hey guys i recently bought a 1985 300zx and ran into some problems the third day driving it. it was perfectly fine the first two days but the morning of the third after starting the car it refused to go into gear. i messed with it for a while and waited for it to warm up and eventually after jostling the wheel it let me strongarm it into first for no clear reason. the issue continued on startup for the next three days and now it doesnt always go into first even after driving around. im good with tools and have a good bit of experience working on and taking apart cars but to be honest im not really sure how half of this sh*t works. any help would be appreciated thank you guys

 

Given your description of having to use strong-arm-assist when shifting I assume it's a manual transmission. Whether it is or isn't, I'd start by changing the transmission fluid and presumably the filter. Hopefully there will be little or no debris in the fluid.

 

YES sorry its manual. ill change the fluid today but i was under the impression that manuals didnt have transmission filters? and i cant seem to find an answer online. while driving today i was changing from 4th to 5th and it wouldnt let me go into anything.

 

You're correct -- the manual transmission does not have a filter. I should have also suggested changing the differential fluid at the same time. I've included the shop manual chapter for this work, overhaul and more.