# Notchy shifter



## ntegravtec (Mar 30, 2005)

I test drove a Z today (planning to buy one soon) and one of the things that I noticed immediately was the notchiness of the shifter. I remember someone saying they used a different transmission fluid of some sort to smooth out the shifter (he supposedly got his Supra's shifter to be a lot smoother).

Any suggestions on fluids?


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

What Z did you drive, a 350? It's typical for cold transmissions to be a bit notchy, it should smooth out after it's warmed up. If not, that means that transmission might have been built with the tolerances a touch too tight. Changing to a lighter fluid can help the syncros react quicker, making shifting less notchy, but below a certain point you run the risk of excessive wear. I don't know what weight the trans on the 350s use from the factory, but lets for example if it was 80W90, than you could start off with 70W80 and it should help. 
See what Nissan recommends, sometimes if you go too low on fluid weight they may void the warranty. Could just have been the car you were driving, maybe you should try a different one. 
If it was an older Z, that seems to be pretty typical.


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## ntegravtec (Mar 30, 2005)

It was a 350 and I do remember the shifter being slightly smoother towards the end of the test drive. I guess I'll just have to get use to it. Kinda makes me wish they would have made it as smooth as the S2k.. it would make my decision process a lot easier..


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## Zen31ZR (Mar 24, 2004)

ntegravtec said:


> It was a 350 and I do remember the shifter being slightly smoother towards the end of the test drive. I guess I'll just have to get use to it. Kinda makes me wish they would have made it as smooth as the S2k.. it would make my decision process a lot easier..


If I remember right, a typical manual trans car has to be driven about 3-4 miles before the transmission is warmed up to operating temperature. Or let sit and idle for about 10 minutes in the driveway If you only drove it a mile or 2 , it's doubtful it was warmed up properly.


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## BlackoutSpecV (May 8, 2002)

ntegravtec said:


> It was a 350 and I do remember the shifter being slightly smoother towards the end of the test drive. I guess I'll just have to get use to it. Kinda makes me wish they would have made it as smooth as the S2k.. it would make my decision process a lot easier..


Tough call between the two. Got to say the Nissan has impressed the hell out of me. The styling on the S2000 has been around for a while now. Both cars are great, I'm not sure which one I would take.


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## nissan4eva (Apr 1, 2005)

I remember when I test drove the Z it was notchy the entire half hour I had it.


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## ntegravtec (Mar 30, 2005)

i like both cars.. I just happen to like the gearbox of the s2k more.. but I got addicted to added torque.. been hanging around VTEC lag for too long.


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## maximZ (Dec 9, 2004)

The S2K transmission is butter from what I hear. The Z is definitely not as smooth but it's not really a big deal to me. You get used to it.


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## piercer (Dec 29, 2004)

i just bought a sentra spec v with the 6 speed tranny. it also has a notchy trans. i put some redline fluid in and it smooths out the problem. look in your manual for the weight to use. its a synthic trans fluid. it still is rough for a few miles but after that shifts great. you can get it from www.jegs.com


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## FletchSpecV (Nov 26, 2002)

My 350Z is very notchy when I first start it but after a few minutes it smoothes right out. The only weird thing I've ever noticed is 5th gear feels and sounds a little rough sometimes.


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## am3rican (Feb 26, 2005)

BlackoutSpecV said:


> Tough call between the two. Got to say the Nissan has impressed the hell out of me. The styling on the S2000 has been around for a while now. Both cars are great, I'm not sure which one I would take.


There are three problems with the S2000 that I noticed almost immediately after test driving one ( i was very close to buying one)

1) Not fun to drive at all. Because the motor revs so high for peak power, its extremely aggravating driving in any type of traffic
2) Parts for an S2000 are very expensive
3) Very very little leg room, especially for the driver. 

plus, with the 350Z you will get better gas mileage (yea yea I know you are thinking, how does a 4 cyl get worse gas mileage than a 6 cyl) well, its because the redline on the S2000 is extremely high. My friend as an 01 S2000 and he says he gets anywhere from 13mph to upwards of 25 or so.


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