A few thousand miles ago we were on a trip through Baja over Christmas and the clutch started screaming at us... lol... really making loud and horrible noises that frightened the locals... Had the cluctch replaced, no probo.

BUT, the transmission had started 'wobbling' when in the first gear position. My buddy/mechanic said that the tranny is probably on its way out, but that it might be good for a while. When I say "wobble" I mean that when I would place the tranny in first and began to apply power the stick itself would shake really badly. If I held onto it you could feel stuff not meeting up right, like stripping a screw...

Unfortunately it was not. The other night, while stuck in some wonderful 405 bumper to bumper, 1st gear DISAPPEARED. Seriously. It is just gone. I can put the stick in first, let out the clutch all the way and just idle there. It is gone.

So what does this mean? Do I need a new tranny? Is it something simple like bushings or the synchros on 1st?

And if it is bad and I need work done... does anyone know any good Nissan guys in San Diego County? How much for a used or new tranny that will fit a '00?

AND will the new 6 speed fit in a 2000?

Yep, she's done...

It's fairly common for the synchros to come apart in the Xterra/Frontier transmission. I'd say if you actually lost first gear it's probably had problems for awhile and there is likely more damage done inside too as a result of all the little teeth being ground up in there... bearings might be bad, etc. And a synchro is nothing simple; remember the transmission has to be removed and taken apart even if that's all it is!

At the very least it needs a partial rebuild. I don't know what repairing costs, but a used one from the junkyard will run you anywhere from $500 - $1000 depending on mileage. I think I paid $750 for mine. You're looking at another $1000 or so to have it installed at a dealer. Make sure you use the proper gear oil in the new or rebuilt one... that will probably help. I can almost guaranty the dealer won't put the right stuff in when they replace it (mine didn't), so you might have to do it yourself. BTW, did you ever change the oil in the oild one? You should have had teeth coming out with the oil...

And no, the 6 speed doesn't match up.