TL;DR:
I think my CSC failed. No warranty. What should I do?
So, I think I have fallen victim to Nissan's poor CSC. Or at least, I think it's the CSC.
I have a 2009, only 12.2K miles. Removed the clutch helper spring about 600 miles ago. I think I first noticed issues when the clutch pedal felt really mushy when cold, but would stiffen up and become more consistent with some driving. Unfortunately, I'm kind of ignorant sometimes.
I wanted to drive out, and without much of a deal, turned the motor over, disengaged the parking brake, and clutched in. First gear didn't engage. By that, the clutch went all the way in, but I didn't hear the chattering clutch become silent. It wouldn't bite first gear, almost as if it were locking me out. Kicked the clutch in a few times, managed to drop it into first and into the next gears. I figured it might have been me.
Well, over a 20 minute drive to my friend's house, the engagement point was literally a millimeter off the floor, and I occasionally couldn't even get the gears in. I'm surprised I even made it this far.
I know a little bit about this issue, enough to say it's either the dreaded CSC issue, or it's a throwout bearing (which I think is part of the CSC). One thing's for sure, I'm having this thing towed to the nearest dealer and getting it inspected... right after I reinstall the clutch helper spring (even though it's unrelated and it's only to ensure the dealer doesn't try to pull a fast one).
Those 12.2 thousand miles on the odometer weren't very harsh; spirited driving, a few launches at 3K (definitely not recently), and I don't drive retardedly. If that's a word. There's no clutch slip, as far as I can tell.
Some opinions would be appreciated!
EDIT:
Some post-posting thread searching, I remembered I posted in a thread about a similar, if not exactly the same component failure in the Tech Area. Unfortunately, the tech area is very much a quiet area with very few posts per day. However, the OP mentioned the idea of simply going with a stronger system from the get-go while the engine/transmission is dropped; new clutch + flywheel to accompany the ZSpeed CSC. Not a bad idea? It's a good thing the Z is a weekend car; I need new tires, too, but it looks like the RE11's are gonna have to wait a bit. Some suggestions on clutch/flywheel kits would be great, too. I know a few members are running Southbend clutches to good effect; the TZR looks interesting, but I don't know if it's for me. I don't mind a bit more pedal pressure, but I know for sure I don't need unsprung six pucks (or even sprung six pucks, for that matter). I don't think I'm ready for NHRA level street driving yet. All I want is a kit that will eat 500 torques without trouble. I don't even want to know about what happens over 500 horsepower anyway.