I am a total novice when it comes to cars. I bought this car in 2010 when it had 80,000 miles. Currently, as I shift into 3rd gear and higher, if i press on the gas too quickly, the RPMs increase a lot faster than I can feel the car accelerating. My friend who drives a Subaru drove my car and told me that he believes the clutch is slipping. Is this whats happening or is it supposed to be like that?

If it does need to be replaced, is this a good http://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-OEM-NISSAN-CLUTCH-DISC-KIT-PRESSURE-PLATE-350Z-G35-2003-2005-BRAND-NEW-/161022642952?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3A350Z&hash=item257db28b08&vxp=mtr?

I dont race the car, I essentially just drive it around town on the weekends and occasionally to school. I am looking for a good OEM replacement. If I simply want the slipping to stop, do I need to replace the flywheel as well?

 

Based on that description, your clutch will need to be changed. I have 162k on my original clutch and it doesn't slip like that. Only the mileage is making me want to change it.

 

100% clutch is smoked, been there, I ran JWT clutch/flywheel on both my G35 and 350z, get ready for throw out bearing noise!

 

yeah, I already have the throwout bearing noise. But can I get away with just changing out the clutch without having to change the flywheel?

 

Generally you replace just the clutch, but get the flywheel resurfaced.

 

Well thanks for that, a new flywheel is upwards of 800 dollars, hopefully they can resurface mine. What is a reasonable labor charge I should be looking into for the job?

 

Not saying you need too, but I got my JWT clutch/flywheel for $800

As for labor, depending on your local rates, expect $400+

 

how is the JWT clutch/flywheel system different from the OE clutch/flywheel in terms of ride? the car is already quite stiff, will it get stiffer/ harder to push in the clutch/etc?

I have no aspirations to race my car, I only drive it around the city, so in that sense, would the jwt clutch make sense for me?

do you have a link to where you purchased it from?

 

I got mine from IPP, the pedal was just barely heavier but even at 300hp, beating on that clutch day in and day out, I never burnt it up in either car, I understand a budget, but I don't like replacing parts with crappy parts. If you do decide to go with just the JWT clutch you will be happy with it.

 

just an update:

so I got my clutch replaced, I had this oem clutch put in:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161022642952...84.m1497.l2649

I also bought a JWT L3503-NF000 350Z Aluminum Flywheel but the mechanic said my stock flywheel was still servicable.

Now the clutch feels a lot lighter, it catches a lot quicker with less travel, so it feels like I'm driving a brand new car almost. I bought this car 3 years ago with 83,000 miles on it, and being the novice I am, didnt notice the clutch was on its way out. so I figured the long travel before it engaged was the normal characteristic for the car.

One concern I had was that previously with my old clutch, I was able to shift to 5th gear by moving the shifter all the way to the right, and then up. Now, after the mechanic changed out the clutch, 5th gear engages a little to the left of the maximum displacement of the shifter. It engages about 2 cm from the right. Initially I panicked because moving all the way over to the right wouldnt engage it but now i've found where it's supposed to engage and it has been okay.

My question is, is this normal? is the shifter supposed to engage 5th gear in this manner, or is there some serious issue that has developed as a result of the clutch change? the best way I can describe is that the shifting gate feels different now.

 

That's because the shifter guide plate was not aligned exactly as it was beforehand. See this post: https://my350z.com/forum/exterior-an...ide-plate.html

I hate being a downer, but no flywheel replacement on a 103k clutch? Normally to maximize the life of the new clutch disk, you would replace or resurface the flywheel (difficult on our dual-mass OEM flywheels unles you go to a specialist shop). Any hotspots on the flywheel will accelerate the wear on the new friction disk. Considering that it's maybe an extra 30 minutes to put in the flywheel you supplied, are you certain this mechanic isn't just guaranteeing more business in 20,000 miles?

 

well the mechanic said he's never had to replace the flywheel on any cars he's done, he said the typical opinion of other mechanics is to replace the flywheel when replacing the clutch. I asked the clutch mechanic 2 times whether the flywheel had any hot spots, he said no... so what can i do? I dont know anything about cars, nor do I drive my 350z hard, so I guess if an issue develops in 20k miles, i'll deal with it then. I dont really have 400 dollars to spend on it now anyway but by that mileage I will, if necessary.

 

I have the same issue with my clutch, I sometimes grind trying to put the shifter into 5th because I can't simple throw it into the very top-right corner. I hate it.

 

Fixing the shifter gate issue is a 15 minute job with a 10mm socket. That link I posted earlier has all the details, with pictures!