soft and mushy clutch pedal

[WILDACEX187]

i just installed my sr into my car. did a ss clutch line and new hard line. i bled the clutch. now the question is that my pedal feels softer than it did with my ka. is that cuz of the pressure plate (didnt get a new clutch, used the one from the swap)? or is it cuz my clutch was pumped a couple of times when it had no fluid? (because we didnt know the hardline was leaking). im hoping its the clutch cylinder but im not sure. any help?

[kandyflip445]

Did you rebleed after you found out you had no fluid?

[NIK90s13]

Rebleed your clutch to be extra sure it doesn't have any air in the lines. Check the end play on the clutch peddal. See how that works out and let us know.

[g6civcx]

Well, let's go through the system.

1. Check the clutch pedal assembly. Sometimes the weld breaks and the pedal moves laterally. Poke your head down there and jiggle the pedal with your hands. Check for correct operation and make sure the pedal moves smoothly in and out. There should be very little side to side movement.

2. Check your clutch master cylinder. If it has never been changed before, this is a likely culprit. Check for leaks around the reservoir and under the dash. If it's bad, replace it with an OEM unit from the Nissan dealer. Accept no substitute.

3. Check your hardline connections. Make sure you used a flared nut wrench and tightened the connections securely. What you could do is get a braided clutch line that will replace your hard line. That will take care of any kinking that may happen.

Did you bypass the clutch damper box? If not read this: http://www.zeroyon.com/index/content/view/32/47/

It would be easier with a braided replacement line since you won't have to bend it.

4. Check your slave cylinder. Did you bleed correctly? Is it leaking? Any visible sign of damage? So on and so forth. If it's crrappy replace it.

So far I'm still undecided on which is the best replacement for the slave, OEM or Nismo, but check it out.

If everything loks good bleed and bleed and bleed. If you still have the clutch damper it will be 1000 times harder to bleed, and you'll need a pressure bleeder. Ditch it and it should be easier to bleed.

Good luck.

[WILDACEX187]

ok well when i was pumping the clutch with no fluid is when i had a leaky line (one that goes along the firewall down to slave). the cylinder has never been replaced by me and i cant speak for previous owner. when i noticed that the line along the firewall was leaking i went to nissan and got a brand new one for 11 bux. replaced it. bled the system through my new slave cylinder until all i got was fluid coming out. when i turned on the car i noticed that it was engaging really low on the pedal, it was also mushy at this time. my friend suggested to adjust the rod on the cylinder to bring up the engagement and that that should also fix the mushy pedal. well it did make the engagement further up and better but the pedal is still mushy.

now i remember that a pump pumping air when it suppose to pump fluid will kill it so im thinking its the same thing with my cylinder. just need comfirmation before i spend the money.

[g6civcx]

The master cylinder actually isn't that expensive. It should only cost about $30 to $50 max.

I don't know what to tell you because I can't see it. Maybe you can take it into a shop for a free estimate. Even if they charged you to bleed, it shouldn't cost that much since they have machines that can bleed it. Anything bad should be exposed when they hook up the machine and they can tell you what needs fixing.

[c2autoinc]

Air can get trapped it the clutch dmpner box, these clutches are hard to bleed.... there should be a bleeder screw on the box too. Some people bypass the box, but if you take your time you can get it bled.

Just noticed g6civcx talked about the clutch dampner too... i got mine bled without a pressure bleeder, but he's right it is quite difficult

[WILDACEX187]

oops i forgot to mention that i dont have the dampener either. thanx for the suggestions guys. im going to change the cylinder.

[jdm_s14_zenki]

clutch lines are a pain to bleed..it took me a real long time to do mine. just gotta keep pumping and make sure the fittings arent leaking air. autozone's cheap ass slaves suck ass and leak. you can use like a 89 300zx slave. to fit it just add a few washers on the mounting bolts. its much stronger then the 240sx ones. i havent had any probs yet. I ussed to always have probs with the 240 ones.

