I am planning on having the clutch replaced in my 2002 some time soon. I will have my mechanic do it, but I want to buy the parts myself to make sure I get decent quality parts.
What are all the parts I will need? I know I need

clutch disc
pressure plate
release/throw-out bearing

Is there anything else that is usually replaced along with these? Anything else I should buy? Transmission fluid?

 

Def. Tranny fluid, they have to drain that lol, but the shop will always have some, it costs arm+leg sometimes. Normally, a clutch kit will have everything you need, I've heard of some people replacing the pivot at the point where the shifter arm goes onto the tranny, but I dont know how necessary that is...

 

Thanks.
Does anyone have any recommendation for an OEM replacement clutch kit? I just want something to replace the original clutch, nothing fancy or high-preformance.

 

Stock clutch from a new 350Z. Get it from Dave B.

 

ya im hearing a new oem 350z clutch disk and pressure plate w/throwout bearing is the way to go.

 

Don't forget the GL-4 tranny fluid.. AND NOT GL-5, which is widely availble for less cost.

How do you know he's going to put in the parts you give him? You gonna watch him? Just curious....

 

Does anybody know if the 350z cluth is like the g35 clutch? My mom has a 6-speed g35. I never drove a 350z so I don't know if they are the same or not. I would think they are since they are almost the same car but I just want to be sure.

 

clutch master and slave

 

That is a good point, but after having all my cars serviced (things I can't do at home) by the same shop for the past 10 years, I think I can trust these guys. I hope

That too? Is this a must or just a suggestion/recommendation? Can this be done later (if needed) without taking the tranny out?

This is probably an uneducated guess - I am assuming that 350z clutch requires more "hydraulic pressure" to engage/release than an OEM clutch. If that is true will that put more stress on the hydraulic components (master/slave cylinders and the other stuff) causing them to fail prematurely?

 

I think I remember seeing a thread on here where a guy got a 350z installed on his 5 gen.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

The 350Z clutch was beefed up in 04 or 05 with a stronger clamping force. It is a direct bolt on with any VQ35. Before that the 350Z, Maxima, G35 and Altima 6-spd shared the same clutch. The rear drive applications got beefed up while the front drive stayed the same. The new clutch will work on any of them.

It's a different clutch design. The feel of the pedal is actualy lighter than stock. I went with the 350Z clutch because I was tired of my stage3 clutch with the super stiff pedal. I drove a new 350Z to feel the clutch before deciding on the part. It actualy feels lighter in the Maxima than in the Z.

The master and slave don't have to be replaced. If one fails they can be replaced without touching the tranny.

I don't think the 350 clutch requires any more hydrolic pressure than the stock Maxima. If it did it would require more pedal pressure and it doesn't. My stock parts handled the stage3 just fine and that one required a lot more pressure.

I don't see why a mechanic would put different parts in. He'd still have to buy the parts he did put in. The 350Z clutch isn't that expensive any way.

Like nicks79 said, make sure they use GL-4 fluid. GL-5 will eat away at the softer metals in the tranny. A lot of us have had great results from Redline manual tranny fluid.

I'd definately recomend the 350Z clutch. Call Dave B. for more info and to buy it. He knows all about it. Several of us have already gotten the clutch from him and he helped figure out if it would work or not. He'll know exactly what you're talking about.

 

what brand gl-4 tranny fluid?

 

Redline MT90

 

Thanks, Derrick! This answered all my questions. Now, all I got to do is buy the clutch kit, Redline MT90, and take the car to the shop.

 

throw out bearing...mine is cherping!!!!

and hvae the mechanic grease the clutch fotk pivot arm bushing as mine also make a dry rubby on metal sound.....sad thing is the clutch is fine....

 

The 350 clutch kit doesn't come with a throwout bearing. Just get a Maxima throwout bearing from Dave at the same time.

MyBlue02, you may be able to get some grease on the pivot without pulling the tranny. If you pull the rubber boot from around the clutch fork you may be able to reach in with something and get some grease on it.

I haven't done this but having had it apart several times it looks like it may work. It's at least worth a try. You won't hurt anything and it's a lot easier than pulling the tranny. If you can't reach the pivot with the thich grease you could use some thinner grease and let it migrate down the back of the fork. As long as you don't go randomly spraying lube everywhere you're in no danger of contaminating the clutch.

 

too many posts, but are you going to replace the flywheel? or just lathe the original and reuse it?
(lathe = turn/cut in the forum terms...)

 

yeah thanks derrick, i know what type of clutch im getting next. I know you prefer Redline MT-90, do you know anything about Amsoil MT GL-4? I think my impression after reading the threads was that amsoil was better than redline.

anyways, impressive 04 hlsd. is it the same as 5.5 gens?

 

I don't think you could go wrong with either one. My tranny shifts great with the Redline. I haven't used the Amsoil so I can't comment on it. I'm sure it's good too.

Yeah, the 04 tranny with HLSD is way better than the 02/03 6-speed. They redesigned the syncros so it shifts better and doesn't get the 3rd gear grind. I went from an open diff to a HLSD and that was awesome. Lots more traction. The gearing is a little lower in the 04 which helps acceleration too. The tranny is a direct swap.

 

Help! I'm replacing clutch w/ OEM (got parts already and car is on lift) but discovered flywheel must be replaced too (one in car is too beat up and can't be machined - dual mass type.) OEM flywheels are hard to come by and run $350 - $500 depending on who I'm dealing with. What alternate models or aftermarket options are there?

Thanks.

 

I don't think anyone mentioned this, but bearing clips would be a good idea. They are cheap and chances are the old ones will get messed up when the old throw-out bearing is removed.

 

I started this thread a while ago and still haven't replaced the clutch but now it started making all sorts of noises (TO bearing?) so I will have to get this done very soon.

I have a few questions, though. Other than visual inspection, is there a way to tell whether I will need to replace the flywheel too? Can a bad flywheel make noises too? (All the noises are gone when I press the clutch pedal) The clutch only seems to slip when the car is cold but then it slips so bad that the whole car shakes. I have quickly learned to avoid that by releasing the clutch very slowly. I am just concerned with the flywheel now. Should I buy the flywheel along with the clutch kit too, or should I wait until the mechanic tells me whether it needs to be replaced?

Thanks.

 

^^^^
Any word of advice is appreciated. :-)
TIA

 

There's no way to tell for sure about the condition of the flywheel until you can look at it. Then it should be checked for overheating (bluing) and flatness, with a straight edge and grooving. If you need the car quickly then you could always purchase one and if it's needed you already have it, it it's not need then just return it. (Be careful of restocking fees though!!). Good Luck!

 

depends on condition of the flywheel. same as
Tommy said. if your gonna change your clutch heres. a good time to change the flywheel as well. jus a thought. when my clutch goes out, im going with z clutch and prob a jwt flywheel.

 

Changing the flywheel would be a good idea. Usually a flywheel will be resurfaced as part of the job, just like brake rotors. Not many places are able to resurface a dual mass flywheel like the stock unit.

If you can get it resurfaced it will be fine. That's something to find out before having the work done. Talk to the shop before the job and make sure the machine shop they use can handle a dual mass flywheel.

It would be a shame to pay for the whole job only to have it not work properly because you tried to save a couple hundred dollars. I'm sure the shop wouldn't warranty the job if you don't replace all the parts they recomend.