Adelard of Bath Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I actually haven't been driving the Pathfinder all that much lately, but just hit some 10+ degree days in the ole Minnesota here, and I fired it up this evening and was surprised to find, among other things, the clutch pedal was very thick to push, and when I let off it came out slowly...eventually went away after some driving but I didn't really like it...so I got to thinking, does anyone ever change the hydraulic clutch fluid? It is just a miniature brake system and you have to change that fluid, so what about the clutch? I have never ever heard anyone say anything about it though, for any car ever. Well except one guy on an old toyota I helped him flush out his clutch slave cyl in the middle of the nevada desert cuz he dind't like the way the clutch "felt" hehehehheh but aside from that.... And also, all the oil felt very thick and cold....the truck didn't want to roll easily around the driveway like it usually does, and the tranny was very stiff....truck has like 115k miles on it and as far as I know, those fluids have never been changed, although I have checked them all recently and they are nice and full. Should I change those? Is it the kind of thing where if the fluids were new, they wouldn't get so thick? I don't feel the cold effects nearly so much in other cars I drive; some, but not too much. Oh and if anyone here with more knowledge than me knows the answer to this non-Pathy question, I would like to hear it: I have this junkyard-ready toyota with a manual tranny that is totally shot, and alot of times it is hard to get the thing into first gear or sometimes second, until I drive it alot...anyone konw if I could drain that thing and put some thinner fluid in there or anything? i'm not too worried cuz like I said, well....it SHOULD be in the junkyard now but I am stringing it along like that dude on tv all the time living in the hospital bed with tubes in him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Hey Adelard. Oils are oils and break down. Do you change your engine oil ? If the truck has 115K on it, and you don't know if/when the oils have been changed, change them. The tranny/diff's/cylinders like this.... The regular change interval for most of the fluids is 30k miles. Thicker oil will make things feel different when cold, but I have never heard of this with brake/clutch fluid. By theory, if your clutch is releasing slow, then your brakes would do the same. sounds like something is binding or something. First step is changing ALL fluids. This is what I did with my truck to start a maintence schedule, and treat it nice. Your manual will tell you what and how much of anything to put in, and if there is a viscosity range, go with the lighter stuff in the winter... Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reido Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Heh sounds a bit familiar. My pathy feels like a real POS when it's cold. Idles at 2k, I have to double clutch most of the gears, and the exaust leak / manifold bolts are pretty loud. Anyways the main reason for changing out brake fluid is because over time it will absorb water vapor from the air. Of course water boils easily so it could become a problem around hot brakes. Maybe your clutch fluid is freezing :confused:... Seems far fetched to me too. I'd actually just drain the system and see if the slave or master cylinder are at fault by moving them by hand. With the Toyota I don't have an answer, but before you take it to the junkyard be sure to absolutely trash it off road. I mean make sure you have to take it to the junkyard on a flatbed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adelard of Bath Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 I'm working on it, but I'm scared of the body breaking in half while I am in the middle of nowhere! (unibody, so much you would have a heart attack, I had to fabricate new mounts for the linkages on the axle and find a place to weld them to the body...or what's left of it) As for the oils in my Pathy, I've probably had the truck not quite 30k, and I would have to assume that the dealer didn't change them all before I bought it, so I suppose it is about that time. Sadly, I don't have a manual! It was missing, which is too bad cuz it probably would have been French and fun to pretend to read...the buttons on the power windows and stuff are in french cuz the truck came from Canada, and the speedo is in km/hr with the mph in the small inner ring, I like it, it starts conversations But I DO have a Haynes, is the oil weight/type info in there reliable? Sometimes that book is totally useless...And I have read on here in other subjects that if you don't get just the exact type of oil in your tranny or whatever you will be in serious trouble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NissanPerson Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 Northern or Southern Minnesota? I'm in the state either West or Northwest of you. Depending on your Minnesota location. I change my fluids regularly and when it's below 20 degrees the car feels a lot different. Power steering, brakes, tranny, everything is slow. This weekend it was lows of like -10 here (not that cold but cold enough for me) and I started my '92 Pathy and let it warm up for about 5-10 minutes. Then, got in, put it in neutral (normally rolls back) and got nothing...so I put it in reverse and backed up and then took off. Tranny shifts really hard until it gets warmed up and you can feel everything is stiff as a board. It does it with any car. The only way to prevent it is to keep your cars garaged. That's why I run synthetic 5W-30 in my Pathy, too. There are all kinds of opinions on synth/regular oil but when "relatively warm" can be -10 for a high sometimes I'm going with what is thinner. And, if people don't believe me, take a jelly jar and put synthetic 5w-30 in one and regular 5w-30 in the other. Then, set them outside overnight on a cold night. When you wake up to get your paper, turn them upside down and see which one actually moves. Synthetic, every time. I figure that extra couple seconds could save on my engine over time. My buddy has a Camry (manual) and his clutch does the same thing. So, don't worry about it, but I would change the fluids at some point. Couldn't hurt. Stay warm...wait, I sure hope you don't cheer for the Purple Chokers. Lions should've won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adelard of Bath Posted December 20, 2004 Author Share Posted December 20, 2004 I would be in the southern part of the state, Rochester to be precise, and actually I do my best to remain ignorant of the whole "sports" thing hee hee! But it is interesting to hear others have the thickness problem (i have a personal thickness problem as well, i blame it on cookies!) but I should see about changing my oils anyway as it has been long enough. Except for the engine, just