Touchy Clutch

[mspeasl]

Gang,

As I have stated in other OP's about a Touchy Clutch, mine sucks. I have driven Manual Trans since 1959 and have never had this chatter/jerky problem in the past. Many of you have also stated that the 370 has the touchiest clutch pedal you have experienced. I have been to my dealer several times about this and they too have expressed concerns about the way this clutch is. They have tried to adjust it with hardly any change and the results remain the same. Now after almost 5700 miles I have had it...! Today the car went back to the dealer again. Would you believe that the dealer called me back this afternoon and told me that Nissan North America told him that they didn't have complaints on the Clutch. Now you and I know that probably is untrue. So what happened next is hard to believe. They told my dealer to replace the complete 'clutch/slave etc' assembly and to satisfy the customer. Something has changed since the front end and tire problem with my 03 350.

I'll keep everyone posted as to the out come.

[fuct]

wow!

[ZeeRay]

Well that makes me feel better about spending 2K on the extended warranty!

[CBRich]

I too find this to be the touchiest clutch I have owned. It's nice that they are trying hard to please you but I highly doubt it will help. Keep us posted anyway.

[Lloydy]

Interesting! I thought we just had to put up with this.
It has to be the worst clutch I have ever had on a manual gearbox car, and I've been driving them since 1986 (first Nissan tho).

[iceman21_23]

lol this makes me feel really good, this is the first manual car i've ever driven and ever time i drive it the clutch feels different

[Island_370]

Wow. Did I get really lucky, or have I only driven really touchy clutches? The 370Z clutch is not that bad to me. Seems about middle of road (excluding the racing clutches). I have driven several racing clutches, those are touchy!!

[B1nks]

Originally Posted by Island_370

Wow. Did I get really lucky, or have I only driven really touchy clutches? The 370Z clutch is not that bad to me. Seems about middle of road (excluding the racing clutches). I have driven several racing clutches, those are touchy!!

Yeah I'm with you, mine doesn't feel that bad. It just took me a little while to figure out how the car likes to be driven and where the clutch engages/disengages at. At first though everything was rough from takeoff to 4th gear the car would jerk at gear change. Now it's like butter (other than second gear sometimes not going into gear smoothly) but that has been an issue with the Z for a number of year apparently.

[needr6parts]

Originally Posted by iceman21_23

lol this makes me feel really good, this is the first manual car i've ever driven and ever time i drive it the clutch feels different

start off in second and see how it feels.The clutch is fine first gear is very low and the car wants to be driven.If you take off slow the car will jerk and if you take off like a bat out of hell you will not notice the jerk.But i agree i have driven everything from four speed hot rods to 6 speed hot rods and this car is hard to drive slow.

[dbrs0821]

Hey guys...this is my first post and I dig the site. Some really great stuff here. I just came from an '09 Maxima SV Premium on a short-term lease, so this car definitely has a different personality and feel.

Just picked up a new '09 Touring 6MT. My concerns with the tranny noises (haha, I chuckled as I typed that!!) have been surfaced and circulated in some fashion on this site. Those concerns being:

- Almost impossible to get a "clean" shift from 1st to 2nd, unless I "baby" the clutch and accellerator relationship. The noise is unsettling but I'm told by three different techs at the dealership that it's normal for this car.

- I also have the clutch clatter, but mine goes beyond that and makes a louder clattering noise when you park and turn off the car without pressing the clutch. But, park and turn off the car with the clutch pressed in and no problem. It def sounds like the flywheel. Again, I'm told all is well and not to worry.

I've been inclined to take it to another dealership for a second opinion, but my cousin, a Z enthusiast who's owned 6 Z's in his life, says I have nothing to worry about and just need to get used to these sounds. Granted, coming from the Max, I'm hearing noises from the road and the car in general that I never noticed in the Max.

The 1st to 2nd transition has me more concerned than the clatter. I guess the synchros and such are covered under the powertrain warranty, I just don't want them to try and peg it on me as wear and tear or abuse. I don't spin the tires, hardly ever downshift (usually just go to neutral and coast), and hardly ever drive aggressively.

Am I just being too OCD? LOL

Thoughts?

[TX_370]

Originally Posted by dbrs0821

Hey guys...this is my first post and I dig the site. Some really great stuff here. I just came from an '09 Maxima SV Premium on a short-term lease, so this car definitely has a different personality and feel.

Just picked up a new '09 Touring 6MT. My concerns with the tranny noises (haha, I chuckled as I typed that!!) have been surfaced and circulated in some fashion on this site. Those concerns being:

- Almost impossible to get a "clean" shift from 1st to 2nd, unless I "baby" the clutch and accellerator relationship. The noise is unsettling but I'm told by three different techs at the dealership that it's normal for this car.

- I also have the clutch clatter, but mine goes beyond that and makes a louder clattering noise when you park and turn off the car without pressing the clutch. But, park and turn off the car with the clutch pressed in and no problem. It def sounds like the flywheel. Again, I'm told all is well and not to worry.

I've been inclined to take it to another dealership for a second opinion, but my cousin, a Z enthusiast who's owned 6 Z's in his life, says I have nothing to worry about and just need to get used to these sounds. Granted, coming from the Max, I'm hearing noises from the road and the car in general that I never noticed in the Max.

The 1st to 2nd transition has me more concerned than the clatter. I guess the synchros and such are covered under the powertrain warranty, I just don't want them to try and peg it on me as wear and tear or abuse. I don't spin the tires, hardly ever downshift (usually just go to neutral and coast), and hardly ever drive aggressively.

Am I just being too OCD? LOL

Thoughts?

I have talked to dealer a few times (as well as Z enthusiasts at meets) about the 1st to 2nd shift and they acknowledge the Z is known for its 1-2 rough shifting. If anything ever goes wrong (under warranty), they should cover it.

This coming from my dealer may vary but I dont forsee it being a problem. And yes, I was a little OCD when I first found out about it also.

As for the clutch clatter, chalk this one up to a feature of the car also. There is nothing wrong, but if you hold the clutch in while turning the car off does soften the clatter. Just as an FYI, there are a few people who have installed light weight flywheels and the clatter has gotten louder.

[schrute]

I have 7500 miles on mine and have learned to shift slow when driving slow, and shift fast when driving fast. The slower your 1-2 shift when driving normally the smoother it will go. And yes the noise from the clutch in neutral is normal - I'm used to it from a few motorcycles I have owned but never had a car that was this loud either (I also used to drive a Maxima). Drive and enjoy!

[iceman21_23]

i can switch gears smoothly after i get rolling its just that dang 1st gear i swear it engages at different points every time lol

[Denny McLain]

Originally Posted by iceman21_23

i can switch gears smoothly after i get rolling its just that dang 1st gear i swear it engages at different points every time lol

Had the same problem at first with the engagement too high and at an awkward position. For some reason after 7k miles. don't seem to notice it as much. Either me or the clutch has mellowed some.

[Ronin06]

Originally Posted by Denny McLain

Had the same problem at first with the engagement too high and at an awkward position. For some reason after 7k miles. don't seem to notice it as much. Either me or the clutch has mellowed some.

I've been test driving a Z and the clutch is the only portion that concerns me. I've owned many cars with a manual and never had any issues. I suspect an adjustment with time will make this better. However, it's a poor clutch from the factory.