Another CSC failure?

370Z Purist

Bleeding isn't a bad idea. If anything, worst case scenario would be guaranteed, so I might as well take half an hour and bleed with fresh, 10 dollar fluid than dismiss it immediately as CSC failure.

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-Phil

"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."

kenchan

keep us posted how things go.

370Z Purist

I will. I called Project X, who does a lot of Z work in the Chicagoland area. They quoted me 400 for install, which already beats the dealership costs. I will change the fluid, and see how it does. At the least, I expect my pedal to come back up.

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-Phil

"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."

370Z Purist

Tried to bleed the clutch, but it just stopped working. No fluid came out at all. Now the pedal is basically mush. It comes back, just that it's very very soft. I followed spearfish's directions, post 3, here: REQUEST: DIY Clutch Fluid bleed/swap/replacement.

It worked the first few times and did drop some fluid, but after the fifth cycle, the fluid level didn't change and no more fluid was coming out the bleed valve. Pedal still returns, but the action is extremely easy and takes less than a pound of force to actuate. Not only am I more convinced that it's now some other issue, but the car is completely undriveable as to being barely driveable.

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-Phil

"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."

ChrisSlicks

You have to be very careful to not open the valve too much and only on the downstroke or you will let more air in. The timing is a little tricky but you should be able to do it.

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Hotchkis ARB | Stillen CAI | Art Pipes | Berk CBE | Stillen AP Racing Brakes | AE Performance Oil Cooler | BC Racing ER Coilovers | Doran Control Arms

OKC Z

Well I had no issues with the stock clutch to begin with. But I was planning to boost the Z which is no longer in the plans. But I purchased the kit thinking it would be an upgrade, well that's when the problems started. At first when the clutch was installed it was like a sponge and hard to put in 1st and second. Well it couldn't be adjusted. After 2 days i noticed a noise that wouldn't go away. Its like a grinding noise. So i went and took it back to shop and they said it was normal and to change the trans fluid. I did and nothing changed. It became harder to put in gear now. I was told that the lines or master had air in it. Well took it to nissan and got it flushed for $115. Now there is no more air and still makes the grinding noise and its really hard to put in first gear. I must try 2-3 times at every stop/light. And god forbid i try to rev above 4k and try to shift into 2nd cause it will not go in no matter how fast or slow one throws the gear. So dont get in my opinion. Other might of had a great experience.

cheshirecat

I agree on the clutch fluid flush first. As far as bleeding it, it can be a complete pain in the ***.

Close the bleeder valve and pump away. You may have to do it 50 times or more. Make sure you keep the clutch fluid container topped off. Open bleeder valve. Repeat.

It took me about half an hour to get the fluid through the system.

But yeah, if this doesn't work, it'll be time to check out the CSC.

CBRich

Subscribing because my car just started doing the same thing. Is there a possibility that the extreme temperatures lately could have created or amplified an issue? I know mine began after a 6 hour road trip in 105 degree weather.

OKC Z

I think you might have something there. My pedal gets really sticky coming back on 90° + weather.

cheshirecat

Yes. The hotter the ambient temperature, the higher the chances of your clutch fluid temperature going over it's rated temp and losing its hydraulic properties. You'll find that these clutch issues tend to manifest during the hotter months if it's related to the clutch fluid itself. It happens every year for both the 350 and 370.

Once clutch fluid gets too hot, it will boil, which creates air in the line. The air compresses, which causes the hydraulics to fail.

All my car needed was one hard run during the summer to cook the stock clutch fluid. I remember exactly when it happened. Once that was done, the pedal was never the same.

Once I bled it out with some RBF600 and changed out the rubber clutch hose with the stainless one from Z1, it was perfect. Pain in the *** to bleed out all the air, but definitely worth it.

Please note that this will make no difference if your CSC is failing.

Mt Tam I am

I do not know if this post should be here or not but here goes.

I just changed my brake fluid to DOT 5.1 and had some left over and changed my clutch fluid. It was black and looked like it had well over 13,000 miles on it.

