Background: Car is a 260Z swapped with a NA L28 and matching 5 speed manual by the PO. Car was running and shifting fine before sitting a few months, after which it would start right up however releasing the clutch would kill the car as if it was in gear. After initial inspection I found the master cylinder bone dry with $^!# at the bottom, I then replaced the master and slave cylinder with new fluid and bled the system a bunch. Issue still remains.

Some tests and other troubleshooting I've done so far.

After lifting the car and testing the gears I found the tires spinning forward when it is in neutral when I let off the pedal. Shifting the lever I can "get" into any of the gears at least it feels that way when I have the clutch down. Letting the clutch out in some gears like 1st will spin the tires and seem ok at least in the air, some gears like 4th will not spin the output of the transmission and no spin on the tires but will bog the engine and will die even with tires off the ground (and parking brake was off during all tests I should add). Reverse is one such gear that won't spin the output. I'm out of ideas that don't involve taking the trans out or to the shop.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated

You might have bad shifter bushings. They are known to get brittle and fall apart. There are three of them, made of nylon or a similar plastic. Seems like the transmission is not actually in the gear you think it is. The dry clutch reservoir might have been a distraction.

31 and 32- https://www.carpartsmanual.com/datsun/Z-1969-1978/power-train/transmission-control/5-speed

They are available from various sources, seach the part number. You can reach them from inside the car. Buy some extra clips/snap rings. You'll probably lose a few. Part # 29.

Z Car Depot Inc

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New, used, and OEM repair and replacement parts for Datsun 240Z, 260Z, 280Z, 280ZX, and 510.

I agree that its probably gear selection rather then the hydraulics. Parts are being shipped and I'll update after I throw them on.

It sounds to me that the clutch disc is rusted to the pressure plate. The 4th gear issueoght be a dragging brake

If the clutch disc and pressure plate were rusted together wouldn't I not be able to start the engine with the clutch pedal down? Not saying its not possible but it doesn't make sense to someone with a mild case of stupid.

So you can start the car on the ground with the clutch pedal depressed?

If yes, then the disc is free, not rusted.

If the car is off the ground then the car would probably start no matter what

Correct, I can start the car on the ground with the clutch pedal depressed.

On 4/4/2026 at 6:36 PM, AJackOfFewTrades said:

... some gears like 4th will not spin the output of the transmission and no spin on the tires but will bog the engine and will die even with tires off the ground ...

This is wrong even with sloppy shifter bushings and/or not knowing what actual gear the transmission is in. Even if the gears haven't meshed correctly 100%, input should disengage them and return to neutral. In any case it should NOT bog the engine down with tires off the ground - in any position. If not an internal transmission problem, you have a driveline problem. If not the transmission it could be propeller shaft universal joints, differential, or half-shaft universal joints, rear wheel bearings, etc. With it off the ground easy to check how the rear wheels spin manually - and thus the half-shafts. If the u-joints are bad enough to bog the engine they likely would be making a hell of a racket though. I'd dump the transmission fluid and see what kind of metal comes out. 4th "gear" (position) is supposed to lock the input and output shafts together for a direct drive from the engine to the differential.

On 4/4/2026 at 6:36 PM, AJackOfFewTrades said:

some gears like 4th will not spin the output of the transmission and no spin on the tires but will bog the engine and will die even with tires off the ground (and parking brake was off during all tests I should add).

Appologies extended to anyone who read the below. Some of it is nonsense. I didn't think through the striking rod action, it can't act on two shift rods at once unless something is messed up at the other end, not the shift lever end. Illustration below. Plus there are check balls and interlock balls designed to keep the rods from moving at the same time.

Really, your description just doesn't seem cohesive. The pieces don't fit together. Not sure what would break so suddenly to cause your symptoms.

It was kind of hard to make sense of the description. When I read it I just assumed that the part above was a writing mistake since it didn't really fit the rest. But, if it's correct it implies, with the other observations, that there is internal damage to the transmission (edit - maybe as simple as bad shift lever bushings, see below. Don't know, just guessing). Tires up, brake off, there is a gear shift lever position which completely locks up the transmission.

The fact that other gear shift positions allow the output shaft to spin or not spin with the engine continuing to run implies that other gear shift positions don't lock things up or do allow output shaft spinning.

There's either something wrong with the observations or the writing or the transmission.

I do know that it is possible to get the transmission in to two gears at the same time, locking it up. I don't know if that's possible using just the gear shift lever though, in an assembled transmission. It can happen if the shift fork rods are exposed but hard to see how the striker rod alone could do it since it is designed to work on one shift rod at a time. Maybe it's possible if something gets jammed in at the base of the shift lever causing the two rods to move at the same time. Spitballing based on the first post words.

First thing I'd do is take the shift lever out and look in the hole.

Edited April 7Apr 7 by Zed Head

Probably be a few days before I have time to get out there but I'll try and take some pictures and videos during testing.

I modified my post above. I didn't put much work in to it besides writing many words. My reasoning was wrong.

Need more details on what, exactly, is happening.

Edited April 7Apr 7 by Zed Head