My clutch pedal was sticking in the down position and I also was having issues getting the car into gear so after reading on several forums the most likely culprit was the master cylinder, I decided to replace it with the ZSpeedperformance Wilwood HD master cylinder with SS clutch line:

(http://www.zspeedperformance.com/ZSp...?categoryId=-1)

Installation went smoothly but I haven't been able to bleed the system enough to be able to get the car in gear. I also was reading about adjusting the master cylinder rod lenght and this made sense since I problably need to "extend" it more so that when I press the clutch, it pushes the slave cylinder rod as far as possible.

So here's my question - I saw a little fluid on the slave cylinder so I opened the dust boot and a lot of fluid came out. I don't think this is normal and think the boot is meant to keep gunk out of the slave - not prevent fluid from leaking out right? If fluid is leaking, is time for a new slave and this is the reason I cannot fully bleed the system?

 

your slave is toast. it is best to replace them at the same time.... do you have an 03-06 or 07-08?

 

Yeah, replace the slave, and it sounds like you have a DE car, so it's not a bad job. Your thinking about bleeding may be a bit off, though. If you adjust the clutch pushrod too long, you'll overextend the cylinder and it may not retract far enough to allow bleeding. If you've ever taken one of these apart, you'd see there's a hole which allows the fluid to flow from the reservoir into the cylinder, but if the piston isn't fully retracted, the hole is blocked.

 

Thanks for confirming my suspicion - a new slave is on it's way.

As far as the rod lenght, before installing the NEW master I extended the rod to the same lenght of the original master measuring form the base to the tip of the rod/fork.

 

Update on this issue:

I replaced the slave cylinder with an OEM unit and bled the clutch a dozen times but the pedal stays down. I extended the MC rod and now the pedal comes back up by itself but I cannot get the car in gear while it is ON.

I extended the rod a bit more and now I can get into all gears. Took her our for a spin - boy did I miss driving this car!

 

So I used the car for 3 days and it's slowly going back to the original problem and it's getting harder and harder to shift...

So I've got new master and slave cylinders but I'm still having clutch issues. I just ordered this "reverse bleeder" to see if it helps:

http://www.promini.com/technical/clu...h_Bleeding.php

If this doesn't help, am I looking at a pressure plate issue? When I bought the car, the seller told me the clutch had just been replaced.

 

Anyone?

 

Did you follow the clutch bleed procedure in the FSM or are you just sort of winging it?

 

Don't have the FSM - using the procedure documented on this site. Pump the pedal 5-10 times and hold - open bleeder - close bleeder - lift pedal and repeat.

So you have the FSM procedure?

 

Open bleeder, push pedal, close bleeder, release pedal. Repeat as necessary.

 

You do now. Just click on the [LINK] and download the .pdfs for your year.

The files titled "fwd.pdf" and "idx.pdf" will get you where you're going.

They actually do have a specific procedure to follow for bleeding clutches. which varies depending on the model year. Here's 2005's for example:

Note: They strongly recommend against using a vacuum pump. Even though the pump linked in this thread appears to exert positive pressure, it wasn't built for this specific car (it was built for a Mini), so I'd recommend against using it.

Bleeding ACS004N1
CAUTION:
Monitor fluid level in the reservoir tank to make sure it does not empty.
Do not spill clutch fluid onto painted surfaces. If it spills, wipe up immediately and wash the affected area with water.
NOTE:
Do not use a vacuum assist or any other type of power bleeder on this system. Use of a vacuum assist or
power bleeder will not purge all the air from the system.
1. Fill the master cylinder reservoir tank with new clutch fluid.
2. Connect a transparent vinyl hose to the air bleeder.
3. Depress the clutch pedal quickly and fully a few times and hold it.
4. With clutch pedal depressed, open air bleeder to release air.
5. Close air bleeder.
6. Release clutch pedal and wait for 5 seconds.
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 until no bubbles can be observed in the brake fluid.
8. Tighten air bleeder to the specified torque. Refer to CL-11, "Removal and Installation" .

 

Im not gonna be very helpful but i was just wondering if a 2006 350z has an internal or external slave cylinder. Im replacing my clutch soon and was debating getting a new slave or not. if its external ill hold off on it but if its internal i might get an upgraded slave.

 

External.

'07+ (HR/VHR) went to infernal internal CSC when they went to JK and EA transmissions..

 

You NEED an adjustable push rod for the slave cylinder. A longer slave rod will allow it to push the clutch in further. The pedal adjustment is only for making the master operate as normal