On my 2008 350Z, with 38k miles,.. The pedal now falls to about 2 inches off the floor and I have to pick it up with my toe between shifts. Finally today it wouldn't go into gear at all.

So the Slave Cylinder is toast.

I suspect the clutch is fine as it never slipped.. ie: 15mph in 6th gear floored = no slipping.

I have to get this fixed now -- But I'm unsure how to meet my budget.

I have only two "requirements"

1) I do not want any more noise than the OEM Dual mass flywheel produces. So I assume this means I must use another new OEM Dual mass flywheel.

2) I do not want a relatively cheap part (The CSC) causing such a large problem in the future.


So what would you guys recommend I do given my $2,000 budget for parts + labor?

Go to nissan,.. have them do the clutch and bring them an aftermarket slave cylinder? (Will nissan even put on an aftermarket slave cylinder?)

If you guys recommend ordering a mix of parts elsewhere -- and taking to an independent mechanic.

Would you please give me names and if possible links to these parts (IE: Clutch, best priced OEM Flywheel, HD Slave cylinder, and any other items needed) ?

Lastly,.. does it seem reasonable I can get this done not using an aftermarket flywheel for $2,000.00 ?

Much appreciated,

 

Have you bleed the clutch yet?

 

Assuming you have NO mechanical skill or tools, I'd consider getting the ZSpeed CSC (if that's what the problem is) and having the OEM clutch and flywheel inspected. If they're in relatively good shape, just replace the clutch disc with another OEM unit and have an independent shop do the work.

 

go ahead and replace the master while there.... get the wilwood one from Zspeed

 

So, given that my mileage is relatively low.. the clutch doesn't slip.. I can put a new OEM clutch in and keep my existing flywheel without resurfacing? (I ask because no one is able to resurface this dual mass flywheel that I know of).

 

My thinking.....do everything so you have peace of mind and don't have to drop Trans again

 

My post did say "inspect" the clutch and flywheel. Mileage doesn't count as much as measurable wear and you're correct, the dual mass flywheel cannot be resurfaced. But hopefully, it's not scored or heat checked too badly. If the only wear is to the clutch disc (friction material worn down), than you might be able to refresh the clutch this way. Again, it depends on the inspection and how experienced the tech is.

 

Did you bleed it yet, that's is all it may need.

 

I have a 2003 with 153k and last week I lost my clutch pedal aswell, I found out that the hydraulic flex hose from the master to the slave cylinder blew, it was a 35$ hose from nissan and took 30 mins to install and bleed the system (with a hoist) myself. this could also be your problem. better than needing a new clutch or slave cylinder.

 

Well the car has been having an issue since I bought it were it slips for a split second when I shift at higher RPM very , very quickly..

For example.. I shift at 6,000 RPM's from 3rd to 4th.. when I release it blips up just maybe 100 rpms (fraction of a second) and then holds.

Testing for clutch condition by putting it under load in a low gear.. ie: 6th gear at 15-20mph and flooring it up a hill .. it is rock solid.

I have flushed the system multiple times. The pedal only started this the past month or so.

I have a fairly strong feeling the CSC is bad/failing and the master may be as well due to pedal dropping... but the clutch is probably 40-50% life given the mileage (I can't account for how prev. owners drove it).. I acquired the car with 26k miles.

While I would like to just spend a little money and have this all sorted,.. I think it needs the slave done.. and while an HR motor has it's tranny down would it not be foolish not to put in a new clutch, HD Slave, New Master, ?

It will give me peace of mind to do this.. parts are running right at 2 grand for Aftermarket clutch, OEM flywheel.. and HD Zspeed hydraulics..

What should labor be? IE: What is reasonable,.. what is too high?

 

labor will be anywhere from 400-900 i would think... depends on where you go

 

pretty sure u broke the clutch pivot bolt... takes the clutch fork rubber boot off or push to one side and use a torch / inspection cam and look for broken bolt.

 

I have no idea what you're talking about or what problem(s) you have?

The only think I understood was your pedal was sticking to the floor and you used your foot/toes to lift it.

