Well, let's get to the details shall we? I have an 03 Nissan 350z Base model. Approximately 92k miles. My original transmission went to **** after a drift event a couple of months ago. My 3rd gear disappeared but it's whatever. So I decided that it was time to upgrade to a CD009 transmission. I also decided that it was time to upgrade my clutch and flywheel. I went with the JWT clutch and lightweight flywheel combo. The kit also included a SS Clutch Line, Nismo pilot bushing, & upgraded pivot fork (or whatever it is called). I installed all the parts following a Haynes Manual's instruction perfectly. Everything went fine. I began to drive the car to get 500 easy miles.
The problem begins: It was last Saturday. I was leaving my girlfriend's house and I put the car into first gear. I take off and notice something very strange about how my car is driving. The engine will have increased rev while the car itself does not increase speed (Clutch Slipping). Now what I'm thinking at this point is "What the actual **** is going on?" I'm only through 400 of my 500 easy miles and the clutch is already slipping. I rev'd the car to 4000 RPMs (The highest it's been since the install) and a ghastly odor came from the AC vents. I was told by a friend that it was from the clutch.
Attempted Fixes: I read online that some have fixed the issue by adjusting the clutch pedal. Did this today after I got off work, and no change whatsoever. I also noticed a small recent puddle of fluid on the ground where I park my Drift Z(aka the TroubleMaker). Rubbed my finger through it and smelled it. Yep, Transmission Fluid. No doubt.
The overall question of this thread: Why is my clutch slipping like this? Why is there transmission fluid on the ground? Possible fixes? Has anyone else experienced this before?

Thanks in advance, and I appreciate any help I can get.

 

Find out where the fluid is coming from. if it is the bell housing area, I would say a blown seal. It would be the rear main (i would not think so usually they dont cause slipping issues) or the tranny input shaft seal. This would throw oil in the clutch therefore making it slip.

 

Went under the car today. Observed where the leak is coming from. It is coming from the transmission on the opposite side of the bell-housing. So I'm assuming that it is the rear main seal that is leaking. Having my boss price me a new OEM slave tomorrow. Also calling Nissan tomorrow to see if they have any idea of what's going on.

 

Is your clutch engaging and disengaging fine?

 

Yes. I can get into gear fine. It's just taking off that is difficult because the clutch wont grab. But when the clutch does grab and I am finally going, I can rev the engine higher and the speed of the vehicle will not increase.

 

Im no expert, but this sounds spot on


Good luck

 

I apologize for the delayed reply but I was busy replacing the slave and master cylinders. I also found out that the leak is coming from the opposite side of the bell housing, meaning that it is the rear main seal that is leaking. I'm getting that replaced. There is still no change in the slippage. I will be lifting the car back up tomorrow and tearing it down to see how the clutch looks (and replace the gasket for the tranny leak). I will update you guys on what I find. Maybe even throw some picture your way to get a better idea at what I am looking at. Appreciate the assitance, keep the ideas coming!

 

I know it's been a few weeks but I'm back with an update. I found out that the problem was that the washer for the pivot ball was missing. Ordered a new one and put it on only to find out that I was sent the wrong pivot ball. With the pivot ball and washer I was sent, the car will not go into gear while running. The car is tore down once again and I am awaiting parts. I did some research and made a few calls to Nissan dealers and found out that not only the pivot ball is different between 2003-2005 the clutch fork is also different. The parts should arrive in due time and the car will be back on the road the weekend of the parts arrival. I will keep you guys updated on the cars status after the new parts are in. In addition, the fluid issue was resolved. The bleeder screw on the transmission was not fully tightened by the people that last drained it before it was sent to me. Once again, I apologize for the delayed response. Repeatedly tearing down the car and finding out the answers to my new problems takes some time.

 

Good to hear you were able to sort out the issues. Looks like the JWT clutch is not the cause of the slippage after all.

 

The car is back on the road and running like a champ. There is a major difference in the performance of the car due to the JWT clutch and flywheel upgrade. Also, the stainless steel clutch lines have earned me countless compliments. "Dude your clutch feels like straight sex." I respond with, "Yeah. I know."
All in all, the trouble that I went through for the upgrades was worth it in the end. The main thing I learned from this experience is IF YOU ARE CONVERTING SOMETHING ON YOUR CAR, MAKE SURE TO CONVERT IT ALL. Don't just guess that all parts from an older model will work fine with a later model part. Check and check again that all the parts have the same number and line up correctly. If something seems odd, there is more than likely a reason behind it. Also, I received a "free" pivot ball with my order. I would not risk using this pivot ball if I did it all again. I had a buddy with a TT 350 that has done multiple transmission swaps in his day, and he said (About the pivot ball) "This is the source of your problems. I had the same problem that you're having when I used this. Put the OEM pivot ball back in with the correct fork and you'll be good to go." I did exactly that and BAM success never felt so good.
Thanks to everyone at ConceptZPerformance (Especially Coz Ceh) for helping me out during the entire duration of my misfortunes. They have an awesome support team and they were always there to help; no matter the time or the day of the week. Any questions to me relating to the issues and fixes, please don't be afraid to ask.
In other news, I have a drift event this Sunday and I'm throwing in a few new mods from the guys at Mishimoto before then. I'll be creating a new thread updating on the performance of the car during the event, and explaining all the new goodies.