Hi there! Hope everyone had a fun summer driving season. Been reading old threads. I see we have M/C and external slave cylinder on 2006 Z's. But always feel the need for up-to-date info in 2022.

So at this point 8 months of trouble-free ownership and 10k miles I'm probably going to do a clutch this winter. I've become a master of adjusting the pedal height but it's at the end of it's adjustment. Not slipping yet but it's changing characteristics in hot vs cold weather for pedal engagement. Esp when you first get in the car on cold mornings. This clutch is original after 16 years.

Who is the best to get a basic clutch through these days? I don't need high performance. We are at stock HP.

Do flywheels get tossed with each clutch on these cars or can it be machined and put back on?

Noticed heavy rust in brake fluid in clutch reservoir when I first got it from sitting and lack of changes. Flushed 3 times but still getting murk-ish fluid. Should I replace clutch M/C AND slave cyl while everything is out? Or just one or the other?

Thanks!

 

If you're staying with the OEM dual mass flywheel, then any basic standard clutch replacement kit should be fine. There are lots of vendors out there like Z1, Concept Z Performance, ZSpeed, etc.

I don't believe the dual mass flywheel can be resurfaced, but others may correct me if I'm wrong. It might be one of those deals where it's just easier to replace it.

Since you're already doing the clutch work, it's probably not a bad time to either rebuild the master cylinder or replace it with aftermarket. The Tilton and Wilwood master cylinders are good. You might as well do the slave cylinder since it's a consumable item and it's pretty cheap. No need to go crazy and a Centric or OEM should suffice.

If I were you, I would also change out the hard line plumbing to a stainless clutch line. It improves the pedal feel and also eliminates a lot of bends where air can get trapped which makes bleeding easier in an already "somewhat finicky" vehicle to bleed if you're using the conventional pedal pump method.

Personally, I like the feel of a lightened single mass flywheel. It doesn't bother me in daily driving. When I changed my clutch, I went with JWT's clutch and flywheel combo, replaced the master cylinder with the upgraded Wilwood model, went with stainless clutch lines, replaced the slave cylinder, and changed to Motul 5.1 (NOT DOT 5 - THERE IS A DIFFERENCE).

Now, I can easily bleed it with a Motive power bleeder with the appropriate cap fitting on the different master cylinder.

 

This is good advice. ^^^

I'd add...

A key point you didn’t mention…. Mileage? This can help to make a decision on a new flywheel.

S’far as flywheel itself, the factory unit is a dual mass unit (DMF) and replacing with a new DMF is very pricey. The DMF cannot be resurfaced, as Heel mentioned (well, there are ways; but for this exercise, just consider it’s not a recommended practice) so the best solution if the mileage isn’t too high (reason I asked) is to sand the friction surface to break the glazing from use, putting a crosshatch on it before reinstalling/reusing the flywheel (can be done on car; just make sure you clean the surface with alcohol or brake cleaner before installing new clutch disc.)

Most people replacing the FW do so with a single mass replacement flywheel, as Heel mentioned above. Where I differ in opinion with Heel is that I like/prefer the feel of a dual mass flywheel. But if I have to replace it (did so on one of the other 33s in the fleet) I'd steer away from a lightweight for street driving.

Why: I do NOT like lightweight flywheels. While acceleration improves a bit (OK, a fair amount), the loss of inertia in a lightweight can create finicky engagement and the need to constantly hunt for the right gear to keep the engine in a good rev range. Not a horrible amount in competition driving but on the street, I just don't like the feel.

Note: But here's the thing.... my experience with lightweight flywheels were on my race roadster (in that scenario, worked fine) and on a street driven S30 (a 280Z in this case) and NOT a Z33; so perhaps the additional power/TQ of the VQ lessens these symptoms, don't know. Just know that I've had a less than desirable experience with one.

On my son's '07 GT with HR engine, I opted for the JWT high performance clutch with the 26lb iron flywheel (a few pounds less than stock DMF but not a true lightweight unit which is about half that weight) and that provided a great compromise; no inertia related problems and a really solid engagement feel. On top of that the JWT has a replaceable friction surface so future clutch replacements can be done along with just replacing the friction landing pad on the flywheel. There are also other similar options from Southbend, Exedy (OE mfgr), etc. But for your use, I recommend the Nissan Value Advantage unit. Best deal for Nissan OE clutches, way less expensive than aftermarket and they work just fine.

On master and slave replacement...

In theory, the pedal adjustment trick is good BUT it sounds like you’ve adjusted it well into the damage zone; that is, the piston is now pushed into the rust zone of the cylinder and fouling your fluid as evidenced by rust in the fluid. (OR, another possibility… the car has never had a brake fluid (clutch) flush.) Either way, best to replace the clutch master AND slave (not terribly expensive) to make sure there’s no residual rust/contaminated fluid left in the system. You’re going to be flushing/bleeding the system anyways, might as well start afresh.

Heel mentions the Wilwood MC unit and I've heard good things about that so if I were doing it again, would consider that or an OE unit.

