So the shop just told me that Nissan told them they should replace the entire clutch assembly. $1600 instead of $400. :eek: Nothing has been ordered yet, and the mechanic who looked at my car is supposed to call me around lunchtime (he had to take his mom to the ER this morning). The guy at the shop is also going to look around some more and see if he can find anything cheaper this morning. I need to get something ordered today, because I can't stand driving the rental and don't want to have it for another week.

At first I was like "there's no way a car with 28k miles needs a whole new clutch," but after reading Joe@ZSpeed's comment -- and noting that the ZSpeed site says, "We highly recommend the CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER be replaced along with the HD slave cylinder to prevent problems from worn/dirty original units. No warranty is offered if master cylinder is not replaced." -- maybe I should just have them replace the whole damn thing and be done with it.

I am so frustrated/annoyed/soon-to-be-poor...argh.

Call me

Can't: I'm working in a big conference room with a half dozen other people, plus the phone reception here sucks. (It's a struggle when I need to talk to the shop.) I'll send you a PM, though.

Joe, when will the HD csc back in stock?

May be awhile before we are fully stocked back up on parts, Once new machine shop is finalized we will be good, Until then, small #'s at a time and they ship when they get done.

Well, I got my car back from the dealership today. According to the service manager, Nissan technical bulletin recommended flushing fluid and replacing with fluid used in the GT-R. I drove it around a little bit; the clutch feels normal...so far, so good. I hope this does the trick.

What's the deal with GTR aka DOT-4 fluid? Why not just come with it from the factory?

Yesterday I decided to replace the entire clutch assembly. The guy at the shop said he agrees with the Nissan recommendation because it's the only way to ensure no further clutch issues, and he also agreed that by the time both the SC and MC were replaced I'd be most of the way to a total replacement anyway. He ordered a heavy-duty kit, with the same kind of clutch I already have, that he says should last the life of the car. The estimate to get it out the door (parts/labor/etc.) is ~$2500. I know some will think I should have tried replacing just the SC and MC, or even started with just the SC, but I'm generally not a fan of "wait and see." I tend to quickly get to a point where I'd rather spend more money but know I won't ever have to worry about it again. I've (mostly) made peace with the cost, and right now I just want my car back.

Awesome! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. :)

Keep us posted.

I talked to the shop manager on Saturday, and the out-the-door estimate is now $3000. *sigh* (That's all I have for this repair, so let's hope there are no complications once the work starts!!) He assured me that the kit is comprehensive, heavy duty, and the same kind of clutch I currently have, and he said he'd pay for 2-day shipping. He's supposed to order it today and call me to (a) confirm the expected delivery date and (b) tell me the warranty info. If I still haven't heard anything by 2pm I'll call them.

So your entire clutch assembly quote has gone from $1600 to $3000? That doesn't sound right :icon08:

For comparison, I am getting an entirely new 6MT transmission assembly plus install for about $3K. There's about $700 of labor, so let's use that number since it's basically the same work. A nice street clutch and flywheel should only run you $800 or so. CMC is about $100. CSC is gonna be $400ish for aftermarket solution. That means you should be around $2000 out the door give or take a few hundred depending on the regional shop rates. But not an extra $1K :shakes head:

I'd put a hold on that order. You can piece together each item from our vendors and put a chunk of that money back in your pockets. $3,000 is a little too much IMO.

These guys are right. You're getting screwed.

$3000 = :facepalm:

$1,500 for a complete South Bend Stage 2 daily kit from Zspeed. Tack on labor around $6-700 you should be out just barely over $2K! :ugh2:
ZSpeed Performance South Bend Complete Clutch Package Stage 2 Daily 370 G37 G35

Thats a really nice setup.

I'm also a victim of clutch failure. In my case it was the CMC that began to leak. Pedal is to the floor, and no hope of driving it to repair. I've decided to also go ahead and have the CSC replaced too. I'm awaiting a quote from AAM Competition, and if it doesn't hurt my wallet too much I may go ahead a upgrade to a new ACT Clutch kit as well.

How many miles do you have on the car?

I did the exact same thing as you - my CMC failed first and I went ahead and put in the Z1 kit at the same time. You are getting an aftermarket CSC solution, right? It's definitely a good idea to replace the CSC because the failed CMC can let dirt into the system and will eventually foul up the CSC (a failed CSC can foul up the CMC as well). But there's no way I bother dropping the transmission just to put another OEM CSC in there.

