It all began with the purchase of a 1995 champagne-colored Nissan 240SX SE I named Goldie. In early March, I paid a total of $5,500 including tax, license, smog and registration in cash for Goldie. The salesperson, Steve, pitched what a great car it was but also he also mentioned the minor problems the car had. After test-driving it, the problems became apparent to me. First off, the clutch had to be swapped out. Second, the SR5 air bag light was lit up. Third, the car was ever so slightly leaking oil from underneath the oil pan or the rear transmission oil seal. All in all, the car was in excellent condition with a few minor scrapes and dings normal for a car it’s age.
The nightmare began right when I pulled off the dealer’s lot. The clutch was slipping worse than I had anticipated earlier. I estimated that the life of the clutch would give out any day; so topping the first item on the things-to-do list was to install a new clutch. I had a well thought out plan on how I was going to accomplish the installation of a race clutch on a car I have never worked on before. As a former Honda-boy, I knew more about Hondas than I did about Nissans. I've researched many different resources I had available to me at the time. I also took the time to gather all the parts I needed for the job. I even invested time into memorizing the all the steps.
The installation of the race clutch from ClutchNet.com in mid-April was doomed for failure at the beginning. The tools I had were insufficient for the task at hand. However, with plenty of improvising, my friends and I managed to get the transmission off the car. Trust me when I say, a clutch job on a 240SX is not for the mechanically inept. When doing a clutch job, a new clutch disc, pressure plate, resurfaced flywheel, throw-out bearing and pilot bushing must be replaced. _Since I was bent on completing the clutch swap in one day, we took many shortcuts that will later on prove disastrous.
After getting the old clutch off the car, I examined the remains of an abused made in Taiwan aftermarket clutch and noticed a lot of hot spots on the face of the pressure plate and flywheel. Also, the clutch disc was absolutely burnt; it looked like a vinyl record. Moreover, the throw-out bearing wasn’t spinning very freely when I removed it from the withdrawal lever. Instead of changing the throw-out bearing, I decided to jam pack it with wheel bearing grease with the hopes of reusing it. That was my first mistake. I would’ve changed it if I had the tools to remove it from the throw-out bearing holder. My second mistake was using carburetor cleaner on the pressure plate face to remove the grease that got on it. I should’ve used brake pad cleaner instead because carburetor cleaner. Carburetor cleaner contains oil additives that bond to build-up that forms in the intake system. I unknowingly sprayed half a bottle of that oil-based product on the most crucial part of the pressure plate. What I essentially did was re-grease the face and installed it that way. When the job was completed and the transmission reinstalled; I brought Goldie back down.
During the test drive after the installation, I noticed a huge problem that wasn’t present when I purchased Goldie; the clutch pedal was sticking to the floor of the car. That damn thing felt like a slush bucket. I would step down on the pedal to get into gear, and then release the clutch pedal only to feel it not come back up. I literally had to double clutch in order for it to engage properly. Since the car relied on hydraulics for clutch engagements, I thought bleeding the system of air bubbles that may have formed would solve the new predicament I got myself into. After doing so, the clutch felt a little bit stiffer but still sticking to the floor nevertheless. My friends, both of who are Honda-boys reassured me that after the break-in period, the car would be running fine. I was highly skeptical that this clutch-sticking problem will fix itself, so I drove the car the way it was for the next couple of days.
Fed up with the stickiness, I decided to take my car in to my local Nissan dealership seeking answers from certified technicians. Because of Nissan’s poor clutch hydraulic line system, air was being trapped in the junction box between the clutch master cylinder and slave. In order to get all the air out, the system would have to be vacuumed. So after the technician reassured me that this would solve the problem, I allowed them to work on my car. After a thorough bleeding, the clutch pedal felt better, but it was still sticking. I drove the car home the way it was, still sticky. The next morning, I had a friend of mine come over and step on clutch pedal while I examined the clutch master cylinder. Every pump of the clutch pedal, tiny little air bubbles would float to the surface of the cylinder. The only thing I could think of was perhaps it was a bad seal inside the clutch master cylinder causing it to leak air.