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Nissan Motorsports 34R Oil Cooler. Stillen CBE. Hotchkis Sport Sway Bars. KW Variant 3 Coilover System. Stillen Gen3 CAI. Michelin Pilot Super Sport. Stillen Brake Ducts. Carbotech™ XP10/XP8 Pads. Z1 Front Rotors. Z1 Stainless Brake Lines. Two degrees of camber

370Z Purist

That sounds like a bad install. The grinding noise could be just typical Z chatter, since our Z is such a noisy vehicle. The fact that you can't get into gears sounds like either an issue with actuation, either the master or slave, or possibly trans damage (the least likely, and also the worst scenario). Since you mention it being worse at high RPMs, maybe it could be something to do with the synchros. I'm not an expert, no, but I can't say the problem sits only with the clutch. It sounds like a whole other bucket of worms to me.

The stock brake fluid hasn't been changed and is clear, slightly yellow. The clutch fluid is rather nasty in comparison, and the fluid clearly has some dark particulate swirling around in it. Assuming the same fluid is used, the clutch fluid sure doesn't stay clean much at all, and I'm only at 12.5K miles.

Unfortunately, I could pump the clutch all day and see no difference. I've sat in the car for 20 minutes, doing 2 second down/up cycles with the clutch, and it doesn't stiffen up at all. Bleed valve is closed, fluid topped off (to the max line). I don't understand.

Before attempting to flush, the clutch worked intermittently. Now it doesn't work at all!

Power bleeding is probably the best way to confirm that fluid isn't my issue. Because I have royally screwed up the bleed. Pedal is complete mush, and I basically just hear the fluid swirling around.

I did find this, though, from more research, and I wanted to see if anyone has tried this, or would recommend trying it. As a general idea it makes a lot of sense, and it helps push out any air in the system, which naturally just looks like it would trap air (and apparently has). I will try this before getting a power bleeder, then before a swap. Still no clear sign of failure, due to the lack of leaking fluid.

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-Phil

"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."

370Z Purist

About six hours ago I went down to my friends' where the Z currently is, and wanted to use the above technique. However, with no one around and the Z just sitting outside, I checked up on it and stepped on the pedal. Pressure! I noticed the reservoir level dropped a bit too. I got a turkey baster and siphoned out the old fluid in the reservoir (pretty nasty stuff) and added fresh fluid, then proceeded to slowly pump. I took it out for a ten minute drive and the engagement was a bit sloppy but still OK. I park it, then take a quick break. I tried to drive it again to absolutely no avail, and it seems the pedal got a bit softer again (although still kinda stiff).

I didn't do anything to it yet, so I'll finally get some daylight, properly flush the entire system, then deliver a verdict.

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-Phil

"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."

ChrisSlicks

Good luck!

__________________
Hotchkis ARB | Stillen CAI | Art Pipes | Berk CBE | Stillen AP Racing Brakes | AE Performance Oil Cooler | BC Racing ER Coilovers | Doran Control Arms

370Z Purist

I finally got around to using the piston oiler/reverse bleed technique. Worked like a charm. Completely restored pressure in the system, and after a few pumps of the pedal, the entire pedal stiffened up. It held up to MORE than a single drive this time! Hopefully it stays this way. It does seem like I managed to boil the fluid. While this does mean I don't have to do the CSC replacement, it does rather make me comfortable with the thought of replacing it with the HD component anyway. I also want to slap on a lightweight flywheel, but I don't really see the point if I don't do the clutch with it all at once.

Funny thing though, if you're using a screw top piston oiler, wrap teflon tape around the threads. Brake fluid, being a hydraulic fluid and not a lubricant, actually will seize the threads. Ended up breaking my piston oiler before I "finished" purging the system, but it seems I had already flushed the system well enough for a firm pedal feel.

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-Phil

"Since one of my brake light bulbs just went out, the forum told me that my piston rings are about to blow."