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350z won't go into any gear PLEASE HELP

18K views 14 replies 2 participants last post by  johnny matinez 
#1 ·
Hello, about a month ago I purchased a used 2003 350z. Its ran decently for the passed month but today the transmission will not go into any gears just 5th and 6th and somehow neutral is reverse. I can't get the car to move foward at all The car is my daily driver and I am a college student so I really need it. Usually I can figure things out but this problem is beyond me. Any help is greatly appreciated
 
#2 ·
It sounds as though the tranny has shifted internally somehow. This cannot easily happen and is usually preceded by some kind of impact or event that damaged it. It raises several questions:


1) Was there anything that preceded this damage? Did you run the car extra hard or hit anything?
2) How many miles are on the Z?
3) Has the clutch ever been replaced?
4) Have you jacked up the car (support it with jack stands) yet and inspected the tranny itself?
5) Are all the tranny mounts fully connected and in good shape?


It sounds as though you have few mechanical skills. Sorry to say, this is NOT a repair you can easily make and certainly not one solved over a keyboard. I'd suggest you have it towed to a repair shop or Nissan dealer before any further damage is done.
 
#3 ·
I did drive the car a bit harder than I usually do but not anything crazy. It has 128,000 miles on it the previous owner did tell me they did clutch work to the vehicle maybe they put something on wrong? I have looked at the transmission everything seems fine I just changed the transmission fluid with redline fluid. A mechanic came moved the shifter around and it went back to normal. I am at a total loss at this point and considering getting rid of the car which is unfortunate because I just got it:crying:
 
#4 ·
So the shifter needed adjustment and now you're afraid it'll happen all the time? Did you ask the tech to show you how to do the adjustment yourself? There may be worn parts b/c that's not normal.

It would be sad to sell the Z now, but it's your car...
 
#5 ·
He just pressed it down as if it were going into reverse and somehow it just went into all gears as usual. As of now yes I'm pretty afraid to drive it Ive used public transportation to get to school. Im don't really want to sell it at all but I wasn't expecting this I knew the cd001 transmission was bad but mine had no grinds. I did get a burning smell when i drove like passed 50 also at lights the transmission did make a tractor sound. It went away when the clutch would be pushed in I'm not sure if that has anything to do with whats going on now
 
#6 ·
There's likely two problems at work here. The first is your tranny has something going on; even the CD001 had internals that didn't move but yours might need some work. Surprised the mechanic didn't offer any thoughts on what it'll take to repair it. The burning and grinding sounds more like the clutch/flywheel is worn. Did you have this Z mechanically inspected before you bought it?
 
#7 ·
He did mention its probably internal. The previous owner did say he did clutch work but he didn't sound like he knew what he was talking about because he installed the shifter backwards. And unfortunatley I didn't get it checked out my college kid mind got the best of me plus I got it for relatively cheap under 5,000 so I knew id have to put money into it Ive installed a knock sensor new spark plugs and boots , 02 sensors , slave cylinder , and all of which I did myself but for once I have no clue what the problem with this transmission is hopefully I don't have to get rid of it. Anyways I appreciate your help Thankyou
 
#8 ·
If this problem keeps occurring, you'll need to go to a tranny specialist. I'd suggest going to a few tranny shops in your area and interviewing a few techs to determine if they've ever worked on a Nissan six-speed 'box before. If so, they'll likely need to pull it and they may as well do a check of the clutch/flywheel at the same time. Get an estimate of what their diagnostic fee is at each shop too.


Save some money up for these tasks, but you may as well do it sooner than later. After all, you can't very well sell a car that might get stuck between gears, or has obvious clutch problems...
 
#11 ·
yeah I just change the tranny fluid couple weeks ago with redline but I'm asking whether you check the tranny fluid when the car is hot or cold ?Im starting to wonder. I filled it until it leaked out ? But when checking the tranny fluid do you have to warm up the car before checking the tranny fluid or do you check it when the car is completely cold????
 
#12 ·
Tranny fluids are typically checked cold. But remember, it's a sealed unit and if you're losing so much fluid you can feel it with your finger, there's got to be a severe leak! And yes, the correct way to fill it is to make certain the car is jacked up and level on all sides before inserting the pump tube and putting in 2 1/2 to 3 quarts.


To verify a severe leak, jack up the car, support it with jackstands and visually inspect the entire gearbox visually. MT85 has a slight red color and you should be able to see a leak (or drip) and trace it back to where it started. You may need to leave it overnight with some newspaper underneath to track the leak if it's not readily apparent.
 
#14 ·
Have to ask: are you getting the Z up on a level surface with four jackstands at each corner? If so, than yes, you use the fill hole and when MT85 flows out the bottom of the hole, you are done. I've heard of guys trying to do this with just the front of the car elevated, and this only results in the lubricant flowing out of the tranny.


But if you're truly losing a quart of tranny fluid in a short time, there's a significant problem.
 
#15 ·
I don't think I'm loosing tranny oil I think I didn't put enough when filling it. I leveled the car put some more inside until it spilled out and drove it around without issues. Im still not going to daily drive it because as of now I still have no clue what could have caused any of this.
 
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