Hi all! My first post on this forum moving from the Maxima forum. I had 3 Maxima's prior to my TL which I picked up yesterday.

Anyway, I have been driving manual transmission cars for many years (although never a 6 speed). I read some of the posts where people talked about getting used to the MT on the TL which I can understand, however I am finding that when shifting into 3rd gear (only), I get a slight grinding noise. Now perhaps I do not have the clutch fully depressed, but that would seem odd (why only in 3rd?).

Has this been discussed before as an experience that others have had? Is it me? The car?

 

press the clutch all the way in, and blip the revs a little higher

 

there are many possibilities on this ...

1. 3rd gear synchros might be bad -- factory defect perhaps
2. is it a grind or a click?? -- clicks are normal
3. after the "grind" does the gear engage, or do you have to force it?

anyway, these are just my . hope it helps!

 

I have not experienced this with my 6MT. I did have some slight grinding issues with 2nd gear. The problem was that 2nd required more effort to put into gear, and I was letting out the clutch too early. Once I realized this, I just concentrated more on my timing, and it was all good.

Not depressing the clutch enough might be your problem. If not, maybe it is something you should get checked out.

 

Honda's 6mt is one of the best out there. It's smooth. Why would someone need to get used to it?

 

I went out again this morning...same issue although it did go smoothly once or twice...can't figure what was done differently then. I would think 6mt is correct, what is there to get used to...it's one thing to get used to the car for smooth shifting, but not "grinding". It engages each time.

I called the dealership and spoke with the service manager. He said the clutch is self adjusting and needs to get used to the way I drive. Never heard of such a thing...been driving mt's for years. I was conscious about being sure the clutch was fully depressed...don't think that is the problem. The service manager said give it 500 miles and that basically these clutches have no real adjustment on them!!!

Given that this seems to be my issue, (although maybe it is similar to Pooch's) and not a general issue with the car, I'll give it a couple of days...I won't be waiting for 500 miles.

 

Even the S2000 has some clunky 1-2 symptoms, and it is known as one of if not best MT out there.

After much experimentation, many of us have found that using GM Syncromesh Friction Modified is a much better choice than Honda's MTF. I did a full workup on its chemistry, and here is a link to it.

http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php...he+RR+Journals


I use this now and will never go back to Honda's cruddy lube, which is basically just a fortified motor oil, and measures very severe shear at way less than Honda's recomended change interval.

 

I just purchased a 2004 TL 6spd and I seem to be having the same issue but only from 3rd-to-4th. Im getting a slight grind before it goes into gear. I wouldnt say that it has to be forced in but im just feeling and hearing the grind. If it help, I will also say that I am always smelling burnt clutch. There is a possiblity that im stilling trying to adjust to the 6spd (was stuck on automatic for a year) but dont think it the clutch because the other gears are pretty smooth. What do you guys think? Has anyone had any success resolving this issue?

Thanks

 

Congrats on the TL! I had two Maximas before my '05 6MT TL, including a 6MT '02 Maxima.

The 3rd gear problem is very well known amongst the 6MT owners. Do a search in the Third Generation TL forums and you'll literally find dozens of posts over the past few years. 99% of the people with the same problem have solved the issue by changing the manual transmission fluid to GM Synchromesh Friction Modified transmission fluid.

 

Here you go:



Remember to change it out by draining and filling (3x). ALL your transmission problems will be SOLVED. I've NEVER heard of any problems after 6MT'ers have drained and filled their crankcase with the GM fluid 3x.

 

Thanks for the info. I am definently considering making the change. Is my 4th gear issue a rare one? My car doesnt really have a issue going into 3rd but just when im going to fourth.

 

I did the GM fluid swap over the weekend and the difference is awesome. I wish I had done it immediately and not waited 15,000 miles.

It's such an easy job with the right tools (I did it without removing the airbox, or the battery, only needed to rotate the lower shield out of the way and get a long socket extension with a flex on the end of it).

 

There are a lot of people with 3rd gear issues on this forum including me. Just search for 3rd gear issues on here and you will find them. Honda and Acura recently issued a 3rd gear TSB on all 6MT. I have an '08 Type S that I had problem with engaging 3rd, although it was infrequent, but rather annoying. I had my 3rd gear set replaced per the TSB about 2 weeks ago and everything seem to be ok. But I think it is too early to say whether that is the fix. We will see.

 

Three of the most common reasons for grinding to occur during a shift are: worn synchronizers, damaged or failing blocker rings, failure to completely disengage the clutch during the shift (due to either operator or mechanical error).

What you are hearing is not gear grinding, since gears will never do that otherwise you have a really serious problem, but rather dog teeth not properly meshing to their mating slots. The first thing I would do is check to see at what point off of the floor your your clutch takeup begins to engage the clutch disk. And also check to make sure that the clutch is fully disengaging when you fully depress it. This is a simple test.

You mentioned the smell of burning clutch. Assuming you are not practicing really bad operational habits, this should not happen. It is possible that the clutch control system, which is hydraulic, is not allowing the clutch components to fully disengage. If you do not know how to check this, let me know and I'll give you some help.

 

My worst fear was that it was mechanical but was hoping the GM synchromesh could help ease the problem. I am smelling the clutch less since buying the car Monday and only get the 3rd-to-4th grind when driving somewhat spirited. Seems like at the faster engine speed, the teeth are not lining up like they should be for my 4th gear. What are the test that I can perform to eliminate the possiblity of this just being a hydraulic/clutch engagement issue?

 

I should give fair warning here that no one should attempt this first test unless they are comfortable with it and know what they're doing. A few terms are in order first. Clutch travel is the amount of travel of the clutch pedal has from the stop pad to the point where it stops at its highest point in the travel. Clutch takeup is the point of initial engagement to that of full engagement.

o Start the engine with the transmission in neutral.
o Fully depress the clutch pedal to the stop pad on the firewall.
o Move the shifter into first gear, then back it out a little. You will feel a point at which there are no mechanical feeling coming through the shifter.
o Now start to slowly engage the clutch while at the same time exerting slight pressure on the shifter.
o At the point where you hear/feel the dog teeth grinding and spinning, that is the point where initial clutch engagement begins. This tells you how far from the floor (stop pad) the pedal is before engagement occurs. This is important to know because some people do get "foot lazy" and do not completely depress the pedal to the floor between shifts. If engagement starts really early in the travel (like my '04 manual TL and all other manual TL's I have driven), then not completely depressing (disengaging) the clutch puts added stress and wear on the synchronizers and can cause grinding of the dog teeth.


The next test is simple and carries warnings about potential damage.

o Start your engine with the transmission in neutral.
o Depress the clutch and right away, shift into first gear.
o Repeat step two for the next 5 forward gears.
o As you go up through the gears, you will experience more effort and resistance in your shifts and this is normal. What you are checking is that the shifts are made without grinding and too much effort.


The last test checks to make sure that the clutch assembly completely disengages when you fully depress the pedal to the stop pad.

o Start the engine with the transmission in neutral.
o Fully depress the clutch, wait maybe 2-3 seconds, then shift into first gear.
o With the clutch still fully depressed, slowly move the shifter about half way back towards neutral, then slowly move it back into first gear. The moves should be smooth without any grinding.
o Try step three with third gear this time.

 

BTW, here is a link you might find useful. If you have questions, please feel most free to ask.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...t=downshifting