Thread: No 5th gear

I just picked up a 96 B14 a few weeks ago. It has no 5th gear, if I put it in 5th and start to let out on the clutch I can feel it grinding. Or when I do get it into 5th gear without it grinding and give it gas it revs like its in neutral. Anyone have any suggestions. Shift linkage?

Mine did the same thing.. I was able to hold it in 5th and it would be ok on the highway.. I just replaced my gear stacks a few months ago, works great now.

I just found a donor trans ( case was broken) and swapped the internals.

You have the dreaded 5th gear pop-out. It's a common problem with the manual transmissions in these cars. There are dozens of write-ups on the forum (just search 5th gear popout), some explain how to fix it. You're going to have to tear the transmission down and replace the worn parts. I think it has something to do with worn synchronizers and gears.

Unfortunately there is no temporary fix. It's caused by worn parts that have to be replaced to remedy the condition.

http://www.sr20-forum.com/general-maintenance/18390-how-recognise-repair-5th-gear-pop-out-b13-transmission.html

That applies to your B14 as well.

That looks like a PITA to repair. I think I will drive it with no 5th gear a few months until I can pick up a new tranny.

A used tranny will likely develop the same problem eventually (as will a brand new one) unless you find one that's had the fix applied. IMO fixing your own is the best solution. It is a bit of work and can be complicated, but the process is well documented and you can lean on the forum for help. If you don't want to do it yourself, then I'd recommend having a shop do it and print out the How To for them so they can know exactly what they are getting into.

Good point. After applying the fix the issue will ever rise again? It's definitely going to have to wait till the weather warms up. I have no heat in my garage and I froze last week when I replaced the clutch.

Shawn B will claim that once the fix is applied, you could still get 5th gear pop-out. I maintain that once the fix is applied the transmission shouldn't develop 5th gear pop-out within your life time. Shawn B has owned his B13 since new and has developed 5th gear pop-out 2 or 3 times, each time having the Nissan dealership fix the transmission. I believe the fix lasted him a couple years each time before the problem arose again. Because of this, Shawn obviously disagrees with me about the permanence of the fix. The years that Shawn had his transmission fixed makes me think each time Nissan replaced his 5th gear they replaced it with the same crappy part (the final fix being from old stock that the dealership or Nissan had and was trying to phase out). That's my belief. I think had Shawn gotten the new, redesigned 5th gear at any time during one of his fixes he'd never have experienced 5th gear pop-out ever again.
I have never heard of a transmission fixed with the new 5th gear (documented) that has developed the problem again, and looking at the redesigned part would help show why. In my opinion it fixes the problem completely, and the transmission should easily outlast the life of the car if repaired with the new part.

Maybe I can get a hold of Larry Weeks (who did the fix over 10 years ago on his car) to see if he's ever run into the problem again.

I've also heard the claim that the "fix" was instituted by Nissan with the '94 and newer transmissions so they should not "pop-out" in the first place. Utter and complete crap, as evidenced by the OP's '96 B14 having the issue. Nothing like a band-aid on a compound fracture, thanks Nissan.

You can certainly go with Bens advice, most folks seem to do OK with the "fix." It is the documented and "proper" fix. Ben can also take apart and put back together a tranny, so my personal experiences my be skewed.

Whatever you do, I recommend you also get upgraded motor/tranny mounts (Prothanes), use Redline fluid, and get an Andreas Miko Tranny-Saver Bracket.

http://www.sr20-forum.com/naturally-aspirated/11706-tranny-brackets-sale.html

On any future B13's I may own, the second the tranny starts to hiccup, it is getting replaced with a B15/P11 tranny. I will no longer even entertain the idea of "fixing" the problematic B13/B14 trannies.

The 5th gear fix is actually very simple and does not require completely disassembling the entire transmission or removing both stacks. It's nothing like 3rd gear or attempting to repair any other part of the gear stack. It is really just intimidating because you have to remove the tranny and split the case open, which scares most people away.

If you can do a clutch job, you can definitely repair 5th gear.

Unfortunately, the cost of the repair kit brand new is far too pricey for it to be worth while in my opinion. You are better off finding a low mileage good condition tranny or viewing this as an opportunity to upgrade to a B15/P11.

For the price you got that car for, why not put the extra funds into upgrading all the problematic areas?