very strange i'm having issues which dont even pertain to boost.

I'm driving home from a long day of driving and realized that car makes a big BOP sound every time i turn wheel to the left all the way. Actually makes sound on two different occassions. I paid it no mine although sound was horrible, felt as if something was rubbing. When it made that noise, it made small vibration on front of car...well i could feel it on the peadals. Then as i get on my street, the clutch pedal sinks all the way in and wont come back up, car stalls and u hear heavy hiss outside. I can pull clutch pedal up with my foot but once i press it down it wont come back up. I try to start car by keeping my foot on pedal and it starts but makes a little nasty noise and it wont go into gear.

this problem happened to me very recently where axle popped out of the tranny. But i think it happened on opposite side. I'm pretty sure it did. I didnt do any other tests cause its late but signs i had before are not similar to what i had now. before i can put clutch down and it comes up by itself and i could shift in gears. In fact the speedometer even moved up when shifting and gasing. I could also let go of clutch in gear and car wouldnt move. Now...well signs already noticed are listed above.

Thank god this happened on my block and even more thanks i'm out of school with nothing to do till the weekend and i have a hayne's manual and a driver side axle from my automatic GLE (hopefully its an axle problem and i can change it up.) I didnt notice any leaks and car was shifting fine before this. Gearing was a little funny for reasons i rather explain later. I should have taken the sounds and nasty thump more seriously....it was doing it all day and part of yesterday.

 

that car is possessed....sounds like you've lost pressure if the clutch is not returning...looks like you might need new master/slave cylinder...don't even know where to start with that...if you heards noises...its likely tranny related...told ya to take it back.

 

That's because Val used to own it...

 

Mecca, I will be very happy to share my expirience, I have just recovered from similar problem. According to the symptoms you described, your clutch says it's time to move on to ACT , kidding.

- Can you shift fine with engine off?
- Are you damn positive you have no leaks in clutch hydrolics system?
- Do the procedure to get air out of system (bleed the clutch)
- Take a look if slave cylinder pushes on clutch fork fine (about 3/4 of an inch) when someone steps on clutch
- Try how it goes with your hand if it is not too loose there
- If it is, then it is TO bearing that got wasted and that was what I had - one of the 'ears' on it got cut off and bearing deformed.

After 3 weeks of focking around (did not wanna give my car to the shop) I finally replaced it with Exedy OEM replacement kit and it works beautiful!

Hope this helps! Good Luck!!

 

mecca, i feel for your max. my max clutch is much like yours, no resistance until about 2-3 inchs off the floor.

i cant get into any gear, unless the engine is off. so the chariot is parked until i can get parts.

good luck !

 

thanks guys for your concerns and feedback. Vlad, i personally bled the clutch (that could be a bad thing) and went to a friend who by testing out pedal could feel no air in the system. I bled it properly after talking to many people about the right procedures. I am positive there are NO leaks...well not on the floor atleast. I dont recall seeing any anywhere else and i certainly dont smell it in the engine bay. Ever since the beginning i always had a feeling my TO bearing was bad. 1FSTMAX told me his went bad right after changing his clutch due to bad install i believe. When he starts car, he hears a hiss and then when he pushes clutch down the sound goes away. I had the same problem. Then it worked backwards, i would not hear anything and when i hold clutch down sound would come.

But my problem this time i dont think is related to cylinders etc. All day i was hearing this nasty sound when i turn wheel. It could be an axle issue...but why i dont know....i have to go to court at 1 so when i get back i'll lift car up, snap some pictures and take a video of that slave cylinder....

its mind boggling how a noob like me has so many more problems than the experienced guys here....actually that makes sense

 

I'd put my money on it being a throwout bearing. they're know to explode as well.
if the hydraulic lines aren't leaking, then that's likely what it is.
I had one that died on me as well- same symptoms as yours pretty much.


old one on left, new on right. note the position of the ears on it.

the best way to tell is to have someone else inside the car push the pedal down and you watch the slave cylinder on the tranny.. if you can see it moving, then the broken part is inside the tranny. (i.e. clutch, TO bearing fork, or the TO bearing itself)

As for getting it into gear, leave the engine off. stick it in 1st gear, push clutch to floor, turn key and hold on. you should be able to at least get it to your house/driveway. then just shut the engine off a few feet before you want to stop, and/or yank it out of gear. my car is hard to get out of gear in 1st, so be very careful you don't run over something. I suggest killing the engine while you're on the brakes as well as trying to pull it out of gear... you should be able to stop somehow.

edit: just read Vlad's post.. same stuff, different car. I'd bet yours is similar.

