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

BamBamZ · 06-06-2015, 07:48 AM

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.

KoolKarmaJoe · 06-06-2015, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamBamZ

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.

JARblue · 06-06-2015, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoolKarmaJoe

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

KoolKarmaJoe · 06-06-2015, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JARblue

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

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.

JARblue · 06-06-2015, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoolKarmaJoe

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'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

BamBamZ · 06-06-2015, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoolKarmaJoe

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.

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JARblue

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

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.

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.

jwick · 06-15-2015, 09:21 AM

They had to drop the y-pipe to drop the tranny. Check the flanges and the brace that bolts to the bottom of the tranny for the O2 sensors.

MagmaRed370z · 06-15-2015, 09:27 AM

Its messed up that when you go to the stealership, they "fix" the issue but they give you 10 rattles and unknown noises......

TheNismo · 06-15-2015, 12:08 PM

VIN: Don't have that with me right now..
Purchase Date: 2/14/15 (Used 2011 with 30k miles)
Occurrence Date: 4/28/15
Occurrence Mileage: ~32,500
Clutch Type: OEM

Summary:

2/14/15 - Bought a used 2011 370Z Nismo with 30k miles from Nissan dealership (4 hours from where I live) and fluids were filled and clean when I received the car.

4/28/15 - Clutch goes to the floor and reservoir is empty, 33k miles on the car. Filled up the fluid and drove it home until I could go to the dealership.

5/2/15 - Drop off car at Nissan dealership near my house. They cannot find any leak (MC, CMC, or the clutch line) and say there's a TSB to flush and fill with GTR brake fluid. Also, they say none of this is covered under drive train warranty since there's no visible damages or issues and ask me to pay $320 to have it done.. so I said no and decided to wait until I can make the 4 hour drive to the dealership I got the car at.

5/8/15 - Flush and fill with DOT 4 on my own just to be safe until I can go to dealership (Cost me ~$17). I don't daily the Z so it sat in the garage most of the time until I could take it in.

5/27/15 - I take my car to the original dealership to be inspected. They say the same thing, no visible leak or damages and TSB for GTR fluid. They offer a significant discount on the service so I accepted to at least have it on record that they performed this service and said it would fix my "leak".

6/15/15 - I haven't had any further issue, but to me it seems like the fluid level dropped slightly since it was filled back up...

eastwest2300 · 06-15-2015, 12:32 PM

Brother, I hate to tell you this, but you very well may be on borrowed time, filling the reservior with GTR fluid is a bandaid to a much bigger problem.. you might want to start looking for aftermarket parts..i.e. CSC & CMC.

KoolKarmaJoe · 06-15-2015, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastwest2300

Brother, I hate to tell you this, but you very well may be on borrowed time, filling the reservior with GTR fluid is a bandaid to a much bigger problem.. you might want to start looking for aftermarket parts..i.e. CSC & CMC.

I concur! Except I would choose a HD CSC to go with new CMC.

TheNismo · 06-15-2015, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastwest2300

Brother, I hate to tell you this, but you very well may be on borrowed time, filling the reservior with GTR fluid is a bandaid to a much bigger problem.. you might want to start looking for aftermarket parts..i.e. CSC & CMC.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KoolKarmaJoe

I concur! Except I would choose a HD CSC to go with new CMC.

Yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking.. I will be looking into aftermarket parts soon but was hoping to get those parts replaced under warranty. But even if replaced with OEM parts, they will probably eventually fail anyways.

eastwest2300 · 06-15-2015, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNismo

Yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking.. I will be looking into aftermarket parts soon but was hoping to get those parts replaced under warranty. But even if replaced with OEM parts, they will probably eventually fail anyways.

Get on Zspeed's website..

Any questions you may have, Joe will take care of you. He's a good dude.

KoolKarmaJoe · 06-15-2015, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastwest2300

Get on Zspeed's website..

Any questions you may have, Joe will take care of you. He's a good dude.

