2005 Maxima Clutch Troubleshooting

[2005maximus]

Well, I'm happy to say that I'm new to the forum. However, problems with my 2005 Maxima have brought me hear after numerous dealer visits to try and troubleshoot the problem have been unsuccessful.

I have a 6-speed manual, the car just rolled over 40,000, so warranty will not cover the problem. Every now and then, my clutch pedal will loose all pressure and drop to the floor. This usually only happens first thing in the morning, after the car has been sitting overnight, and only happens once a month; however, recently it's been more frequent. Whereas typically the clutch will travel approx. 6 inches to the floor, and engage somewhere in the middle of travel, there is no pressure on the pedal. Therefore, the clutch will not engage, and I have alot of trouble getting it into gear. I essentially have to sychronize shift to change gears, and the clutch will eventually begin working normally after driving for around 10 minutes or so city driving.

My local Nissan dealer has no idea what the problem could be, because of course by the time I get it over there, the problem has cleared up. They also checked service records and could not find an incident where this has happened before. Do any of you Nissan gearheads out there have any idea what could be going on, or heard of this problem happening before? Any advice, information, or otherwise would be greatly appreciated!

[NSR_s30]

I know on the star/quests its a common problem related to old worn slave cylinders, maybe theres something wrong with your slave or your master cyl? I'd look there and then go from there. Good luck with the problem.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Welcome to NICO! What color is your Max?

It sounds to me like air is getting into the clutch fluid lines...

[wonS14aero]

I've heard of this problem I have a friend with a Altima 2.5S that does the same thing except it happens when the A/C is on. The local Nissan dealer can't seem to find the cause of the problem. You might wanna check to see if there is a TSB conserning this.

[2005maximus]

Thanks for the help. My car is winter frost, completely stock exept for the K&N Air Filter and Mobile 1 synthetic oil that I change every 5000. I asked Nissan about bleeding the hydraulic lines, they indicated that this may not help the problem. However, they also told me they weren't sure what it could be, since it happens so little. They mentioned pressure testing the system. I'm learning about hydraulic clutches, but I assume that it's a closed system, and any air or leakage getting in would be detected by this test?

My typical driving is strictly highway usage, very little city driving, so the clutch is used fairly infrequently. I would think that Nissan's clutch components would hold up a little longer? It seems odd that no other Max or Z has had this problem.

[ricebike]

i dunno, but they seemed to be stringing you along until your warranty expires... y didn't they performed those checks as stated by previous NICOnauts to begin with?

I would do this to the dealer:

[nsrZ32]

Welcome to NICO!

Stop by and check out our Maxima forum as well zeroforum/83 and post up some pictures of your car. Good luck with the clutch issue.