Hello,

I have a problem getting into 2nd gear when the car is cold. I warm my car for about a minute and take off in 1st gear. When I try to shift to 2nd gear, it will not go into gear. I have to rev the engine to about 3k rpm or just keep trying until it goes in. When this happens I usually skip 2nd gear and shift into 3rd gear. But lately this has been bothering me since my work location has changed, and I drive in surface streets more. When I drive the car and warm it up (after about 15 mins), the shifting gets better but I feel a notch when going into gear. What could be wrong with my transmission? My car is an 05 and has about 100,000 miles. I don't drive the car hard. I am thinking about changing the clutch. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks.

 

have you had a Transmission flush

 

I changed the transmission oil about 10,000 miles ago with Amsoil 75w90 synthetic oil.

 

I've read before that changing out the tranny fluid with anything other than Nissan transmission fluids tend to have given people issues. Mostly with the Pedal sticking issue, but there have been others who mentioned rougher shifting. You might want to try switching the fluid back and see if it helps

 

Pedal sticking issue is with CLUTCH FLUID being OLD. Notchiness is due to using fluid other than OEM. OP would I would try is to swap out your clutch fluid for brand new DOT 4 and change the tranny fluid back to OEM NISSAN.

Your issue with having to rev match to drop it into the gear sounds like a synchro issue but notchiness sounds like FLUID. I would try Fluids first and then report back with results.

While you are at it swap out the diff fluid as well if you have not done so.


Tranny




Diff







Edit: What is your build date on the door jamb and can you get underneath the passenger side front tire and grab a digital camera and snap pics of your bell housing for transmission towards the top of the hump. You will have to stick your hand up and over to the driver side and take like 10 pictures to make sure you get 1 good one.

Here is what the CD009 tranny sticker looks like and it has beefed up syncro for 1st, 2nd and 3rd along with couple other revisions to help with grinding and notchiness.

 

this is a topic i usually see around fall/winter but your change of climate zones is what is causing it.

Our manual transmissions (sames as with the 350Z) adoesnt shift well from 1st to 2nd to start with. It is notchy like you said and is much more noticeable when it is colder.

some of guys who live in the north, like the Canadian members, change out their tranny fluid to amsoil like you did and they mostly say it improves 1 to 2 shifts. You may want to check out the sub forum for that region to see similar posts to yours.

Just curious where did you move from and to?

 

Alright guys, I flushed the clutch fluid 3 times since I had the car to Prestone Dot4 synthetic brake fluid. I have moved to a warming area than I was previously before. The mornings are not that cold, around 60F. Also, I noticed that when I drive in stop and go traffic the clutch starts getting real soft and there is a lot of free play (about 3-4 inches rather than 1-2 inches when I start up in the morning). I am thinking that the clutch might be going bad, but it is kind of weird that this problem only exists in 2nd gear. Also, the notchiness in 2nd gear was present when I used to run the OEM transmission fluid. I think running synthetic and a lower viscosity rating (75w90 vs 80w90 OEM) will help with the shifting. What do you guys think?

 

Stick with OE fluids for the transmission. I'm having the same issue for you. I actually JUST posted in regards on myg37.com. I just got kicked out of 2nd a bit ago (typically grinds). It's going into the dealership tomorrow. Hoping for a new transmission entirely.

Amsoil sucks - I ran it for like...2,000 miles and swapped to the OE stuff.

 

I have experienced both issues that you are encountering. To remedy, I replaced the transmission fluid with the newly formulated Redline MT-85 (http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=140&pcid=7). It's designed for Nissan transmissions. Since the change, I no longer experience the cold transmission second gear grind. Regarding the clutch, if you already changed the fluid, your clutch master and slave cylinders are likely bad. I had both changed about 3 weeks ago...all the clutch sticking and free play is now a thing of the past.

 

Bumping this thread, i got a 2006 6sp coupe

I got the same problem when cold I cant shift to second. I believe the car does have aftermarket tranny oil. Il try to get it switched soon too see if it helps.

 

I own a 2007 G35 Coupe with a manual tranny. I suffer from the same issue on a cold morning. Sometimes putting the car into 2nd requires more effort. I also recently flushed my fluids and used Nissan fluids only for my replacement. I still have the issue you speak of. The only resolution that works for me is to warm up the car until the temp needle reaches a few ticks before falling in the middle. Regardless if the car has been warming up for a few minutes do not drive it until that temp needle falls into position. Even on the coldest days with a proper warm up you will feel a much better improvement.

I know its hard because you want to jump in it and go. This pig needs to warm up before she starts running laps. Unfortunately its the nature of the beast with out G's.