 

ok, here's a major update after proper evaluating:

• car cant go into gear when started
• car can go into gear when NOT started
• if put into gear THEN started car moves like what Vlad and last guy said would happen
• slave boot thing that is attached to tranny doesnt move as much as it used to
• master cylinder still has fluid and there is not a single drop of liquid nor show of any residue in our outside the car

Two things i'm taking into consideration are a bad throw out bearing or a bad slave cylinder.

I just had clutch changed this past december and i probably put a maximum of 10k miles by now. The car has been giving me issues for a while but its all been somewhere in the area of clutch/tranny related. I also had tranny rebuilt by same company about 2 months ago. Not to say this is their fault but if it is a failing throw out bearing, could it be bad install and should the shop replace it for free?

if its a slave cylinder issue then i guess i'll just have to replace that....

 

sounds like your throw out bearing went bad. mine went bad once, and the fork pushed out so hard it almost messed up my slave cylinder.

 

i almost forgot to say, my clutch doesnt get stuck in anymore. It did when the problem first occurred. Now it goes in than pops halfway hesitates for like .001 seconds and pops the rest out. Doesnt seem like a big deal but not as smooth as i would expect it to be.

Also when i had tranny issue before i had a friend adjust my pedal because the engagement was so low i couldnt push it far down enough to properly engage. He thinks that could put stress on the T/O bearing since i was kind of shifting without holding the clutch all the way down. sounds possible?

 

yeah, that's possible as well..

I highly doubt the tranny place will warranty the TO bearing problem. it happens- especially if you drive the car hard. mine broke while I was at the dragstrip, but I was able to drive it for a couple more weeks before it completely failed.

 

Shouldn’t they fix it if they had improperly adjusted the clutch pedal in the first place? By letting the clutch engage too low, extra stress was put on the throw out bearing. I know, because I used to engage my clutch very low till my bearing failed. In mecca’s car it felt like you were forcing gears in when clutch was depressed. If the pedal was incorrectly adjusted, the pressure plate would have not released completely, and the throw out bearing would have to work extra hard at pressing the pressure plate to release the gears. Its as if anyone else tried shifting their car with the clutch pedal depressed half-way.

 

i agree, i'll contact the shop and tell them about this and politely demand them to fix the problem.

 

improper adjustment on clutch causes brand new T/O bearing to fail. They ARE responsible right? I'm praying they will fix the problem, otherwise, i'm going to have to install this dam thing myself or find a good friend to do it for a descent fee....

 

I'd definately go back to the shop. They should warranty thier work...and for the matter, the should be a warranty on the clutch/parts replaced during the job.

S

 

I only wish you good luck! Would be very good if they replaced it for you, otherwise you are looking at a lot of work!

 

its an exedy stage 1 clutch. I've had it for less than 6 months and have been complaining about tranny/clutch problems few weeks after putting it in. I have clutch install and tranny rebuild done at same shop. If for some crazy reason they dont warranty their stuff, maybe the fact that i'm a returning customer will give them enough reason to give me a break...

 

I would definately ***** them out about it. I mean, you've been having these problems since the install, there is definately either some shotty work, or defective parts that they should be responsible on correcting. Either way, stand your ground...even if it means you don't leave until they fix it right.

S

 

sucks to hear mecca. if u need an extra hand fixing anything just give me a call or im me. funny once u go boost all the expensive problems arise.

 

yea, funny and scary. Only problems i had associated with S/C are a silly oil leak due to a loose bolt and the boost leak i used to have (i see 10 psi without a filter and 8-9 with my small sh*tty filter)

anyway, my good friend maximagtr uploaded a video i took earlier today

www.vqpower.com/100_0577.avi

PLEASE, right click save as.. in the thread

dont mind the wires and really concentrate on the last 15 seconds. You can see the small movement from the slave cylinder and more importantly the nasty whistle when clutch pedal is pushed in.

