Something's up with my stock clutch

[wdkwang]

2010 Sports/Touring
44k miles
Stock clutch

I had my clutch adjusted to grab as low as possible when I first got the car and it felt great with it grabbing about an inch off the floor. Understandably, the clutch would grab higher and higher as it wore down (now grabbing about 2" off the floor).

Very randomly over the course of the last 1-1.5 years the clutch has been acting up. When I cold start it, there'd be a lot of play with the clutch pedal. Sometimes I can still put it in gear, sometimes I have to pump away at the clutch for 10 minutes for me to muscle it into gear. When I can get it into gear, the clutch grabs super low, maybe .5" off the floor, which feels nice and race-y but I know that's not necessarily a good sign either. After about 10 minutes of driving, it always returns back to normal. There is no particular pattern of when this happens. It could be 90F or 20F out, it could happen after not driving for a week or it happens just 6-7 hours later. It could not happen for months or it could happen once every 1-2 weeks or so. The clutch fluid was changed roughly around 2 years ago with ATE blue.

[kenchan]

why do u need the clutch to engage so low? you probably rode the clutch and wore it out prematurely...
and next your syncro's are probably shot.

the engagement point on the Z is fine. it's just the helper spring you need to remove/replace with a softer one.

[Chuck33079]

$10 says the csc is on its way out.

[wdkwang]

Originally Posted by kenchan

why do u need the clutch to engage so low? you probably rode the clutch and wore it out prematurely...
and next your syncro's are probably shot.

the engagement point on the Z is fine. it's just the helper spring you need to remove/replace with a softer one.

because it's my personal preference for it to grab low. no i don't ride the clutch. give me more credit than that. syncro's are fine.

Originally Posted by Chuck33079

$10 says the csc is on its way out.

is there any way to check for myself, and is it covered by nissan's powertrain warranty? i still have it until june 2015 i think. thanks

[kenchan]

check your clutch fluid level...

i mean how can i give you credit if you dont know the basics?

[mishuko]

Everyone rides their clutch a bit to launch and hill start... Unless you're takumi from initial d and you don't need a clutch!

but on a more serious note, check your fluids as mentioned by Ken and go from there.

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by mishuko

but on a more serious note, check your fluids as mentioned by Ken and go from there.

oh but my car is AT? <= wdkwang











hope you find your problem.

[wdkwang]

i checked the clutch fluid a few weeks ago and it was still blue and topped off at the appropriate level.

[kenchan]

Originally Posted by wdkwang

i checked the clutch fluid a few weeks ago and it was still blue and topped off at the appropriate level.

GOOD ONE!

[MJB]

Originally Posted by wdkwang

Very randomly over the course of the last 1-1.5 years the clutch has been acting up. When I cold start it, there'd be a lot of play with the clutch pedal. Sometimes I can still put it in gear, sometimes I have to pump away at the clutch for 10 minutes for me to muscle it into gear.

Hydraulic clutch systems on cars are a very simple design. If you are having trouble getting into a gear, either the syncro for that particular gear is worn, or you do not have enough pressure in the hydraulic system for the csc to be able to push in on the pressure plate enough to fully disengage from the disk. Like Chuck33079 mentioned, the CSC is probably on its last leg.

[Chuck33079]

Originally Posted by wdkwang

is there any way to check for myself, and is it covered by nissan's powertrain warranty? i still have it until june 2015 i think. thanks

That might be one of the most discussed topics on this site. Even the most cursory search will give you hours of reading.

[wdkwang]

Originally Posted by MJB

Hydraulic clutch systems on cars are a very simple design. If you are having trouble getting into a gear, either the syncro for that particular gear is worn, or you do not have enough pressure in the hydraulic system for the csc to be able to push in on the pressure plate enough to fully disengage from the disk. Like Chuck33079 mentioned, the CSC is probably on its last leg.

If it's the CSC, then I guess the diagnosis was simple. Just to clear it up, any other time when this doesn't happen or 10 minutes into driving with the problem, everything is back to normal. Clutch engagement is smooth, gear goes right in smooth, like nothing ever happened.

[kenchan]

when was the last time you changed tranny fluid?

[wdkwang]

Originally Posted by kenchan

when was the last time you changed tranny fluid?

At ~28k miles with redline. That was roughly 2 years ago as well

[SouthArk370Z]

Have you tried flushing the clutch hydraulic system? Sounds like there may be a slight obstruction somewhere. But, more than likely, it's the CSC.