Yeah, i just looked at the warranty, it says the slave will not be covered... Damn. I didnt really want to do any mods (intake, exhaust, ect.) because i didnt want it to void my warranty, but it seems as though they wont end up covering anything anyways lol. Any recomendations for the clutch, pressusre plate, and flywheel, and i guess the cylinders too? Something nice, but not insanely expensive. I can probablly just buy it all and take it to a reputable shop by me.

 

Also, do you know any reputable shops in Nothern NJ that i could take it to (preferablly not an infinti dealership, so i wont get ripped off with labor charges.)

 

I dont know of any shops in NJ as i am in socal but im sure someone on here would know or try google. As for the clutch, I went with an ACT clutch kit with an Aasco flywheel. I love the set up. A lot more aggressive then stock and the flywheel only weighs 13lbs compared to the stock one weighing 26lbs. However this setup will make your tranny sound like a cement mixer hahah. The OEM flywheel is a double mass flywheel, making it quiet yet heavy. If you want no sound you have to go OEM but it will cost a lot more. If you opt with aftermarket you will get more performance but in low rpm you will hear a grinding sound. Best thing is to do plenty of research before you pull the trigger so you do not regret anything.

 

I'm going to go ahead an resurrect this thread.

I started having this similar issue again and wanted to get some or your opinions on it. When I was having this issue back in 2012, I opted to change the CSC out to the HD CSC, and I got a new Southbend stage 1 clutch and flywheel setup. Shortly after (about a month after) I changed out my Master Cylinder. This all happened around 52K Miles.

I am now around 115K Miles and just the other night a lost complete pressure in the clutch pedal. There is no fluid leaking, as the reservoir is still where it was about 6K miles ago (last time i changed the fluid). I was hoping maybe it was just a bunch of air in the line somewhere, but the shop i brought it to bled the line yesterday and the issue is still there. After doing some research and understanding the system a bit better, i believe it is just the Master Cylinder that went bad and the seals on the piston are basically just shot, thus allowing the fluid to transfer from the front side to the back side of the piston in there. I have the RJM clutch pedal, so the slight angle of the rod on the Master may have caused this issue. So as it sits, the shop will be replacing the Master Cylinder either today or tomorrow, and I'm hoping this fixes my issue.

So here is where your opinions come in...
1- Do you think based on the fact that there is no leak that this is a Master Cylinder issue?
2- I know that Master and CSC should typically be replaced together. Since I have the HD CSC, do you think this is still necessary?
3- I'm hoping it is just the Master, but in the event they do need to get at the CSC, is it worth me considering a new clutch/flywheel? Obviously the shop will let me know what the condition is, but i do not do anything stupid with the clutch. I might accelerate quick sometimes, but its after the clutch is engaged already and I'm not dumping the clutch or anything (Thanks RJM)

Thanks in advance!

 

^^I agree with your diagnosis about the failed MC. That's the first thought that came to mind while reading your post. Unlikely the slave failed too but you won't know for sure until the MC is replaced.

 

OK, good to hear. It just makes sense based on the fact that my fluid level hasnt changed, and the only thing that can "leak" internally would be the MC. If the CSC was leaking, i would assume that i would be losing fluid.

So even if the CSC didnt fail, do you think I should be replacing it, or just wait to see if anything goes bad with it?

 

Bad news... The shop replaced the MC and took it for a test drive. He said that everything seemed fine at the beginning of the drive but eventually pressure was lost again and he drove it back to the shop only to find that the bell housing was now leaking fluid. So it looks like I'm in for a new CSC and a nice big labor check.... F***!!! I just sent Joe over at Z Speed an email to see if there is anything he could help me out with, I'll keep you guys posted.

Now i just need to decide it getting a new clutch/flywheel is going to be worth it right now. I can't imagine i would need one though as there are only 55K miles on it.

 

Awe man that really sucks! I had a similar problem last year where my clutch pedal kept getting soft. After a couple of pumps it'll get firm again but if it sits for a couple hours, it gets soft again. No loss in fluid level.

I ordered a new MC and the HD CSC from Zspeed but given the cost of dropping the tranny to replace the CSC, I just went ahead and replaced the MC. Bled the system with GTR fluid and everything has been good! Hope things work out buddy!

 

have you thought about just being done with it and install the csc elimination kit...

 

Is this the first case of an HD CSC failing? damn

 

OK... So I've got an update for anybody that cares...

I thought micafd3s was trying to make a joke when he mentioned the CSC Elimination kit, until i looked it up and Z1 actually does. I did as much research as I could in a short amount of time, and it was quite tempting, but it is a little bit too adventurous for me, considering that noone has had it on their car for a substantial amount if time. I'm not saying that it is a bad option, I just feel like people get focused on the fact that you dont have to get into the trans to fix it anymore, but they fail to realize there are still bearings, forks, ect., ect. inside the trans that could go. Again, I am not ******* the system, i just prefer to know exactly what I'm getting for long term, plus I needed to make a choice quickly, so i opted to go with the CSC.

I called up Joe at Zspeed and he helped out with a new CSC. I asked him what he thought about a new clutch and he said at minimum i should probably get a new disk because the Stage 1s do apparently go fairly quick. He "sold" me on the quiet disk (it didnt take much selling).

Shortly after ordering, my mechanic called me up and sent me some picture of my totally shot disk, pressure plate, and flywheel. He said there were deep marks in the flywheel, so he wasnt sure if it could be resurfaced or not. i quickly called Zspeed back up to let him know what i just found out and he said he'd be shocked if the flywheel couldn't be resurfaced, but he put the purchase on hold so we could do everything in one shot. He also said that it make sense that the CSC went, because the worn clutch can cause that.

I called the shop a little later and they said that they were able to resurface the flywheel, so that is great news, cuz that's obviously an incredibly expensive part.

I called Joe back up and ordered
-Stage 2 Southbend Pressure Plate and Disk
-New HD CSC

All in all, after this whole adventure is done, I will have spend about $1885, which isnt great, but... such is the life of owning an Infiniti.

For the comment above about this being the first HD CSC to go, that actually not accurate. It may be the first on this forum (i cant remember), but there were certainly others on the 370Z forums that had them go. This is not fully due to the CSC itself, apparently the SPEC clutch with the CSC is just a bad combo, and this is the most common time for it to happen.

Joe did send me a return label with everything and asked if i could send everything back so he can figure out what exactly happened, I will certainly get it over to him.

All in all, I would rate this experience 0 out of 10, but ZSpeed's service 10 out of 10.

 

If my clutch does not engage (engagement point right at bottom by the floor and cannot get into gear) could it be the mc?
There is fluid in the reservoir and the pedal does come back off the floor but feels very light.
16k miles right now

 

Unfortunately you are about to have a very similar experience to me, but hopefully you are under some sort of warranty to help out. The problem SOUNDS like it would be the MC, but obviously based on the issues I just had (sounds like the same as you), it could be the CSC. I doubt it's your clutch at only 16K miles, unless you really rip on it.

 

No warranty.
I have a new mc and HD csc from Joe @zspeed.
Hopefully the labour won't be too much. Clutch should be OK... If not another call to Joe.

 

Labor for the MC shouldnt be too bad. Labor for the CSC on the other hand will more than likely suck. It's not typically a matter of if you NEED a clutch, it's more a matter of if it's worth just getting a new clutch since they are already going to be in the transmission.