sometimes when i'm at a stoplight and i go to put it in 1st, there's a clunk. i hear it and i feel it but it's not loud enough to think something is terribly wrong. i thought it was because the clutch wasn't fully depressed so i made sure my foot was ALL the way in and a few times later, it still did it. does it maybe every few days. anyone else have this happen? i'm under 11k miles, i don't drive like paul walker and most of the time my shifts engage smoothly. WTF.

 

I notice that too. You're at a stop: clutch in >> shift to first >> clunk. You can reproduce it too: clutch in >> shift out of first >> clutch out >> clutch in >> shift into first >> clunk. I haven't seen anything terribly wrong with the car, but it's weird to get a clunk especially since my foot is still on the clutch. Nothing has actually started moving yet but I'm guessing its just the gears aligning as you engage first. The fact that you can hear it and even in most cases feel it could be worrysome. Odd though that it's coming from the back end of the car. Might just be my perception though.

 

TB maybe?

 

Theres no way in hell a throttle body could cause and audible "clunk"

 

I think he is talking about the throw out bearing.
My 06 makes all kinds of noices in first gear. . . . My buddy made the same suggestion, throw-out bearing.

 

Read the manual - this is normal.

When you come to a stop light - you're downshifting 6-5-4-3-2- and if you have your clutched engaged the whole time w/o using engine braking, you will feel a "clunk" when trying to shift into first.

Try this for a change - when you come to a stop light, take your car from 2nd gear into neutral - release the clutch completely and then engage the clutch again and then try putting the car in first gear. G35 tranny is designed so that a driver doesn't engage into first gear rolling at say 20-30 mph.

Try it and let me know what happens.

 

Yeah, I get the same clunk too sometimes when I'm at a complete stop and putting it back into first anticipating for the light to change. You can actually hear it and feel it. Doesn't happen all the time, just sometimes. Does this mean that the TOB could be going bad?

 

I'm not sure about the others here reporting this noise, but mine happens when I'm already at a complete stop. My scenario: red light >> in neutral/foot off clutch >> clutch in >> shift to first >> clunk. Now I'm not saying it is abnormal, its always been there and it makes sense since I'm shifting gears.

In regards to down-shifts, it is very rare to ever need to shift to first while the car is in motion. The only time I ever see a need to shift to first when moving is when I'm in very heavy stop and go traffic. And if doing so, the noise I hear would probably be more of a whining as the synchro spins up to catch. Not so much a clunk although getting into gear results in a click if not rev-matching.

 

what i always do if i know i'm going to stop, clutch in >> neutral >> clutch out and use the regular brakes to slow down. that way i can coast the last few 100 feet. then when i go into first, it clunks no matter what position it's in. not all the time but every once in a while. i always come to a stop in neutral unless i have to brake for an emergency. what's weird is that it just started doing this about a month ago. is everyone else using engine braking and coming to stops in 2nd gear and still have this noise?

 

Took my car into the dealer yesterday to get my tranny checked out, because I thought some of the noises were a little odd, including the clunk into 1st gear. I was there for about 2 hours, they drove it...said nothing was wrong..I drove with the tech in the car telling him what sounds I was talking about, still said everything was cool.
Tech EXPLANATION...the G35 has a very beefy tranny that is very strong, and then started going into how the gears were designed and how we have a dual mass clutch which has already been explained on these forums. The tech guy was pretty detailed and seemed to know what he was talking about, explaining everything with his hands and showing me how the gears engage and the cadence of the transmission. He said basically, with the G35, we subsitute smoothness and noise level for a strong tranny.

 

i experience this also so it is good to knoe that it is not gonna blow up

 

Yeah to me the G35 clutch grabs extremely hard for a stock clutch...Ive driven other manuals and I have yet to ever experience such a hard bite on engagement. Nissan definitely put more sports car into the G35 than some people think. The skyline emblem is no p*ssy in Japan. They were just lazy to put a little more refinement into the USDM Infiniti models, and the Z very well has the same characteristiscs, cuz basically, its the same exact damn car.. Quite frankly, I love everything about my G35...its a hell of a car. Nissan puts performance before luxury, and that's why G35's are a Driver's car. Lexus and Acura drivers can listen to their classical music and play with their slushboxes all day and all night for all I care. But I will have to admit, the clutch could of used some better dampening...

 

^ HAHA you got that right.

 

a couple of things i would change on the g35. the interior... the dash is pretty ugly. looks like theres a LOG running across the dash.. the dash also cuts off into a flat shape. instead of being molded and flowing with the doors.



See where the dash meets the door? UGLY.

Now, take a look at the LEXO interior.



also the paint... wtf? soft pos.... maybe a thicker clear coat?

better acceleration? car feels heavy..

 

I like how the OP used "Paul Walker" as his reference lol.. I've never ran into the problem. I baby the tranny, and have babied it since the first day. I wait until the car is fully stopped before going into 1st.. i'll rev match into 1st every now and then, but aside from that, the car's always at 0mph before it gets into the gates of 1st gear. Hopefully it's not a problem.. I doubt it is, but if something needs to get checked.. bring it in, you still got warranties.