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

Zbrah · 06-22-2015, 02:39 AM

So...it finally happened to me earlier this evening. I went out to start the car to get to the car wash, and found my clutch pedal already sitting half way in and I had to reach further down with left foot almost to a full extension to make contact with the pedal. I only had to press the pedal down about two inches to get it started. It felt weird so I pushed the pedal in again and I only get pressure toward the bottom. The first half of the travel had very little to no pressure at all! I tried lifting the the pedal up with my toes but it was very floppy...I then turned off the car and opened the hood to check my fluid and sure enough, clutch fluid is filthy, I can see a lot of black debris inside the resevoir, and my fluid level was right between the Max and Min line, so I had loss some fluid since the last time I checked it a couple weeks ago. I hopped back in the car and pumped the pedal several times and it eventually returned some some pressure but still not its full range. I then sarted it up and went for a drive...I was able to get into all the gears, but my clutch pedal still isn't returning completely to its normal position...maybe 3/4 only. Autozone was already closed so I'll have to wait until tomorow to pick up some brake fluid to fill it back up. I'm hoping by refilling the fluid will buy me enough time to get a new csc and mc in from Zspeed, and take it to my shop to swap it out, but my oem csc is definitely showing symptoms of failing. My Z is a 2011 and the current mileage on her is 25,465 as of today

KoolKarmaJoe · 06-22-2015, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zbrah

So...it finally happened to me earlier this evening. I went out to start the car to get to the car wash, and found my clutch pedal already sitting half way in and I had to reach further down with left foot almost to a full extension to make contact with the pedal. I only had to press the pedal down about two inches to get it started. It felt weird so I pushed the pedal in again and I only get pressure toward the bottom. The first half of the travel had very little to no pressure at all! I tried lifting the the pedal up with my toes but it was very floppy...I then turned off the car and opened the hood to check my fluid and sure enough, clutch fluid is filthy, I can see a lot of black debris inside the resevoir, and my fluid level was right between the Max and Min line, so I had loss some fluid since the last time I checked it a couple weeks ago. I hopped back in the car and pumped the pedal several times and it eventually returned some some pressure but still not its full range. I then sarted it up and went for a drive...I was able to get into all the gears, but my clutch pedal still isn't returning completely to its normal position...maybe 3/4 only. Autozone was already closed so I'll have to wait until tomorow to pick up some brake fluid to fill it back up. I'm hoping by refilling the fluid will buy me enough time to get a new csc and mc in from Zspeed, and take it to my shop to swap it out, but my oem csc is definitely showing symptoms of failing. My Z is a 2011 and the current mileage on her is 25,465 as of today

This is getting ridiculous with so many of us having CSC failures. Nissan sucks! I received my new CMC, HD CSC , short insulated CLUTCH line from ZSpeed about a week ago. Since the transmission must be dropped to put in new HD CSC, I've also decided to take advantage of that by also putting in a new Southbend SS Quiet CLUTCH & new light weight aluminum flywheel. AAM Competition is doing the installation.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

DIGItonium · 06-22-2015, 09:16 AM

This is a common problem ever since Nissan switched over to these awesome Valeo-designed CSC in 2007 with the HR engine (e.g., 2007 350Z/G onwards). I sorta miss the old external slave and fork.

BamBamZ · 06-22-2015, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zbrah

**** Yes!! You are my hero for taking this step, BamBamZ! We have the power of social medias on our side guys! Everyone here need to do this, seriously.

I would even take it a step further and log your complaint with the NHTS then post a link on Nissan's social accounts with a brief description of your issue. If they refuse to act, we can make them react! Here is the linkHome | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

I have logged a complaint with the NHTSA before hand.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/...5&refurl=email

I got this response from Nissan this morning...

Quote:

Good morning Alan,

Thank you for sending these details along. At this time, we recommend speaking with our Consumer Affairs department. One of our Specialists will be able to look into this further. Be sure to provide the full name the vehicle is registered under and VIN when calling 1-800-NISSAN-1 anytime between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday.

Have a good rest of your day.