An Ill-advised Clutch Experience
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Holisticbeatz
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 6:09 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Holisticbeatz
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 6:09 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
Later that week, I was not satisfied with the repairs recommended to me by the technicians at the dealership; I took my car back with another complaint. The technician took another look at the clutch master cylinder and said it has probably gone bad. By this time I was thinking, “you ƒucking *******, what kind of a technician are you? I don’t know much about Nissans, but I believe I diagnosed the problem correctly and you didn’t.” So being the naïve person that I am, I allowed them to work on my car once again. I purchased a new OEM clutch master cylinder and had a technician install it for me. I picked up the car at the end of the week and attempted to drive it home. While driving halfway down the street, the shifter seized up and I wasn’t able to get into gear. I ended up just parking the car at the side of the road, and then I ran back to the dealership that was already closed. I managed to find some sales people who were still working to help me push my car back into the service department where it sat for the next couple of days. When I had free time again the next week, I went back to the dealership to readdress the new problem. While examining my car, I noticed there was a trail of clear fluids leaking from underneath the slave cylinder. Upon closer inspection, the slave cylinder piston completely shot out of it’s housing! Not knowing any better, I had another technician replace it. At this point, I’ve already spent around $250 for labor and parts in fear of screwing up if I did any of the installation myself.
Once the slave cylinder was replaced, and new fluids added, the car was driving a lot better. However, it was still sticking a little. I lived with it for the next week or so when I noticed another problem. This problem was the biggest headache of them all. After driving the car for 30 minutes, I noticed a lagging feeling when revving. I would step on the clutch pedal, get into first gear, rev a little, and launch the car. In order to get a good launch, the releasing of the clutch pedal must be synchronized with the pushing of the gas pedal. However, this was not the case. When I completely released the clutch pedal and revving upwards to 4000-5000 RPMs, the car barely moved. I kept revving and revving the hell out of it until I began to smell clutch burning. That was bad, very bad.
I ended up towing Goldie home. I kept thinking and trying to remember everything I did the past few weeks. Then it struck me, the grease in the throw-out bearing and oil on the pressure plate. When the car was cool, the clutch would be grabbing properly. However, when the car was warmed up, the oil and grease liquefied causing it to slip. Sick and tired of getting bad advice and poor service from the Nissan dealership, I had a buddy of mine change the clutch for me. I told him what I suspected and it made sense why Goldie’s clutch was slipping like that. So I purchased another racing clutch disc from ClutchNet.com for $125.00 and had him install it.
The second installation went smoothly. He removed the transmission with no problem and proceeded to remove the clutch. When he got pressure plate off, he discovered that the clutch disc was glazed over with oil and grease from the pressure plate. The rest of that nasty grease was splattered throughout the interior of the bell housing. This time around, I asked him change the throw-out bearing. After that, I made a poor judgment call and told him to reuse the pressure plate from the first installation. I later found out it was the biggest mistake I made during the second installation.
Once the slave cylinder was replaced, and new fluids added, the car was driving a lot better. However, it was still sticking a little. I lived with it for the next week or so when I noticed another problem. This problem was the biggest headache of them all. After driving the car for 30 minutes, I noticed a lagging feeling when revving. I would step on the clutch pedal, get into first gear, rev a little, and launch the car. In order to get a good launch, the releasing of the clutch pedal must be synchronized with the pushing of the gas pedal. However, this was not the case. When I completely released the clutch pedal and revving upwards to 4000-5000 RPMs, the car barely moved. I kept revving and revving the hell out of it until I began to smell clutch burning. That was bad, very bad.
I ended up towing Goldie home. I kept thinking and trying to remember everything I did the past few weeks. Then it struck me, the grease in the throw-out bearing and oil on the pressure plate. When the car was cool, the clutch would be grabbing properly. However, when the car was warmed up, the oil and grease liquefied causing it to slip. Sick and tired of getting bad advice and poor service from the Nissan dealership, I had a buddy of mine change the clutch for me. I told him what I suspected and it made sense why Goldie’s clutch was slipping like that. So I purchased another racing clutch disc from ClutchNet.com for $125.00 and had him install it.
