I'm surprised the dealerships are giving you the run-around when this is such a common problem, especially in the 03-06 6MTs.

5 years of being on this site and my350z and I constantly read of these problems with the 6MTs. It's just too bad that the Asisn/Warner sourced 6MT is such junk in these cars. Why doesn't Nissan just source another tranny? I wanted so badly to have a 6MT G, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it because I hated the way the three 6MTs I tested drove and it seemed too risky because of the reliability issues. I knew Nissan would cover the tranny under warranty, but what happens when you're out of warranty? It seems like these trannies have about a 15K-50K life expectancy. I also drive my manuals hard and I knew there no way this tranny could stand up to my abuse. My low 14-second 96 Maxima 5MT had over 250 1/4 passes, 4500+rpm clutch slip launches, some launches on DRs, super hard high rpm shifts into 2nd and 3rd and all this on the stock clutch that had 117K miles on it when I sold the car. The clutch still held hard and the tranny shifted exactly like the way it drove when I bought it 6 years earlier. I knew the G 6MT couldn't handle the abuse so I test drove the 5AT and found it to be quite nice and downright quick. It's not remotely as involved, but it can still be fun.

Apparently the revised 6MT in the VQ37 Gs is much better, but I still don't know if I trust it.

 

My '96 240sx has 230k miles on the original clutch and tranny, still smooth and buttery and I've never driven it lightly!!

 

I have to agree with you and say the 6MT's do blow...My tranny grinds 1st to 2nd all the time, I get the wind noise from the tranny when I start up my car and start driving, and shifting to all gears is alot stiffer and harder than it was when I first got the car. Im planning on taking my car into the Pleasanton dealership to get it checked out. You should try to take yours to another dealership as well.

 

I have had issues with my 6mt, it has been replaced under warranty less than 1000 miles ago. The car has less than 42k on the clock. That being said I have noticed a pretty major improvement in shifting associated with the re-adjustment of the guide plate. If this piece isn't aligned properly it can cause shifts to be more notchy and in some instances really limit your ability to select a gear. This generally affects 2nd and
6th gear more than other but it is worth a shot. You can find a complete instructional for this in the Factory Repair Manual. If I need to I can do a write up for this over the weekend. Let me know. Thanks!

 

im not sure if this was already answered buttah i had the same problem with my car.i have an 04 howver but i had a throwout bearing go out @ 39k miles. they replaced the tranny with the warranty but right after i had problems shifting into 5th and 6th gear. i brought it abck at 41,xxxk miles and the dude said there was no problem i just gotta let it break it. i ask him what the break iin period was and he said 12k miles. i was like bull****. 12,000 miles to break in a tranny. so i told him to write that down on my service papers that he said 12,000 miles to break in. and when he test drove my car i saw some him use some of his weight to put it into gear but he tried to hide it. anways you can bet your *** i took my car in again after the 12k break in but i went to a different dealership and brought my service invoice and i was @ 53,xxx miles. told them what was going on and they replaced the tranny again the next day. i had that done in Nov. 08 and now at 56k miles my **** is starting grind every now and then when i put it into 5th. so im going to take it back in again when it becomes more frequent. but yea i would suggest making them fix that **** if you still have your warranty! if not go to a seperate shop and have they just take a test drive with you to confirm them problem and call the dealership for you or something. gl with your tranny!

 

Peninsula Infiniti in Redwood City?

Beshoff Infiniti in San Jose is one of the site's sponsors... I would suggest giving them a try...

 

Don't drive to Austin Infiniti (just in case you had considered it), you'll get more run-around - "your transmission is great! I can't believe you're complaining about it!"

1-2 and 4-6 both grind at high RPMs. I'm double-clutching every shift when the engine is over 4K RPMs. Doesn't seem to happen one bit at lower RPMs (well it's rattly and notchy but no grinding).

Good luck Nogee!

 

I am quite sure the knocking you get is from the driveshaft area and not the throwout bearing. If you press down your cluthc the noise should go away.

 

They must have fixed these issues on the 08 cuz I don't have any of these problems.

 

What's more annoying than the actual transmission box is the noise/clicking I hear when I press the clutch pedal.

 

The way I see it, there are several possibilities, synchro failure due to poor driving by previous owner, maybe yourself. Synchro failure due to manufacturing defect, and synchro failure due to problems with the clutch master/slave. I'd check the clutch to see if it's engaging/disengaging properly before changing or rebuilding trannies, so that you don't mess up another one.

 

SPEC-01 - I've never thought about the guide plate being the issue. Do you think that getting it checked out at the dealership is covered under warranty?

So far i've gone to two different dealerships four times already. I'll see what the deal is with Beshoff Infiniti. Everyday the problems get worse, at this rate i'll be surprised if the tranny lasts for more than a few weeks. I just started to get this whirring noise in 1st. 2nd gear just stopped working. Completely unusable. Most times it won't get into gear, and when it does the engagement isn't smooth because at that point the rpm is already at idle, but most of the time i'm able to give it just enough gas. Confusing I know, but so far this car has cause me only that, and anger. I don't want to give up on this car just yet, but i'm afraid it's going to give up on me. Anyways, i'll try Beshoff Infiniti but i'm not optimistic.

 

I really don't know if they will cover assessing the condition of the guide plate under warranty. In truth, it is really easy to adjust the plate and I am sure that you could do this on your own. That being said, where are you located. If you are near Bimringham, AL then I would be happy to help you with this if you need me too.

When you say that second gear "stopped working" do you mean that you can no longer get the shifter into second or that once in gear that the car will not accelerate? If it is the latter, then adjusting the guide plate probably won't reslove this issue.

 

SPEC-01 you are truly a godsend. Unfortunately, i'm in California so I can't take advantage of that offer.. Anyways, i'm going to take it to another dealership that I haven't visited yet. Also when I say 2nd stopped working, I meant that it's nearly impossible to get into gear. I think if it didn't accelerate in gear it would probably mean I have a fried clutch. Can you link me to where you got the guide plate adjustment instructions? I don't own an FSM. I really appreciate the help thanks.

 

I do my best and it is nice to be appreciated on occasion. Here are a few links to the Complete Service Manual. You will need to look at pages 13-15 in the MT.pdf file (the links will provide a zip of the complete Service Manual, just follow the instructions to download the files).

https://g35driver.com/forums/faq-diy...df-format.html

http://www.onlinefreeebooks.net/auto...v35u1-pdf.html

If for some reason these links do not work for you you can Google "G35 Service Manual" and there you will find other download options. If this doesn't work I can also fax the appropriate pages to you if you have a fax number, or even scan them and email them to you. Just let me know. Thanks again and let me know if you need anything else.