BlueKitsune

Ok this has gone on long enough, every time I shift my Z at high RPMs the transmission grinds hard then pops into gear. I'm sure my clutch is good and in proper adjustment but this is getting annoying. I take it the synchronizers are going bad or something?

NismoPick

It happens. I ate the synchros on my n/a tranny not too long into my orig turbo swap. Though every shift was a hard shift.

BlueKitsune

Hmm I wonder how much it would cost if I took it to a shop to rebuild the tranny.

Oh is there any diff between an 83 N/A tranny and a 80?

NismoPick

Final drive ratio might be diff: http://www.geocities.com/z_design_studio/

audiofreak97

It's because you are granny shifting and not double clutching like you should

I've kind of learned how to shift just right to get minimal griding, but mine is still bad.

BlueKitsune

I haven't mastered double clutching lol. Normal driving I never grind them and if I do shift at high RPMs I have to shift rather slow to keep from grinding...
And If thats the only diff is the gears then theres no point it me switching out my transmission... idk what condition its in either

Bleach

2nd gear goes first... then the whole transmission.

I had 2nd grinding from when I first bought a 280ZX at 130,000 miles. It lasted to about 220,000 and then 2nd wouldn't engage at all. A short while later 1st let go and that was it. Swapped to a T5 that I already had.

I drove for a couple weeks by just skipping over 2nd gear.

audiofreak97

Normal driving and shifting at high RPM? I didn't know there was a difference between the two...

You could always go through the trouble of swapping the diff and trans from your donar car if you went that route. I would love to have a better gear ratio so I'm not freeway crusing at 4 grand, but I would lose what little acceleration I do have...

Bleach

3-speed auto?

BlueKitsune

In normal driving I shift at 3K (cruising) when racing at high RPM or w/e I shift right at redline

I wish I could get a T5 for my Z... tho I like the gearing that in my Z now. And my Donor Z has the same dif and transmission pretty much so not much point.

...crap my 2nd gear is whats grinding

Bleach

Shift at 5200-5500 rpm. That is where your power peaks anyway.

bojo68

Wow, never thought I'd see the day somebody WANTED a t5.....

NismoPick

Do explain.... and don't say "I heard the n/a tranny is stronger than the T5".

bojo68

Just NEVER seen anything good about them, they're over priced, flimsy, EVERYBODY is breaking them all the time. When they first come out they were breaking, and they wanted a then unheard of 1800$ to fix. Saw some relatively new cars down for years on that one.
I have one in my garage right now, and that's one of the reasons it's staying there, it won't break if I don't use it. Even it has a little oddity in second every now and then. Maybe on z cars they're an improvement, but I just can't see it. I pounded an old 70 pu tranny pretty hard, never a bit of trouble. Pulled 12k# with it, then drove it to Alaska and back, the long way. All the mustang guys are blowing them apart all the time. They finally got them to where after 20+ yrs of modifications they might work if ya get a real exceptional guy building it, and don't make any power. Even the Jag guys blow them up.
I guess to me, dreaming of having a t5 is kinda like dreaming of having a 5$ crack *****, just doesn't seem worthwhile to me...

OH, and Ford racing sells the t5z. Ya know why?? because all the rest are crap, and they know it.

BlueKitsune

I'd like a T5 cuz then I can get a Geforce gear set for it so it wont blow up.

audiofreak97

n/a 5 speed... I think my problem is my cruising speed though. I'm thinking the Z is geared for the 55MPH speed limit back in the 80s (The National Maximum Speed Law or something like that)

bojo68

Which kinda makes my point, you'd like to buy a tranny that's so good you immediately have to pay somebody else from somewhere other than the factory make it work.. Sorry, but the only way I can find sympathy for a t5 is by looking in the dictionary between **** and syphilis.
Don't get me wrong, I realize the choices arent' always pretty, in fact I'm having to use another of Tremecs continuous screw ups too...the tr3650, but at least they can hold a little power if ya can get them into gear.(I'm trying to cheat, and make one work right despite tremec)

260zturbo

why throw money in a t5 when you can do a sx tranny or a na tranny.

BlueKitsune

Well to be honest, I dont want to get rid of my tranny as it like the gearing it has. but I have no clue how much it would be to rebuild it

Bleach

If you have the factory 3.9 rear and the factory high geared 5-speed then you'd be going 101 mph at 4k rpm. So that is your normal cruising speed?
Even if you had a 4.11 diff or smaller than stock tires you'd still be in the 90+ mph range...

shift out of 4th into 5th!

bojo68

Don't know what year you have, but I can tell you exactly what you have(if it's stock) if it's a 79, I have the factory manual, which has a BIG list of the variables, which are many.

Far as what to do in your situation, generally I'd trust Nissan trannys a lot more than I would any tremec, aside from a few priced past platinum. If it were me, I'd be looking for later models that could be retrofitted relatively easily. I wouldn't think it would be to hard to pick up something out of a wreck that could hold up reasonable as long as you keep the horsepower under 500 or so.

Look at the bright side, at least it didn't leave you somewhere, and send you home on the end of a hook.(tow truck) T5's are pretty good at that, no warning, instant junk.

bojo68

delete, fubared.

davidjoe007

Well, there is a tranny on ebay and the seller has perfect feedback. It cost me a grand to have a rebuilt one put in my Z. I serched for a used one high and low and I finally caved in and spend the money. There can't be too many Z's in Utah...so ebay might be an alternative.

bojo68

Never thought about that. Depending on what you decide you want, I might be able to come up with it. This area is pretty infested with z people,(I think one of the honcho's on hybridz lives 20~40 miles from here, and the yards closest to him have the stuff vanish fastest) so when rare z stuff shows in the yards, the good stuff vanishes quick. We do get a fair selection though. I was able to find a mint 79 dash, and door panels that I didn't need.

BlueKitsune

Dumb question. Will a T5 out of a 94-95 S10 work in a Z?
And I have a 1980 Z BTW. The tranny is still fine for now seeing as the engine is probably getting old and tired (needs rebuilt IMO)