Absolutely I agree! Joe's has been a big help to me. I ordered HD CSC & CMC from him. I decided that since I was getting the transmission dropped, I was going to go ahead and put new clutch kit & light weight Flywheel in my Z. Joe helped me decide on which Clutch Kit/Flywheel Combo suited my driving habits. I took his advice and today ordered the Motul Trans fluid to replace the old fluid in the trans. And on pay day this week I will place my Clutch Kit/Flywheel Combo order.
PS - GET YOUR ORDERS IN SOON WITH ZSPEED BECAUSE THEY WILL BE CLOSED FROM JULY 3RD TO JULY 12TH! ANY ORDERS RECEIVED DURING THE CLOSED DATES WILL BE SHIPPED JULY 13TH.

TheNismo · 06-16-2015, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eastwest2300

Get on Zspeed's website..

Any questions you may have, Joe will take care of you. He's a good dude.

Yeah I'll have to do that soon, thanks!

06-15-2015, 09:21 AM	#7 (permalink)
jwick A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Houston Posts: 14,532 Drives: '10 G37 6MT Rep Power: 2465058	They had to drop the y-pipe to drop the tranny. Check the flanges and the brace that bolts to the bottom of the tranny for the O2 sensors. Joe@ZSpeed likes this. __________________ '10 G37T 6MT Graphite/Graphite - BP - G37T Build

06-15-2015, 09:27 AM	#8 (permalink)
MagmaRed370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: USA Posts: 1,468 Drives: 14' 370z Sport Magma Rep Power: 14	Its messed up that when you go to the stealership, they "fix" the issue but they give you 10 rattles and unknown noises...... KoolKarmaJoe likes this.

06-15-2015, 12:08 PM	#9 (permalink)
TheNismo Base Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: SoCal Posts: 57 Drives: 2011 Nismo 370Z Rep Power: 12	VIN: Don't have that with me right now.. Purchase Date: 2/14/15 (Used 2011 with 30k miles) Occurrence Date: 4/28/15 Occurrence Mileage: ~32,500 Clutch Type: OEM Summary: 2/14/15 - Bought a used 2011 370Z Nismo with 30k miles from Nissan dealership (4 hours from where I live) and fluids were filled and clean when I received the car. 4/28/15 - Clutch goes to the floor and reservoir is empty, 33k miles on the car. Filled up the fluid and drove it home until I could go to the dealership. 5/2/15 - Drop off car at Nissan dealership near my house. They cannot find any leak (MC, CMC, or the clutch line) and say there's a TSB to flush and fill with GTR brake fluid. Also, they say none of this is covered under drive train warranty since there's no visible damages or issues and ask me to pay $320 to have it done.. so I said no and decided to wait until I can make the 4 hour drive to the dealership I got the car at. 5/8/15 - Flush and fill with DOT 4 on my own just to be safe until I can go to dealership (Cost me ~$17). I don't daily the Z so it sat in the garage most of the time until I could take it in. 5/27/15 - I take my car to the original dealership to be inspected. They say the same thing, no visible leak or damages and TSB for GTR fluid. They offer a significant discount on the service so I accepted to at least have it on record that they performed this service and said it would fix my "leak". 6/15/15 - I haven't had any further issue, but to me it seems like the fluid level dropped slightly since it was filled back up... __________________ \| ARK Performance DT-S Exhaust \| Volk Racing G25 Prism Dark Silver \| \| Feal Suspension Coilovers \| ACT HDSS Clutch + Flywheel \| \| ZSpeed HD CSC \| Takeda Intakes \| Pioneer AppRadio4 \| Last edited by TheNismo; 06-15-2015 at 12:24 PM.

06-15-2015, 12:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
eastwest2300 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: South FL Posts: 91,035 Drives: '16QX70/'21 Supra3.0 Rep Power: 2684553	Brother, I hate to tell you this, but you very well may be on borrowed time, filling the reservior with GTR fluid is a bandaid to a much bigger problem.. you might want to start looking for aftermarket parts..i.e. CSC & CMC. KoolKarmaJoe likes this. __________________ Infiniti QX70 & Toyota Supra 3.0 Premium

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06-06-2015, 07:48 AM	#1 (permalink)
BamBamZ Base Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Mountain House, CA Posts: 95 Drives: Touring/Sport/6spd Rep Power: 12	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.