TL;DR at bottom:

Hey guys,

I've had a Z specialist Mechanic lined up for over a month now. Finally got a spot in to bring the car in his shop.. and dropped it off Sunday Evening/night.

I'm getting the following parts put in/replaced: (And I have all the parts on hand)

New OEM Nissan Dual Mass Flywheel
JWT HD Clutch Package
Wilwood HD Master Cylinder
ZSpeed HD Slave Cylinder
Stainless Steel Line
Nismo Roller Bearing

He gets it up on rack, and basically just got to the point of taking the shifter out.. Then calls me and says he has some family issues -- He said he has to go out of town and he has no idea how long he will be gone.. days, weeks, month+.

He said everyone has to get their car out of his shop right away as he won't leave people's property for any length of time while he's out of town.

I understand lifes issues but I'm stuck in a position now.

He had a solid quote of $600, out the door. Which is a very reasonable price for basically a clutch replacement, with master and slave replacement. He said it would take him about 6 hours to do.

At any rate -- I need to get this done now. The car is barely driveable due to the slave cylinder not releasing the pressure plate all the way, so shifting is near impossible,. and to get it to shift it has to warm up for 30-50 minutes at idle, and as I drive it cools back down and won't shift.. which is tearing up the transmission.

So I need a mechanic who knows how to work on 350Z's .. someone I can trust to do this job right the first time, and I haven't a clue of one.

Also I need one who is fair about pricing.. I can handle one that wants $700-$750 even to do this.. but not $1000+ . Which is a quote I got from Nissan , they wanted $1000 just to replace the clutch with OEM. So Nissan is out of the question.

I'm stuck in a position here -- and could REALLY use you guys help on this one.

TL;DR -- My Mechanic - after I dropped my car off called and has some family issues where he has to leave town. I am getting the above parts installed, and have them with me / on hand -- And need a referral to a mechanic who knows how to work on 350Z's and will do the job right the first time in this area. Within 40-50 miles of Zipcode 35242 (Birmingham, AL). Atlanta is 2+ hours away and this car isn't in the shape to go that far to be honest.

Thanks

 

start calling around to shops in the area...I'm sure he isnt the only guy that can replace a cylinder...

 

Get a Chilton repair manual and watch some you tube videos. I am a mechanic and every time I come across a job I haven't done yet this is what I do. Tranny jobs in general are usually easy/ straight forward. I have even performed auto-manual swaps and they weren't too bad. Maybe you should give it a shot. Got any car buddies that wrench to help guide you? Quick guide:

-Disconnect battery
-Put vehicle on jack stands (Be able to slide underneath with lots of clearance)
-Remove Shifter assy.
-Remove Drive shaft (propeller shaft)
-Remove hydraulic lines/ or slave cylinder with lines attached (platform dependent)
-Support transmission with floor jack & block of wood (2x4)
-Remove bell housing bolts
-Slide tranny back and gain access to clutch pack

The rest is in the details/ book especially for torque settings. I hope this helps a bit.

 

I would do all that for $400 but I'm in nc

 

Thanks. I just picked up the car and just got home with it.


I'd totally do this myself if I had a lift to use,.. I have a really bad back and can't really do a dropping the transmission, replacing flywheel, replacing pressure plate, replacing clutch, replacing needle bearing, replacing slave cylinder, replacing master cylinder, replacing lines with stainless steel in my driveway.

I'm going to use the best Master Mechanic at Burke Nissan here as long as they give me a quote that's $1000 or less (this is just for labor, as I have all parts). Surely they can get to that point.

 

Any mechanic can replace a clutch. You don't need a "Z specialist" or a "Nissan Master Tech." Hell, a ton of guys do it themselves, and they are faaaar from mechanics.

As for the noise, there is some foam/insulation inside the shift boot, maybe he didn't put it back in tight

EDIT: don't waste your time with Chilton's or Hayne's, a PDF of the entire FSM is available for free on Nicoclub.

 

I know,.. I can do it.. I just don't want to drop the transmission on jack stands in my driveway.

This is a flywheel replacement. - OEM removal, and JWT HD Stage 2 clutch package installation. - Removal of brass needle bearing, installation of Nismo roller bearing. Removal of OEM slave, -- Installation of Zspeed HD Slave. Removal of OEM Master, removal of OEM reservoir, put on Wilwood HD Master - Installation of the Master. All Rubber OEM lines are removed, stainless steel lines going in place,..

It's a bit more work/time than just a clutch job,.. but it's not too far from it.

How many hours would you guys put on the job above -- Clutch job plus essentially removing/installing new Slave and Master cylinders plus the Roller Bearing from Nismo while in there?


Again, I'm going to get a quote from Nissan at a particular dealership (the closest one is a joke)... And will personally talk to this mechanic who will be working on the car -- in person,.. show him the shifter that's jacked up, and the noise -- And given that's all gotta come off again there is no point in trying to "fix" it myself right now. If Nissan can get under $1,000 for this labor master/slave/jwt clutch stage 2/nismo bearing/ss lines -- Then that's where it will get done,.. and hey, with the professionalism and rates come a job done quick and right.

I agree the job doesn't require a "specialist" but that said, a Nissan master technician isn't a "bad" thing. If Nissan can't do it for $1000 or less,.. I'll bring it to a mechanic at Express oil change that is a good guy I trust, and just let him do it.. he'll give a sub $1000 quote.

 

Sorry, I wasn't sticking up for him in any way. You take it apart, you put it back together. I'm with you on that.

My area would be closer to $2000, so I have no clue what you would be charged/what is fair for your area.

I read in one of your previous comments you didn't want to do it on your driveway. The info about the FSM was more of an FYI for future reference, not a "it's-easy-do-it-yourself" comment.

 

That's about 4 hours labor if you have any experience/knowledge at all.

I can do a full clutch change in 2 hours on jackstands.

 

I appreciate your comments guys.

I haven't touched the car, just drove back and parked it.

I talked with the Nissan Dealership the original mechanic who had an emergency referred me to as someone who would get it done right... And they agreed to do the job for $600 as I explained I had all the parts, just straight forward labor job.

I was very surprised and am grateful.

The mechanic called me again,.. he's very passionate about his work, his business, and if he can't get it done getting someone to someone who can do the job right. We scuffled a little initially over the shifter lol.. but we worked it out,.. and he, without me asking, is going to call down to that dealership he referred me to and talk to the Service manager and the actual Master mechanic he referred me to , to let them know the situation and basically respect the car in a manner of speaking.

He said every Z owner, just about, he has met and worked on their car.. is a different kind of person and knows their car and loves their car. So if you don't respect this and just treat the work as "it's just a job".. they aren't going to be happy. He has multiple Z's, a Skyline from Japan and so on.. so he's die hard.