TheCrazySwede Posted March 28, 2012 Share Posted March 28, 2012 (edited) Dear Hybrid Z Community, I am new here on the forums and like many, I bring with me some questions that I hope you could help me with. First off, I recently bought a 1977 280Z (Manual 4 Speed). Has around 114k miles on it and everything runs great, except for the transmission. It's a 35 year old car and everything on it is stock, so I wasn't surprised when the clutch started to act a bit flimsy. Recently, though, my reverse gear has been acting up a lot. At first, I sometimes couldn't select reverse as I would feel it grind. I would wait a second and try again, and it would work. Now, however, it almost never seems to work. The grinding has now gotten louder and more rough. All my other gears, though, work fine, though putting it into 1st does require some force sometimes, but no grind. Recently I drained out the old transmission fluid and replaced it with some Redline MT90. I thought maybe that would fix it, but nope. Still going grinding into reverse. So, here are my questions. I really appreciate your help guys... 1. What is causing my Reverse issue? Is it something that needs to be diagnosed or can it be said just by judging from symptoms? 2. After my fluid change, gears have become really stiff. This is my first trans. fluid change so I'm not sure if this is something to be expected. Is this normal? 3. I'm planning on getting a new, and better, clutch. Along with the clutch, I am also replacing the clutch slave and master cylinders. I am going for a full Clutch Kit, including the Flywheel. I'm planning on getting the clutch kit myself, for around $420, but the place I am getting it fixed at said they would charge $550 for the labor. Is that a good price for something like this or is that too expensive? Like I said, I am very grateful to those who decide to help me out with this. This Fairlady is my first car so I'm still learning. Thank You, so much! Sincerely, Swede. Edited March 28, 2012 by TheCrazySwede Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadMaxDallas Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Yeah my tranny does that too, what I do now is put it in 5th and then reverse and it works every time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewZed Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 The problem with reverse, and 1st, sounds like a slave and/or master cylinder problem, maybe nothing to do with the transmission or clutch at all. I would replace those two first and see how the shifting and clutch performance is, before buying and replacing the clutch. Pull back the rubber boot on the slave cylinder and see if it's leaking fluid. That's a sure sign that it needs replacement. Changing the clutch requires removing the transmission. It's not difficult on the Zs, compared to many cars, but could be difficult if you're not using to working on cars, in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasper Posted March 29, 2012 Share Posted March 29, 2012 Your clutch is not fully disengaged. Look for leaks in the hydraulics, bleed system. Check the adjustment at the pedal. Follow FSM diagnostics and adjustments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrazySwede Posted March 29, 2012 Author Share Posted March 29, 2012 (edited) The problem with reverse, and 1st, sounds like a slave and/or master cylinder problem, maybe nothing to do with the transmission or clutch at all. I would replace those two first and see how the shifting and clutch performance is, before buying and replacing the clutch. Pull back the rubber boot on the slave cylinder and see if it's leaking fluid. That's a sure sign that it needs replacement. Changing the clutch requires removing the transmission. It's not difficult on the Zs, compared to many cars, but could be difficult if you're not using to working on cars, in general. Aye, the slave cylinder seems to be leaking. I'll replace the S/M cylinders first! Thanks for the tip! By the way, would a leaking slave cylinder cause these symptoms? The car feels a bit boggy anywhere below 2,000RPM and it feels like the clutch doesn't pick up. Sometimes, I also feel a subtle knock coming from underneath the car. Are all these things S/M Cylinder related? Either way, I'll see to it that this gets fixed. On a side note, I am able to shift into reverse when the car is off (and everything has stopped spinning). I've noticed that it seems to be driving better sometimes after I've been driving on the highway at higher speeds. It's not boggy anymore. Also, one more thing. I have to make an hour drive tomorrow, but mostly on freeways. Do you guys think its safe to do so? I know the driveshaft wont snap and get shoved up my bottom, but I don't want to cause anymore damage to my transmission. I have to make this trip, but I was just wondering what the consequences were. I'm getting the new S/M Cylinders put in on Friday, though. Again, thank you all, this is a huge help! I am very grateful Edited March 29, 2012 by TheCrazySwede Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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