anand14

Thurznite and others,
The mechanic has agreed to drop the tranny on my Maxima because it is under warranty.
He checked the hydraulics and cannot find anything wrong so he is going to "drop" the tranny this weekend and take a look inside.
What should one look for during the tear down? Are there any seals that have to be replaced along with the usual suspects like release bearing, disc etc etc?

I am not a tranny expert so please bear in mind when replying.

Thanks for your help guys!

-Andy

ThurzNite

iTrader: (13)

Should be simple, check out the clutch. On the transmission side, check the throwout bearing to be sure it's not worn out, and that it spins easily. It should slide up and down the driveshaft smoothly.

On the clutch side, remove the clutch. Inspect the pressure plate and flywheel to be sure they're both smooth and clean. Inspect the disc for defects. And inspect the pressure plate springs.

I'm gonna guess it's the flywheel or pressure plate, one of them is dirty or scored.

When is your mechanic going to drop the tranny? Let me know the approximate time, and I'll try to be online and answer your questions asap... If it's during a time that I'm not in the clinic, you can call me. Just lemme know about when you think he'll take the tranny out.

Jae

anand14

Thurznite,
I have not heard from the mechanic for the past two days (weekend, I guess). The last time, we spoke, he said he had ordered new clutch parts and was getting ready to "drop" the tranny. He said he would call me but it is Sunday night here in Baltimore, MD.
I will give him a call first thing in the morning tomorrow (since I dont have transportation, I have been stuck at home).

Thanks so much for your help! I will keep you posted on this forum as well.

-Andy

anand14

Thurznite,
The mechanic called me a few minutes ago and said the pressure plate was not looking "good". He replaced the PP, Clutch Disc and Throwout Bearing.
He said the PP was not smooth at all and thinks that this was the only thing wrong with the clutch install.

Any thoughts?

As we speak he is putting back all the components together and get ready for a road test.

Thanks!
-Andy

ThurzNite

iTrader: (13)

i'd believe that. If you're really ****, ask him to resurface the flywheel (about $20?). Or at least clean it with brake parts cleaner. And remind him there's 2 bleeder valves for the hydrolic clutch fluid. And you yourself can inspect the clutch hoses for leaks.

anand14

Thurznite,
Got it. He said he sanded it down and cleaned it with brake parts cleaner (as you mentioned).

I am waiting for my ride to pick the car up from the mechanic. He said he drove it six times already and the clutch pedal pressure is constant.

Will post an update once I get the car in my hands.

Thanks,
-Andy

anand14

Thurznite,
I got the Maxima back on Friday evening. I tested it during the evening and let it sit overnight and Voila.. Sat morning, the pedal pressure was good (constant).

Phew..It was the stupid pressure plate.
I have no idea how the bent pressure plate can cause pedal problems but it seemed to have fixed it.

Thanks for all your help and to other members who contributed to the solution.

The forum is a great resource.

Merry Christmas!
-Andy

Chris96I30T

"For the slave, you might be able to get away with a rebuild kit... Replace the rubber stuff and piston if necessary
http://www.partsamerica.com/productd...pe=237&PTSet=A"



What's the general opinion on rebuilding a slave clyinder? Is honeing recomended?

Thanks!

Chris

rdbaron9

I'm having almost the exact same problem. I bought it in because the slave and master cylinder were both leaking. After they fixed it I can now change gears and the pressure is consistently solid however sometimes I have an extremely hard time changing gears. Even with rev matching I can't change the gear from 1st to 2nd or 3rd to 4th... any gear change really but 1st is the worst. I have to then let off the clutch and push it back down and then if i'm lucky i can change it. Other stange things happening... a few times now since I got the car back i park and put the car in neutral, rock the shifter back and forth, then let off the pedal and the car jumps and stalls like it was still in gear. I recheck and confirm the car is still in neutral which it is and then start it back up and release the clutch and then it is fine. I've also had put it in 1st to start out and let the clutch off slowly while giving gas and i see my headlights dim and the motor groan like it has a load the but car doesn't move a twitch, take it out and put it back in first and then it works fine. I know for a fact it wasn't the brakes sticking besides the car didn't even try to to move.
any ideas I don't understand how I could have bent a tranny fork... unfortanetly i don't know exactly what that is but I know enough that it isn't something easily bent.
I have a 99 maxima with 160,000mi original clutch which worked beautifully before the master and slave leak