 

The 14lb aluminum/steel flywheel I installed on my car is amazing(cost me like $250 on ebay) I don't know why anyone would want a heavier flywheel. Literally the only benefit would be the power stored from revving on a launch. Lower rotational mass=less resistance=more power. The only difference I notice is the car can revs faster. Just don't miss a gear

 

Wow! Thanks to you both for these details. So as I put in the title. This is a low mileage car. 58k and I bought it with 48k. Clutch may last a while yet but it's very old and feels like it's going to be intolerable soon. It gets hard to engage in cold weather until it heats up. I mostly fixed this with pedal adjustment.

Yes, it was a huge pain to bleed the air out. Might even still be a little bit in there making the cold/hot pedal gap worse. Fluid is mostly clear now but still a bit murky. Nothing like rust color it came with. This is soley because the prev owner probably never changed it. Not because of my adjustments of the piston. I found the point where it freely circulates fluid best while still giving decent point of engagement.

So from what I gather here and older threads you CAN machine it if you find the right machine shop but it's a pain, expensive and ultimately not a very good idea. Plus the spings

Definitely do not want a finicky flywheel for racing. This car is pure street, fun and my 78-year old father drives it exclusively when he is in town. So it has to feel like stock. If I have to get a new flywheel then, what is the best recc for that? This starts to get very pricey after adding up the clutch, flywheel. cylinders and parts. Labor where I like is about 800$ on top of parts.

Also your Value Advantage clutch says it's for 11/06 cars and later....mine is a 9/05 but a 2006 Model year. So it probably won't work? I have the external slave cylinder. Don't know if the MC or Slave is the rusted...probably good to assume both while the whole tranny is off the car. I mean its a super clear well maintained car but looks like the one thing they messed up on was clutch brake fluid services.

That said I could do this myself, it would just take some time. Just bought a house with a garage but also have access to a nearby shop with automotive lifts that charges me 10$ per hour and can keep it overnight. I've never done a clutch job before but everything else on many cars.

 

Stock clutch should last you 100k+ miles easy.
To bleed all I did to mine was open bleeder, push pedal to ground, close bleeder, pump until pressure and repeat

 

See? I'm clearly in the minority here. And like I said, maybe a light flywheel works fine in a higher torque car, dunno. But OK, maybe I'll try one (or someone local allows me to grind some gears.)

Showing my age here.

Just figured I'd say that before Daniel does.

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!

 

I just grabbed that from the web. You can find it at any dealer webstore or other suppliers who sell Nissan OE parts. Tons of them out there.

 

Late to the comment, but yes - Mic's old arthritic geriatric knee cannot handle the lightweight flywheel

But jokes aside, and back to your question about the flywheel, you definitely don't need to go full lightweight racecar clutch and you can get a replacement that weighs the same as OEM or one that is a little lighter to avoid the things that Mic hates. I've personally never experienced the feeling of trying to find an ever-changing engagement point with the JWT 14 lb. flywheel but YMMV.

I had never changed a clutch before I did the one in my Z for the first time. I did it in a one-car garage. It was a little painful, but doable. $10/hour to use a lift is money well spent.

 

Yes, I restored an entire 68' Mustang on those lifts. I jacked an auto-tranny in and out 6 times. Much heavier than the Z tranny.

So I was wondering if this 'mild' clutch is going to be similar to stock or too aggressive for my 78' year old dad? Mild Performance/Mid weight flywheel/Full face Or should I just stick with bone stock? I know it sounds milquetoast but the car isn't upgraded for power and probably never will be. I have another car for that pushing 400 HP.

https://www.z1motorsports.com/z1-pro...it-p-2405.html

Oh and to the guy who said clutch lasts 100k.....this is 58k over 16 years. Mostly city and suburban driving. It's not going to last long I can feel it. I've owned and driven other stick shifts before. May as well do this during it's winter rest than get stuck next summer.

 

That clutch/FW package should be fine. Hard to say about your dad, but Mic is about three times his age and says the slightly lightened JWT flywheel feels good, so maybe that gives you a point of reference.

 

Yes, works fine unless it’s cold outside but in those cases, a little nudge with my cane does the trick.

 

LOL my dad is 78 and I'm 44 I doubt you are 200 yrs old!

He is a good stickshift operator and he can take a slightly firmer clutch. As a matter of fact we both have issues with it because it is so buttery you can hardly feel the friction point grab in 1st. Then you overrev. Was better before I had to bring the pedal adjustment back up. So some firmness and grab at lower inflection point and RPM would be welcome.

I think the Z1 "Mid Weight" flywheel with full-faced sprung clutch might be the way to go. I do not know if they original clutch is sprung or un-sprung?

 

I just put the Zspeed Quiet Comfort Clutch with their single mass iron flywheel in my Z. I’ll let you know how it feels.

While doing major service on my Z, I also upgraded to the RJM V4 clutch pedal. I ran with the RJM V3 in the past and man, what a difference that makes to driver comfort. Especially if you do a lot of city and urban driving. The OEM clutch pedal is a bear by comparison. The assist spring is massive overkill and actually fights against your foot/leg when it cams over.

Since you’re planning to handle the clutch hydraulics, I strongly recommend this pedal. It’s not cheap, but we’ll worth it in the long run.

if you have any questions about the clutch DIY, feel free to ask. It’s all fresh in my memory. Just did it this past weekend.
Cheers!
-Icer