# HARD SHIFTING



## im2kwik4u (Oct 10, 2002)

i have some problems putting the car into first gear sometimes whenever im at a stop sign or red light, sometimes i have to put in second and then into 1st for it to go in properly. Sometimes it goes in just fine and sometimes it doesnt. I replaced my clutch for a new OEM one about 1 year ago because my fork lever broke. Any of u know wat might be causing the problem??
thanks


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Have you tried adjusting your clutch cable? Or checking the fluid level in the tranny. I would start there before thinking that the clutch or tranny is going bad. Hopefully that's all it is. If not, then I don't know. I'm not that good with transmissions. Just a suggestion. Good luck with it.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

im2kwik4u said:


> i have some problems putting the car into first gear sometimes whenever im at a stop sign or red light, sometimes i have to put in second and then into 1st for it to go in properly. Sometimes it goes in just fine and sometimes it doesnt. I replaced my clutch for a new OEM one about 1 year ago because my fork lever broke. Any of u know wat might be causing the problem??
> thanks


Does that problem go away if you blip your throttle before putting it into 1st (rev about 500rpm with the clutch disengaged, then put the shift lever into the 1st gear gate)?


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## Kindfiend (Oct 13, 2004)

im2kwik4u said:


> i have some problems putting the car into first gear sometimes whenever im at a stop sign or red light, sometimes i have to put in second and then into 1st for it to go in properly. Sometimes it goes in just fine and sometimes it doesnt. I replaced my clutch for a new OEM one about 1 year ago because my fork lever broke. Any of u know wat might be causing the problem??
> thanks


What fluid did you put in? I just learned this the hard way, but luckily caught it in time. The shop that did my clutch must have put the wrong type of fluid in since the car shifted rough... meaning it was difficult to get into gear. I replaced the fluid and it shifts like it should now. Make sure you use the right weight and GL-4 fluid.


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## fcdacar (Dec 2, 2004)

where is the tranny fluid for m/t 200sx ? cant find any labels...


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## I'm Slow (Dec 30, 2004)

what do you mean by that? where do you add it? or drian it? or where does it say what type of fluid?


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## pete2.0 (Sep 17, 2004)

tranny fluid for a stick is a real pain to put in ... i have been REALLY putting mine off and I gotta get it done soon ... no motivation since its cold out now :loser: I think from word of mouth u gotta get under the car , its a bolt further back than the oil bolt ... drain it ... then I get lost here every time ... I think u pull the speedo pin and pour it in there ... no clue where that is tho


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## I'm Slow (Dec 30, 2004)

you locate the VSS its neat the starter on the drivers side, pull it and drain old fliud. then you need a funky ass shaped funnel to get oil in there.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

I've been putting my gear oil off for some time as well. I plan to change it when I change my axles.

I don't think it's any secret that Sentras have shitty transmissions. I'm sure everyone here with a M/T has experienced that it's almost impossible to get into reverse w/o either rolling or by putting it into a different gear before you put it into reverse. We have crappy synchros, we have gear pop-outs. I can already feel my 5th gear moving ever so slightly when I accelerate, I'm sure this will be the first problem I'll experience w/ my tranny.

Anyway, change your gear oil and it should help you. I would say it may have something to do with your clutch not fully disengaging, but that's usually accompanied by grinding.


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

slow200 said:


> you locate the VSS its neat the starter on the drivers side, pull it and drain old fliud. then you need a funky ass shaped funnel to get oil in there.


What is a VSS?


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## I'm Slow (Dec 30, 2004)

vehicle speed sensor i think im not sure what V satands for but the rest is correct


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## I'm Slow (Dec 30, 2004)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> I don't think it's any secret that Sentras have shitty transmissions. I'm sure everyone here with a M/T has experienced that it's almost impossible to get into reverse w/o either rolling or by putting it into a different gear before you put it into reverse. We have crappy synchros, we have gear pop-outs. I can already feel my 5th gear moving ever so slightly when I accelerate, I'm sure this will be the first problem I'll experience w/ my tranny.


Most defenately true. my reverse sucks ass and i feel the same problem with my 5th gear.


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

1st/reverse have no synchro so that is why its hard to get it in without hitting the clutch twice or putting it in another gear. change your fluid, it may help a bit.

oh and if you're experiencing difficulty shifting to 5th... 5th is synchro'd.


