Hey everyone, long time lurker (and appreciate the info I have learned over the years!!!), first time poster.

Basically I have a G35-S 6MT Sedan with 97k miles, and the clutch just went out on me. (Dropped all the way to the floor, can't press pedal to disengage).

The car is sitting at my local mechanic's place, and I am trying to decide if I should take the opportunity to upgrade the clutch or just replace it with an OEM equivalent clutch?

I like the feel of the stock clutch. My car is a daily driver, and I drive about 30k miles a year, so I don't want anything that will kill my left leg. Ideally I'd like something slightly upgraded which is more durable than the stock clutch, and doesn't need 14 tons of force to press the clutch pedal down. So here are my questions, if anyone has any insight:

1) I'd like an aftermarket clutch which isn't too hard or jerky. This is my daily driver after all. Just a better version of the stock clutch. Does this exist?

2) I have been reading about the aftermarket clutches, and apparently I would have to also replace the flywheel if I switch clutches. Are there any improved aftermarket clutches which do not involve the flywheel being replaced?

3) If I do have to replace the flywheel, I've been reading about the "chatter" issue with the lightweight flywheels. What is the best pairing to reduce/eliminate this?

4) While I am in there, are there any other parts I should swap out to improve the system overall?

Thanks in advance for all the replies. Basically I just want an improved somewhat stock-feeling clutch that is more reliable, and hopefully gives me a small performance boost without killing everyone else in the car with harshness.

 

Ok so basically I've been looking and have found the ACT HDSS clutch (model # NZ2-HDSS), which seems to be promising and close to stock feel.

Can anyone recommend a good flywheel pairing?

 

I would go with jwt clutch and flywheel combo or oem

 

Thanks for the info!

Can you link me to the correct jwt clutch/flywheel combo?

 

Phasers, you may not need a "CLUTCH!" I never saw a clutch go out like you described, but I do know about clutch cylinders failing allowing the pedal to drop to the floor. Have you tried pulling the pedal off the floor by hand? It's totally possible you need the cylinder and not the clutch. It would be a shame to spend the $$ for a clutch/flywheel when it's not needed! Try pulling the pedal off the floor, if it comes back and stays have Nissan replace the cylinder....Gary

 

+1 to what Gary said. It's much more likely that it's your slave cylinder, a somewhat weak link in the MT setup on these cars. There are heavier duty aftermarket slave cylinders available. My guess is that while your clutch is probably a bit worn, you may have a bit of life left in her yet. The trouble is, you need to drop the tranny to replace the slave anyway, so anything else that you're likely to need in short order should be well considered before you reinstalling the tranny, lest you face repeating the labor costs down the line. It's a judgement call, and undoubtedly depends on what your particular plans are long term. If your typical driving leans more toward just "sporty", and you're not really expecting to need a hi-perf clutch that you can punish with 1/4 drag launches in the future, I would stay with a stock setup; it's far more civilized for a DD. Then, the otherwise annoying aspects of our stock clutch can mostly be mitigated with the replacement slave cylinder and either, or both, of the clutch pedal mods listed on this forum.

,02

 

http://www.z1auto.com/prodmore.asp?m...ne&prodid=3844

 

Well to give a bit more of the back story, 2 days before the 'clutch' went out (Wed), the pedal got stuck on the floor. I pulled it back up manually, and it worked fine after that. Then the day after (Thu) it drove perfectly fine. Friday morning, I got in the car and the clutch engagement point was halfway dropped, and the pedal was sticking. I immediately started driving to the mechanic, and about halfway through the drive, the clutch finished dropping, and actually dropped so far the only way to drive the vehicle was to stall it at lights, then put it in gear, then jerk-start the car in 1st gear while pressing the gas in order to go anywhere. Definitely not a fun start to my weekend. Edit: Even pulling the pedal back up manually did not raise the clutch engagement level.

The reason I assumed clutch, was obviously because the clutch dropped, but also because my sister drove my car about 2 weeks ago and burned it so bad that it smelled up my garage for 2-3 days. I figured she mostly killed it, and I had just finished it off.

Does this sound like the slave cylinder? Or the clutch to you guys? If you think it is the slave cylinder, can you recommend a good one I can order that is better than OEM? I can just drop it by the mechanic's and tell him to hold off on the clutch until he tests it out I suppose, especially if it has the potential to save me several hundred dollars. Although how much additional labor is it to swap out the clutch after changing the slave cylinder?

 

(emphasis mine). This is exactly my driving style. I have a 100mi roundtrip daily commute, and I tend to 'enjoy' the drive, not really race. I am a spirited driver, not a drag racer, if that makes sense.

 

Sounds like the slave cylinder. A worn clutch won't give you those pedal problems--it will just start slipping like crazy. I would agree that a heavier clutch than stock would be desirable. Quite a few times, I have shifted near redline and the clutch would be slipping instead of grabbing.

 

Can you or anyone else on here recommend a good slave cylinder? That's a subject I know absolutely nothing about.

Also, can anyone compare the JWT clutch/flywheel combo to stock? Especially the "chatter" issue? Also, does anyone have any experience with Exedy? From what I understand, no new flywheel is needed?

Thanks again for all the replies!

 

Phasers, you'll be fine with a OE clutch cylinder or clutch whichever is needed. We know the cylinder is bad, that's what made your pedal fall in the first place. I replaced two of them in my last Z but put 118K miles on the clutch before a leaky main seal destroyed it. Best place to get the cylinder or clutch is from OC Infiniti, they're vendors on our Marketplace. I'll bet your sister is telling all her girl friends, "I can drive a 6 speed MT!" Yea, but at what cost?
Gary

 

Haha! Isn't that the truth.

Thanks for all the info and help! I'll see if I can find the parts locally, if not I'll buy from the dealer you recommended. How much should I expect to pay for parts by the way, do you know?

 

Gary, would you care to speak a bit more as to the reliability of the stock slave cylinder on these cars? You mention yourself that you've replaced 2 of them. Before my original was replaced by the recall, I had a few hiccups, though not the classic nightmare. Now, a mere 23K miles later, I find my replacement slave is having the occasional hiccup too. To say the least, it doesn't exactly give me a 'warm and fuzzy'. When I eventually replace the clutch, I will think long and hard about whether or not to continue with the stock slave.

 

Update: Ok so I spoke to my mechanic this morning. He said the slave cylinder appears fine, and that there is no leaking from it at all and that's why he says it is fine.

He said the problem is weird, and he thinks it might be related to the master cylinder. They are pressurizing the master cylinder to see if it holds the pressure to see if it is the master cylinder or the clutch which is the issue. He said the symptons are "weird"

This is starting to get above my intermidate car knowledge level, do any of you have experience/input with this?