*This is not a launch-related issue*


Just wanted to try to get some feedback. Having my NISMO clutch (disc, cover), OEM flywheel and SS clutch line installed. Everything went in fine, pedal pressure seems fine, but the clutch pedal will not return all the way up. There is a loss of return pressure about halfway up.

I thought bleeding issues were the common cause of this, but the line was bled and is going to be bled again for good measure. Any ideas? The mechanic's first impression was that the pressure plate is thinner than the OEM one, which accounts for shortened throw of the pedal. He was thinking of adjusting the pedal to compensate, after going through the install again to be sure everything is correct.

Any help/suggestions are appreciated.

G is an '05 coupe with under 6,000 miles. Clutch changed for preference more than need at this early point.

 

PROBLEM IDENTIFIED:

Mechanic says that the teeth (forks or fingers, if you like) on the NISMO pressure plate are something like 1/4" shorter/away. The OEM pressure plate's teeth stand-off about 1/2", with the NISMO's being about 3/4", which accounts for the lack of contact and proper pedal action. He put the OEM pressure-plate back on to confirm the problem. System is bled with no air remaining. Obstacle seems to have been identified.

The SOLUTION, however, is still unknown at this point. Why such a difference? Any other NISMO clutch owners encounter this? Perhaps it was a part/label/box mistake? I'll be contacting Performance Nissan in the morning to discuss this possibility and potential remedies. As it sits, it looks like a spacer of some sort would be needed.

Going with the NISMO flywheel (instead of the new OEM installed) would only increase the shortage. Wear of OEM parts looked fine... ...but this NISMO clutch does look great and I'd love to have one installed.

Throw-out bearing was on it's way out at only 5,000 miles.

Any help appreciated.

 

sounds like it was made for a different car - NISMO clutch looked great?..WHO CARES - HOWS THE PERFORMANCE?

 

I'm sorry man, I can't help. But I will admit that my pedal does the same thing. After about 80% travel, it just stops, and the rest is free travel. I never considered why it was that way, but it was definitely not like that stock.

 

Wow. I hate to hear now that it might be a normal trait with the clutch. Any other NISMO clutch owners have the same issue? How about any other aftermarket clutch owners with the issue? Just trying to get a feel for what's normal.

Trey - I'll let you know what happens. So your car drives fine, the pedal just stops and rests lower? My mechanic said if they made a spacer for the TO bearing or something to that effect it would likely solve the problem. Never heard of one of those and I never noticed another TO bearing option aside from OEM.

No idea on the performance yet. I'll post a review when all is resolved.

 

The pedal doesn't rest any lower than normal; maybe these are two separate issues afterall. The pedal returns as normal, up until about 80%. From there, it will return to the top, but that first 20% travel downward offers no resistance. To be honest, it's probably less than 20%, but there's no sure way to judge.

I do know that when I release the pedal it pops, and this only happens during that last bit of travel. It never happened until I installed my SS line and bled the system. My dad and I bled the system twice in an attempt to eliminate this null-travel, but our efforts were unsuccessful.

I would like to make that clear: I did not experience this behavior with the stock clutch. I didn't experience this behavior after I had the clutchmasters replacement installed. I first encountered this oddity when we replaced the stock clutch line and bled the system.

 

I just spoke with SGP regarding the clutch. The situation didn't seem familiar. They will have their mechanic call me back. But I had just read your post above, so I mentioned that I also installed their SS braided clutch line. Things sounded more familiar then.

Randall mentioned that they have encountered the same thing several times when changing the clutch line. He indicated that bleeding eventually corrected the pedal-return issue, and he asked if my mechanic was bleeding manually or with a pump (asked, using a pump). When I confirmed that they would see the pedal operation return to normal after bleeding the system several times, he said "sometimes, more than several".

It certainly sounds like there is still air in the line, so I will get my shop to keep at it. If that ends up correcting the problem, Trey, I'll let you know so you can give it another shot.

 

Hope you get your clutch setup up and runnig soon gt! Sounds like air in the clutch line--

 

Told my shop and they will continue to try to bleed this thing over and over. Hopefully they will make some headway. I'd suggest rocking the car, banging on lines and generally trying to shake the stubborn bubbles loose while bleeding, but... ...it's my car.

I'm anxious, as they said everything else went in nicely. Glad to hear that you got your headers on. Hope you're enjoying hearing them as well.

 

Thanks man, and good luck. I know you're anxious, but if I recall, you hardly ever drive that damned car anyway. How many miles you have now? Like 200?

 

Hey, no fair. It's nearly 6,000.

I have a short commute and use the wife's car for afterwork/weekend errands most of the time.

But yes, over the years, I have definately contributed some extremely clean, low-mile vehicles to the used market. Whoever buys this G, when I'm ready to trade, is going to get one of the cleanest, best examples of an '05 6MT in the nation.

 

Turns out that the problem was indeed due to stubborn air bubbles in the line. From what I gathered, expect to encounter this when changing the clutch line. Repeated bleeding of the system will eventually solve the issue.


Picking up the car this afternoon and a review of the clutch, etc. will follow. But I did get a preview, as the shop wanted me to come check the engagement height. Definately much stiffer operation than the OEM '05 clutch set-up.

 

Just a question, when rebleeding the fluid(new fluid) do I reuse the fluid?

 

Keep me updated on the issue, I have the same problems. I bet the damn shop didn't bleed the clutch line properly.

 

It may not be a matter of them not having done it correctly. I think it took my shop 4 attempts at bleeding... ...doing it correctly every time.

It should really be stressed that switching the clutch line, due to it's location, really seems to introduce some stubborn air bubbles into the system. Have them keep bleeding it until full pedal-pressure returns to the complete travel of the pedal.

I'll go type my review for the clutch.