 

I assume you supplied them with the Exedy clutch. Did it come with a new t/o bearing or did the shop just put one in or reused the previous one?

If you supplied them witht eh Exedy clutch, chances are that they'll blame the failure of the t/o bearing on the clutch just to get out of it. However, if THEY supplied the t/o bearing for a fact, then they are liable for replacing it...especially after so short a time. Bad part about this is you have to pull the tranny to make sure it IS the t/o bearing and chances are they will not want to foot that labor time without pay.

Here's my suggestion: take a saturday off and get it replaced with a couple of friends....it isn't too bad to do Besides, the t/o bearing itself can't be more than $40. Talk to Brian (internetautomart.com)

(oh and I AM a newbie as well, but have an assisted tranny swap chalked up as experience...i don't consider it to be difficult at all )

 

thanks for your input iophix. I actually purchased the exedy stage 1 clutch from the shop. its a very reputable shop, i just dont want to throw out names cause in the event that this works out well, i dont want them getting negative feedback or nasty heat for nothing. i dont have any friends experienced with cars like i am...and IM the biggest newb on here...

If things dont work out my way, i only work weekends for now and i'm out of school so i'll take tomorrow, thursday and first half of friday to try and fix/replace this thing. the T/O bearing i guess i'll get from nearest dealership. Are there any differences or are they all the same? can i get mine from autozone?

 

Ok if you got it directly from them, I'd sugest you just talk to them and hopefully they help you out by doing it under warranty. If not then you might as well get it from the dealership. The t/o bearing is pretty cheap from the dealer and i'd recommend not skimping out on it. even if someone else is replacing it, get it from the dealership (courtesy parts, jerry rome nissan)

One thing though: are they the same people that rebuilt your tranny? If they are and they refuse to replace the t/o bearing, and you choose to do it yourself, AND something goes down with your tranny at a later date (knock on wood) they might choose to blame the tranny's failure on whoever put the t/o bearing in even though it might not have affected it. Just a thought. I've had some unfavorable experiences with a certain tranny shop in houston and that left me VERY wary, defensive and sore from the lack of lube when they bent me over. (heck I might as well mention their name considering the hell they put me through...Cottman Transmissions!! There! )

So if your tranny warranty seems in jeopardy (and you can confirm that with them) just bite the bullet and let them do it at a reasonable cost.

 

The problem I see here is:

Did you tell the shop about the engagement problems you were having from day 1?
If you never told them about it and it suddenly blows up, then you walk in and say "it's been doing this for months and I never got it fixed", then they're going to point at you for negligence basically.

If you've been raising a stink about it and they've never bothered to fix it, then it's their problem.

see where I'm going?

As for the bearing itself, I ONLY recommend OEM type bearings. (for 3rd gens, it's NTN brand.) That's what is supplied with ACT clutch kits and the same one you get at the dealer.
Whatever you do, STAY AWAY from BCA brand bearings. they just can't handle the stress.. the one I had was vary poorly made- was made out of stamped steel and they cut grooves in the back piece for the front tabs to clip in an bend over to hold it together. those slots they cut in it caused cracks all the way around the back edge of the bearing, and the thing eventually warped and bent until I couldn't engage the clutch.


As for replacing it, I've got it down to about 3-4 hours on a VE, but I have no clue how much more work it is on a VQ- especially with the SC and the parts for it in the way. I just pull the intake tube off mine and I have easy access to all the bolts on the top of the bellhousing and starter. takes longer to get the axles out and the shift linkage disconnected than it does to actually undo the bellhousing bolts and pull the tranny.

 

i just realized that too. I didnt have shifting issues when clutch pedal was installed. I think i started having it after they did tranny rebuild. But it didnt happen automatically and its been on and off after that. Clutch pedal assembly is i guess different from clutch and they said htey never touched the clutch pedal cause its not supposed to be adjusted.

Either way i dont know if they are at fault anymore...i just dont know why my shifting got real bad due to clutch pedal needing adjustment out of nowhere.

Anyway, i got a quote of about 350 with price of T/O bearing added to the price, plus i guess 100 to tow the car....i think i'm goign to do this myself. I have time, it would be a great experience but i need A LOT OF HELP

I need to know EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING NEEDED FOR THIS JOB. From jack stands tot he right size bolts to take stuff out. I need every website possible to look at for different angles because i know i'm going to run into some BS. I guarantee i'll run into a few bolts that just wont come off.