Yes I'm definitely going for a HD Aftermarket CSC too. I'm anxiously waiting to hear back from AAM Competition. I've always had great service from them & they are very helpful.
I'm not sure if CMC had failed before with previous owner. But I do have documentation that original owner replaced CSC when car had 52363 miles. Currently car has roughly 64,000 miles. It's going to be gut wrenching to see my Z get taken away for repairs by a Rollback Tow Truck! :eek:

Well, the GTR fluid trick didn't work. My clutch pedal went to the floor again and stuck. I had to flick it back up with my toe. I contacted the service manager...nothing back from him yet.

Maybe I am getting screwed (paying the standard "I don't know much about cars" premium), but I made the best decision I could. :shrugs: I'm living with it, plus it's too late for any changes now. Assuming the kit gets delivered tomorrow I'll have my car back NLT Thursday, and at this point that's all I care about.

Because it's not: if you go back and read again, the out-the-door quote went from $2500 to $3000. The kit quote went from $1600 to $1800, because apparently the first one wasn't comprehensive (whatever). More parts = more labor, so an additional $500 all told. Depressing, but it didn't feel outrageous.

The guy also said this kit is my only option if I want the car done any time soon: he said everywhere else they called, the parts were out of stock until mid-June.

Oh dude, I'm sorry. :(

Best of luck bro. i dont know why these service techs act like this problem is some sorta anomaly.. like this issue never ever happens.

Sorry to hear man. It's probably better that it didn't work so now you'll get to get the problem actually fixed rather than a band-aid over it.

I believe dealers are required to swap out the fluid first to see if that works. I've never actually read about anyone having the fluid swap alone solve the issue.

Every dealer should have a supply of spares on hand. At least 2-3 per dealership parts dept for as long as they're going to keep the janky part without a better engineered replacement.

I agree with you a 100%.

From post #536 on the previous page:

I stand corrected. Most of the time the fluid swap just band-aids it for a while until it pops up again.

BC
Thinking back maybe it was either the hot Florida Temp. Or the dirty fluid getting flushed out did the trick in my case. There was never any fluid leak visible. The stock setup is close to all kind of hot stuff and the pumping action of the clutch makes all kind of internal crap that you can see in the fluid. I still periodically stick the tube of a windex sprayer down the clutch fluid fill and pump out the dirty fluid into a cup and put some new in. When it was acting up it acted the same as the clutch failure, dropped to the floorboard or went half way down. That's why I think some here might be helped with the service bulletin flush and refill cause they might be boiling over or have contaminated fluid vs an actual failure.


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Just got my car back, a day earlier than expected. All seems well, and the out-the-door total didn't increase (*whew*).

I did, however, fail to anticipate that new clutch = new clutch point. I felt like a newbie stick driver all the way to the office just now. :D :driving:

MAN did I miss my Z!!

No fluid means no lubrication, right? Seems like the problem causes the fluid to leak which reduces pressure which makes sense with pedal not coming back. DOT-4 maybe less viscous (or more depending on the nature of part failure), but changing it adds fluid... which then continues to leak though maybe not as much....

Mine was bone dry when it failed. You would have to check after every stop pretty much to spot it, though.

https://scontent-atl1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...22&oe=55E9F5A2

2009 Sport/Touring
VIN: #2001
Purchase Date: 02/24/15
Occurrence Date: 6/6/15
Occurrence Mileage: 31075
Clutch Type: OEM

Summary:
- Around 04/15, After work I stopped at red light that was at a decent incline that goes over the freeway, I got going and the clutch pedal didn't pop back up immediately. It just revved until it grabbed... I got to my destination which was about a mile away and left it for a few hours. Drove fine after...
-06/06/15 Drove 60 miles to go on a date... Picked up my date and got about 2 miles down and noticed the clutch pedal wasn't coming back up more than an inch... It was just enough to get it to go but it stalled several times before that. 1st and 2nd gear wasn't easy to get in to... Got it to a parking lot and called "AAA" waited 2.5 hours and the date was ruined. As we pushed it back to get it on the tow truck I noticed oil on the ground.

Conclusion:
6/14 Confirmed the clutch slave cylinder is the cause, Carmax's warranty approved of the repair to the tune of $760 using OEM parts.