Charlie, Nissan Social Support

I'll call in a little while and edit this to let you guys know how it goes, I just want to make Nissan aware they have this upcoming issue and the cars are failing by the dozen and hopefully they'll instate a recall and redesign the clutch slave cylinder to actually not fail within 4K-40K miles.

EDIT:

Spoke to a guy who had no idea what I was asking for, And that kinda confused me because I made it clear... It ended up being a request to find out how many cars were serviced to repair the clutch slave cylinder (which i was interested in but wasn't what i was asking for), He couldn't find that information then I explained that my concern is that the part is made out of plastic and many people have had this issue before so I don't know how long the new OEM part I had installed will last and that Nissan needs to make one out of metal and do a recall...

Suddenly they want to look at my car now, So I have to take it to the nearby dealership where they will inspect it... And consider replacing it with a metal part. I have no idea what the hell is going on at this point but just going to go with the flow.

MagmaRed370z · 06-22-2015, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamBamZ

I have logged a complaint with the NHTSA before hand.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/...5&refurl=email

I got this response from Nissan this morning...

I'll call in a little while and edit this to let you guys know how it goes, I just want to make Nissan aware they have this upcoming issue and the cars are failing by the dozen and hopefully they'll instate a recall and redesign the clutch slave cylinder to actually not fail within 4K-40K miles.

EDIT:

Spoke to a guy who had no idea what I was asking for, And that kinda confused me because I made it clear... It ended up being a request to find out how many cars were serviced to repair the clutch slave cylinder (which i was interested in but wasn't what i was asking for), He couldn't find that information then I explained that my concern is that the part is made out of plastic and many people have had this issue before so I don't know how long the new OEM part I had installed will last and that Nissan needs to make one out of metal and do a recall...

Suddenly they want to look at my car now, So I have to take it to the nearby dealership where they will inspect it... And consider replacing it with a metal part. I have no idea what the hell is going on at this point but just going to go with the flow.

I like your complaint and thank you sir for doing that. This is so frustrating to the point that I just want to go ahead and buy the aftermarket CSC, $$$$$ in labor and call it a day. I love my Z but its not enjoyable anymore because every time I shift I am thinking about the da*n CSC failing.....

MagmaRed370z · 06-22-2015, 10:31 AM

We should ALL do the above ^ 1) Complaint and then 2) Call the number. See if 1,000 calls and complaints make NISSAN do something about this known issue.

eastwest2300 · 06-22-2015, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zbrah

So...it finally happened to me earlier this evening. I went out to start the car to get to the car wash, and found my clutch pedal already sitting half way in and I had to reach further down with left foot almost to a full extension to make contact with the pedal. I only had to press the pedal down about two inches to get it started. It felt weird so I pushed the pedal in again and I only get pressure toward the bottom. The first half of the travel had very little to no pressure at all! I tried lifting the the pedal up with my toes but it was very floppy...I then turned off the car and opened the hood to check my fluid and sure enough, clutch fluid is filthy, I can see a lot of black debris inside the resevoir, and my fluid level was right between the Max and Min line, so I had loss some fluid since the last time I checked it a couple weeks ago. I hopped back in the car and pumped the pedal several times and it eventually returned some some pressure but still not its full range. I then sarted it up and went for a drive...I was able to get into all the gears, but my clutch pedal still isn't returning completely to its normal position...maybe 3/4 only. Autozone was already closed so I'll have to wait until tomorow to pick up some brake fluid to fill it back up. I'm hoping by refilling the fluid will buy me enough time to get a new csc and mc in from Zspeed, and take it to my shop to swap it out, but my oem csc is definitely showing symptoms of failing. My Z is a 2011 and the current mileage on her is 25,465 as of today

damn... dude, thats sh1tty man. Keep us posted.

BamBamZ · 06-22-2015, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schellingr

I like your complaint and thank you sir for doing that. This is so frustrating to the point that I just want to go ahead and buy the aftermarket CSC, $$$$$ in labor and call it a day. I love my Z but its not enjoyable anymore because every time I shift I am thinking about the da*n CSC failing.....

