I took the Xterra in for the 30K service recently. They changed out the manual transmission fluid as part of the service.
The night of the service, I noticed that there was a fluid leaking from the area of the transmission (or maybe the transfer case) As far as I can tell, that fluid is water. It looks like water, and it feels like water - no I didn't taste it)
When I got in the X the next morning, I had trouble shifting into 2nd gear. In fact, I couldn't get in it at all. Maybe it was cold and something wasn't right.
I just got out and drove around, and it didn't have any problems. The shifting was still pretty "knotchy", but I was able to do everything. The transfer case seems to be working fine.
It feels like the syncho is off. I am also having trouble shifting into 1st gear. It will only allow me into first gear on a dead stop. I can't even shift into first if I am rolling slightly.
I am taking it into the dealer as soon as I get a chance - its pretty obvious that they did something to cause this. It worked fine before they got to it.
Before I bring it in, does anyone have any theories as to what could be my problem?
~~~~~~~~~~``
update:
I took it into the dealer this morning. On the way to the dealer, I was experiencing the same "its hard to shift" problem. Oh course, when I got there and went for a test drive with the mechanic - the problem had cleared up. We talked about it and this is what he told me:
The oil that the dealer puts in (penzoil) is different than what the factory puts in. Its slightly thinner. The dealer doesn't have access to the "good stuff" that the factory uses. This happens on all the cars with manual tranys. He said that my problem eventually just goes away. It helps to let the engine warm up before driving, to give the oil a chance to do its job. (my problem is much worse in the mornings, and improves as it gets warmer)
I didn't have a problem the rest of the morning on my way to work (once the engine warmed up) - so I guess he was correct.
This all still sounds kinda fishy to me. Was the Guy BSing me?