If someone can supply me with this info, i'll hit up autozone and get the right stuff and take care of this

 

forgive me, i'm too p*ssy for this job...

 

no you're not! Man up and get out there and get it done! j/k whatever you do, get the bearing from the dealer as Matt said above.

G/L however you go about it.

 

Its not hard to change a clutch on a VQ. I know I got it down to the science. Probably the same thing, except you have your starter towards the front of the car instead of the rear. He can drop this tranny by himself. Mecc you need to pick up a tranny jack from harbor freight.


The tranny uses the following sockets
sockets

34mm or 36MM just had a brain fart (1/2) to remove both axles
8mm 1/4 or 3/8
14mm (3/8) with extensions to remove four tranny mount bolts
10mm 3/8
12mm 3/8
17mm (1/2)
14mm (1/2)
19mm deep socket (1/2)
1/2 extensions with a swivel
12mm open/close end wrench
10mm '' '' ''
14mm '' ''
a tranny jack from harbor freight
GL4 oil
Ultragrey
2 tranny seals
flat screw driver
phillips

and a long 1/2 ratchet with a piece of fence pipe to use for leverage if airtools are not available

 

36mm on the axle bolts. We just got done doing a clutch on iansw car, so it's fresh on my mind.

S

 

sorry to ***** this mecca but my car makes similar noises when i lift from the clutch when its cold... like i said before mecca i down to en d u a hand just let me kno. cause we cant have u IT people doing mechanical engineering stuff...

 

lol, i want to do it but money is so tight now and after all parts, its not gonna be too far off. This time I'm going to make sure they check its the throw out bearing causing the issue and if not i'll let them find the problem and make sure the service is properly warrantied. BTW, i dont really even think i should be blaming the shop, they are good people, and have a great reputation, i'm just a little mad and disappointed that i forked so much over for tranny rebuild and clutch install and i have to pay to get it taken out again in less than 6 months. I was hoping for a better discount but oh well...

 

I dont think you are correct on the oem vs act bearing being the same. I had the act bearing that failed on me, and i put in my used oem one. SLightly different in appearance, not quite the same.

 

***MAJOR UPDATE****

You guys were right, the TO bearing was completely destroyed. One side of the holders was snapped off and it was basically pushing it sideways. Shop gave me a small discount and fixed a few issues for free so i'm happy. Spent more dough but i'm just glad car is back to normal...well actually better cause it has never felt this good. Roughly 1800 dollars in clutch/tranny fixing and its only been half a year....thats how much dough it takes to properly get this thing taken care of....

Well i hope this thread helps those in future need when wondering when TO bearing is shot. I'll post pics later of TO bearing...

Boost is up, driving feels great, but ofcourse when one problem goes away, another comes back. My stupid sunroof is acting up. It doesnt fully close. Like one side is closed and the other side (passenger side back of sunroof, i see a small gap....WTF!!!!

 

Congrats Mecca! I am glad for you! My fix was cheaper, about $200, but could if $150 id I would do a proper check for leaks and would not get fluid line for $50, which I did not need. My tranny is acting up too, but still holds well!

You're right issues never end, I got to replace reverse position sensor now. Have fun fixign roof I

 

Wait, is the 1800 in the rebuild of the tranny and new clutch? I'm a little confused...probably because I read that wrong. I would hope you didn't spend 1800 on a TO bearing! Either way glad to hear everything is working good.

On your sunroof, does the sunroof level out, or does one corner seem down a little. IIRC though this maybe a PITA, there should be about 4 screws that you can use to align the sunroof. Might wanna look into that...or find someone with a FSM that can give you instructions on how to do that.

S

 

it was 1800 total for brand new clutch, few bearings, having tranny dropped 3 times and opened once.

i'll look into the FSM for that. My cover for the sunroof also broke off its hinges a while back. But you described it perfectly. On the top of the hood, the driver side fo the sunroof is aligned properly but passenger side isnt. I guess i'll take a monday or tuesday to check it out and see if my car can actually be problem free...for once....

 

Interesting, for the price you describe, that isn't so bad. Either way give the adjustment a try and see what happens. The only other thing I could think of is something is up with the track.

S