Touchy Clutch
 

Gang,

As I have stated in other OP's about a Touchy Clutch, mine sucks. I have driven Manual Trans since 1959 and have never had this chatter/jerky problem in the past. Many of you have also stated that the 370 has the touchiest clutch pedal you have experienced. I have been to my dealer several times about this and they too have expressed concerns about the way this clutch is. They have tried to adjust it with hardly any change and the results remain the same. Now after almost 5700 miles I have had it...! Today the car went back to the dealer again. Would you believe that the dealer called me back this afternoon and told me that Nissan North America told him that they didn't have complaints on the Clutch. Now you and I know that probably is untrue. So what happened next is hard to believe. They told my dealer to replace the complete 'clutch/slave etc' assembly and to satisfy the customer. Something has changed since the front end and tire problem with my 03 350.
:worship:
I'll keep everyone posted as to the out come.

wow!

Well that makes me feel better about spending 2K on the extended warranty!

I too find this to be the touchiest clutch I have owned. It's nice that they are trying hard to please you but I highly doubt it will help. Keep us posted anyway.

Interesting! I thought we just had to put up with this.
It has to be the worst clutch I have ever had on a manual gearbox car, and I've been driving them since 1986 (first Nissan tho).

lol this makes me feel really good, this is the first manual car i've ever driven and ever time i drive it the clutch feels different

Wow. Did I get really lucky, or have I only driven really touchy clutches? The 370Z clutch is not that bad to me. Seems about middle of road (excluding the racing clutches). I have driven several racing clutches, those are touchy!!

Yeah I'm with you, mine doesn't feel that bad. It just took me a little while to figure out how the car likes to be driven and where the clutch engages/disengages at. At first though everything was rough from takeoff to 4th gear the car would jerk at gear change. Now it's like butter (other than second gear sometimes not going into gear smoothly) but that has been an issue with the Z for a number of year apparently.

i can switch gears smoothly after i get rolling its just that dang 1st gear i swear it engages at different points every time lol

idk how you guys drive but the clutch feels fine to me. it was alot different than what i was used to at first since my last car had a clutchmasters stage 3, but it only took me about 2 weeks to get used to it, and now i drive it every day just fine. maybe its just cause while im driving it i dont forget that i bought the car for exactly the same they made it. performance and looks. just remember, you bought a sports car. and its better in every aspect than every other car in its class. you can keep complaining but just think about if you had bought one of the other cars that STILL dont get as good ratings.

Clutch Issues
 

I hear you...Seems that the throw-out bearing is not the best (smoothest) is the clutch link. Mine was the same from the get go. Post your experience with the new clutch assembly.:hello:

Had the same problem at first with the engagement too high and at an awkward position. For some reason after 7k miles. don't seem to notice it as much. Either me or the clutch has mellowed some.

Agreed, the clutch seems to almost "break in" after a few thousand miles. To me, this is the hardest car i've owned to shift smoothly, but it seems to get better every day.

I'm learning manual for the first time after driving auto for 7 years. I'm finding the clutch really hard to be smooth with, particularly going into 1st gear. It feels like it's fighting against my foot :p When going into 1st gear what should I have the revs at? Is it easier to just start in 2nd gear?

Don't just start in second...

Honestly, this is the first car I've owned that's manual as well. You just need to play around with it until you get it right. At this point I don't even look at the rpm when I'm starting from a dead stop. Just go by feeling/hearing when you get more comfortable.

I'm usually slightly above the 1k range I believe. But I dont really look at the tach. But, if your starting on flat ground, or a slight incline, your should keep it in first. Also, I don't really find the clutch to all that rough when engaging first. Going into second is another story.

From years of experience driving older gearboxes that don't syncro into first well or easily, I've gotten into the habit of pulling it into second then pushing forward into first. Tends to slow the gear spinning and allows for easier engagement. Try it and see if it doesn't help..

great idea. Also, when going into 1st, get your RPMs to about 1.5k, slowly let the clutch out while keeping the throttle constant, should have zero bog and it'll slip into gear smoothly. The trick is keeping the RPMs constant without allowing them to dip below 1.5

When at the dealership I test drove three Zs that when you raised the RPM in first while moving, then jumped on the clutch, there would be this strange "clang clang clang" noise coming from the bell housing / transmission area of the car. Has anyone experienced this? Gear slap maybe? Or clutch??

It was very disconcerting.

dont push the clutch all the way in, i just memorized and can feel where it catches at and push it in just beyond that. then you dont have to worry about guessing how far from the floor it is cause your foot is already there. you can use your shifter to help learn this by slowly pressing down on the pedal till it slides into 1st. makes it easier for me.

You are catching on to something here.The full swing of the pedal is not needed.Only have to push in far enough to disengage the clutch.The pedal has more throw then needed.Try it and you will see what I' am talking about.
Once you understand and get used to it there is no problem at all.
I agree the throwout bearing sure leaves alot to be desired.Very noisy brand new??We can only hope it doesn't get any louder as time goes on.
On any other american auto a throwout bearing that makes that much noise in neutral with the pedal fully released needs replacing.Thats usually after about 60 to 70 thousand miles!This is a new Nissan design so time will tell.

