JWT clutch is just too damn good... unfortunately...

KillerBee370

So I've had the JWT heavy duty clutch installed for about 10,000 miles now and have been loving every minute of it. It has a real solid feel and I have had not one issue with around 10,000 miles and 2 track days under it's belt.

But...

The other day I was driving home and a few blocks from my home I depressed the clutch pedal to shift and it decided to stay on the floor. Well I figured I had lost my clutch fluid one way or another and since I was so close to home, I decided that doing a little "floor shifting" with about 1" of pedal pressure left would do the trick to at least get me home. It did... leaving a little trail of fluid right up to it's final resting place in my driveway. I had just driven about 50 miles round trip that day with normal driving.

It was dark so I had to wait until the next morning to asses any problems. Once the sun did come up the next morning I could see that the last bit of clutch fluid that had gotten me home now lay in my driveway. I called up AAA and had the bee flatbedded to my local Nissan dealership for a looksee.

It went it pretty late in the afternoon so the next morning I get a call from a Nissan service tech who informs me that my master cylinder had blown out and hence was the culprit. Then he informs me that repairs will not be covered under warranty as I have an aftermarket clutch (he also noticed the aftermarket flywheel). I half expected this but it still stung to hear it over the phone because now I know the $$ are going to start adding up.

The tech goes on to tell me that the clutch is very good and the specs are all right on the money however the pressure plate is entirely too stiff and while that may be what JWT was going for here, when it's coupled with a stock master cylinder, problems can (and in my case) will arise.

So the bottom line is that my car is up on a lift with the transmission hanging off and the replacement and repair of the master cylinder is going to run me $1,000.

But...

The tech tells me that I most likely will run the risk of this happening again if I don't either:
A. Put an aftermarket master cylinder in or..
B. Put the stock Nissan clutch back in.

So I make a phone call to my buddy Phil over at Vivid Racing to inquire as to where I can get one. My understanding was that with the 350Z, a beefed up aftermarket master cylinder was available so it only stands to reason that one is available for the 370Z. Not so much...

So rather than run into another $1,000 down the road (not to mention the inconvenience) I decide to have Nissan put the stock clutch back in.

Now I'm up to $1,800. out of pocket.

Well I did get the JWT clutch for free as I was one of the first and they did a write up on the install etc., unfortunately FREE comes at a HELL of a cost.

Oh well.... I guess that's what I get for playing guinea pig with new products (which is exactally why I'm waiting a good long while before going FI) What really blows though is the fact that nobody's looking to develop the aftermarket master cylinder as the economy sucks and there really isn't a demand at this point.

Let this be a warning if you are running the JWT clutch I guess. Unless JWT or somebody else (Stillen?) wants to develop something for us, then I guess you will see my clutch up for sale here soon.... Thankfully I didn't find this out at the track

Edit: Update on page 3... the culprit was the CSC

theDreamer

Aftermarket Clutch

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m4a1mustang

Damn, that sucks... but thanks for the heads up.

I think Zat Zuma mentioned something about an after market master cylinder in development.

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KillerBee370

Damnit Dreamer! I didn't see this thread. Thanks Well it's a little different in that RCZ is asking about any potential problems and I want to make sure that we have a dedicated thread WITH the actual problem... lol

TY.. I will look into that. I hope they come out with something so I can go back to this clutch as I do like it... but not until then.

theDreamer

Yeah, good to know it will be a problem, sucks it happened to you though.
Glad I did not get a clutch/flywheel right now then, will keep an eye on this development.

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Trips

Sorry to hear that Killer.

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LateralG'z

Try this Bee. I think this will help you

370Z Report Clutch CSC failures – Must read before clutch upgrade! (Solution)

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Trips

Nice!

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Jeffblue

sorry to hear that, +Rep for the heads up.

Try offering 1800 mexican pesos.... they'll never know the difference.

Chris@FsP

The OS Giken in our 350Z HR comes with a similar TO bearing sleeve as the one mentioned in LateralG'z link, and the CSC still went out after a few thousand miles. Unfortunately, the stock CSC just cannot handle the added clamping pressure of most aftermarket clutches.

LateralG'z

Someone needs to make and race CSC for the 370Z! hmm wonder how are hard it would be to make one?

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KillerBee370

I don't know but it sounds like a reasonable idea given the amount of track driving that a lot of 370 owners do.

Waiz

Sorry to hear.

Genaro told me at the meet and I was bummed for you.

Supergoji

damn dude, that sux. i hope this problem gets sorted for you.

maybe you should buy a 300zx to tinker with and leave the 370z alone.

Zat_Zuma

I'm confused

Did the clutch master cylinder blow out or did the Concentric Secondary Cylinder (CSC) go?

For clarification the CSC is located on the transmission shaft and releases the clutch from the pressure plate. The clutch master cylinder supplies hydraulic pressure to move the CSC.

I won't comment until I figure out which part failed.

I do have some updates from Southbend on their product development.

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