Recently I picked up an early 260z, it runs and drives great, but lately i have been having an issue with the transmission.

My problem is the transmission is hard to get into first gear and has started grinding when shifting into reverse.

I drained and replaced the transmissions gear lube two days ago when I bought the car.

Is this a common problem with the Z cars? And what should I be looking for to remedy this issue!

Thanks

Is the clutch friction point very close to the floor? if so, the problem may be with the clutch hydraulics, ie that clutch is not or just barely releasing.

The easiest thing to check, as mentioned in the first response, is the hydraulic part of the clutch. Is the reservoir full? Are there signs of leakage around the slave cylinder? Have you downloaded a copy of the FSM to see the factory troubleshooting guides? (Many questions on this board could be answered just by reading those.)

Since the car is new to you, I would not be surprised to find the slave cylinder on the clutch is old and is in need of replacement. It's a relatively easy job, and conventional wisdom suggests replacing the master & slave as a pair. The trickiest part is getting things lined up with the clevis pin and clutch pedal, and even that isn't too difficult.

FWIW, when I got my car I had the same symptoms. I adjusted the pedal height according to the service manual, and the problems went away never to return. So before you really tear into it check the fluid level and the pedal height. Always try to do the simple things first.

Cheers, Mike

With my 72 I had a similar problem. The pressure plate was stuffed.

Replaced that and she's fine for ten years now.

Have you checked the fluid level?

As others have said, check the easy stuff first. Pedal height, master and slave cylinders.

Just a thought, I had a Mazda that started similar symptoms, all that was needed was a little lubrication to the shift linkage and the shift ball directly under the lever. I was able to clean it with a little WD-40, then followed up with some proper grease.

-Justin

  zKars said:

Is the clutch friction point very close to the floor? if so, the problem may be with the clutch hydraulics, ie that clutch is not or just barely releasing.

Yes the friction point is noticeably closer to the floor then it was and now the clutch doesn't do anything when I push it to the floor. If I pump the clutch like 10 times it starts to build enough pressure to force it into gear, but thats still not good.

So it is definitely a hydraulic issue, looking in the service manual there isnt much on troubleshooting the slave and master cylinder, what should I be looking for and how hard is it to fix?

Thanks!

Replaced the slave cylinder and added fresh brake fluid and all is well again

It is good to replace the master & slave together. Remember that the master is probably at least as old as the slave.

I recently had a slave fail on me and replaced just the slave. Just make sure to inspect the master and you'll be fine. Unless failure is catastrophic, you'll feel clutch hydraulics being to fail before they completely die. Lower clutch engagement is a telltale sign. At least that has been my experience, YMMV.