DIY: Clutch Fix #2 - Oh what a feeling :)

[InTgr8r]

OK..... This is part 2 for our clutch mods.
Give me some feeling in that thang!!!!

Firstly....
USE EXTREME CAUTION!!!!!
- Follow the instructions, but undertake this mod at your own risk.
We are dealing with a spring that is loaded & under pressure!!!


Secondly.....
This mod will not be for everyone because it does increase pedal effort slightly.
So if you do a lot of stop & go..... meh
That said, the pedal effort does not increase too much, maybe 10%
AND, it's not hard to try & then revert back.

-------------------------------
With the Nissan clutch design, there are two springs in the system.
The spring(s) of the pressure plate, which are what actually make the clutch work by holding the friction material against the flywheel.
AND
A second booster spring at the clutch pedal.

This mod is dealing with the spring that is immediately beside your clutch pedal,
and has no effect on the pressure plate spring(s) or the function of the clutch.

The two sets of springs act in the exact opposite direction to each other.
So, with pedal at the top, the booster spring is compressed and loaded.

What this does, is make it a little easier to push the pedal.
Also, it acts as a buffer to make the full pedal travel effort more linear.
As a buffer, it is possibly intended to reduce drive train shock.

The side effect to this is;
It masks the feeling of the pressure plate at the pedal.
It's this booster spring that makes our clutch so dead when it comes to feel.

When I first tried this mod, it really felt weird.
I was ready to put the booster right back & go no further with it.
But after a test drive it was;
WOW.... holy schit, I can actually FEEL the pressure plate.!!!!
I have driven it for a week now & there is no way in hell I'm ever putting it back

I came through a set of twisties this morning that require a rapid high speed to lower speed transition.
H&T down from 5th to 4th to 3rd was like magic
Lurching at a stop light is a thing of the past,
running up through the gears is smoooooth.


The pics pretty much tell you what you need.
Basically;
- hold the pedal down to the floor to un-load the spring (Tie the pedal down)
- remove the spring clip
- remove the bottom pin
- take note the order of assembly, so that you can put it back.
....I just left the top piece.

Again CAUTION!!! with the spring under load.





****************pics added from Scooby tks ***************

Originally Posted by Scooby24

Not sure why you would need this but I just took some

[james0076ss]

By looking at the pix, I'm not sure where the spring clip is? Is it the metal backet that looks like its held by the pin, actually that looks like its a part of the clutch pedal? Any pic of the spring clip...

[mishmosh]

Just to be clear, this mod is removing that spring in the picture?


"Lurching at a stop light is a thing of the past,
running up through the gears is smoooooth."
WOW. I gotta try this then. This makes me look like such a newb at driving a stick!

[james0076ss]

Not sure about removing the spring, as it depresses the clutch pedal...

[kool_yaar]

Im pretty sure he's talking about removing that spring and letting the pressure plate spring fingers push the clutch pedal instead of the one in the cabin, sounds interesting but would like confirmation on whether you have to remove the entire spring with clips?

[mishmosh]

I wonder if my 1995 maxima had the secondary spring. That car was so easy to drive!

[InTgr8r]

The last pic with the double headed arrow.
That's the spring that comes out.

The same pic;
The bottom arrow points right at the clip.
That bottom pin comes out after the clip is removed.

....
All that spring does is make it a little easier to push the pedal.
It works in the same direction as you pushing with your foot.

The pressure plate pushes in the opposite direction.
It resists you when you push the pedal.

[InTgr8r]

Originally Posted by kool_yaar

Im pretty sure he's talking about removing that spring and letting the pressure plate spring fingers push the clutch pedal instead of the one in the cabin, sounds interesting but would like confirmation on whether you have to remove the entire spring with clips?

Yes remove that spring assembly.
The clip & pin is just what holds it in at the bottom.

Again...
Be sure to hold the pedal to the floor when removing the pin.

[kool_yaar]

^ Thanks for clarifying, and if all that spring does is to help me push the clutch down to the floor, i don't think i need it, my foot has enough lead in it to do it by itself especially if it helps in the driving experience!

Ill try it out this weekend, and this should have no harmful affects on the clutch life though right? Im pretty sure it wont due to its function but i always like to clarify things to myself.

Thanks again InTgr8r!

[InTgr8r]

Originally Posted by kool_yaar

.......
Ill try it out this weekend, and this should have no harmful affects on the clutch life though right? Im pretty sure it wont due to its function but i always like to clarify things to myself.

Thanks again InTgr8r!

Absolutely no impact on the function of the clutch.

...When you 1st try it, I promise it'll feel kind of weird at first.
After that, it's so nice to be able to actually feel the clutch engagement.

[kool_yaar]

^ Nice! i'll be doing this saturday drive around for a while and will post up my review by sunday, hopefully its worth the hassle

[mishmosh]

Wow. Literally a 2 minute mod. I'm going to drive around tomorrow to see what it's like. Thanks for sharing this InTgr8r! I have no idea where you come up with these mods--kudos!

[mt7rabbit]

Sounds interesting, just to clarify this mod is completely reversible correct? I don't want to do something that can't be undone later.

It seems straight forward...take out the spring assembly and if you want to go back you simply but it back in.

[InTgr8r]

^correct.
But this is a 2nd gen DIY, IDK if it applies to 1st gen or not.

...there is a top mount part of the assembly that I just left it in place.
(obvious when you take it out)

[session_road86]

Can you post pics on how the DIY should look like after the piece that you pulled out?