Thanks in advance for all the great info. I've been reading here, but I still like to make a connection. I have an '05 G35 4dr and my clutch is going out for a while. I can still drive the car, but it's getting to the point where I have to get a new clutch pronto. My question is; Is it really necessary to replace the flywheel or should I just replace the clutch? I'm going for an aftermarket unit of course. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

You'll have to resurface the flywheel at a minimum

 

Thanks,
I was thinking if I order the clutch kit, should I order the flywheel too, just in case. It'll suck if it needs to be replaced and I don't have it on hand.

 

IF you can find a reputable machine shop who says they will resurface a dual-mass flywheel then give it a shot, but folks here have had limited success in that department.

depending on mileage and driving characteristics the stock flywheel may be OK, but check this closely. mine was OK at 60k kms when my tranny was replaced under warranty. the dealer checked it and said it looked almost as-new so there was no need to change it out. just make sure the tech (or yourself) know what to look for.

there are many lower-cost alternatives to the pricey OEM unit. check in the TECH section.

 

A friend from HS works here, I know its a reputable company, no idea on the price, but this might be a good replacement:

http://www.fidanza.com/ItemDetails.a...id=180&mkid=25

 

That's great, any suggestions for the clutch kit? My G35 has 39K miles and I/m the first owner. I can drive stick, but my clutch pedal stayed down several times when I tried to do a hard lunch and I think that's what did it. I know a lot of people have had this issue. I wonder if changing the Master/Slave cylinder will also help.

 

^ is that issue covered under warranty? i'd check that out befroe buying anything. it sounds like a powertrain issue, which is covered 6 years.

 

That problem can be fixed by flushing the clutch fluid, but flushing won't bring back a warn clutch.

I once wore out a clutch so badly, that I didn't think I would be able to make it to the repair shop even if I stayed in 3rd gear and didn't stop.

 

Is it slipping?? Or is the engagement just a little "shady"?

I would hold off on replacing the clutch just yet. Look into flushing the clutch fluid, but if you still have warranty left, it might be covered

 

how can you tell when the clutch is slipping?

 

It feels the same as when you leave your foot on the clutch pedal a bit too long when changing gears. In other words the clutch just takes its time to grab.

You can baby it for awhile by not coming to complete stops and not giving it any throttle while changing gears until the clutch fully engages. You also want to push the pedal in quickly and let it go quickly so that the clutch spends as little time slipping as possible (I repeat, while not on the throttle).

 

It started doing it on higher gears and for very short periods of time time. As it wore out even more, it's doing it pretty much in any gear now, so I need to get on the throttle very easy. I feel like it takes me forever to get to at least 60MPH getting on the fwy, if I rush it, it starts slipping. I did the fluid flush once before it got that bad, but the pedal kept sticking once in a while. Like I said, I think that was the main reason the clutch went out so early. I'm going to give the dealer a call to see what they say. You know, they always try to get away from doing any free repairs. I'll let you guys know.

 

Put it in 4th at 30MPH and floor it. If the RPM's shoot up but the car doesn't move, then it's slipping

 

I think that's a really bad idea, you should always raise the rpms before flooring it. That kind of driving puts a lot of strain on the motor, especially the crank. If you think about what you are doing, it's like being on a bike in a really tall gear and trying to pedal very hard. If you get up off your seat to move the pedals (which is what you'd have to do), you will be placing lots of stress on the bottom bracket of the bike. I do agree that a full throttle acceleration needs to be performed to check the clutch, but it doesn't have to be done in the way you described which can be harmful to the engine.

The other issue there is that the oil pressure will be too low at that rpm to create good protection for such a high load condition. Maximum oil pressure is achieved at 2100 (that's if I remember correctly).

 

In my experience the clutch won't last much longer at that point. Keep in mind that the clutch could quickly worsen to where you can't drive the car even if you stay in gear. That could cause you to be stranded and have to pay for a tow.

Be careful and best of luck.