280Z 5th gear synchro's gone bad?

[zKars]

33 minutes ago, FunkytownZ said:

 

I'm not sure which one I have but if I had to guess it's the middle pair.  I'll know tonight.

Do you have an extra of the one right set?

Hmmmmm, that work bench looks familiar... I am embarrassed by its state of disarray, but it has been since replaced with a proper metal working bench. But I digress.

I do still have a decent supply of shifter rods like the right hand ones if no one closer can help you. Drop me a note to z240@shaw.ca if I can help.

[Zed Head]

Loose bushings can amplify the shifter problem. I have tight new bushings, and my 76 4 speed shifter worked fine in three of my 5 speeds.  There are tiny nicks from contact but no big notches like you're showing.  I wouldn't overthink it.  Get the parts right then see if you need new parts.

[FunkytownZ]

9 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Loose bushings can amplify the shifter problem. I have tight new bushings, and my 76 4 speed shifter worked fine in three of my 5 speeds.  There are tiny nicks from contact but no big notches like you're showing.  I wouldn't overthink it.  Get the parts right then see if you need new parts.

that's the plan.. i'm installing new bushings and pin tonight, going to see how it drives then grind away as necessary.  

[FunkytownZ]

13 minutes ago, zKars said:

Hmmmmm, that work bench looks familiar... I am embarrassed by its state of disarray, but it has been since replaced with a proper metal working bench. But I digress.

I do still have a decent supply of shifter rods like the right hand ones if no one closer can help you. Drop me a note to z240@shaw.ca if I can help.

let you know how tonight turns out - thanks for the reply!

[siteunseen]

I remember how I got mine right, now.

Running car in 5th, let out the clutch and pops immediately. 

Ground a little put it all back cranked the car and let the clutch out. It moved. Then popped out.

Ground some more. Cranked the car and let the clutch out. 5 feet then it popped out.

Repeat, then it moved to the front of the garage.

The next day I drove it in 5th for the first time.  75mph at 2,200 rpms. 

 

[FunkytownZ]

1 minute ago, siteunseen said:

I remember how I got mine right, now.

Running car in 5th, let out the clutch and pops immediately. 

Ground a little put it all back cranked the car and let the clutch out. It moved. Then popped out.

Ground some more. Cranked the car and let the clutch out. 5 feet then it popped out.

Repeat, then it moved to the front of the garage.

The next day I drove it in 5th for the first time.  75mph at 2,200 rpms. 

 

 

so you did this all at a stop in your driveway?  car running, not moving, put the gear in 5th and slowly let the clutch out?  repeat, repeat?

[siteunseen]

Yeah, in my garage. It was cold outside.

If it's not moving enough to lock it in gear, it should pop out as soon as the clutch releases its hold. 

[siteunseen]

I think I used a round sander on a dremmel for the grinding.

[FunkytownZ]

good deal - thanks for everything site!  hopefully this works tonight - keep y'all posted

[FunkytownZ]

UPDATE:
- grinding the shift rod worked! 5th gear engages and works like a champ
- replaced the bushings and shift pin with the kit from MSA (clear rubber bushings) - shifter feels so much better and no more vibrations at high RPM's
- cruized home at 85 mph in 5th gear and felt so good

Enjoyed a ribeye with my buddy after we got done (and a few beers of course)

Cheers, y'all! Thanks again for your help. This site is a wealth of knowledge


Sent from my iPhone using Classic Zcar Club mobile

[Zed Head]

Did you just do everything at one time?  Not clear what, exactly, worked.

Weird that Nissan had those parts designed so tightly.  Maybe that spring-loaded ZX shifter is more subtly complex than it seems.  Has anyone compared the action of the two?  Maybe we should be bending ZX levers to fit out old transmissions.  There's a lot of parts there, a scenario that automakers try to avoid.

 

[FunkytownZ]

5 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Did you just do everything at one time?  Not clear what, exactly, worked.

Weird that Nissan had those parts designed so tightly.  Maybe that spring-loaded ZX shifter is more subtly complex than it seems.  Has anyone compared the action of the two?  Maybe we should be bending ZX levers to fit out old transmissions.  There's a lot of parts there, a scenario that automakers try to avoid.

 

yes we did everything at one time.  the damage to the shift rod was so great we figured we should go ahead and grind it down.  We grinded a little bit past the existing depth and smoothed out the transitions and everything worked. 

and looking at Lumens pic, I have the shifter from the middle set.

I still have no idea if my transmission is ZX or not.  I bought the car 3 months ago and know it has an N42 block with N47 head (he said it wasn't the orginal engine and that it had roughly 88k miles), so i suppose the engine/tranny combo could have came out of a 79-80 ZX. 

Edited April 6, 2017 by FunkytownZ
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