5sp Manual 98 Maxima SE. 193,000 miles. This past week whenever I am in gears 3-5 and I push the pedal past 50% the cars slows its accelerating and the RPMs spike. The engine revs high as if the car is not in gear anymore - like it slipped in to neutral. The engine revs real quick from like 3,000 rpms to 5,000rpms with no resistance. Once I lay off the pedal it lurches like it just got back in to the gear and care can accelerate normally. Acceleration is normal as long as I don't push the pedal past the 50% mark.

Any ideas on what could be the issue? I have never had any clutch issues and don't have much experience with them. I have felt what its likes when automatic transmission starts to go - like when you floor it and the car doesn't move, but my Maxima is a 5sp manual. Maybe since the issue only occurs whens I press the pedal past that 50% mark that its some sort of TPS issue.

Anyone else every experience something like this?

 

At 193,000 miles you clutch has served you well. Are you a DIY type or do you have a repair shop you trust to do the clutch job?

Take a look at the thread in the following link.

https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...ng-tranny.html

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WOW! that thread sounds like exactly what is wrong with my car!

I actually have two trusted mechanics I go to depending on what parts of Maryland I find myself in.

I am actually pretty mechanically inclined. Just replaced my 2 half axles last week and replaced all the tranny fluid with some Redline GL-4 (a shame if I am going to lose all that replacing the clutch)

Dropping the tranny to get to the clutch seems like a PITA so this might be something I bring it to the shop for.

If anyone else has any other opinions I would appreciate some feedback otherwise Ill look in to getting the clutched replaced and report back.

Also any good write up/videos on replacing the clutch.

 

I had to do an unexpected transmission drop after a defective pressure plate discovery and I made sure to reuse my expensive Amsoil with less than 3,000 miles on it.

Just to be safe I filtered it through cheese cloth to see I there was any debris.
Call me cheap.


Good luck with your clutch replacement. It's not that bad other than having to pull both axles. Make sure the mating surfaces are clean before reassembly.

Might be a good time to check your wheel bearings too.

http://web.archive.org/web/200804300...ca/mvp.php/801

 

Here's an item we zee often overlooked with a tranny drop for a new clutch. Get the transmission to singing mating surface areas scrubbed with sand paper so the contact area is squeaky clean like new money. We see people have problems starting their cars due to grounding issues that develop when the shop doesn't understand how the trans is a vital grounding point. So insist on a clean contact mating surface. It is also a good time to replace the rear main seal. It will never cost less to replace when the trNny is out

 

On mobile sorry for typos. You may want to consider replacing the half moons in the upper oil pan if the engine is dropped. Your 4th gen will most likely run from 300,000 to 400,000 miles. You are at half life now. I give my 4th gens a mid-life refresh with a major operation like a clutch. They come out running and performing like new cars that I keep for another 150,000 miles before I do it again.

 

This is probably the one time I will disagree with your suggestion.
Everything else you've said is gold.

RMS rarely fail vs the half moon seals which fail all the time.
I don't consider the RMS a preventative maintenance item.

@ Schmellyfart for this useful information awhile back when I was about to do mine just because.

If you're POSITIVE your RMS is leaking and it's not your HMS, by all means do it.
AND if you drop the upper oil pan, which you have to do for half moon seals and or RMS, make sure you get the two oil pump o rings.

 

We'll taken FF. You know how freakish and OCD that I get about anything that could leak oil or coolant in the next 25 years. LOL

 

And if I wasn't so freakish about overbuilt stuff I wouldn't be on my 3rd 4th gen. I would be driving some PITA Honda. Lol

 

Nothing but respect for you CS_AR.

 

This club amazes me every day. I bet it has collective Maxima mechanical experience of something like over 100 years all combined when you think about it from a depth perspective. BTW the POS V6 Honda I have looses rear main seals after 65,000 miles. The second one blew again not long ago. There is a big class action suit forming in CA because Hondo refuses to do anything about it. As frar as Im concerned VQ engines are a work of mechanical art that run way longer than the competition.