I have the same experience with my Red touring+sport 6MT Nav (no mods yet). I also have a '79 280ZX (original owner), so I can compare the two directly. The 370Z clutch is really tricky in comparison. While it does seem to be getting smoother as I drive it (~3000 miles), I don't know whether it is due to the clutch or the driver "breaking in."

Driver breaking in for sure.

Thanks for the tips guys. If the clutch doesn't engage until about 50-75% out then why do they make it so it has so much travel in it? I think I might be better at it now if I don't press right to the floor. It's just that everything I read said press clutch fully to the floor before changing gears, so that's why I started learning that way. So I will practice a lot going from idle into 1st gear and hopefully get used to the engagement point without thinking about it. Hope I don't grind any gears :shakes head:

I thought things were getting smoother (~3k miles) until recently (~5k miles) clutch action has been a bit erratic. The 1-2 shift is definitely getting more rough, and I've scratched getting in 2nd a few times. It's starting to get clunky and require a bit more shift effort. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the cooler weather setting in.

This experience is nothing new to since I had a 350Z prior, and the transmission got more clunky over time. Plus, there was more play with the clutch engagement. I'm starting to see the same with my 370Z.

You may want to search for how to adjust the engagement point of the clutch, it is fairly simple, and you can lower the engagement point closer to the floor by maybe 1-2 inchs. After I did my, I found it much easier to shift smoother.

never thought the clutch was touchy, but the throttle is a tad
sensitive in 1st gear at take off from zero mph. ill get use to it though.

wish i had a 79 280Z. :(

GAH! :icon14:

I too had the same "Driver Break-In" issues with my clutch and clunky shifting. And like many 370Z owners, i've been driving manual transmissions for many years (25years in my case). I had convinced myself that either i had lost my touch or there was something wrong with the car. Just to test my theories, I turned off the Synchro-Shift to eliminate any input from the computer. Well, after I drove it for about a week with it turned off, i'm shifting this smooth as warm butter. I think the Synchro-Shift revs the engine even on upshifts. This greatly affects the ability to shift it smoothly. Try it...it'll make a believer.

Yes it does work on upshifts per the owners manual. It takes some adaptation to it's unique characteristics to get smooth but once you do it feels perfectly normal. (to me anyway!)

X2.. I believe what you are talking about is what i call clutch slap... not sure if that term is correct. But i am pretty sure that the noise you are talking about is the clutch. Anyone else have any ideas?

thats the new clutch youre hearing.
when i first got my Z i think 2 weeks down the line before i got fired, i was kinda pissed off for some reason i dont remember (maybe the idea that i was GOING to be fired) and i remember coming home and popping the clutch in reverse and parking into my garage all within less than 15 seconds. which is ridiculous because normal conditions take 2+ minutes for me.

within this time frame, with a bit of anger and rage remaining from work related crap, i distinctly remember hearing that 'clanging' sound from within the chassis below my seat, and i was thinking sh!*, then i realized, my 2000 civic didnt do that, then i remembered my salesperson from nissan calling me nonstop for 2 weeks saying the trade in went foul because the clutch on the civic was that bad.

my point is, during the whole time i had my civic and rough driving, never ever did i hear 'clanging'. then again i never had a new vehicle. this civic was back from 2000.

so to sum it up, go easy , be gentle , she will reward you ^__^ haha

I don't think that really answers the question. I'm easy on my clutch, have 8k on my car, and it still does it. Not when parking, more of like when you are in first, get it to about 2-3k rpms, then press in your clutch and it makes like a slapping noise. Anyone have any input? I can't remember my g35 doing this.

Mine does it. Usually happens if I have the transmission under load when I push the clutch.

Great Conclusion
 

Today I took the 'Z' back into the dealer and he replaced all of the parts that they said they would. The slave is totally different than the one that came OEM on the car. I suspect that the early 09's may have had a problem that was now corrected with the new design. I'm guessing, that when questioned, the early cars are probably being quietly replaced with the updated design. I know that now the clutch engagement is like it should be and without shudder...................!! I am a happy camper now. :tup:
:worship:

Can you provide us the part number used for the replacement? My clutch action has been getting more erratic like my 350Z. The cooler weather is making it worse. Plus, it feels like it needs bleeding.

Wow, I wonder if they will replace it for me that easy, I've been to 2 dealerships early on and they both said it was normal. :-( I've got 12K on the car now, and just gave up on the dealers. That sound is really embarassing, most everyone that drives in my car comments on it and it really takes the enjoyment out of driving it.

So, are you saying that the shudder/rattle is completely gone? or is it just less noticeable?

numbers? & shudder<G>
 

Sorry, I have no idea what the numbers are.. I just saw the parts and the difference between them. My guess is the numbers will be the same, probably just an engineering change number for that part number.
:tiphat:


You need to try another dealer. Keep on them since it is not normal.

Yes the shudder is gone when you start off from a dead stop and the shift into 2nd is clean also. The clutch pedal no longer has that over center feeling that it had with the OEM slave in place.
:tiphat:

yah, im use to it now... :tup: i found to just give it more umph immediately after engagement to fully load the drivetrain. can't wait to motor my Z tomorrow.. :)