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## pete2.0 (Sep 17, 2004)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> I can already feel my 5th gear moving ever so slightly when I accelerate, I'm sure this will be the first problem I'll experience w/ my tranny.
> 
> 
> > wut do u mean by moving ? like when u let off the gas ? cause my 4th is moving up and down when I pull off the gas a little ...


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

yea, when I step on the gas, the shifter moves about 1/4-1/2" back towards the neutral position, when I let off the gas, it moves back toward the 5th gear location. It stays in gear, but it's my guess that eventually, it will pop out by itself. Some Redline MT-90 should help a bit.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> yea, when I step on the gas, the shifter moves about 1/4-1/2" back towards the neutral position, when I let off the gas, it moves back toward the 5th gear location. It stays in gear, but it's my guess that eventually, it will pop out by itself. Some Redline MT-90 should help a bit.


You do realize that the shifter is directly connected to the transmission and engine, and will therefore exhibit movement when you hit the gas/brake. This is caused by the movement of the engine/transmission assembly relative to the rest of the car during acceleration (which can be mitigated by installing new/stiffer front and rear engine mounts).



James said:


> 1st/reverse have no synchro so that is why its hard to get it in without hitting the clutch twice or putting it in another gear. change your fluid, it may help a bit.


All of the stock manual transmissions that came with the SR20DE and GA16DE have 1st gear synchros...


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

I'm positive 1st gear has a synchro. I can hear it spool up when I go from 2nd to 1st.

As for 5th gear movement. The other gears don't do that, only 5th, I know there is some movement, but there can't possibly be that much.


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Ninety-Nine SE-L said:


> As for 5th gear movement. The other gears don't do that, only 5th, I know there is some movement, but there can't possibly be that much.


Ok. I'm just making sure, cause that scared the hell out of me when it started happening to the odd gears in my car. Turned out my front mount (the one with the two rubber things in the plastic bracket) had collapsed.


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## Ninety-Nine SE-L (May 5, 2002)

yea, i may be that too, my front mount is chewed up, I expect my new mounts to come in on Tue.


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Any special brand of Tranny fluid to use? I know GL-4, but what are some that perform better than others?


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## James (Apr 29, 2002)

ReVerm said:


> All of the stock manual transmissions that came with the SR20DE and GA16DE have 1st gear synchros...


I'm looking at my fsm and I don't see a synchro on 1st gear.

edit, nm, i see it, "1st & 2nd Synchronizer hub"


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## IanH (Feb 11, 2003)

James said:


> 1st/reverse have no synchro so that is why its hard to get it in without hitting the clutch twice or putting it in another gear. change your fluid, it may help a bit.
> 
> oh and if you're experiencing difficulty shifting to 5th... 5th is synchro'd.


First gear has had syncro on nearly all transmissions since the middle to late 60's. 
Reverse however was not and is not generally syncro.
My 64 MkII Jaguar had no Scynro on first and I assure you it was a pain !!!!
I am absolutly sure my Sentra has syncro on First gear.
Yes I agree the most likely problem is gear oil, and if its worse since changing the Gear Oil than change the Oil first before worring about anything else IMHO.
Good Luck.....


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

*Scooterbob*, my Sentra’s an ’03 SpecV and it calls for 75W-85. Right now I am using a mixture of Red Line MTL and Red Line MT-90 … about 20%/80%. It’s better than the factory fill … but there’s still room for improvement. The MTL is a 70W-80 and the MT-90 a 75W-90. Other than the weight, they are essentially the same formulation. Some guys mix these 50/50 but living in Texas, you might get by with 100% MT-90.

Any day now, I’m going to order some Specialty Formulations MTL-P for my 6-speed:

http://www.specialtyformulations.com/index_files/Page457.htm 

I’ve been speaking with the owner of this new company for a couple years and this is the stuff he now uses in his own Nissan pick-up. He used to use Red Line.

There are also others out there … if you can find them. 

Castrol Syntorq LT is supposed to be a GL-4 75W-85 … but I’ve never seen it anywhere.

Companies like Motul, Royal Purple, Pennzoil, Amsoil and General Motors now offer syncromesh fluids but have the annoying habit of not publishing the weight of the oil on the bottle. Syncromesh fluids can be as light as ATF or as heavy as gear oil, depending, depending … Using a too-thin fluid may improve shift feel initially (especially on cold mornings) but may also promote excessive wear where a heavier hydrodynamic film is required.

There are a few other threads going on about this same subject. Here’s one:

http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=84147&highlight=oil


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## scooterbob (Jun 16, 2004)

Thanks for the info *Bror*. Always nice to have a straight up answer. :cheers:


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