Feldman

iTrader: (1)

first and reverse typically are hard to get into on older cars where the syncros have worn down as for your car thinking it is gear when the shifter is in the neutral area i have no idea.

i would start first by checking your shift linkages under your car and make sure everything looks snug and secure. if everything looks good there you are probably looking at a problem inside your tranny which means time for a rebuild or deal with it.

maxamize1

I am also experiencing similiar issues... I own a 1997 Nissan Maxima SE, 5 Speed that I just replaced the entire clutch, clutch master, slave cylinder and resurfaced the flywheel on at 200,000 miles. All parts were original. The car was slipping on occasion but the clutch pedal would be soft when I start driving the car from a cold start and then the pedal would get stiff as time when on - about 20 - 30 minutes. That is when the car would slip. After replacing all the above-mentioned parts, the car broke down on me about 30 miles away from my home. The car was slipping worse than before the clutch and all parts were changed!! Finally, the car just stopped moving. IT didn't stall when I shifted to all gears. It was like being in neutral. I ended up getting the car towed back to where the work was done. The tow truck driver told me that he started the car and put it in gear and drove it right onto the flatbed. No Problem. The next morning the mechanic who fixed the car also said he drove the car w/o ANY problems. I have no idea what the heck is going on. Is there a leak somewhere in the hyrdalic lines of the clutch? Is there air inside? Is there something wrong with the transmission? Also, he did tell me that the tranny was ok but a little noisy because of the bearings but told me not to bother getting the tranny rebuilt because it is not worth the cost considering the age of the car. He also replaced the rear main seal because it was bad and it made sense since the tranny was out of the vehicle... Any help/input is appreciated

ThurzNite

iTrader: (13)

Start easy and bleed the hydrolic, pay attention if there's bubbles. Next would be to take the clutch assembly out and inspect the pressure plate, clutch, disc, and flywheel. If you're unable to remove the tranny yourself, you're sorta screwed and gotta take it somewhere to be done.
Dr J

maxamize1

I'm going to bring it back to the shop where I had the clutch and all the work done. The car is under warranty for 90 days and it was just fixed last week. The only problem before the work was done was that the pedal would get stiff after about 30 minutes of driving, intermittently have problems getting it into gear and would slip ever so slightly. After driving the car for almost 12 years, it's easy to know there is a problem. The problem with the car not moving and the severe slippage is worse since the work was done... Ill be sure to make sure he bleeds the sytem again.. The shop owner is going to have to make it work or I am going to dispute the charge with the credit card company. The shop is reputable transmission and clutch shop and have been in business since around 1975. They should stand by their work... I'll let you know what happens tomorrow as he was working on the car today... Thanks...

Feldman

iTrader: (1)

sounds like either one of your new components is bad or the more likely cause is the rubber part of the clutch line that goes between the master and slave. You should be able to see it down by the slave cylinder. It is a common weak point and is probably letting air into the system.

ThurzNite

iTrader: (13)

Agreed with Feldman. I neglected to mention that cuz I assumed that you'd monitor your clutch fluid reservoir and note that you were draining somewhere. Good call Feldman!

Dr J

96blkonblkse

iTrader: (18)

Could be pressure plate. Ive seen bent pressure plate fingers cause some weird problems. Broken pressureplate finger, caused an incredibly stiff pedal, at the very end of the pedal travel, went into gear fine 75% of the time, the other 25% it didnt.

maxamize1

I spoke to the mechanic today and he said he re-bled the sysyem and everything seems to be ok. I asked him if he drove the car for an extended period of time and he said no, just a few minutes. All I said was that I hope he's sure that the problem is fixed because I don't have the time to deal with this.. I told him I am only going to drive it locally until I am sure that it is fixed because I can't afford $240 towing bills... I do have another car (2008 TL) so I am not too pressured but I do miss driving my maxima. It has always been a fun car to drive - even though it is all stock!!! So we'll see what happens. I'll probably get the car over the weekend and take it from there.,.. Thanks for your advice and help... I'll let you know what happens...

Feldman

iTrader: (1)

if you do have a leak in the system bleeding the system will take care of the problem for a little while but it will show up again down the road. If it does start to lose pressure again check out the rubber section, that is your last weak link