Nigelp Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Bought my 2006 Roadster in October 2007 (registered July 06), car had 9,000 miles on at the time. I`ve done another 10,000 miles in the following 2 years and its not 4 months out of warranty. Last service was at ESR before they closed. Was having a spirited drive over the A57 snake pass today when the clutch started slipping. I was in slow traffic, up a hill in 4th at about 2,200rpm, put my foot down and the revs rose to 3,000 (ish), then dropped to 2,800 to match the rising speed. Did it a couple of times and it was the same each time, always around the same revs. Arrived to meet some friends and let the car cool for a couple of hours, on the way home, the problem was still the same, I was hoping it was some heat related issue, but obviously not. I`ve done a bit of searching and there is mention of a faulty fluid return valve in the clutch master cylinder. Is this something I can check, or does it have to go back to Nissan ? I`ve owned several cars, never had a clutch go this quickly, obviously I don`t know how the first owner drove it, but I don`t rest the clutch, I heel & Toe on downshifts and am pretty gentle on clutches. My previous towcar was a manual, towed my trackcar on trailer for 60k miles and the clutch didn`t wear on that, I`m 100% it isn`t my driving style thats caused it. Obviously, I`m not thrilled about this... If it does need changing, I`ll be doing it myself, getting a new clutch from Alex but keeping the stock flywheel. Anyone have any tricks / tips to help when changing the clutch ? I`m assuming the Zed`s gearbox will be a heavy bugger, so I`ll get help to drop that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 Bought my 2006 Roadster in October 2007 (registered July 06), car had 9,000 miles on at the time. I`ve done another 10,000 miles in the following 2 years and its not 4 months out of warranty. Last service was at ESR before they closed. Was having a spirited drive over the A57 snake pass today when the clutch started slipping. I was in slow traffic, up a hill in 4th at about 2,200rpm, put my foot down and the revs rose to 3,000 (ish), then dropped to 2,800 to match the rising speed. Did it a couple of times and it was the same each time, always around the same revs. Arrived to meet some friends and let the car cool for a couple of hours, on the way home, the problem was still the same, I was hoping it was some heat related issue, but obviously not. I`ve done a bit of searching and there is mention of a faulty fluid return valve in the clutch master cylinder. Is this something I can check, or does it have to go back to Nissan ? I`ve owned several cars, never had a clutch go this quickly, obviously I don`t know how the first owner drove it, but I don`t rest the clutch, I heel & Toe on downshifts and am pretty gentle on clutches. My previous towcar was a manual, towed my trackcar on trailer for 60k miles and the clutch didn`t wear on that, I`m 100% it isn`t my driving style thats caused it. Obviously, I`m not thrilled about this... If it does need changing, I`ll be doing it myself, getting a new clutch from Alex but keeping the stock flywheel. Anyone have any tricks / tips to help when changing the clutch ? I`m assuming the Zed`s gearbox will be a heavy bugger, so I`ll get help to drop that. Yes mate you will require help to get the box in and out as like you say it is very heavy. Best on a ramp using a gearbox jack but up on axle stands is doable. I can talk you through the procedure nearer the time, but it is very straight forward. Not knowing how the cars been driven makes it hard to diagnose the premature failure but yes, change the master at the same time because this smacks of return valve failure. Cheers, Alex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelp Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 Thanks for the quick reply. I have a Pit in my garage, so access isn`t an issue, I`m pretty handy with car DIY, but haven`t worked on the Zed before (apart from changing pads) I`ll get it sorted soon, don`t want to risk damaging the flywheel. Can you PM me prices for the clutch assembly and a Master Cylinder please? nige. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunGodRA Posted November 27, 2009 Share Posted November 27, 2009 that's pretty crap losing your clutch on only 19k miles - I lost my first clutch at about 29k and felt hard done by! Alex will sort you out the parts u need - but if you are going to do it yourself - beware, its a pretty shitty job taking the gearbox out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelp Posted November 28, 2009 Author Share Posted November 28, 2009 Believe me, I`m not happy about it ! As you can see, I`ll have a go at Most things... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete350z Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Very odd, i'm on 53k miles and still on my original clutch. Some of these cars seem to hold onto their orginial clutch forever or let them go very early on in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Very odd, i'm on 53k miles and still on my original clutch. Some of these cars seem to hold onto their orginial clutch forever or let them go very early on in life. Seems quality control isnt the best when it comes to clutches, or at least some of the components that make them up. I had my clutch done at 74k miles and it was nearly gone, had a few more thousand in it. So driving properly with heel/toe changes being mechanically sympathetic to it, they can last, as long as its a good one. Having seem Mitz and Andy remove my gearbox, it most definately is a 2 man job, please dont try and do it single handedly I would be tempted to take it to Nissan and see if they will entertain the idea of some kind of good will gesture as that low milage is just wrong for our clutches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 Thanks for the quick reply. I have a Pit in my garage, so access isn`t an issue, I`m pretty handy with car DIY, but haven`t worked on the Zed before (apart from changing pads) I`ll get it sorted soon, don`t want to risk damaging the flywheel. Can you PM me prices for the clutch assembly and a Master Cylinder please? nige. You have pm Nige. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigelp Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Clutch ordered from Alex, arrived very quickly. A pleasure to deal with Changed the clutch the other day, forgot my camera, so only took one crappy cameraphone pic Only areas I struggled were removing the gear knob. Jesus, that thing is TIGHT ! needed a pair of mole grips on the shaft then a mate to unscrew the top. Not obvious at all. Other was the sensor near the selector on top of the gearbox, what a PITA that one is . Best way was to slightly lower the box, then I could just get my hand in to unclip the connector, but, it was awkward. I`d never worked on the car before (apart from pad changes etc) and it took me and a mate 4 hours from start to finish, with coffee breaks. If you are a medium skilled diy`er and can follow instructions, its pretty easy. I managed to borrow a transmission jack, I think you`d struggle without one, probably end up with the gearbox dangling from the input shaft... Anyway, car is fine now, will change the clutch MC after christmas when my funds are replenished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Nice thread on the Golf. Carefull or we'll all be round when a clutch needs changing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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