My car was able to start however the clutch pedal seemed like it doesn't have very much force to it until the end of the stroke. Does anybody know what is happening. Why can't the max get engauged into gear anymore? Please let me know if you have a solution to this. This problem just surfaced this morning.

Thanks a bunch for any suggestions provided.

 

Two guesses from my experience:
1)check your clutch fluid level - it might be low
2)more likely you clutch is shot. You did not mention how many miles on your clutch, but I suspect you need a new clutch.

 

Check the fluid first!!! I currently have a leak...but no one, not even myself has been able to locate the leak. But from what you are describing thats exactly how my clutch did. One day it was fine and then the next morning I went to push it in and it had no play. Good luck and hope its not bad

 

Ok, I'm guessing I have a leak. My clutch has been working fine until today. I'll bring it to the shop, have them locate and fix leak. This is my daily driver and I need my sweet maxima.

Driving my friends 1.8T 5-speed 99 Passat station wagon with no stereo today. It's kind of the worst but very nice of him to loan it to me

 

I have the same problem as you bosa1, a nice leak...

let me know where yours is coming from

 

Will do.

I'm going to top the fluid off tonight and search for the leak. Drive the 7 blocks to the shop and have them fix the problem. Hopefully something cheap like a broke hose or something. If I see something loose, I may not need to take it the shop (Best case scenario)...

 

if you do locate the leak yourself, and fix it (check slave cylinder btw), make sure you fully drain/flush the entire clutch line, otherwise you'll get air in there. I'm not sure if there is a guide on here or not, but basically:

fill up CMC, open up the lower bleeder valve (should be near/on CSC), have someone push in and hold the clutch pedal. This should squirt out some nasty fluid. Close the bleeder valve, and have them pull the pedal back up, once it is already back up, loosen the valve, and repeat. Do this for quite some time until no air comes out, and you are getting, pure, new fluid. Also, squeeze the air out of the CSC by pushing on that black boot, sometimes it gets trapped there as well. Finally, maybe another member can answer this, but on 300ZX's, there is a secondary bleeding point in the engine bay, where you would need to repeat the process of opening, pushing clutch, closing, releasing clutch.

Some tips:
Make sure to do both top and lower (if it exists) twice, in alternating order.
Its best to have a third person to watch the fluid level in the CMC, as it will drain fast! And if it sucks in some air, that is all the more work you will have to do!

Anyway, hope this helps

 

Do not just top it off, as there will be tons of air in the lines. Refer to my previous post on how to properly flush the system. If however you cannot find the leak, top off the fluid, then push in the clutch pedal (don't worry about the bleeder valve) quite a few times (100+) while continuing to top off the CMC. This should suck in some fluid, and it might be enough to get you where you need to go.

In my case, on my 300ZX, my slave cyclinder leaked me dry in the middle of downtown Columbus, but I was able to fill up the cyclinder, pump it a million times, and then use only 2nd/4th gear (easier to get it into) to get it the 20+ miles to my house. Granted there was a lot of grinding, and I felt bad for my tranny, but nothing else I could do.

 

Yep.

Here's the case history guys. I drained and filled the tranny with redline MT-90 last fall. I must of not put enough in. Finally it got sick of running slightly low and air got in the lines.

PROCESS
Fill the resovoir (by windshield on driverside, right behind the brake fluid resovoir) with fluid to max line,put the cap back on.

There's a bleeder valve on top of the clutch on the front right hand side next to that rubber boot that you see move when somebody is pumping the clutch. use a cheapo bic pen (take it apart and use the tube part) or some tubing, stick it over nipple of bleader valve. Use 12mm wrench and tell person to hold clutch to the floor after slowly pumping several times, then open bleedervalve and watch bubbly fluid leave pen top. close quickly when no more fluid comes out.

Do the the following a few more times: pump clutch slowly a few times, hold down, open bleeder, close bleeder

Then do this a few times on a bleeder valve next to the front of the strut mount (drivers side).

Make sure you watch your resovoir after each two times of bleeding. It's small (about the size of a film canister).

Clutch good as new, there was never a leak, just low fluid. Check your resivoir to find out if you have low tranny fluid.

Thanks Chickan