Clutch Issue 2015 370z Nismo 39K Miles

Zed-Leppelin

Hello all...

I know this has probably been covered many times but I wanted to ask it again because I think I have a strange twist to a known issue...

Anyway, let me explain...

Last weekend, I was driving my Z home after a night out, and suddenly, the clutch pedal goes to the floor and won't come back up. I say it won't come back..but I mean it won't came back up on it's own. In order for me to make it home, I had to place my foot under the pedal and flip it back up in order to go through gear changes. I did this successfully and was able to get home and park it in my garage.

After doing research on the net, I have found that these vehicles have a known issue with faulty Master Clutch Cylinders going out or the Slave Cylinder going out...right around my mileage count.

But here is my twist...

My master clutch cylinder is full of fluid? It does not appear to be leaking fluid, so I am not sure where to go with this?

Let me also say that I sat in the car with the engine off...depressed the clutch pedal and I can put the car into reverse gear. However, if I put the car in neutral, start it up, I can not put the car into any gear. I do not know if this is a safety issue or not...but like I said, I was able to drive the vehicle home the other night just fine...with me manually flipping the pedal back up. So I am perplexed as to why I can not put the car in reverse so I can back it out of my garage?

Can you guys tell me how to diagnose this properly? Also, do these cars have an "internal slave cylinder" meaning in order to replace means dropping the transmission out?

I really want to fix this myself...but..if you guys say its better to hand off to a mechanic...I will do that as well. Obviously the goal here is to fix the vehicle as cost effective as possible...but I just dont know where to begin.

Also...as a side bar...alll I have is floor jacks, jack stands, and drive up ramps...I do not have anyway to raise the vehicle up ijn the air as it appears that is the only way to fix a faulty slave cylinder...

Anyway, any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!
Matt

p.s. I really want my ride back out on the road. I miss driving it

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SeeThruHead

Sticky: (Official) 370Z Clutch Pressure (CSC) Failures

it's basically the most well known issue.

https://zspeed.com/product/zspeed-pe...-g37-g35s-q60/

replacing the slave cylinder will just have it fail again according to most people. (even heavy duty ones)

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ZontheRocks

Nice Nismo! Sorry to read about your CSC misadventures.

In addition to replacement of the CSC and Master Cylinder, I will add that you may require replacement of the clutch as well. It is possible for the fluid to leak internally over the clutch disk, essentially ruining it.

Lesson learned: Keep an eye on that clutch fluid level AND color. Complete clutch fluid flush at least once per year to keep up fluid maintenance (more often if tracking the car). You also have the option of adding heat wrap to your clutch line to help with temps causing excessive boiling of fluid.

Good luck on your quest to get her back on the road right!

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Zed-Leppelin

Thank you ZonTheRocks !

I appreciate the info...two additional questions...

1. If the fluid in the master cylinder is still at the max fill line, is the fluid leaking somewhere else and wouldn't it drain the master cylinder a bit?

2. You wouldn't happen to know what an average repair cost is on this would you? Just anything ballpark would help.

I am trying to make a decision on whether to try and tackle the repair myself or just hand it off to a repair shop. Which I don't really want to do...because I don't want any scratches or greasy mechanic smells in the car...which have been known to happen with other vehicles... The car is extremely well taken care of and not a blemish inside or out anywhere...and I really want to keep it that way...but at the same time...my mechanic skills are not the best

Anyway - thanks!

Zed-Leppelin

Thanks SeeThru! I appreciate the info. I knew it was known issue...just didnt realize how big of an issue it is...

2011 Nismo#91

More often then not it is not the master cylinder. (IMO I don't think they fail as often as people say they do, they just assume it has failed. Anyway) You'd rarely see a leak or a drop in fluid level. The "leak" is with a seal in the cylinder, fluid just travels around the seal and back again never developing any pressure.

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ZontheRocks

Contact Joe at ZSpeed. He has the experience with the replacement as it is his parts that you should be purchasing! The transmission has to be dropped, which will be the majority of the costs.

I would not recommend DYI if this is not something you are familiar with / don't have a garage to house the vehicle / lack all necessary tools.

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babyzilla

Everyone pretty much answered your question, but I'll just add my input. I had the same issue. The issue is WELL documented as someone already provided the thread for that. Contact Joe at ZSpeed and he will tell you exactly what you need. I try to work on my car when I can as well, but from the sound of it I don't think you'll be able to tackle this yourself. I recommend finding a trustworthy shop. Here is what I bought just to save you some reading:

Sticky: (Official) 370Z Clutch Pressure (CSC) Failures

If you get the same/exact parts that I mentioned, I and pretty much everyone else can guarantee you that your Z will drive BETTER and be more fun to drive. They make a huge difference. You might as well upgrade the parts while you're doing this fix/mod. The stock clutch in our cars, IMO, are trash.

40 to 332

While you're at it, I would recommend talking with Ryan at RJM. He offers a heavy-duty CMC as well as a clutch pedal assembly that greatly improves the shifting experience. If you combine the Z Speed and RJM components, you should end up with a bullet-proof clutch system. Also, bleed the system regularly using a high-quality DOT 4 fluid, such as Motul 600, ATE TYP200, Castrol SRF or equivalent.

Zed-Leppelin

Thank you for this info!

Zed-Leppelin

Hey all..I decided to tackle this myself and I have arrived at stage one...

Removal of the transmission! I have to give credit to Carizon with his YouTube channel and in particular this FANTASTIC "how to" video he created: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMIwhJn2xuI

Without his help and some help from a very good friend of mine, I would not be this far

Now I am trying to decide a few things...
1. If I should go back with the Z1 elimination kit or OEM?
2. Should I replace the clutch and pressure plate while I am in there?
3. Should I replace the Flywheel as well?

-mgm
(a.k.a. Zed-Leppeln)

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INV_MY_370

Its only a 5$ part if you have a hydraulic shop around. Its the U-cup seal located in the master cylinder. Just pull it and there's 1 snap ring to replace it. Plus u can upgrade the seal to urethane , that are higher presser.

Sent from my GM1917 using Tapatalk

Zed-Leppelin

Are you saying I do not need to replace the CSC?

SeeThruHead

99% of people will tell you to use the zspeed CMAK kit.
Not a Z1 kit.
And not an oem replacement or refurbishment.

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BettyZ

Get the Zspeed CMAK and never, ever have to worry about it again.

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