Sticky: (Official) 370Z Clutch Pressure (CSC) Failures

dubhov

* VIN: 503064
* Purchase Date: 05/08/2010
* Occurrence Date: 10/13/2010
* Occurrence Mileage: 6650 (Wtf right?)
* Clutch Type: OEM

Summary:
On the commute home yesterday, car pulled out in front of me...immediate reaction is to pin the brake and clutch to the floor. Clutch never came back out though and I had to drive it home with a friction point near the floor. Pulled it out when I got home, and it's been soft ever since.

Went to the dealership this morning and they said everything looked fine....it's back to "normal" now, but still feels really soft. I'm going to bleed it and hopefully it'll be back to normal.

Should I be more cautious with this? Can it be driven safely with that drag-strip style friction point? I'm _REALLY_ trying to avoid getting towed since my towhook is now my license plate bracket as well.

Perhaps related, I've started hearing a really fast clicking when accelerating for the first ~20 min of driving in the morning (started 2 days ago). Sounds like it's coming from the shifter area.

^None of this was able to be reproduced at the dealership...sigh.

EDIT: Going to bleed it with my roommate...it's felt soft ever since I got an oil change at jiffy lube...maybe they got some air in there when checking the fluid? Never going there again regardless..

N8GTOL

Yeah i got a really good deal, plus it was the only one within 100 miles that had all the options and a color I wanted. Hopefully this CSC leakage isn't a reoccurring problem.

DIGItonium

If they're using the same part that's prone to failure on the '07+ Z and G, then we're bound to hear more. If you go to the 350Z site, you'll find numerous posts about people getting theirs replaced.

@dubhov did you check the fluid levels? The tech said the reservoir was empty. He filled it back up, pressed the clutched, and noticed the leak.

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dubhov

He said he checked the master cylinder and the reservoir and everything looked just fine....I've checked the fluid next to the brake fluid on a few occasions now and it looks good...is there a reservoir for the slave I don't know about that could be leaking?

An issue like this doesn't just happen and go away...does it?

DIGItonium

One of the symptoms described in the TSB for the 350Z was the pedal going soft, and they voluntarily replaced the CSC with a revved part. IIRC, it's the same one we're using right now.

Mine had no symptoms, and it happened without warning out of the parking lot. I don't remember seeing any leaks either.

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dubhov

I had them bleed it at the dealership this morning and was going to have them check the CSC, but they were going to charge labor to disassemble the bell housing since I don't have any proof that the clutch failed on me. Guess I'm going to have to wait to see if it goes again to actually get them to do something. That or pray for a recall.

Chrono_30

So I finally took my car in to Nissan, and they told me I have a bad clutch. And it is going to cost me over $2600!!!! They made this decision all on how the car is driving. I asked if this is under warranty, and they say no, b/c its a clutch. I seriously suspect is isn't the clutch. But they want me to spend $600 for them to take my tranny off, and do an inspection on the transmission. I think that is ridiculous. Did any of you have to pay for this? Also how in the h*** can a clutch and assembly with labor be over $2600?? That is crazy!! I am calling the dealership I bought the car from today, I didn't take it there originally b/c I live almost an hr away for that dealer....

dubhov

@DIGItonium Just to clarify, when you brought it into the dealership, they replaced the CSC because of the symptoms you told them about? The dealership is still insisting that everything seems fine, and is going to have me drive a new nismo 370 on the lot to compare next time I come in.

After bitching and moaning, I finally got them to cave so I won't have to pay for labor to investigate inside the bell-housing...should I just get them to replace the CSC regardless? I'll even pay for the part if I have to.

Any help is appreciated...I'm kind of at a loss here. Just want the clutch to feel normal again.

N8GTOL

Could be my imagination but my clutch feels a lot lighter after the replacement CSC. Also the shifter seems to catch on something if I push it to far to the right when shifting into 5th or 6th.

dubhov - glad to hear that the dealer is finally taking care of you...if there are other nissan service departments near you, I would try them. My local nissan dealer is one of the better dealer experiences I've had so far (despite the fact that the service writer tried to tell me that the missing fluid might be pushing out of the top of the reservoir). I've taken my ford truck to numerous ford dealers in the past and have had terrible experiences which drove me to do all my own maintenance when possible.

DIGItonium

From Sticky: (Official) 370Z Clutch Pressure (CSC) Failures, my car was towed to the dealership as I barely left work and the pedal sunk without warning. They inspected it the next morning and notice the reservoir was empty. The tech filled it up, pressed the clutch and noticed fluid leaking from underneath, so it was concluded that the CSC failed. The part was overnighted and replaced under warranty.

With the new CSC, it is very light, indeed. The lightness will go away gradually. That's just how it is when the car was new as well.

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Chrono_30

So I finally got a hold of Nissan Corp. They are going to cover the cost of the "inspection" and have the dealership take pictures of my car. They will then send them to the warranty center to see if they will cover this issue. The lady from Nissan said that she and her office are "baffled" buy my accusations of my clutch going back only after 12XXX miles...lol. She went on to tell me that she thinks I have been racing my car and just beating the hell out of it. I have barely driven my car....and it sits more than anything. I have gotten on it a few times, but I mean c'mon who hasn't right?? Isn't that one of the reason's we bought one of these? Anyways....if for some reason I am wrong and they don't cover it under my warranty then I'm looking at going after market with the ones from Specialtyz....

GonGo

I'm experiencing Loss of pressure on the clutch pedal once every couple of weeks, worried if this is a sign of an eventual slave cylinder failure. All of these times the clutch pedal looses pressure about 50% or until the clutch engagement point. I usually press it for a couple of minutes and pressure gets restored.

i've verified the fluid level and it seems ok...

any pointers of test I can get the dealer to perform so they could duplicate my problems instead of eventualy TOWING my car to the dealer?

dubhov

I've dealt with a couple dealerships so far and getting them to do anything because of just pressure is damn near impossible. Chances are they'll drive it, and say "Everything is fine" unless it's REALLY noticeable. If that is the case, they'll most likely put it on a lift and visually inspect everything.

I even tried to get Nissan North America involved to try and get them to take the bell housing apart, but they wouldn't. It's a rough situation, but if you really think they're going to find something, you can have them take it apart. If they don't find anything wrong, they'll most likely make you pay for the labor to do it...

I'd recommend bleeding the clutch to rule out air in the lines, which very well could be your problem.

Joka4411

Well my car is at the dealer right now for this same problem after 10,000 miles. Well yesterday morning i got in the z and pushed the clutch only to my surprise, the clutch didnt come back up, the fluid was empty and i couldnt get the car in any gear. This was strange cuse i had no clue that there was a problem going on with the clutch. All i can say is Sh*t. This is also very embarrising concidering how much i bragg about this car, and to make matters worst, The dealer put me in a sentra until my car gets repaired. The car had to be towed to the dealer.

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2010 40th Anniversary Z Owner

Zeto

I'm having this same issue. Should I bleed it first to see if it improves or just take it straight to the dealer?