Checked out a car today. Silver 2003 350Z Touring with Nav. 53,000 miles. Black Interior.

Very nice car, but I have one concern.

The clutch is VERY hard to press down and engages high. That being said, I did not find any grinding, slipping, etc. I drove a 2005 Base a little bit later and it was far easier to deal with. Not nearly as hard, nor difficult to engage.

1. Is it possible that the high effort required is due to a burned out clutch?

2. If it needs a new clutch, whats the price of a clutch kit and the amount of hours required to drop a new one in?

Really appreciate any help. Have to make my decision tomorrow morning.

 

My 03 Touring I had was incredibly hard to press down. Im not sure if it was just the 03's or what, I test drove another 03 and it was just as hard.

 

Is there a fix for this at all?

 

it shouldnt be hard, that is a sign that the pressure plat is going out. to do a cluth job all the necessary parts will probably cost around 900... at least thats what my mechanic quoted me for the parts from the dealer. when i bought my z a few months back the first one i drove felt hard to push in (pressure plate), the one i ended up getting was a huge difference, so much smoother and easier to push in. as far as the price someone please feel to correct me on that. you should go to a dealership and push one in on a new car and see for yourself if you're serious about buying a Z. hope that helps

 

The clutch is terribly subjective. Its should be harder than a Honda Accord, but softer than a Mustang Cobra.

 

Hard clutch + high engagement = worn pressure plate.....dead on analysis.

 

But from the reading I've been doing now, is the high engagement point not common with 350Zs? And isn't a hard clutch also common?

 

you obviously never driven a 03-04 350z. The 03-04's clutch are much more stiff than the 05+...the high engagement point is also normal for all years.

 

oh yeah, have a mechanic look at it!!!!

 

I was thinking about that, but I'm somewhat well educated regarding the way cars are put together and I believe the 350 has a hydraulic clutch and its not visible without taking the tranny off. So whats a mechanic going to see?

 

Any other input?

 

Go for it, you will not be disappointed!!! If it needs a clutch down the road no big deal.

 

the 03 clutch should engage halfway from the floor upon release. Its quite stiff but shouldn't be too hard.

 

just get an 06 and be happy. i dont like the other models, 06 and up only. my clutch on the 06 is very eazy to use, engage, or whatever.

 

4.5Z
High shift point and hard clutch off the dealers lot at 6 miles on the meter.

I tell everyone that drove my car that the shift point is high and they all still stall at start first.

I've driven RX7's..Preludes..GTI's..Tacoma's...none of them have as heavy of a clutch or as high of a shift point of the Z.

There is an adjustment that you can do to lower the clutch a few cm.
Thats about it.
My only explanation like stated before is that it is the only one I've driven with a Hydrolic Clutch.

 

Mine is kind of hard too, I have 20,000 on it, but i just thought they all were like that?

 

FWIW, I've only driven 2 Z's so far (3 tomorrow) and haven't even sold my car yet. But my car has an incredibly stiff hydraulic clutch. 1996 BMW, my specific chassis of BMW's has one of the stiffest and least refined clutches of any BMW ever made. The Z clutch in both the 06 and 04 (drove one of each) was FAR softer than mine so I may not be making a fair comparison. But I do know that when I replaced my clutch it got much softer, had a shorter release distance (shorter travel from start of grab to fully engaged). Most noticable though was that the shift engagement had moved below my clutch stop and I couldn't even get the car in gear without adjusting it.

 

if the clutch is ur concern, let the dealership know that u want the clutch checked out because ur concerned about it, if they refuse to have it checked out, WALK AWAY, a dealership should do everything to make u happy and feel confident about a car ur buying from them, I mean seriously ur not buying a piece of candy here, buying a car is expensive and if ur not happy go somewhere else, there are PLENTY of Z's for sale...

Good Luck on finding ur Z