Well, I took my JWT clutch and flywheel to a mechanic I trust @ one of the local dealerships. He was also gonna swap my tranny because it was a 2004 and 3rd was grinding a bit. After the install, I'm getting a very weird roar when the clutch is depressed. Also the pedal is extremely soft. He said to drive it out and see if it got better. It actually got worse and became louder and even harder to get the car in gear. It was 4pm on a friday and I decided it'd be better to get it checked on monday. I'm probably gonna take it in tomorrow but I only really have one chance to get it checked under warranty.

Specific noises: When the clutch pedal is depressed it sounds like an old motor starting. Something like a turning wheel is grinding or something. Although I do not smell clutch.

The guys where I got the clutch tell me it sounds like a throw out bearing. It was replaced during the install but supposedly it might have been mounted incorrectly.

The mechanic explained that the pressure plate looked like it had been mounted on a car before. He said it looked new but, the mounting holes looked as if they had been mounted previously. He mentioned that maybe the pressure plate was defective.

Who should I believe? If it is a defective pressure plate I need to put on my stock one and send the JWT out the have to pay for mounting it again. Or should I have them mount a new throw out bearing and hope it fixes the problem?

Any input will help greatly.

Soft clutch. Spinning wheel sound with grinding. No clutch smell just alot of noise.

 

Well Ill tell you one thing JWT will tell you you F'd it up and they wont take it back, they did this to me when their pos cam snapped in half on me while installing into my SR20.

Sounds like the TB is not on right or its bad

 

I hope it's just the throwout bearing. Would that make the clutch really soft though?

 

i heard thats what the JWT sounds like, that sound happens with the stock stuff just not very loud, usually quiets with use. JWT will be much louder. I believe it was something with the bearing, but not neccessarily a BAD bearing, just something with the way the Z's tranny is designed

 

I would think so since not all of it is making contact with the plate, unless the line for the clutch was improperly bled. But it could be what dude said above.

 

JWT sounds nothing like that. Trust me, that's extreme noise.

did you make sure the bearing was put on perfectly on the fork when installing it? Or made sure the fork was reinstalled correctly?

 

I don't know since I didn't install it. I can tell him to keep his eyes open for that.



Does anyone know what the symptoms would be for a defective pressure plate?

 

lol search my post. i have pulled the tranny 7 times replace every single part except the flywheel. this week i will be putting in a nismo flywheel. i will never purchase or recommend anyone using a jwt flywheel. thats the exact noise the one i installed is making. i have replaced the throw out bearing 5 times, the sleeve. new pressure plate and clutch disk, stock pressure plate and clutch disk, pilot needle bearing with a pilot bushing. the noise has not gone away and i don't think it will till i get rid of that jwt flywheel. i will update my post this wednesday after i put the nismo flywheel in.

 

that sucks you guys are having problems. I still feel it's the installer's fault and not the product itself. If you guys lived closer, i would help install again the way i did to see if it works out or not.

 

I don't get it. Two other people I know have the JWT combo and it sounds perfect drives well and everything. Only thing I hear from their cars is the flywheel chatter that's it. My car sounds like it's falling apart when I drive it.

 

we have installed probably 25 JWT clutches, they dont sound like that. its probably the throw out bearing on messed up or maybe the pivot ball broke.


i have seen both happen. make sure you are standing there when they take the tranny back down. they will lie to you and blame someone else for sure.


how much did they charge you...? we could have done it for ya...

i have also seen dealerships forget to put gear oil in the tranny before.

remember just cause it is a major dealership, doesnt mean they have a lot of experience. i never would have them do anything to any car unless i knew the tech personally.

 

Yep, most aftermarket clutches on the 350z I have heard make that sound and are pretty annoying. Even the stock clutch makes it slightly. But I think that is a bit too loud....so you might have somethign wrong.

 

JT,

I was going to take it to you guys but driving to Orlando wouldn't have worked. I had the clutch installed on my bday and my lady had plans for me. Plus $150 in gas, plus the install would've cost more in the long run. But have no fear. I will be going the Power Lab route shortly.

The mechanic is a personal friend who happens to work @ the dealership. He does installs along with warranty work. He's pretty trust worthy and almost work exclusively with Z's. Alot of the local guys swear by him. He's done several install for me with no problem. I send him customers all he time and they are always happy. He was very nice about telling me to bring the car back to have it looked at.

I hope it's a small issue and gets resolved quickly.

 

this was my first jwt install. i searched and searched and there are several others that have had this problem. i have changed the throw out bearing numerous times as stated. i did my clutch masters clutch and flywheel install with no problems, i also did my homeboys with a nismo flywheel with no problems. I have been doing mechanic work for many years. i know what im doing. i know the sound is not the throw out bearing. it is the flywheel. thats why im chaning it out again tomorrow. im not saying jwt is crap but it is possible to make a bad product when you mass produce so many. you can read threads of aftermarket parts breaking. it happens.

 

Yeah trying Ben@JWT that, he will tell you thats not possible.

 

I will post up in here tomorrow also if the nismo flywheel fixes the problem. Since this is the same problem. The jwt flywheel is a lot skinnier compared to the nismo and also my old clutchmasters. I will post pictures.

 

the reason the pedal may feel soft is because its still a new clutch. give it like 500 miles or so to break in. also did you bleed your clutch line...ask them that cuz that can be a problem too?

i know when i changed my clutch, it was soft at the beginning, and after around 550 miles, it got really stiff and i needed to lower the pedal, and mine was def softer then yours cuz i also put on the ss clutch line...so i felt every lil bit.

if he fixes the noise, id wait it out til clutch breaks in, do steady, easy driving, nuttin more than 3k rpms, and hope

 

Installed the nismo flywheel and got rid of the jwt about 2 hours ago. The car is running great and the noise is gone. Get rid of your flywheel OP. It's the problem.

 

I should be going to the dealership this friday. If second time around the noise still persists I'll go for another flywheel. I've been super busy with surgeries this week so I haven't had a chance to make it over to the dealer.

 

Don't spend the time to have the tranny pulled again. im speaking from experience. It's the flywheel. This is the first time I have ever had a problem like this. I hate for you to go thru what I have. Even the other guys at the shop were lost to what was making the noise. They have over 180 years combined experience. But it finally came down the the flywheel. So please order a differnt flywheel.