The second installation went smoothly. He removed the transmission with no problem and proceeded to remove the clutch. When he got pressure plate off, he discovered that the clutch disc was glazed over with oil and grease from the pressure plate. The rest of that nasty grease was splattered throughout the interior of the bell housing. This time around, I asked him change the throw-out bearing. After that, I made a poor judgment call and told him to reuse the pressure plate from the first installation. I later found out it was the biggest mistake I made during the second installation.
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Holisticbeatz
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 6:09 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
When my friend finished with my car, he called to fill me in good news that the car was running better than ever. The clutch was engaging crisply, the sticky clutch pedal was a thing of the past, and power transfer from the engine to the rear wheels was torque happy. It was a short-lived moment however. A few days later when I was driving to Kragen Automotive, my car once again seized up. Not making such a wise decision at the time, I attempted to turn around and drive back home. I came to a stop at a red light, and then try to launch the car when it turned green only to move at a snail’s pace while revving up to 5,000 RPMs! Frustrated and angry, the car was barely moving 6 inches per hour. A minute after driving Goldie like that, I started to notice the distinctive burning odor of clutch disc in the cabin of Goldie. At that very moment, my heart just dropped to my stomach and I felt numb all over. Goldie’s clutch was fried again!
I was so pissed off that day. I was ready to take out my Calloway Big Bertha driver and start bashing the hell out of Goldie. I’ve had nothing but a string of bad luck since it’s maiden voyage home. I had already spent roughly $600 on labor and parts for a clutch that has failed on me twice. Later on that week, I got news that a friend of mine from high school recently opened up an auto repair shop. I remember working with him in 4th period auto shop class. Everybody knew he was going to be a mechanic, and sure enough that’s what he became. He has been in business for a month already, and judging from the hustle and bustle at his shop, he’s not doing so badly at all.
I called him up and talked to him about my situation. He told me to have Goldie towed down so he can check it out. I told him about the problems I have been encountering for the past 2 months and he recommended that I have the clutch changed again. Once he had the transmission removed, I saw the damage that I had done. The 2nd clutch disc was just flattened. I did, what it would take 1-2 years of normal driving to wear out a clutch disc in 5 minutes. Inside the bell housing after the transmission was removed, I saw clutch disc shavings from the abuse I inflicted. When I revved the hell out of the motor, I punished the flywheel so bad, that when my mechanic removed it from the block, we saw the hot spots that formed and a heat fracture near the center. Moreover, when I was analyzing the pressure plate for it’s grabbing capacities, I saw that there was still some grease. Even though it appeared that the pressure plate was carefully sprayed by brake cleaner, there was a residual build up that clung in the hard the reach spots in the pressure plate from the previous installation. Low in funds, I decided to purchase an OEM clutch from the dealership, and then have that installed by my mechanic. According to a phone call from my mechanic on the last Saturday of May, the installation was successful. Since it was near closing time, he had no time to test drive my car. He told me that I should check back on Monday for the status on the clutch situation.
Monday, the 2nd day of June came rolling by. I received a phone call early in the morning from my mechanic full of not-so-promising news. I quickly jumped out of bed and left the house in 15 minutes. I rushed down to his shop only to see Goldie parked in the corner. I asked him what was the status, and this is what he said. “I warmed up the car till the temperature needle started to move. The clutch was just fine while I was doing some normal driving around the block. Then when I came to a stoplight, the shifter froze up and I couldn’t get into gear. I turned off the car, got into gear, and then I restarted the car only to have it lag during the launch. I towed the car back to the shop and I think I will have to remove the transmission again to see whether or not I did it correctly.”
While he was sitting in Goldie, he was tapping the clutch pedal and trying to shift. He said out loud, “how strange, the clutch pedal got hard again.” Then it hit me, I asked why the clutch pedal had no free play. I kept thinking what a strange clutch it was, because it would only grab when the pedal was 1-2 inches from being fully released. Normally, on a Honda, the clutch would grab once the pedal was halfway from being released. I then recalled asking a technician at the dealership regarding clutch engagements and he told me that its normal that the 240SX’s clutch would grab near the top. Since I had an incident with bad advice from the dealership, I completely disregarded everything that was said to me and went with my own gut instincts.