I was looking at putting in aftermarket too but I'm on leave of absence from work and workmans comp likes to delay their checks to me... So it hurt enough to pay the $300 deductible for my aftermarket warranty. When I asked my friend that works at the shop what kind of part he used (hoping it was metal) he showed me the OEM box. Before leaving I said "see ya in another 30k miles"

I'm expecting it to fail again, But not for another 20K miles or so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by schellingr

We should ALL do the above ^ 1) Complaint and then 2) Call the number. See if 1,000 calls and complaints make NISSAN do something about this known issue.

Agreed!

The number is 1-800-Nissan-1

Then press 7 for consumer affairs, you'll get forwarded to a representative and just explain your concerns. That the current OEM part is plastic and is prone to fail so you're paranoid that it will.

Zbrah · 06-22-2015, 11:12 AM

Okay, so here's my dilemma...since my csc hasn't complete failed...yet (just loss some of its clutch pressure), should I even bother taking it to the stealership? Knowing how they treat others with the same problem in the past...they'll just keep my car a few days for "testing" then fill up my brake fluid anyway, or maybe flush it out and charge me for some GT-R fluid

I can just do this myself and not having to leave my car in their hands. This morning I managed to drive to work okay, although my clutch travel is noticeably less than before. Need your opinions what I should do at this point.

Edit: will be ordering new HD CSC and oem MC from Joe later today. Looking at their lightweight flywheel too, most likely I will throw that in as well. Can I just upgrade the hydraulics and flywheel only while keeping my oem clutch?

DIGItonium · 06-22-2015, 11:49 AM

I'm thinking the course of action from Nissan is nadda until people start getting into wrecks. I don't get with the price of a brand new Z climbing you would think they'd switch to an improved CSC by now. Heck, the HD-CSC ZSpeed offers doesn't even break the bank, and that's not even bulk cost.

TheNismo · 06-22-2015, 11:55 AM

I sure Nissan knows about the issue though because there's a TSB out saying to "flush and replace with GTR R35 brake fluid" if the clutch fluid drains and the pedal goes to the floor.. So it's not a recall but if they see the issue that's what they are supposed to do.. except that won't fix the issue.

KoolKarmaJoe · 06-22-2015, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DIGItonium

I'm thinking the course of action from Nissan is nadda until people start getting into wrecks. I don't get with the price of a brand new Z climbing you would think they'd switch to an improved CSC by now. Heck, the HD-CSC ZSpeed offers doesn't even break the bank, and that's not even bulk cost.

I agree with you. Usually the only time things get recalled is after people die. I attend a lot of car events with my Z. I'm going to add a large sign/poster stating "Nissan Z's have horrible CSC that fail & leave you stranded"! I will include photos of the failed component, my Z being towed, the transmission being removed from it, and receipts for parts/installation/Tow charges!- I will the take a photo of my Z displaying the poster at all the different car events/shows I attend and forward pics to Nissan, they're dealerships, & car event organizers, and also post to public forums.

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MagmaRed370z · 06-22-2015, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamBamZ

Agreed!

The number is 1-800-Nissan-1

Then press 7 for consumer affairs, you'll get forwarded to a representative and just explain your concerns. That the current OEM part is plastic and is prone to fail so you're paranoid that it will.

So I put my complaint by calling Nissan Customer Affairs at 1-800-Nissan-1 then pressing 7.

One customer service representative (Located in the Philippines of course) opened my case and filed the complaint. It will be forwarded to somebody

Case Reference # XXXX3044.

Who is next?

eastwest2300 · 06-22-2015, 12:56 PM

nice..

Zbrah · 06-22-2015, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schellingr

So I put my complaint by calling Nissan Customer Affairs at 1-800-Nissan-1 then pressing 7.

One customer service representative (Located in the Philippines of course) opened my case and filed the complaint. It will be forwarded to somebody

Case Reference # XXXX3044.

Who is next?

Hmm...mine hasn't exactly failed yet, do you think I have some ground to submit a complaint? I'd like to but I'm wondering if they're just going to brush me off.

