Ok, but what does that have to do with the 370z's clutch?!

^ He was being sarcastic..

This happened to me as well during a trackday. I purged my DOT3 clutch fluid and switched to DOT5.1 (take note of the .1 since DOT5 will destroy normal clutches) which essentially gives a higher boiling point threshold.

Pharmacist, I seriously doubt you have an overheating clutch issue. However, you might want to inspect if you have the proper clutch fluid level on your reservoir. If you have the correct level, then you might want to try a clutch fluid change first since that would seem to be the cheapest thing to do for now. If the problem still persists after the fluid change, then I suppose there is no other alternative but to open up your clutch and check for wear.

The clutch pedal is a master / slave hydraulic cylinder configuration so I doubt its a faulty spring issue. Also, you might have air bubbles in the hydraulic system.

By the way, were you able to fix your gear buzz / rattle above 5k rpms issue? I moved my shifter boot up and down countless times and I still suffer from the buzzing issue at high rpms. Don't really know what else to do.

Thanks!

at least it wasn't the other gas pedal sticking to the floor like a toyota... :D

are there any drivetrain breakage prevention safety device on this machine?

This is inherent to Nissan slave cylinders; my G does the same thing. Look at it as an additional safety measure.

This happens to Corvette guys all the time. It's a Heat issue for them.

This happened to me one night one the way back from the mall.
Maybe 2 months ago?
It would get stuck and pop back up.
After I turned the car off and on it never happened again.

Never really had this problem before. Could it be due to the weather? I've never had a clutch stick the floor. I do drive my Z hard occasionally, but usually just spirited and normal driving. Could it be also that the way you drive? Maybe he drives it hard often? Either way I think thats something that should be taken to the dealer to be looked at if your not so mechanically inclined like me. Just a thought.

Slave cylinder Issues
 

Nissan salve cylinders are the issue. I had the same problem swith my previousl 350Z. I swapped out the stock slave cylinder line with a SS one. In have not had this issue with my 370Z yet. I am not sure the 370Z is internal or external. Others can chime in if they know.

Firing this thread up again.. I get weird clutch action when I modulate clutch and gas e.g. merging into another lane/ getting around a stopped vehicle etc. with lots of gas, the clutch doesn't want to engage so it sits at the bottom of the throw range and sort of comes up a little if I reduce throttle- and I have to completely let off the gas (with traffic approaching from behind- fun) in order to get the clutch engaged. It's happened since I bought the car new, again today getting around a Mustang crawling over a minor RR crossing, with lots of clutch smell from the slippage. Is this just the traction control ( usually off if I remember to ) or an issue with the slave/fluid?

It's the master and/or slave cylinder. The slave is a CSC that is inside the transmission, so it needs to be dropped to replace. You can visually inspect it by prying the rubber dust cover were the clutch line meets the slave. Watch for fluid leaks.

Same here, I remember when I was driving the 350z, they had a recall on the vehicle about changing a part that is related to the slave cylinder, I have the job done at the dealership at no cost.

However, at about the 3rd year driving the 350z, I notice the 'pop' action from the clutch pedal, especially in cold weather.

Pharmacist, is your 370z still under warranty? you might want to have the service department take a look at it.

haven't had any problems since i replaced the fluid with motul 5.1 it's probably heat related.

That could be it. I noticed earlier in the thread that you said it happened during normal driving....

Once you overheat brake or clutch fluid once, it's never the same and you need flush and refill the system. So you could have overheated the clutch a month before you even started noticing the issue. We stock Motul fluid, and I strongly recommend it to anyone that's going to be driving their car hard.

I would also recommend exploring the idea of upgrading the clutch line and clutch fluid before considering changing out the slave cylinder.

I'm also wondering if changing out the OEM cats could contribute to the deterioration of the stock fluid- does anyone think that test pipes would give off enough heat during hard driving to possibly boil the fluid?

I boiled mine a few weeks ago and it was pretty cool out. Pedal has been soft ever since. I have the hardware and fluid in the garage waiting for the upgrade this weekend.

(also this thread should really be in the tech section)