G35 Transmission Front Cover + Clutch + Flywheel
#1
02-25-2017, 07:28 PM
G35 Transmission Front Cover + Clutch + Flywheel
hi g35ers!
i am hoping i can contribute to this community as i have benefited substantially by others' post. i just wanted some feedback if this was a legitimate job by the shop or was i misled.
second owner of my 07 coupe (+sports package). bought at 22kmiles and now @135kmiles. last time clutch was changed was @30kmiles!! i was pressured by the dealer at the time and paid a huge fee for the clutch kit+flywheel. but i presume it was all OEM and every mile since then were my own miles!
i have had a sticky clutch for the year and finally decided to do something about it. i did this work in stages. all feedback suggested to change the Master+Slave cylinder as the cheapest solution to resolve the sticky clutch pedal. did this at a reputable shop in los angeles (monterey park). the pedal was still sticky after the work, so i was left with options to rebleed the line but they said the car really needs a new clutch kit+flywheel. i thought about it for a few weeks and read through this great forum for input and finally felt comfortable enough to proceed. it was a big deal because i thought about if it was time to trade in the G to get something else but i decided and believed that numbers of just maintaining the car.
i decided on this combo:
Luk DMF067 dual mass flywheel to be as close to OEM as possible at half the price (few pounds lighter nonetheless)
Exedy NSK1000 OEM replacement which is suppose to be same as stock
grabbed the parts at a favorable price from amazon and shopped around for a competitive labor rate around the torrance, ca area. i settled on another reputable place which does not have a blemish to their name on any review site. also their shop name, is 'XXX' transmissions, so i figure a tranny shop should know what they are doing and have all necessary tools for any special circumstances. so i did my homework and the rest is out of my hands.
shop calls me after few hours of work and tells me something out of the ordinary. saying i needed an additional part to complete the install. of course i hesitate and wanted to know more about the problem. he describes the reason for me having a sticky pedal is the 'transmission front cover' is damaged. apparently after years of use (almost all driving during my time is city driving; do not know about previous owner) the shaft shows signs of wear, mainly sratches perhaps from the throwback bearing rubbing all these years. see pics. she says because of this compromised surface, the bearing can no longer freely slide through the shaft because there is added friction to the surface. see attached pics. the dark areas is what he is talking about.
of course at this time i really did not want to have to come back or go to the trouble of having to dis-assemble the clutch assembly again so he had me by the ***** and i had to just replace it. i looked up the part afterwards, and did realized he charged me double as i presume its implied labor for the front cover. but you cannot win them all!
dear community, i am not a car expert but wanted to know is this a legitimate reason to change the, transmission front cover?? was his reasoning legitimate?
current observations
the car drives great again. no sticky pedal (for now). though i do feel the last 25% of the release is not sticky but slow to completely depress. but at the moment it does't get stuck anymore. have not noticed the 'noisier' element people describe with the lighter flywheel, perhaps its close enough?? the clutch pedal actually feels too soft right now. maybe i just need a week to break it in. the biggest noticeable difference is launching into first gear is so much easier with this combo. i always had a hard time with my 'OEM' setup as i felt the characteristics of my car required i slightly pedal in before i fully engaged 1st so there was no 'sudden' engagement. overall i am happy, but it is only day1.
i am hoping i can contribute to this community as i have benefited substantially by others' post. i just wanted some feedback if this was a legitimate job by the shop or was i misled.
second owner of my 07 coupe (+sports package). bought at 22kmiles and now @135kmiles. last time clutch was changed was @30kmiles!! i was pressured by the dealer at the time and paid a huge fee for the clutch kit+flywheel. but i presume it was all OEM and every mile since then were my own miles!
i have had a sticky clutch for the year and finally decided to do something about it. i did this work in stages. all feedback suggested to change the Master+Slave cylinder as the cheapest solution to resolve the sticky clutch pedal. did this at a reputable shop in los angeles (monterey park). the pedal was still sticky after the work, so i was left with options to rebleed the line but they said the car really needs a new clutch kit+flywheel. i thought about it for a few weeks and read through this great forum for input and finally felt comfortable enough to proceed. it was a big deal because i thought about if it was time to trade in the G to get something else but i decided and believed that numbers of just maintaining the car.
i decided on this combo:
Luk DMF067 dual mass flywheel to be as close to OEM as possible at half the price (few pounds lighter nonetheless)
Exedy NSK1000 OEM replacement which is suppose to be same as stock
grabbed the parts at a favorable price from amazon and shopped around for a competitive labor rate around the torrance, ca area. i settled on another reputable place which does not have a blemish to their name on any review site. also their shop name, is 'XXX' transmissions, so i figure a tranny shop should know what they are doing and have all necessary tools for any special circumstances. so i did my homework and the rest is out of my hands.
shop calls me after few hours of work and tells me something out of the ordinary. saying i needed an additional part to complete the install. of course i hesitate and wanted to know more about the problem. he describes the reason for me having a sticky pedal is the 'transmission front cover' is damaged. apparently after years of use (almost all driving during my time is city driving; do not know about previous owner) the shaft shows signs of wear, mainly sratches perhaps from the throwback bearing rubbing all these years. see pics. she says because of this compromised surface, the bearing can no longer freely slide through the shaft because there is added friction to the surface. see attached pics. the dark areas is what he is talking about.
of course at this time i really did not want to have to come back or go to the trouble of having to dis-assemble the clutch assembly again so he had me by the ***** and i had to just replace it. i looked up the part afterwards, and did realized he charged me double as i presume its implied labor for the front cover. but you cannot win them all!
dear community, i am not a car expert but wanted to know is this a legitimate reason to change the, transmission front cover?? was his reasoning legitimate?
current observations
the car drives great again. no sticky pedal (for now). though i do feel the last 25% of the release is not sticky but slow to completely depress. but at the moment it does't get stuck anymore. have not noticed the 'noisier' element people describe with the lighter flywheel, perhaps its close enough?? the clutch pedal actually feels too soft right now. maybe i just need a week to break it in. the biggest noticeable difference is launching into first gear is so much easier with this combo. i always had a hard time with my 'OEM' setup as i felt the characteristics of my car required i slightly pedal in before i fully engaged 1st so there was no 'sudden' engagement. overall i am happy, but it is only day1.
#2
03-03-2017, 09:42 AM
Looks like some serious scoring or gunk build up. I could see that causing a problem. Considering the clutch had to be replaced at 30K miles and again only 100k miles later, I'm sure it has take some abuse.
You don't have a lighter flywheel, it's the same as the OEM dual-mass setup. I have that same clutch on a lighter solid flywheel, and it's pretty chattery. I bet shifts feel nice and mushy with a sprung disk attached to a dual-mass flywheel. The OEM disk was solid since the dual mass flywheel provides the dampening.
If pedal feel is still off, look into an RJM adjustable clutch pedal assembly. It does wonders.
You don't have a lighter flywheel, it's the same as the OEM dual-mass setup. I have that same clutch on a lighter solid flywheel, and it's pretty chattery. I bet shifts feel nice and mushy with a sprung disk attached to a dual-mass flywheel. The OEM disk was solid since the dual mass flywheel provides the dampening.
If pedal feel is still off, look into an RJM adjustable clutch pedal assembly. It does wonders.