6/17 Complaint filed on the NHTSA website where several other complaints from people explain the same issue along with the common steering lock failure.

Oh man that's terrible. I feel your pain. I recently had same problem. My Z is still out of service. After reading many others post on the forum I decided to go with HD CSC. I'm not going to keep spending money & drive in fear of being stranded with another OEM CSC. I took the advice of others and ordered a HD CSC from Z Speed Performance. I haven't read of anyone having problems with it. I'm also replacing the CMC & adding the Insulated Short Stainless Clutch Hose. You should check Z Speed and get your order in quick for HD CSC as they go fast. Contact Joe at Z Speed.

I might be SOL, I have "maxcare" from carmax (extended warranty) and I've heard they're a pain in the *** to deal with, Especially towards the mechanic shops (takes a few days to even get anything approved to get done)... So a few shops are willing to deal with them. I'm going to have to ask them which shops do they prefer and choose from there. I'm aiming for my friends shop or the nissan dealership. It's a 60 month 100K mile warranty.

You are not alone! Dealerships in my area will NOT install aftermarket HD CSC's. OEM CSC's are a 3-5 day wait at Nissan Dealerships here in Maryland area. There is a wait for HD CSC too, because so many Z owners are switching to these. I just could not in good conscious throw money down the "OEM CSC Hole" anymore. I'll bite the bullet, do without my pride & joy "Z", and hold out to wait for the HD CSC to be shipped to me from Z Speed. It's a decision of either "Pay now for OEM and often for that choice, or wait for HD CSC pay more for a quality product and have piece of mind". It's unbelievably frustrating that so many 350Z & 370Z owners have had this same problem and Nissan fails to address it.

There were actually later models of the 350Z where they did address it and put an external slave cylinder on the outside of the transmission. My understanding is this was the inspiration and design basis for the Z1 CSC Elimination Kit.

So fuck Nissan even harder for having a solution at one point and then reverting back to the old shitty one :mad: :shakes head:

I looked at the Z1 CSC Elimination Kit on their site. I liked what I read but one line from their site gave me caution & I quote their post: "Because of the very narrow window in which this product was designed to function as a bolt on solution, this product may require adjustment through the life of the clutch." - I like to read more feedback from Z owners who converted and how system has operated over time.

I have a 2009 BMW 328I that I can ride around in and if I so choose, I can get a rental car and be reimbursed for it... I'm hoping to not be out of the Z for more than a week but you do have me thinking. I talked to the guy at the warranty place and seemed nice enough and after describing that the pedal just went limp, there was fluid on the ground and my reservoir is bone dry that it is either the CSC or master cylinder... He said I can take it to any preferred ASE certified shop, which I can take it to my friends shop (tri-valley autocare in Dublin). But they're not open today... I can get him to install aftermarket and most likely i'll just have to pay the difference from OEM to aftermarket. or I can take it to the nearby Nissan dealership where it'll just sit there until Monday anyways.

I had no idea this was a common issue until I was sitting there next to my date googling why my Z doesn't want to cooperate, I was expecting the steering lock issues before anything else... and just at 31K miles, I've had Toyota's and Honda's that went way over that and never had a problem. The Tacoma X-Runner I traded in for my Z gave me 5 years and 90K miles (125k total miles) of completely trouble free service, Just brake pads and rotors once, 2 sets of tires, air filter recharges a few times, 2 cabin filters and many oil changes. :mad:

If it had over 70K miles or if I beat on it more than 5K miles (i don't beat on it often [never hard launched it though]) then I would understand. :shakes head:

I've got one. I did the install myself over a year ago (~17K miles). I've done one adjustment. I check it every time I'm under the car, and at this point expect to do no more than one adjust per 10-20K miles depending on how hard the clutch plate is used during that time. The adjustment is simple, requires minimal tools (jack + stands or ramps needed), and takes very little time if you are already under the car for an oil change or something. I've posted about my experiences with the adjustment in several threads on the matter :tiphat:

I will search for "threads". I'm open to any product that eliminates the frustration of dealing with OEM CSC's. And the idea of a product that I can adjust myself without dealing with a shop is appealing to me. I enjoy working on my Z, and enjoy doing my own maintenance on my vehicle. I got the jack stands, the low profile race ramps, and as Jeff Spicoli said in movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High - "Dude I can fix this. My dad has a awesome set of tools". :roflpuke2: