350z Clutch Slippage

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ChrisP
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Location: Christchurch
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350z Clutch Slippage

Post by ChrisP » Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:23 pm

Feels like clutch is starting to go.
Revs up then comes back down to engage.
no grinding of gears
have done the hill test and its definitely slipping from what i have read in other forums
any advice on where to go/who to see.
am talking to my mechanic tomorrow about it.
read a couple of posts about slave master cylinder failing on 2006-2007 models. anyone had this? and im not sure how to test that.
if i dont use a heavy foot all is good but should i continue driving like this?

had a couple problems with my car now. minor ones that can be resolved but damn it dont feel good atm.
hopefully this isnt a major.

Buster
Posts: 151
Location: Hamilton

Post by Buster » Mon Jun 30, 2014 11:19 am

Clutch slave on the HRs is inside the bell housing and heat is the basic issue when driven hard. Had the clutch pedal go to the floor and stay there mid afternoon on my first track day. When cooled it was good again. I just replaced the fluid with a high temp variety and haven't had a repeat. There are various aftermarket fixes for the slave but they all involve gearbox removal. Some also replace the line with braided and then heat shield as well.

On the DE the slave is external and doesn't especially give trouble as far as I am aware.

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ChrisP
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Post by ChrisP » Mon Jun 30, 2014 5:21 pm

Thanks for info Buster. Have not had the clutch pedal go to floor and it still feels nice and solid, but when putting foot down in 5th gear at 60km the revs shoot up but the car waits a couple secs before figuring out that it should move past 60kms. both in and out of VDC.
Is a HR engine and is interesting what you said about high temp fluid. learning everyday :)
Talked to the dealership today and they will look at it on Wednesday. Fingers crossed they come to the party.
If they don't and i can't force the issue under warranty then my mechanic has repaired a 350z gearbox recently and will fix it for cost of labour and parts so in worst case scenario it won't be as expensive as i first feared.

Buster
Posts: 151
Location: Hamilton

Post by Buster » Mon Jun 30, 2014 5:38 pm

I'm no mechanic but it sounds like a worn out clutch to me. I think there are quite a few replacement clutch options out there.

If you are happy with the slave then thats ok but if you have any reservations then now is the time to change it while the gearbox is out.

The gearboxes fitted to the HRs don't seem to have the soft synchro issues sometimes associated with the DE.

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ChrisP
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Post by ChrisP » Sun Jul 06, 2014 1:30 pm

well car is getting fixed through dealership thanks to warranty. they gave me a 2006 Mazda Axela to drive around in. gota say, its way better on gas lol.

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asyado
Posts: 275
Location: Carterton, Wairarapa

Post by asyado » Tue Jul 08, 2014 5:25 pm

Hi all,
as an ex mechanic, my piece of advise is that if you are going to the trouble of removing the gearbox to do a clutch pack change, then also have the slave cylinder checked out as well. (if this is mounted inside the bellhousing.)
Normally components go hand in hand, so if one is looking worse for wear, then you can bet your bottom dollar that something else is not far off from it too.
For the bit of extra money spent in getting the slave checked or serviced, you will save kicking yourself if you then had to have, to remove the gearbox twice within a 6 month period.
As mentioned, a good time to renew the fluid in the slave cylinder line, as it is brake fluid and over time builds up water content in the fluid.
Its the water content that boils once the fluid is hot and causes clutch pedal fade, similar to brake fade on the braking system.
I like to do a clutch and brake fluid change on a yearly basis, but that is just me.
If you leave a slipping clutch for too long without any remedial service, you can run the risk of scoring the flywheel, if it is the clutch plate which has worn down to the rivets, which holds the material that is gripped in between the flywheel and the pressure plate.
You would then have to have the flywheel surface resurfaced flat to take away any scoring found, because if the scoring is left, the scoring would either again reduce the effective clutch operation and or tear at the new clutch plate material and thus reduce its service life from new.
Basically meaning, you have just wasted your money and you would end up doing the job twice.
Hope this info helps you.
Cheers.
Nigel aka asyado
Insanity is only one gear change away!!!

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ChrisP
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Post by ChrisP » Thu Jul 10, 2014 7:17 pm

well my Z is at Magnum Compliance on the hoist. Clutch plate and flywheel are being replaced. was told slave cylinder was ok.
they discovered after talking out the gearbox that its a HR engine which means a couple of things.
1stly, why didnt they know this first.
2econdly, the parts need to come from Japan/Europe. this means a 2 week to 1 month wait. :?
not sure if this is who i want working on my pride and joy but then again im no mechanic and dont know if this sort of thing crops up in mechanic circles much.
anyone heard of Magnum Compliance in Christchurch. i do know they work on race cars so im gona assume they know what they doing but then why didnt they know about the HR engine/gearbox. again, im no mechanic.
is it odd that parts wouldnt be able to be sourced in NZ?

thanks for your post Asyado. helped with the questions i didnt know to ask. :oops:

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OMSIN
Posts: 265
Location: Hamilton

Post by OMSIN » Thu Jul 10, 2014 7:26 pm

Not knowing its an HR model is pretty stupid. Its the easiest engine to identify out of the possible 3 in the series.

If you want factory Nissan parts, yes most of them need to be ordered from Japan. If you go aftermarket there are many parts readily available, and if not can be imported fairly quickly

BRONZEE
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Location: Auckland

Post by BRONZEE » Thu Jul 10, 2014 8:31 pm

OMSIN wrote:Not knowing its an HR model is pretty stupid. Its the easiest engine to identify out of the possible 3 in the series.

If you want factory Nissan parts, yes most of them need to be ordered from Japan. If you go aftermarket there are many parts readily available, and if not can be imported fairly quickly
That could also depend how well they know 350's and if they were aware that there's a variance in the models/engines.

As OMSIN says, Nissan NZ and dealers don't hold many parts in NZ. Somewhat frustrating at times.
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Gunmetal Z
Posts: 68
Location: Christchurch

Post by Gunmetal Z » Thu Jul 10, 2014 11:04 pm

theres an aftermarket flywheel and carbon clutch combo on trademe if you have that coin.. more exciting then factory reset
35th Anniversary Grey 350z - Motordyne TDX2 Shockwave exhaust , JWT popcharger, MREV2 plenum , 5/16 plenum spacer , MD ART pipes, UR Crank pulley, CE28 volk racing wheels

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ChrisP
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Post by ChrisP » Fri Jul 11, 2014 7:26 am

dont have the dosh atm to do anything exciting. have thought about it but this is all being done at Dealerships expense so am happy with that.

BRONZEE
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Post by BRONZEE » Fri Jul 11, 2014 8:49 am

If they've given you a courtesy car, it takes as long as it takes to do the job.
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ChrisP
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Post by ChrisP » Wed Jul 23, 2014 6:14 pm

got car back today :) 2 weeks early. parts came from Australia.
new flywheel, clutch plate.
all under warranty. very happy with outcome. Indy Cars treated me extremely well. my thanks to them.

BRONZEE
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Post by BRONZEE » Thu Jul 24, 2014 3:25 pm

That's awesome news! Especially as they've completed the job ahead of time. Happy Zedding. :wink:
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