That's a common problem with 07/08 z's. I had that problem too so I brought it to a Nissan dealer. They were, ALL Niss. are very familiar with this and can easily fix it. With the rest of the stuff

 

It's fine Tommy --

To clear up the quoted stuff you don't understand.

The Slave Cylinder in the tranny is a tad slow on full release of the clutch / pressure plate and as a result since I've owned this car (1 year now) at 5-6,000 RPM and higher fast shifts it will slip for a split second for 100-200 rpms.

As time has worn on.. eventually the hydraulics have failed and the car will not go into gear some mornings when it's been sitting for many hours... To get it to go into gear I have to pump the clutch pedal many times then it will start to slide into gear ... As I start driving after a minute or two it shifts very smoothly again.

Within the last month the very common issue of the Pedal dropping (not extending fully after you depress between gear changes) has started and the pedal returns after depressing 2-4 inches (I haven't precisely measured it). I use my toe to pull the pedal the rest of the way up (Although I don't need to do this to drive the car.. the clutch/shifting continue to function with the pedal a few inches off the floor.)

When I said the clutch isn't bad with the example of 6th gear at 15-20mph -- I just mean that when you do that in a manual vehicle that it's a very good sign that your clutch is not completely worn out (When it's worn badly it will rev the engine to some degree under such load.

CSC = Concentric Slave Cylinder (Requires transmission to be dropped to fix/change in the HR's)

And the last question was just asking opinions on what "clutch jobs" should cost (ballpark figures)..

I've spoken with Nissan here.. and they are terribly disorganized,.. want $1120 to change the clutch only,.. parts are considerably higher than what I can buy them for (OEM) .. and so on.

I have no doubt Nissan could do the work,.. but I'm not paying double labor for a job that isn't really troubleshooting in nature but straight forward for a mechanic.

Luckily I have found a Company locally that works on Z's exclusively , and if the end quote on labor is somewhat reasonable I will be utilizing them. (I'm hoping for 400-500$,.. will go as high as 700-800$ for labor).

If this was under warranty or some such I'd just let nissan do whatever.. but the car has needed the hydraulics replaced from the start.. so I'm going to go ahead and get it all done right, with superior parts than OEM (except for the Flywheel, which I am replacing with the OEM part ).

Take care,

 

Thanks.

But with a broken pivot the pedal would literally be on the floor.. The clutch returns 3-4" (estimation) -- it doesn't fall completely to the floor.

 

a 2008 350Z does not have a pivot ball... all HR engines have a concentric slave cylinder (CSC), requires removal of transmission to repalce. I currently work at the dealer and a replacment new OE flywheel is $1200... and clutch with pressure plate is about $400 add in around $900 for labor and your over your budget... this will give you an idea on what you are willing to cut your costs out of. I hope this helps

 

Thanks.

I've worked out parts, and a Z mechanic has quoted me labor .. so I'm waiting on both to arrive and be ready to do the car.

I ended up with the following combination:

New OEM - DualMass Flywheel (Don't want any additional noise)

JWT Heavy Duty Clutch

Zspeed HD Slave Cylinder

Wilwood HD Master Cylinder

Nismo Roller Bearing

IPP Stainless Steel clutch line

I got a very fair deal on parts.. $1819 shipped.

The Z "Custom" Mechanic has quoted me $600 for labor.

So it fits pretty close to budget (well second budget when 2 grand wasn't going to work for a new flywheel,.. and I decided I wasn't going to skimp on the Slave cylinder or Master , and went with the best that is out there.)

The Nismo roller bearing and SS clutch line are just sub $50 parts that won't hurt reliability.

The problem initially was the Slave going bad.

Now the Pedal falls to about 2" off the floor, and if cold outside and overnight.. I have to warm the car up.. and really pump that pedal to get it to go into any gear. Once it finally gets into gear and I start going down the road .. it's a little tough the first few shifts, then it shifts fine the rest of the day (of course pedal remaining 2" off floor, and engaging right there as well).

So I'm assuming Slave + Master are having issues at this point,..

Thanks for the tip/advice!