Bushings are the most common ones to go out.

Killed my OEM diff bushing earlier this year.

Tore a ball joint last month.

Shocks and springs are showing their uses.

All in all your mentality is whats get the most damaged. Had a couple hard spin out and I just wanted to pull out, go home and sell my car. But you pick up and you go back out. Also if you find the Z to be too expensive to track/autoX, start out in a used Miata. Pick one up for less than a set of used Volks and slap it around until you are confident about your skills.

 

Yea you can't beat a Miatas value. I found one for 1200 bucks that runs great on craigslist. Also got 12 take-offs from a mx5 cup car for $300. It's a great car to practice or instruct others in.

AS far as parts on the Z failing I have had bushings, bearings, ABS, Wheel speed sensor, all the common stuff.

 

What happens when a bushing goes bad? Particularly the diff bushing? Is there a lot of noise? Slop?

 

A lot of slop during launches, shifts, etc leading to wheel hop, loss in power, and possibly damage to other components.

 

I gave input on this thread a few times - ALL RELATIVE TO MY DE RACE CAR. I wish I paid better attention to the woes of the HR!

I bought a NISMO over the summer, it was tracked a few times in the Texas heat without a problem. . . stock exhaust.

Previous owner changed the CSC when he did the clutch months before I bought it. I did one track day (stock exhaust) without a problem. I wanted the powah of the HR, so did a full exhaust on it including ART test pipes. Now I have more heat under the car. . . more heat to the clutch line. . . and the CSC failed on me.

The ZSpeed option still exists (http://www.zspeedperformance.com/ZSp...m1plqscsfapp05), as well as Z1s CSC relocation kit. Be sure to get the insulated line on that mother!

https://my350z.com/forum/drivetrain/...ation-kit.html

 

Did Zspeed CSC make a 03-06 version yet? or still only HR?

 

I think the first C in CSC stands for crappy. Anyway, are you sure it failed? I recently lost my clutch pedal during 40-50 minute track sessions but it would come back as soon as the car cooled a few minutes. I think I was just boiling the fluid.

As mentioned in a recent thread, it looks like DOT 4 fluid, wrapping the clutch fluid hose and wrapping the cat pipes on that side will solve my problem.

Also, there was a TSB for this problem and Nissan replaced my CSC once, not under warranty, for free. Might want to look into it.

 

I believe they have an 03-06 kit of some sort.

Yes, it failed and never came back. TSB was done on my car early on in its life, and the previous owner changed my CSC last year when he did a clutch on it. I swapped to the test pipes and whammo. I may try a cheaper fix like you mentioned to start. I've seen the slave fail before as well on my buddies 05'. Need to keep the heat off of these lines.

 

The 03-06 is a totally different design with an external to the bellhousing slave cylinder, a clutch lever arm, and throw out bearing. I have never heard of any issues with that set-up and it is nothing like the CSC design of the '07 and later cars.

 

want to prevent the failure on the track, so how can you tell the wheel bearing & bushing are going bad before damage.
- what happens if wheel bearing fails? and how can you tell if the bearing is not in good condition?
- what's the feeling if LCA bushing fails?

 

The bearing developed play and starts to groan at you. The rear usually wipes out the hub, I carry a spare assembly with me. Swap one out before failure, keep it as a spare, same with the front.

LCA failure, your alignment goes to crap, and makes noises , compression arm bushing, you car will not hold alignment. I suggest you just swap them if the car have over 60k on it.

 

Thanks. I did research a while ago for the wheel bearing, dose Timken is the best aftermarket brand if I remember correctly?

 

Bringing this thread back to life after laying on my back for many hours this weekend.

I have found success with using heat wrap on my ART pipes to keep the heat off the CSC. After 3 hard track days, the OEM CSC has lasted. It is ready for fresh fluid and a bleed though.

Adding to this - spare CV boots. The driver's inner has failed twice on me, likely due to its proximity to the exhaust. Bring spares or buy reman'd axles and carry those, as changing a boot on your back and repacking it at the track would be a bi$ch. And I also bought a Miata to beat on, which is faster around the track than most of the Z-ers around here.

GET THIS KIT! My buddies 05' failed ANOTHER clutch slave line, he is buying the stainless line from Z Speed now. Maybe the OEM line is a touch too short, as this one actually tore up where it connects to the hard line, and the banjo from the hard line was STUCK in the soft line, so we had to dremel off the old unit. Many hours later, it was fixed just in time to drive it home. Grrrr.

ADDING: Engine sensors. The DE has 3 that are different, the HR has two that I believe are the same. So DE guys get all 3, HRs just buy one (and the one is more expensive than each of the other 3). Enjoy!

 

I don't follow what "kit" you are tallking about. I have changed my OEM line to a hard line, but other than changing that line there is no "kit" that needs to be purchased. There are no issues with the external slave cyclinder design compared to the CSC design in '07 and later models.

 

I meant the 'kit' from Z-Speed with the stainless line. I also think - even with the insulation that it comes with - one should add additional insulation to the line and/or the exhaust nearby. Correct, the external has less woes than the internal from the HR, but they (external) fail rather easily as well, in my experience.