Recently my clutch has been acting up. Sometimes when I push the pedal down it must be all the way to the floor pretty much before it engages (especially after cruising in 5th for a long period of time). Other times it engages almost at the top. When I let the clutch out in 1st gear the car shakes (although I figured out how to counter it, it does it EVERY time when I let the clutch out in 2nd gear.

Now, my car has 148k on it and i'm fairly sure it's the original clutch (I bought the car 4 years ago with 71k) so i'm fairly pleased with how long it's lasted if it is indeed time for a new clutch.

I would attempt to do this on my own but I don't think it would be possible with the limited tools I have readily available plus being a full-time student and working 30+ hours a week I really don't have a whole lot of time to spare if I mess it up. How much should I expect to pay a shop to do the work assuming I purchase the clutch and all the parts needed online? Thanks in advance for any and all input.

 

How is the pedal feel when all this is happening? Recently, my clutch has been changing as well, but the pedal actually changes position. And just as you experience, mine changes most when I travel on the highway or something (when I drove 70 mi. on the interstate the clutch pedal was stuck to the floor..). When it does that, I have to pump it to get the pedal back up. My issue is hydraulic, so if yours is the same you might want to start there first. I'm going to bleed it today, but if that doesn't work I'll just buy new master and slave cylinders ($70 shipped for both..why not?)

 

Your clutch is on its last legs. When I purchased my car 2 years ago (114K) I experienced the same thing. I replaced the clutch with an aftermarket clutch and took it to a shop. I ended up spending close to $500 (I think) total. Prices all depend if you go OEM of not. Shops usually charge $80 and up for labor with a minimum of 2 hours. Shop around and/or find an orger nearby to help you out. The shop recommended I replace the hoses and slave which I did myself and it solved the problem. The hoses were sweated. You can tell if there is fluid around the ends just by look/feeling them. Call Dave B @ South Point Nissan he'll cut you a deal on genuine OEM parts. Good luck.

 

That's one of the problems I have.. Upon first starting out the pedal feels firm like it's supposed to, just when I let it out from a stop there is vibration. Once I have been cruising on the highway for a while the pedal gets soft, almost falls to the floor and it's difficult to get the car into a lower gear.

$500 total in parts and labor? I'm most likely going to upgrade to something a little better than stock or at least to the AE (I believe it's a slight upgrade from my OEM.. anyone confirm?) I'd most likely go ahead and replace the master and slave but my clutch line busted less than a year ago so that's almost brand new, I don't see the need to replace it again.

 

An AE clutch is definitely an improvement. Much stronger, and IMO it has a better feel. At 150k miles, you should expect to replace the clutch anyway, so I'd go ahead and do it just as preventative maintenance. However, I do think you have a hydraulic issue as well. Check your clutch fluid to see if it's low and check for any leaks. If all appears fine, you have a slave or master cylinder going out. I'm not sure if a shop can test that to see which one is bad (I didn't know how, so I just ordered both last night..) but even if they can't I ordered my slave and master cylinders for $70.55 shipped, which is cheap.

I had to drive to my mom's house 70 miles away last night to get my BMW, because I was afraid my pedal would eventually go to the floor and not come up...it's so terrible that I trust my BMW more than my maxima at the moment But this is my first real problem in 85k miles, so I'm not that bummed.

 

The fluid reservoir is about 1/8" below the "hot minimum" line after driving around for about an hour. Would that be low enough to be causing problems? And you just use DOT brake fluid to fill it to the appropriate level or is there fluid specifically made for that?

 

its possibly ur clutch fluid..check it..my hose was leaking and one day i guess i got just a big enough hole in it where it practically dumped out and almost left me stranded. check that.

 

That's exactly where mine was, but it stayed at that level for a long time, so i'm thinking it's just an internal leak in the master cylinder (one of the seals burst?). If I were you, I'd definitely have the hydraulic system checked out and like I said earlier, for both the master and slave cylinder it cost me $70. Go to www.rockauto.com . The slave is easy as pie to replace, but the master cylinder is a bit trickier since you have limited space to work with.

 

on it being the hydraulic system.. Take LA02MAX advice and check that first before anything.

Hope Everything works out for ya .. keep us updated

 

Could be that you have air in the clutch hydrolic system. There is a bleeder valve on the slave cylinder down by the clutch and another near the clutch fluid/ master cylinder end. HAve someone pump clutch and hold it down. Release bleeder bolt and make sure fluid comes out clear. Don't let fluid level go below the lower mark. 1/8" below upper mark is fine - providing it never went dry.

 

'01 GXE 5-speed
The master cylinder does not have A bleeder 'nipple', only the slave.
This week I replaced both the master and slave cylinders. On the master, there was some blood and quite a bit of swearing. The clutch still doesn't like to engage without being up against the firewall.
Just one more thing I guess. It's chugging like a you-know-what after the battery was removed for a while.