I then decided to further investigate the lack of free play on the clutch pedal. I found myself underneath the driver side of the dash looking up towards the push rod of the clutch master cylinder. One look at it and I knew it was installed incorrectly. The U-shaped clevis pin holder of the push rod was adjusted way too far forward. I was in utter disbelief when I saw it. I was an idiot to just blindly assume that work from the dealership was done correctly. Bringing this to the attention of my mechanic, it gave us a partial answer to the clutch riddle. The car runs fine when cold, but starts seizing up when warm. What could it be? After awhile of tinkering, it turned out that the U-shape clevis pin holder needed adjustment. It needed to be twisted back towards the middle of the treaded portion of the clutch master cylinder push rod while the car was running at operational temperature. The car was allowed to idle for about 20 minutes and then driven. With that fixed, the car drove perfectly. All the symptoms the clutch suffered from the previous installations were gone. Also, there was a 1-inch free-play on the clutch pedal that improved the feel and engagement of the pressure plate.
I was so pissed off that day. I was ready to take out my Calloway Big Bertha driver and start bashing the hell out of Goldie. I’ve had nothing but a string of bad luck since it’s maiden voyage home. I had already spent roughly $600 on labor and parts for a clutch that has failed on me twice. Later on that week, I got news that a friend of mine from high school recently opened up an auto repair shop. I remember working with him in 4th period auto shop class. Everybody knew he was going to be a mechanic, and sure enough that’s what he became. He has been in business for a month already, and judging from the hustle and bustle at his shop, he’s not doing so badly at all.
I called him up and talked to him about my situation. He told me to have Goldie towed down so he can check it out. I told him about the problems I have been encountering for the past 2 months and he recommended that I have the clutch changed again. Once he had the transmission removed, I saw the damage that I had done. The 2nd clutch disc was just flattened. I did, what it would take 1-2 years of normal driving to wear out a clutch disc in 5 minutes. Inside the bell housing after the transmission was removed, I saw clutch disc shavings from the abuse I inflicted. When I revved the hell out of the motor, I punished the flywheel so bad, that when my mechanic removed it from the block, we saw the hot spots that formed and a heat fracture near the center. Moreover, when I was analyzing the pressure plate for it’s grabbing capacities, I saw that there was still some grease. Even though it appeared that the pressure plate was carefully sprayed by brake cleaner, there was a residual build up that clung in the hard the reach spots in the pressure plate from the previous installation. Low in funds, I decided to purchase an OEM clutch from the dealership, and then have that installed by my mechanic. According to a phone call from my mechanic on the last Saturday of May, the installation was successful. Since it was near closing time, he had no time to test drive my car. He told me that I should check back on Monday for the status on the clutch situation.
Monday, the 2nd day of June came rolling by. I received a phone call early in the morning from my mechanic full of not-so-promising news. I quickly jumped out of bed and left the house in 15 minutes. I rushed down to his shop only to see Goldie parked in the corner. I asked him what was the status, and this is what he said. “I warmed up the car till the temperature needle started to move. The clutch was just fine while I was doing some normal driving around the block. Then when I came to a stoplight, the shifter froze up and I couldn’t get into gear. I turned off the car, got into gear, and then I restarted the car only to have it lag during the launch. I towed the car back to the shop and I think I will have to remove the transmission again to see whether or not I did it correctly.”
While he was sitting in Goldie, he was tapping the clutch pedal and trying to shift. He said out loud, “how strange, the clutch pedal got hard again.” Then it hit me, I asked why the clutch pedal had no free play. I kept thinking what a strange clutch it was, because it would only grab when the pedal was 1-2 inches from being fully released. Normally, on a Honda, the clutch would grab once the pedal was halfway from being released. I then recalled asking a technician at the dealership regarding clutch engagements and he told me that its normal that the 240SX’s clutch would grab near the top. Since I had an incident with bad advice from the dealership, I completely disregarded everything that was said to me and went with my own gut instincts.
