Hi All,

Thinking about getting a 6MT sedan. The only thing that worries me is all these manual tranny problem that people posted. Grinding, synchoro problem, etc.

I am not as worried about the clutch, as it is a replacable item. But is the tranny internal built up to the task for the VQ35??

Thanks for all the opinions.


Eric

 

28K on mine with no problems. You hear about broken trannies but I think those people are more the exception than the rule.

 

Why would you get an 06 when people are claiming that they have gotten 05’s for $2000 below invoice? Is Bluetooth worth about $5000 to you?

 

almost 30K miles on my 2003, no problems to date (and they haven't been easy miles)

my build date is 12/02, meaning it is one of the 1st MT6 sedans released

 

That's like saying
"I want to buy a car but I heard that some people get lemons"

You know, it's possible you could get struck by lightning on the way out of the dealer's office. Prolly best to avoid it

There's no 'problem' with the MTs. I'm sure for every documented case Infiniti has with the MT tranny, there's a matching one with the AT too. It's not like you'd be buying a first model-year.

 

Thinking about getting it at the end of the year, that's why I said '05 or '06.

 

I just got my 05 MT, no problems. Its nice because its almost a year old and has only 1200 miles. I rack up the miles so this will help them stay at a reasonable amount after a few years.

 

No problems at all 7500 miles into it. Several 03/04 350zs had manual tranny issues, and it's probably a factor of how those owners drive. I take it easy on my sedan most of the time, and it's getting smoother every day

 

It is good to hear all the positive feedbacks as well. Thanks guys!!

 

I had my first tranny issue today...

I was leaving the office for lunch, and trying to cross three lanes of a busy highway(one of the busiest in the state) to get to a restaraunt. I was at a complete stop in the turn lane, perpendicular to the highway I was crossing. I was bumping the throttle to keep the revs up. When I had a chance, I took off. When I crossed the first lane, the car bogged, and the revs shot up for a second. At this point my foot was completely off, and just above, the clutch. After a split second, the clutch popped into the bottom of my foot, and the car lurched forward into the restaraunt's parking lot.

At first I thought it was vdc, but as soon as I stopped, I smelled a horrendous burning smell. I immediately realized that I had fried the clutch. I parked, waiting on a coworker trailing in his car to pull up. He said he saw me bog, then a puff of smoke escaped from underneath the car, and then I took off.

Over lunch, I was flipping out. I've read about people burning up their clutches, and a few claiming that there was no abuse. Now, I have run my car at the drag strip a few times, and a few autox's, but this was just trying to cross a busy highway. When we got back to the car, it was still exhibiting the odor. I hesitantly drove the car back to work, but to my surprise, the clutch feel had not changed; no sponginess, no rubbery feeling. It was still just as springy and grabby as it usually was.

When I got back to work, I pulled up the forums and did a search for "clutch stuck". Apparently this issue has happened a few times to the coupe guys. Nobody has reported any long term effects. In fact, one guy(can't remember whom) stated that he took his car to the dealer, had the pressure plate/clutch assembly inspected, and everything was cool. I called the dealer, explained what happened, and of course the service guy said that he'd never heard of it. He said that he couldn't authorize an inspection -- putting it on the lift, disassembling the clutch for inspection would be as much work as replacing it in the first place. He said that they could drive it and try to reproduce the problem. I decided against that, the logic being that they are unlikely to reproduce it.

Anyway, the car's had the afternoon to cool down. On the way home, it drove like nothing had ever happened. I believe that if I keep the rpm's down, it will be an isolated incident. And before anybody asks, I've got about 8k miles on it.

Oh, and a note to GeeWillikers. I saw your response to a few of those threads in the coupe forums. I wasn't trying to burn out, or race. I was doing what I do daily. I will admit that I obviously wasn't paying enough attention to my rpms to allow them high enough to induce this in the first place. But still, the circumstances were completely normal.

 

Even with the '05, huh?! Hmm....


[QUOTE=trey.hutcheson]I had my first tranny issue today...

 

Yup, it's an 05. However, you really shouldn't worry. As people have previously stated, the problems with the clutches/trannies are definitely in the minority. Squeaky wheel and all that, ya know. Meaning that you're obviously going to read about every problem with a tranny, but you're not going to read about the thousands of trannies that are operating correctly.

As long as you don't abuse it, any problems you *might* experience will be the exception and not the rule. I'm still(I hate admitting this) somewhat learning to drive a manual properly, and I'm bound to make mistakes like that. It's just embarrassing making those mistakes at almost 30 compared to 15.

 

I wouldn't agree. You never seem to read about a failed 5AT unless is being pushed by forced induction or nitrous. There are a few TSBs for the 5AT, but they're easy fixes with the CONSULT tool. The JATCO 5AT is used in much more powerful cars including the M/Q45, Titan, QX56, FX45, and any other 5AT RWD based Nissan vehicle.

The 6MT on the other hand has it's share of problems and the 03s and early 04s seem to be most problematic. I don't know why Nissan can't get this tranny right. I drove a couple 6MTs and just couldn't justify it's "feel" in a sport luxury car. The 1-2 and 2-3 shifts were notchy, the shifter has annoying vibration, the throw bearing rattles when in neutral, and clutch take up is hit or miss. These were all things I didn't like about my 96 Maxima's 5MT that I had driven for nearly 6 years. I wasn't about to deal with the annoyances for another 6 years. I also wasn't going to risk have a tranny drop a gear or syncro over it's life which seems to be a common problem. I drive my cars hard and have never had a bad syncro or gear go out. It's seems to be all to common among the G/Z crowd. I can't believe there are that many bad drivers out there plus Nissan warranties the work. 6 redesigns of the tranny also suggest an inherent problem.

Apparantly the 05 6MT is smoother and more reliable, but it sounds like Nissan has installed proportioning valve in the clutch master cylinder to reduce driveline shock under rpm launches. The Lancer EVO and WRX a similiar device. What this does is it doesn't allow for clutch drops. It slips the clutch a bit because it's cheaper to replace a clutch than a blown 1st gear. The downside is a soft launch, clutch slippage, and wear. These systems aren't perfect either. Like Trey posted, a common problem is that the proportioning system may engage even under normal driving situations. That smoke that came out from under his car was clutch. That's 1000s of miles of clutch going up in smoke.

 

Hmm.. so with the safety device on the clutch master cylinder, it is hard to drop the clutch and break the traction now??

Seems like people are still getting good #s (1/4 miles / 0-60mph) from the '05 6MT, no??

 

DaveB,

interesting info... tell me more about the proportioning valve in the clutch master cylinder. so what u r saying is that the result of the activation of the valve, the clutch pedal is held in?

it seems that this is what i am experiencing. my clutch pedal does not return to the 'resting' position when i launch the car (not hard launches) at around 3500-4000 RPM. i do slip the clutch a little, but after i release the clutch, the pedal seems stuck half way... VERY ANNOYING!!! it interupts my rythmn to shift. the only way to release the clutch from the half way position is to let go of the throttle...

this valve may also harm my clutch too? any way to defeat the valve? by the way, no clutch burning smells for me... oh, also, is the valve only activated with the VDC activated or off? to the best of my recollection, i have only experienced the clutch held in issue with the VDC off.

interesting info and it is a probable answer to what i have been experiencing.

Jon