Clutch damper bypass/delete for 2016 Versa Note?

The Nissan Versa Tech Discussion forum is the place to discuss Versa performance modifications and maintenance.
karniverse
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2024 2:54 am
Car: 2016 Nissan Versa Note 5MT

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So after so much frustration and research, I finally found out why my manual driving experience has been so inconsistent with my Note. Otherwise I absolutely love the lil hatch & that it is a manual, but I found it so hard to start in first compared to my last manual prelude & civic. I thought it was from the very sensitive throttle pedal, but I think it's actually from the damper valve. Today was the first time I had to park it in the outdoor AZ heat on a 110 degree day for about 10 hours. s*** was HOT. But importantly the clutch felt a lot spongier and irresponsive. The summer heat did weird things to all my cars but anything that makes the clutch feel weird worries me.

I was wondering if anyone has a guide or experience in bypassing the valve on the Versa? And also if there is any downsides to removing it? I'm fairly certain the 90's hondas I drove before didn't have one and I feel like i'd enjoy the driving experience more with a direct connection.


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VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 10819
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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The damper is located midway between the master and slave, I think you should be able to bypass it just by putting a compression union in the line and bleeding the system. It doesn't pressurize to zillions of psi like a brake line, so it shouldn't be very critical what sort of hardware you use to mate the lines.

Note Clutch Hydraulics.jpg

karniverse
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2024 2:54 am
Car: 2016 Nissan Versa Note 5MT

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VStar650CL wrote:
Fri Jun 20, 2025 5:43 am
The damper is located midway between the master and slave, I think you should be able to bypass it just by putting a compression union in the line and bleeding the system. It doesn't pressurize to zillions of psi like a brake line, so it shouldn't be very critical what sort of hardware you use to mate the lines.


Note Clutch Hydraulics.jpg
Thank you so much!! It looked like a simple patch but I wasn't sure what to call that linkage part, now i know to search for compression union! By any chance, do you know if a female to female is needed? I'm not sure what thread size it uses but I'm sure I could find it in that service manual. Also is there any reason not to do a bypass if I know how to use the clutch properly (IE not dropping it super fast)? I'm pretty sure all my manuals before were a direct connection & I think it will help with the inconsistent feel & extreme heat here, I hear it's also easier to bleed the system without the damper

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VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 10819
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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The fittings used are all push-locks, similar to common pneumatic ones. I'd imagine you could use brass ferrules, too. Anything that will work at air-compressor pressures and chemically resist brake fluid should do fine.


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