I then decided to further investigate the lack of free play on the clutch pedal. I found myself underneath the driver side of the dash looking up towards the push rod of the clutch master cylinder. One look at it and I knew it was installed incorrectly. The U-shaped clevis pin holder of the push rod was adjusted way too far forward. I was in utter disbelief when I saw it. I was an idiot to just blindly assume that work from the dealership was done correctly. Bringing this to the attention of my mechanic, it gave us a partial answer to the clutch riddle. The car runs fine when cold, but starts seizing up when warm. What could it be? After awhile of tinkering, it turned out that the U-shape clevis pin holder needed adjustment. It needed to be twisted back towards the middle of the treaded portion of the clutch master cylinder push rod while the car was running at operational temperature. The car was allowed to idle for about 20 minutes and then driven. With that fixed, the car drove perfectly. All the symptoms the clutch suffered from the previous installations were gone. Also, there was a 1-inch free-play on the clutch pedal that improved the feel and engagement of the pressure plate.
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Holisticbeatz
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 6:09 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
Being the skeptical person that I am, I wanted my mechanic to allow the car to cool down. Then I wanted him to restart the car and drive it cold while it warmed up just for one final test. At that time, I left his shop and ended up getting to work late. Around sometime in the afternoon while I was eating my lunch I get a phone call from my mechanic. After listening to what he was said, my heart just froze. “Hey Kenny, bad news, I got hit. I was test-driving your car again when I drove it to my dad’s shop. I was testing to make sure the reverse was functioning properly in the parking lot. I then drove out of the parking lot into the middle of the turnout lane to get back into traffic. Just then, one of my dad’s friend inside a brand new 2003 Toyota Tundra came backing out of the parking lot hitting your car on the driver side door.” I was furious that that happened! Why of all places? I, once again, was numb all over and I even lost my appetite. The damage was extensive enough that the car will now require a new driver side door. On, the same day of the accident, the guy who backed into Goldie came by and dropped off $600 to cover for the damages inflicted. Not certain how much the totals would be for labor and painting of the new door, I told my mechanic that I wanted everything to look exactly the way it did prior to the accident, no more, no less.
The aftermath, I spent well over $800 in parts and labor for a job that should’ve been done for $300. I understand now that when it comes to fixing cars, shortcuts should be avoided, improvising doesn’t always work, and real tools are a must have. I should've been wary of where I got my advice from. Dealerships aren’t always the best places to go when something goes wrong with a car. The technicians at a service department aren't always specialist in the cars their dealerships sell. So far, my clutch problem has all but been a thing of the past. My hope is that anyone who will read this will learn from my experiences and apply caution when seeking advice.
Holisticbeatz
The aftermath, I spent well over $800 in parts and labor for a job that should’ve been done for $300. I understand now that when it comes to fixing cars, shortcuts should be avoided, improvising doesn’t always work, and real tools are a must have. I should've been wary of where I got my advice from. Dealerships aren’t always the best places to go when something goes wrong with a car. The technicians at a service department aren't always specialist in the cars their dealerships sell. So far, my clutch problem has all but been a thing of the past. My hope is that anyone who will read this will learn from my experiences and apply caution when seeking advice.
Holisticbeatz
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Kaioshin1982
- Posts: 1738
- Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2003 4:55 pm
- Car: Not a 240 =) Thinking of getting one again...
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rousie13
- Posts: 4106
- Joined: Fri May 09, 2003 5:55 pm
- Car: 2006 Nissan 350z Track Edition, 1997 Ford F250 4X4
- Location: Delaware, OH
Sorry to hear about your car, but glad you have it back to good running order. I don't trust a lot of garages anymore. I work at a car dealership and see what they do. I was also arguing with one garage on whether my car was fwd or rwd, and if I told them the correct year of my car. I prefer to do the work myself now.