06-22-2015, 02:39 AM	#661 (permalink)
Zbrah A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2013 Location: The370Z.com Posts: 4,956 Drives: 370Z Rep Power: 5451	So...it finally happened to me earlier this evening. I went out to start the car to get to the car wash, and found my clutch pedal already sitting half way in and I had to reach further down with left foot almost to a full extension to make contact with the pedal. I only had to press the pedal down about two inches to get it started. It felt weird so I pushed the pedal in again and I only get pressure toward the bottom. The first half of the travel had very little to no pressure at all! I tried lifting the the pedal up with my toes but it was very floppy...I then turned off the car and opened the hood to check my fluid and sure enough, clutch fluid is filthy, I can see a lot of black debris inside the resevoir, and my fluid level was right between the Max and Min line, so I had loss some fluid since the last time I checked it a couple weeks ago. I hopped back in the car and pumped the pedal several times and it eventually returned some some pressure but still not its full range. I then sarted it up and went for a drive...I was able to get into all the gears, but my clutch pedal still isn't returning completely to its normal position...maybe 3/4 only. Autozone was already closed so I'll have to wait until tomorow to pick up some brake fluid to fill it back up. I'm hoping by refilling the fluid will buy me enough time to get a new csc and mc in from Zspeed, and take it to my shop to swap it out, but my oem csc is definitely showing symptoms of failing. My Z is a 2011 and the current mileage on her is 25,465 as of today KoolKarmaJoe likes this. __________________

06-22-2015, 09:16 AM	#663 (permalink)
DIGItonium A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kansas Posts: 3,800 Drives: 09 Z34-TT 6MT Rep Power: 42	This is a common problem ever since Nissan switched over to these awesome Valeo-designed CSC in 2007 with the HR engine (e.g., 2007 350Z/G onwards). I sorta miss the old external slave and fork. KoolKarmaJoe likes this. __________________

06-22-2015, 10:31 AM	#666 (permalink)
MagmaRed370z A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: USA Posts: 1,468 Drives: 14' 370z Sport Magma Rep Power: 12	We should ALL do the above ^ 1) Complaint and then 2) Call the number. See if 1,000 calls and complaints make NISSAN do something about this known issue. eastwest2300, Zbrah and KoolKarmaJoe like this.

06-22-2015, 11:12 AM	#669 (permalink)
Zbrah A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2013 Location: The370Z.com Posts: 4,956 Drives: 370Z Rep Power: 5451	Okay, so here's my dilemma...since my csc hasn't complete failed...yet (just loss some of its clutch pressure), should I even bother taking it to the stealership? Knowing how they treat others with the same problem in the past...they'll just keep my car a few days for "testing" then fill up my brake fluid anyway, or maybe flush it out and charge me for some GT-R fluid I can just do this myself and not having to leave my car in their hands. This morning I managed to drive to work okay, although my clutch travel is noticeably less than before. Need your opinions what I should do at this point. Edit: will be ordering new HD CSC and oem MC from Joe later today. Looking at their lightweight flywheel too, most likely I will throw that in as well. Can I just upgrade the hydraulics and flywheel only while keeping my oem clutch? __________________ Last edited by Zbrah; 06-22-2015 at 11:17 AM.

06-22-2015, 11:49 AM	#670 (permalink)
DIGItonium A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Kansas Posts: 3,800 Drives: 09 Z34-TT 6MT Rep Power: 42	I'm thinking the course of action from Nissan is nadda until people start getting into wrecks. I don't get with the price of a brand new Z climbing you would think they'd switch to an improved CSC by now. Heck, the HD-CSC ZSpeed offers doesn't even break the bank, and that's not even bulk cost. Zbrah and KoolKarmaJoe like this. __________________

06-22-2015, 11:55 AM	#671 (permalink)
TheNismo Base Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: SoCal Posts: 57 Drives: 2011 Nismo 370Z Rep Power: 10	I sure Nissan knows about the issue though because there's a TSB out saying to "flush and replace with GTR R35 brake fluid" if the clutch fluid drains and the pedal goes to the floor.. So it's not a recall but if they see the issue that's what they are supposed to do.. except that won't fix the issue. __________________ \| 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 \|

06-22-2015, 12:56 PM	#674 (permalink)
eastwest2300 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2010 Location: South FL Posts: 90,824 Drives: '16QX70/'21 Supra3.0 Rep Power: 2684550	nice.. __________________ Infiniti QX70 & Toyota Supra 3.0 Premium

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