Get pep boys brand.

[g6civcx]

oops i forgot to mention that i dont have the dampener either. thanx for the suggestions guys. im going to change the cylinder.

One of my pet peeves... dampener = something that makes something else damp/wet. damper = something that dampens/lessens.

I love English :)

[NemeGuero]

Try rebleeding..

if the problem persists, swap out the cylinder.

[jdm_s14_zenki]

pep boys brand slave. and you might as well get the 300zx turbo (87-91 i believe) its probably the same price.the piston is a lot stronger. trust me, your clutch pedal will feel much better. dont forget to add washers to the mounting bolts to lift the cylinder to an equal height of the clutch lever thingy.

[NemeGuero]

pep boys brand slave. and you might as well get the 300zx turbo (87-91 i believe) its probably the same price.the piston is a lot stronger. trust me, your clutch pedal will feel much better. dont forget to add washers to the mounting bolts to lift the cylinder to an equal height of the clutch lever thingy.
clutch lines are a pain to bleed..it took me a real long time to do mine. just gotta keep pumping and make sure the fittings arent leaking air. autozone's cheap ass slaves suck ass and leak. you can use like a 89 300zx slave. to fit it just add a few washers on the mounting bolts. its much stronger then the 240sx ones. i havent had any probs yet. I ussed to always have probs with the 240 ones.

Get pep boys brand.
it needed to be said 2X?

[jdm_s14_zenki]

sorry, brain fart.

[94cc0rd]

sorry to hijack this thread but I'm having a slight problem with my clutch and this was the closest recent thread to it.

When I press my clutch in, there is an excessive amount of play, about 3 inches of play before the clutch engages. Then it doesn't "grab" as well as it did before this started happening. I got my car about 10k miles ago and there was about 1/2" to 1" of play and now it's at about 3". I'm just wondering what I need to replace or what I need to do?

for some backround info, my car is a 98' with 109k miles.

[NemeGuero]

Yah, try the same things. Rebleed and if it still happens, your cylinder is failing.

[94cc0rd]

So how much is a replacement cylinder? Also, could you be a little more specific? I'm under the impression that there is more than one "cylinder" like master or slave. Or is there only one clutch cylinder?

[NemeGuero]

It would be the master for pedal feel not springing back. The slave would cause clutch grab issues.
So replace the master cylinder.

Ebay has them pretty cheap, or just get OEM. www.courtesyparts.com www.performancenissan.com

[NIK90s13]

So how much is a replacement cylinder? Also, could you be a little more specific? I'm under the impression that there is more than one "cylinder" like master or slave. Or is there only one clutch cylinder?
You have a master cylinder, and a slave cylinder, you'll have to call to see how much one cost localy, or look on line. Bleed your slave cylinder, check to see if the clutch feels any better, check and ajust the pedal for end play befor you buy anything.
Quick question, Is your fluid low, are there any leaks in your clutch system?

[94cc0rd]

I have no idea how much fluid there is and I don't think there are any leaks.

But the weird thing is, when I was driving today, the clutch felt normal again, meaning there was about 1 inch of play and then it engaged and grabbed like normal...

I don't get this because I drove my car for an hour so it's not something that happens just when my car is cold or something... then I parked for about 3 hours, and then drove like 15 minutes and the clutch felt normal... then parked for another 5-6 hours and drove again and it felt normal..

[NIK90s13]

'' 94cc0rd''So it's perodic? A hit and miss, sometimes deal? First check your clutch fluid, it's on the firewall/driver's side right by the brake master cylinder, fill it with brake fluid. If it was all the way down, then you need to bleed the system. Then check end play on the clutch pedal. Check what was stated in this thread, I'm not trying to repeat the already stated, but if all the checking above doesn't help, then I agree with everyone here on replacing the clutch master cylindar. To you as well ''wildace''

[NemeGuero]

Periodic sounds like a failing MC to me.