IS my clutch going BAD?
 

Hi all,

I've search these forums, but found nothing that would answer my question. Can you explain what a slipping clutch is? Lately, I don't feel like my car is delivering much power to the wheels. I thought that clutch slippage only occurred when you are shifting into a gear, and once it was in gear(connected) it wouldn't slip anymore. Could you guys explain what I would be feeling if the clutch, was in fact slipping or bad?

Thanks,

Chris.

Are you having to rev the rpm's higher to get it to move and it's feeling sluggish?? That's normally a good indication. Burnt metal smell is another. Hope that helps.

Yes, I feel I'm having to go higher in the RPMS to really feel the car gain speed. And yes, it's feeling sluggish. I don't smell anything though.

here's how you know if the clutch is going bad.....

30-35 mph, shift to 5th gear and floor it.

if the RPMs climb first without really increasing your speed, then your clutch is slipping.

if the RPMs go up slowly at the same rate as speed (as you'd expect), then your clutch is fine.

If you do find out that your clutch is in fact slipping and going bad, do not replace it with the factory clutch. The dealer will charge roughly $1800 - $2200 depending where you're at. The stock flywheel is $900-$1000 alone plus the clutch and labor.

You are better off going aftermarket and getting a better clutch anyways. I have the JWT combo and I love it. Only time there is any gear chatter is when it is in neutral without the clutch depressed and even then it is extremely minimal. Others like the ACT set up. Do some research on the board and you'll find tons of information regarding clutch choices. My set up I purchased through mynismo.com and had it installed at my dealer. Total cost for parts and labor $1250, almost half the price of stock and a better feel.

Good luck, Jason

I have the SAME problem. Thank god you created this post. lol

when I start off on my first gear the car picks up slow, then after a few seconds of being IN the gear the car starts picking up. It's the same thing on every gear. before it used to kick in hard and pull as soon as the gear was in , no matter what RPM it was. I have been thinking it is my clutch though. So I was waiting to replace it soon, and then if it doesn't stop then I don't know WTF:icon11:

It won't stop it will slowly get worse until you almost can't drive forward anymore. Then it starts to smell really bad from being burnt. Nissan recommends changing the flywheel at the same time because it normally gets eaten up when the clutch goes. Sorry to hear it man. JWT is great though one of the best mods I've done it zips through RPM's. Flywheel is like 8 pounds lighter than stock.

I've also noticed that the catch point on my clutch has gotten higher (farther away from the floor). I was reading the DIY for installing a clutch and It did NOT look easy for me. Seems like it's a *****. Pike, around how long did it take the dealership to get the combo installed?

Call a couple different Nissan dealers for the hourly labor cost and have the one you want to get the work done at match the cheapest labor price. Mine does and I always bring the service guy his favorite, a 12 pack of corona bottles so he keeps the price minimal and sometimes does stuff for free. Time wise I dropped it off before work and picked it up after but they only needed 2 hours I think. When it was in I had just put the popcharger and AAM spacer on so he tuned it for me at no charge. Great guys, good luck.

wired summed it up best! also works in respective gear in an uphill... but that's far more dangerous.

the length of your clutch depressing to releasing point is proportional to the distance the length of the throwout bearing pushing and releasing the pressure plate. since the pressure plate and/or clutch disc both have been worn out with material shaved/eaten away, the pressure plate needs to flex more at the relaxed state in order for the pressure plate to engage with the disc. similarly, if you have a thicker clutch disc, the engagement point should be more towards the pedal at fully depressed state.

check this page out to see what i am talking about:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch.htm
in the first video you can see how the pressure plate is engaging the disc by the throwout bearing as it pushes in and releases.

have you noticed your clutch smelling bad before? because if less material is on that disc, you may be engaging the pressure plate via the rivets on the clutch. YIKES! that means more than likely you'll have to resurface the flywheel... but it's better to replace the darn thing because of the shortened width of the flywheel.

good luck dude. looks like a replacement (better yet an upgrade) is a better solution for your heavy foot!

I'm so pissed right now. :icon20:

My clutch is slipping pretty bad and I've had this car for less than two months! Only had a 30 day warranty, so that's gone. Dealership wants to charge $880 to put in a stock clutch. The lady I talked to lives across the street from me, she said she will work something out to make it cheaper and she'll get me a rental.

Damn it! :icon22:

Hmm... got a call back from the lady at the Nissan Dealership. The original quote was for clutch only, the price of the flywheel is $1057, plus the original quote of $880 = almost $2k. :mad:!!!

That clutch is burnt out pretty bad if you are losing grip in first... wow.

purchase a JWT clutch/flywheel combo for a fraction of that cost. Take it to a respectable performance shop and have them swap the clutch. You'll spend half what the dealer is going to charge you. Your going to get smacked at the dealership for stock parts. Take a risk, and it will pay off in more ways than you expect. (hp gains, better grip) Sorry about your luck bro, clutches go out, its part of the game.

You can also try to get the car moving in 2nd gear with the handbrake applied. If the car doesn't stall immediately, the clutch is bad.

are you serious

Stock clutch with Nismo flywheel installed at the dealership is going to cost me $1230. I saw in the dealer classifieds a JWT clutch/flywheel combo for $775 w/ free shipping. I'm thinking I'm going to go that route and have my mechanic put it in; I'm waiting for him to call me back on labor prices (he thinks he might be able to get me a better price than $775, but I doubt it).

Im in this same boat. Im looking at the JWT Clutch/Flywheel combo on intensepower I think they want just over 700 for it as well. Its way way cheaper than the stock parts. What other parts have to be changed out at the same time or is it just these two? Sorry to bring back an old thread but the magical search box actually brought me right to this thread and it seems to be where I want to be. As wired said it I have that exact problem with my clutch. ***** of it is, I bought the car used in Feb and probably should have convinced them to change it for me before I bought it... labor rates in california suck. 115 bucks an hour at the dealership and I dont know any good performance shops near me. To top it off this morning my car sprung a magical oil leak and **** all over the road and my driveway. The shop that did the oil change is trying to figure out what they ****ed up now as it was done 30 miles ago.

Any help in the clutch department will be super appreciated. Also anyone that could recommend a good shop with decent rates in or around solano county california, or even sacramento area would be greatly appreciated.

I have both problems, i have to rev it up high rpm's to get it to move. And i smell burnt metal. Can you tell what might be the problem?

You ARE reading a thread on bad clutches so if you're having the same problems spelled out here, I'd venture a guess.