the gearbox when shifting. Any suggestions on what I should do to resolve this issue?

TIA, JA

 

give it some time.

 

Yes, Automatic transmission FLUID is red.
No, GEAR OIL for manual transmissions is NOT red, it should be golden brown.

How did it shift before changing fluid? If the synchros ore toast no gear oil will fix that.

 

For what I paid for a few bottles of synth tranny oil the other day, it's getting reused next time. That drained fluid looked fine, did you happen to notice any metal flakes or shavings in it?

 

No flakes or shavings but when I shifted with that fluid, I would get grinding of gears once in a while. The Red Line fluid was red btw. The shifting was stiff and smooth on and off. I hope I didn't make my situation worse...

The shifting was stiff but all my gears work and shifting from 1st to 2nd was not very smooth. With the Red Line, its smooth when cold but seems to go back to the way it was or gets a little more stiff when warm.

 

Red line is red, just as royal purple is purple, its marketing. Gear oil is generally the same color as motor oil.
Sounds like damage is already done to the synchros, only time will tell. The redline is good, it won't cause any (more) damage.

 

When you say stiff do you mean you push in the clutch and it doesn't want to go into gear? If it goes into gear but grinds alot it maybe the synchros, but if it is hard to go in double check your clutch fluid level. The hose on the slave cylinder likes to leak with age and it's hard to shift after that.

 

The clutch is okay but not the problem. It's going into gear that it feels a little stiff. This afternoon, it wasn't that bad. It may just be my impatience. I'll keep driving it and I'll check the fluid level when I get a chance. I haven't seen any leaks onto the ground. I'll take pictures and post them as well.

Thanks for all the help.

 

I think I just needed to be patient because the car shifted smoothly this morning even when warm. I'll keep you guys updated.

BTW, I almost got rear T-boned by another driver. That would have been . The person reversed out of a parking spot and almost went straight into my driver door. If I left just a little later, they would have hit my rear view mirror. must be watching over me... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fky1d...eature=related

 

sorta off topic but is yours a 95-96 se with tan leather and a 5spd and all options? if so your max and mine are identical twins down to the colour!

i have rough shifting occasionally but i have a thick a$$ floor mat that sometimes makes me mad cause i have to jam that pedal to the max for a shift. thanks for reminding me, i'll be cutting a slit in it for better shifting lol

i wish our pedals were better/closer so rev match downshifting could be easier. i also wish the tranny came with a short shifter from the factory like g35's

 

Anything Maxima is on-topic .

I have 96 (made at the end of 95) with cloth but everything else seems correct. My speedometer and tachometer both have black backgrounds as well. I don't mind the cloth because I'm in NY and the cold leather in the winters would kill me, same with the hot leather in the summer. Yea, I kind of hate having my knee in the air when starting from stop lol. I don't want to adjust it and increase clutch wear so I just keep it as is.

 

Hey JAmerican, I used to have the same symptoms in my 2001 w/ redline gear oil after the fluid got nice and warm (funny thing was, when the gear oil was cold, the tranny shifted better than it ever had). What rpm do you normally upshift at? Try consistently running the engine up past 2.5 k before shifting - if it's like mine, it may smooth out for you. It can't hurt to try. Next oil change I switched to Amsoil 75W-90 and the tranny shifted more like it did on the stock gear oil fill. However, that said, I know a lot of org members love redline - it is good stuff.

 

To be honest, I've been doing that to compensate. Usually I'm as high as 3k if it feels stiff enough. I'm definitely considering Amsoil in the future. it even looks like what gear oil is supposed to. I can't believe I fell for the "Red" Fluid. Not sure how people can love this stuff when it changes the feeling of shifting from stock.

 

you know,it could be in your head too...if it was shifting similiar before,youre already expecting the problem to either be the same or disappear. try checking your shifter bushing,if it gets hot enough it will cause the car to shift ALOT stiffer,i have a pacesetter short throw shifter in my 99 and when my car is warm its stiff as hell but when cold its nice,im talking the shifter itself not going into gear or the clutch,i know what youre talking about,it has NOTHING to do with gear oil...the shifter itself feels stiff when you push or pull gto put it in gear...

 

I'm also experiencing some misfiring. Sometimes it happens after shifting into a new gear and sometimes it happens while driving in a gear for a while. The last time I checked my codes, I had none and I didn't see any cylinder misfire information. My CEL light is not on as well. I am not sure why this is happening. I am going to check my spark plugs tonight. Other than looking at the gap or for gas on the spark plugs, anything else to look for?

 

Is your MAF clean? If not, clean it and see what happens.

 

I didn't check that yet but I did replace my spark plugs and this is what the result of the maintenance is...


ENGINE FRONT (facing car) - LEFT, MIDDLE, RIGHT


ENGINE REAR (facing car) - LEFT, MIDDLE, RIGHT


ENGINE REAR (facing car) - LEFT, MIDDLE, RIGHT

Anyone know why my REAR LEFT spark plug looks like that? Also, based on the Haynes manual, my plugs being white at the tips means that they are running hot. My coolant level is low but not enough for the thermostat to increase passed the center point.


ENGINE FRONT (facing car) - LEFT, MIDDLE, RIGHT


Anyone know what this brown stuff on the coil pack insulation is?


Regards

 

I have the same stuff on just my #1 coil. I'm pretty sure it's simply corrosion from the spark plug tube, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I recorded my car during idle. Anyone hear anything and can point out unusual sounds to me.

http://youtu.be/zNPHM6_BBDs

Tks, JA