The clutch on my '03 350Z Touring is slipping and needs to be replaced. I was pretty set on just taking it to a shop to do, but after watching a bunch of youtube videos I'm starting to feel more comfortable with the idea of doing it myself.

My main hesitation is from living in an apartment rather then having a decent garage like most people who post youtube videos. But I do have a very flat and level indoor space to work. How much do I need to raise my car to make enough room to drop the transmission and swap the clutch? I'm thinking of buying some ramps, or stands instead of trying to work under the car on four jack stands (which never seemed very safe to me).

My second concern is actually dropping the transmission. I might be able to enlist some help from some friends, but there's a good chance I'd end up doing it myself. How heavy is the actual transmission? A number of videos I've seen have used an engine hoist to support and lower the transmission, which obviously something I don't have. I also don't currently have a floor jack so I was thinking of getting one that supports one of those transmission adapters. How well would that work? Is there a certain model adapter that fits the 350Z tranny well? Any other tricks for dropping the tranny solo with out an engine hoist, and with out spilling gear oil all over the floor? ;-)


I'm leaning towards installing the JWT Clutch Kit with 14lb fly wheel. (I'm open to other suggestions though). My car is an '03. Is there any chance it doesn't have the inferior stamped clutch fork? Is upgrading the clutch fork worth it/necessary with the JWT clutch?

I'm not currently having issues with the clutch pedal , but would there be any advantage to changing the master and slave cylinders at the same time as the clutch?

I'll have to take a look under my car to see if there are any leaks, but regardless does it make sense to just plan on replacing the rear main seal while I have this all apart as "preventative maintenance". My car has around 74k on it.


Eric

 

you can do it with a buddy, alone i wouldnt do personally. get the car up on all corners pretty high on jack stands, and def use the jack to lower and raise the trans. jwt is tried and true, i am a believer of just doing work once, while you have the trans down i would replace the pivot ball and the fork as well

 

I've done it in a one car garage before. Not fun, but doable. You'll need jack stands or some big ramps to get it as high as possible, otherwise you won't be able to drop the trans and slide it out from underneath.

Rent a transmission jack. It's heavy and I would not want to rely on human strength to maneuver it around.

There's an excellent DIY on this site that walks you through it.

 

I just paid to have the clutch assembly replaced on my 2003 Nissan 350z. I was replacing the clutch at 130k miles, and I decided to also replace the auxiliary components (i.e., slave and master cylinders).

Truth be known, I decided to replace the transmission along with the clutch assembly. I did have the CD009 transmission, but it “howled a lot” and I didn’t want to listen to the noise any longer.

I would find it very uncomfortable (downright scary) pulling and installing a clutch and transmission unless the car was significantly “off the ground.” I’m a little claustrophobic so there is no way I would crawl under a minimally lifted car to deal with the clutch and transmission.

I would also mention that I am surprised that a 350z with 70k has the problem of a slipping clutch.

 

I did the job by myself a few weeks ago. I had the benefit of a lift for easier access, but since I was alone I bought (and returned) a ~$130 transmission jack from Harbor Freight, which worked perfectly. When dropping the tranny/putting it back in I think I had the wheels ~12 inches off the ground. It was low enough that the tranny jack could put the tranny in place at its highest setting, but high enough that I could still scoot around under the car on a roller.

I've done the job without a lift as well and I believe I had the wheels ~8 inches off the ground, which gave me just enough room to sit up behind the engine once the transmission was dropped to work on the flywheel bolts.

I used the Z1 14lb flywheel kit - so far I'm happy with it and have gotten used to the added sounds that come from running a single-mass FW.

Funny story: I bought the tranny jack with a 20% off coupon, but when I returned it somehow the coupon didn't apply, so I ended up getting $20 more back after taxes et al - now I like to say my clutch job was sponsored by HF :P

 

It definitely seems like my RPM's are out of sync with my actually speed when I try to accelerate. Could it be something else then? Rear main seal leaking oil on the clutch? Could my slave or master cylinder be bad and causing the problem? I don't smell anything if that' makes a difference.

 

If your engine revolutions seem out of sync, you are probably slipping. The clutch may have been abused.

 

Here's the thread I referenced previously: https://my350z.com/forum/engine-driv...wt-clutch.html

Worth a read before undertaking it.

 

Well I do live in SF...

 

California Street!! I was working in the building right where that red car is on the left during the Loma Prieta earthquake. Pieces of which were falling to the ground moments after we exited the building. Haha.

On topic.... car on a set of stands, while seemingly precarious, isn't that bad. A floor jack with a trans cradle simplifies things (along with a 4x4 piece of wood to hold the engine upright once the trans is out) but, it can be done without a jack. I don't recommend it but I have done trans R&R, by myself, under the car (at midnight....and before I had to go to school walking 4.7 miles uphill both ways in the snow.) I kid. But ya, have done the transmission thing a few times, one, an automatic at that, by hand/arms. That was about 40 years ago though. Now I pay for the heavy lifting.

Another consideration which may/may not be viable in The City... look around for a "garage for hire" where you can "rent" a working space along with a lift, tools, etc. There's at least one still around here in the South Bay and one that may/may not still be there in Oakland; but not sure about in/around SF.

 

Ideally you want to find a garage that has a lift in a bay you could rent daily or weekly. You can do the clutch/tranny alone on jackstands but really only on concrete with a tranny or motorcycle/atv jack. Make sure you have a plan in case something goes south on you end up spending more time on the project than you thought.

 

I just finishing doing clutch/FW/RMS on my G at 130k. With a transmission jack and 1 friend to help align everything getting the trans in and out was a 10 minute affair - it was made much easier by the fact the PO had left out all the hard to reach bolts tho.

The flywheel bolts came off easy with air tools, had to use 2 crowbars to pry the DMF off but it came. Then had to use a big plastic mallet to whack the new FW on, it was reaaaaly tight. Might be tricky without a lift to get the leverage/swing distance.

The hardest part was the RMS by a long shot. Getting it out was a pain, but not half as much as getting the new one in without getting either the RMS or the oil pan seal crooked. One thing to note, the two dowel pins do come out and might have made it a little easier if I had known at the time.