2001 AE SE w/5spd manual....So far i've bled the system, replaced the slave, and the master. The clutch still wont fully disengage. Fluid is clear no air bubbles. Starting to think its the clutch/pressure plate, but don't want to drop the trans and replace the clutch for nothing. Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated....

 

it's most likely something to do with your clutch pack. how long since it's been changed/serviced?

 

What's a clutch patch in a manual transmission?

 

Did you check the adjustment screw? It's possible it worked it's way loose over time if the nut was't on tight.

 

As far as i know its the original clutch car has 86k on it...we got 140k on the 96 w/ 5spd...

 

If your pressure plate or throwout bearing has failed, then that would cause the problem you're describing as well.

 

It was tight and we did adjust it

 

cant say iv had this issue with a nissan. but in my acura 5 speed.
in a dis engaging clutch..here was the symtom and problem.
try starting car in 1st gear with clutch depressed all the way...if car rolls forward confirmed its not disengaging. and possibly a broken spring on the pressure plate not allowing it to fully lift.
post back

 

I can start the car with it in gear and the clutch pressed the car will lurch but stay in place if i have the hand brake on

 

Where did you get the master cylinder from? I'm hoping you went to the dealership. I went through the same thing with my 5 speed swap. I went through 3 auto parts store master cylinders, then I went to the dealership and all has been fine ever since.

If this is not the case, it's most likely your pressure plate or throw out [release] bearing.

 

answers your question. do this without the ebrake on. if your car lunges forward you have pretty concrete proof that your pressure plate is busted.
a fully working manual tranny, you can start a car with gear in and clutch depressed and ebrake off and the cars not going no where.

 

What kind of brake fluid did you put back in after bleeding the slave? Put in DOT4

 

With where the car is sitting now thats not going to happen.
I got them from napa, but i've always had great luck with napa stuff

I only us Castrol GT LMA for all brake fluid uses in all my cars...its almost impossible to beat its 509 deg dry boiling point for its cost and availability.

 

im assuming the clutch feel is normal? feels like it is disengaging but isnt?

 

yeah there does seem to be a good amount of freeplay at the top of the pedal throw but thats it.

 

If you have anymore free play( by that I mean little or no pedal pressure at the top) than almost nothing at all. Continue the bleeding process. Bad cylinders can also cause the free play,either by letting air back into the system or by being dimensionally wrong.These are a biatch to bleed. If you have good pedal effort from top to bottom and can see that the fork is moving far enough consistently, then pull the trans to check the clutch for something mechanically binding .

 

yeah, if the clutch doesnt feel like it did when it was working fine, as in more free play, there is likely a bleeding problem. It can be a bish to bleed these clutches. There have been times where ive spent an hour getting it bled correctly. What has worked best for me is unbolting the slave from the trans and holding it way up in the air. Then I loosen the bleeder a little bit as somebody applies pressure, making sure to keep the cup from coming out of the slave. I usually repeat that a couple times, then bolt it back up. seems to work wonders for getting air out

 

I wouldnt trust it. I worked in retail auto parts stores for years and while normal maintinence items are just fine from there, any and all parts accosiated with hydrolics are pretty much bound to fail prematurely. This is what happened to me and this is what happened to plenty of customers ive had.

Do yourself a favor and remove the master cylinder. If the rod looks... ummm... limp, (bad choice of words I know) or if you try to push on it and there is little to no resistance, there's your problem.

Order one from DAVEB. It should be between $90-$110. Trust me, i've personaly been through this before with 3 auto parts master cylinders. And with countless other customer's brakes and master cylinders.

 

100% agree with this. There are some parts including coil packs and hydraulic parts like he mentioned that you WILL notice a difference between oem quality and auto parts stores...

 

Yea, I would always send customers to the dealership for certain parts. Or instead of warrantying the part over and over again for the customer, I would simply give them their money back and let them know the scoop about some parts. My bosses would get pissed because that = lost profit to them. But in my eyes, it built a certain trust with customers which made them come back and spend more in the long run. (which it really did)

 

i actually tested both masters when installing it and the new one from napa is far better than the one i removed

 

I know. But once you instal it and actually put fluid/pressure through it by pressing the pedal it fails. Check if napa has one for a 4th gen also, the shaft should be a little longer. (atleast at advance auto it was) The pedal felt a little better for me.

 

Well i'm going to be ordering new slave and master cylinders from Nissan

 

You wont need a slave unless the boot is ripped or there is fluid leaking from it. You will be able to see it if it's bad.

 

Well I dropped the transmission yesterday and discovered a broken spring on the pressure plate.

 

i told you so. i had the same identical problem. wow brings back memories.
maxima or not= similar behavior=similar problem.

 

Yeah. Its working great now just gotta bleed the clutch and go for a test drive

 

what brand did you replace with? oem or something after market?

 

OE clutch (which is made by Exedy, it was even stamped such) and pressure plate with a Fidanza flywheel.

 

oooooh how many pounds is the fidanza wheel?
i bet you love driving the maxima now more!
assuming everything before was stock.

 

Havent even driven it yet since i still need to bleed the clutch... My help didnt get here until after i was cleaned up for the night so we'll bleed it tomorrow.

Fidanza claims that the FW weighs 12lbs, it was notably lighter than the OE one.

 

it should rev up and get through gears significantly faster then. keep us posted

 

well got the clutch bled and the pedal is crazy light, zero effort light. Thinking the napa master cylinder isnt quite right.

 

oh boy....thatd be my guess. the master cylinder
was it a stage 1 oe replacement pressure plate? if so, when done right it should be decently stiff. much more than stock

 

disk and pressure plate are oe bought from nissan. pedal effort should have remained the same