Hi All,

I have a 2000 Xterra with a 5-speed manual transmission. I can no longer put the thing in first gear. Any time I try, whether moving or sitting still, there is a horrible grinding noise as if I was trying to shift without the clutch. 2nd through 5th seem to work fine, only 1st gear is a problem (for now anyway). Any thoughts?

Thanks.

Drain the oil from the transmission, I'll bet you'll find a bunch of synchro teeth. Time for a new tranny...

Thanks OffroadX. I was afraid it was going to be a "new tranny" situation. Is that the best approach, rather than trying to have the existing one repaired?

I dunno which is the better option: Repair, junkyard, or remanufactured.
Of course, it might be something else entirely, but a flaky 1st gear is typically the sign of a failing FS5R30A transmission. Check for those synchro teeth...

Is this you too?

http://www.xterraownersclub.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=23;t=000606

I picked up a used Frontier tranny with 15,000 miles on it for $900. Better than rebuilding IMO.

Nope, that's not mine. Sounds like another unlucky chap with the same problem though. I'm getting my X back from the dealer today, they just replaced the fuel sending unit under the recall for terminal corrosion. Now I have to attack the tranny problem. In what I consider an incredible coincidence, 1st gear went and the fuel sending unit failed on the same afternoon within minutes of each other. I was waiting for the doors to fall off!

Thanks Schludwiller. I leaning toward buying a used one also. As OffroadX implied in his post, I'm afraid that 1st gear failing may be an indication of more trouble to come with the existing tranny. I've gotten some prices in responses to an internet part search, they all seem to be in the $900 to $1200 range. Although I haven't seen any with mileage as low as the one you got. My X has 94k on it and I've been looking for a tranny with 30k or less.

This one isn't too bad near you:

2002
Transmission
Nissan Xterra 8-02 36,000 A 4L8215 $750 Novak Auto Parts Inc. USA-PA(New-Brighton) E-mail 1-800-452-4343

I used www.car-parts.com

I had a similar problem on a 91 Nissan pickup. It ended up being the clutch master cylinder that wouldn't let the clutch fully disengage. That would be a much cheaper and easier fix if you're lucky. Otherwise, I would have to agree with the others- its probably the synchros in the tranny.