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Cyberkreig
- Posts: 3048
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2002 4:40 pm
- Car: 1993 Nissan 240SX SR
- Contact:
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Former_240_s14
- Posts: 1943
- Joined: Thu Nov 07, 2002 7:34 pm
- Car: 07 BMW 335i Coupe
- Contact:
The first time I changed the clutch in my 240, I couldn't believe how easy it was to do. I've got good tools and have been wrenching on cars/bikes for years. The install was no problem.......then I spent 3 days trying to bleed the system, only to realize as I was at my wits end that the clutch pedal to master cylinder rod was not adjusted properly. 5 minutes later I was mobile. Hint for removing the top bolts on the transmission....Get about 4 or 5 feet of extensions and stab at the bolts from waaay back by the split in the driveshaft. Airtools make it a really easy job. It should only take about 45 minutes to pull the trans once you get the hang of it. I find it necessary to have a buddy help me puttin it back in (since I'm always doin it on the ground) to help twist the trans the way it needs to go to stab it.
All in all, I find the 240 to be a very easy car to work on (knockin' on some serious wood right now too:eek: )When changing a clutch, always change all the parts, clutch plate, pressure plate, throw out bearing , and pilot shaft bearing. Doesn't hurt to get the flywheel turned, too. If you buy an aftermarket clutch from your local retailer (but not Autocrapzone), you get everything in one box. You can't buy separate clutch plates and throw out bearings anymore from most places for an oem style clutch. For a stock car, these clutches are fine. The last one I put in was a Borg Warner from O'Rielly I think) and it's done fine.
Also, if your ride's got a few miles, go ahead and change the pivot shaft ball, which is a $5 piece that the throw-out lever in the transmission rest on. I had to pull my trans just to change this piece.
All in all, I find the 240 to be a very easy car to work on (knockin' on some serious wood right now too:eek: )When changing a clutch, always change all the parts, clutch plate, pressure plate, throw out bearing , and pilot shaft bearing. Doesn't hurt to get the flywheel turned, too. If you buy an aftermarket clutch from your local retailer (but not Autocrapzone), you get everything in one box. You can't buy separate clutch plates and throw out bearings anymore from most places for an oem style clutch. For a stock car, these clutches are fine. The last one I put in was a Borg Warner from O'Rielly I think) and it's done fine.
Also, if your ride's got a few miles, go ahead and change the pivot shaft ball, which is a $5 piece that the throw-out lever in the transmission rest on. I had to pull my trans just to change this piece.
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Holisticbeatz
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2003 6:09 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
Yep, so now I have my car in working order, I can finally make it to the So. Cal meets. The curse of the 240SX? Yea, there's definately something in the air. Now with the clutch problem out of the way, there are a few more little "gremlins" I have yet to work out.
Zebra: I actually thought it was going to take only 1/2 a page. But when I started typing, I had no idea I was going to end up this long.
Anand: It's the ends that matter, but the route is just as important.
Slow: Yea, hopefully no bolts will be flying from underneath my car. I made sure I used loctite on the threads.
Tino: It was a fake location I made up when I first registered with NICO.
I also like to add that since I my car was in the bodyshop, I had the driver side from the fender to the rear quarter panel all painted with a fresh coat. Also, the guys at the bodyshop removed that "racing stripe" that ran across the sides of my car. So its funny how I went in for a clutch job and left with a new door and paint.
Zebra: I actually thought it was going to take only 1/2 a page. But when I started typing, I had no idea I was going to end up this long.
Anand: It's the ends that matter, but the route is just as important.
Slow: Yea, hopefully no bolts will be flying from underneath my car. I made sure I used loctite on the threads.
Tino: It was a fake location I made up when I first registered with NICO.
I also like to add that since I my car was in the bodyshop, I had the driver side from the fender to the rear quarter panel all painted with a fresh coat. Also, the guys at the bodyshop removed that "racing stripe" that ran across the sides of my car. So its funny how I went in for a clutch job and left with a new door and paint.
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krazy skwerel
- Posts: 4488
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2003 7:48 pm
- Car: 1989 240SX Coupe down for the count
2005 Honda Accord
1974 Ford Mustang II - Location: Middle Tennessee
- Contact:
yeah man i cant keep my freaking exhaust on ! either my Down pipe unbolts it self, or the "cat" unbolts it self! the rear hanger broke off the frame from rust!, bolts are the least of the things that have flown out, try a few screw drivers, ones i never seen before in my lifE. an adjustable wrench like a month after the instal im crusuisin and hear a couple thuds and plink plink i turn around and it there it was i was like WTF .