did that...although it does crank kinda slow maybe I should change that to something thinner like you said...I think I put 10-30 in it last time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 I'm working on it, but I'm scared of the body breaking in half while I am in the middle of nowhere! (unibody, so much you would have a heart attack, I had to fabricate new mounts for the linkages on the axle and find a place to weld them to the body...or what's left of it) As for the oils in my Pathy, I've probably had the truck not quite 30k, and I would have to assume that the dealer didn't change them all before I bought it, so I suppose it is about that time. Sadly, I don't have a manual! It was missing, which is too bad cuz it probably would have been French and fun to pretend to read...the buttons on the power windows and stuff are in french cuz the truck came from Canada, and the speedo is in km/hr with the mph in the small inner ring, I like it, it starts conversations But I DO have a Haynes, is the oil weight/type info in there reliable? Sometimes that book is totally useless...And I have read on here in other subjects that if you don't get just the exact type of oil in your tranny or whatever you will be in serious trouble 30k with no oil change... man you're pushing it even by manufcturer standards... Nissan recommends 5w30 in the V6.... i run 10w30 but would run thinner if i was in MN... look into synthetics. they are so good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TI RENagade Posted December 20, 2004 Share Posted December 20, 2004 You think oil is a problem. No Joke. I live in Northern Ontario in Canada, and this morning it was -35 celsius. First you have to get your vehicle started. Have you ever had to plug in your pathy? I bet a lot of people here aren't too familiar with their block heaters! Lucky souls! When I left the driveway this morning my tires felt like they were square. My seat felt like it was made of concreate. Do the normal run to the truck (cause yer frozen, of course!), jump on the seat and find that it has no give like it normally does. Loads of fun. I start my truck and it clacks like a bugger. 5W30 oil??? MOST DEFENANTLY! Changing it? IMPARRATIVE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NissanPerson Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 We're supposed to have highs of -5F for a couple of days. Nothing compared to last year where for a week our HIGHS didn't get above like -25F. Lows of -35 to -40F. My car shot oil out of the engine one of those mornings...right past the seals. Big 'ol puddle on the ground. It sucks too, cause everything breaks in the cold. Then it's so cold you can't fix it. Plugging in my Pathy every night this week. Only way to go. The part I love best about the cold is the 11-13 MPG. OH YEAH! Gotta have an Optima battery...they start in anything. The thing I like most about getting in a cold car is sitting in the seat. It's like you're wrapped in a giant ice cube. I cringe every time right before I sit down. Gloves are a must...otherwise the wheel is like holding onto a piece of frozen beef...your hands go numb after about 15 seconds. What else...hmmm...Anyway, that's about it I guess. OH! When you get snow on your shoes and the heater heats it enough to melt but then it freezes a bit and your foot slips all over the gas pedal. Now that's fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 LOL TI REN and NP, why in the world do you live there ?? I'm spoiled here in California (yes, I know) but I cant even imagine dealing with temperature like that on a regular basis... I grumble when I see frost ! Actually, -35C is about -25F so it sounds like you might as well be neighbors. I had someone visit my work from Minnesota in the winter and he loved the 50 degree weather. Then he stated that 2 weeks in fall MN was the most beautiful place in the US; I asked him what he did the other 50... Hang in there !! Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adelard of Bath Posted December 21, 2004 Author Share Posted December 21, 2004 Well I certainly am not pretending that Minnesota gets as cold as North Dakota or Canada...I just haven't felt the whole "super slow clutch" thing before... And just so everyone can sleep better at night, I do change motor oil regularly, so I am not driving around with 30k on my motor oil...that would be bad! Speaking of your foot sliding on the pedal....my old 79 volvo is missing the rubber on the clutch pedal....if there is one snowflake on your shoe, you have to be super careful not to have your foot slide off that clutch and launch the car into a wall or another car or something!! Oh speaking of the 79 Volvo, it has manual tranny and solid rear axle, not unlike the Pathfinder....but when I drive it in the exact same weather as when people say their manual trans is super stiff and the axles don't want to roll in the driveway? I can't tell any difference from when I drive it and it is 90 degrees out. THAT is why I started this whole thread....cuz obviously yes, oil gets thicker as it gets colder, that's why they call it "oil"....and thicker means more friction...but I don't notice it in any other car as much as I do in the Pathfinder and I wanted to see what others thought. But I guess the old Volvo doesn't have a hydraulic clutch, just a cable, so I wouldn't have a problem with that....and no power steering hee hee but it rolls around the driveway just fine, and the tires don't get square, (I noticed that in my pathy yesterday too) and the seat stays soft... Maybe since it was engineered in Sweden heh During the six months of darkness. wee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted December 21, 2004 Share Posted December 21, 2004 It's not just the fluids...it's also the linkages, slave and master cylinder walls/seals, bearings, pivot points...everything shrinks a little when it cools down a significant amount. Add everything shrinking a little together and you end up with one tightly knit set of moving parts until they warm up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 And just so everyone can sleep better at night, I do change motor oil regularly, so I am not driving around with 30k on my motor oil...that would be bad! oh, thank you.. ... and to add one thing to 88's great comment: you also have frost (frozen water) on all the external parts (linkages...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 In actuality, due to the different coefficient of thermal expansion of various materials, some joints, pivots, etc will loosen, some will stay the same, and some will tighten up... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NissanPerson Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Find me the material that loosens and I'm going to replace my muscles with it. That way I won't shiver so much in the subzero temps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted December 26, 2004 Share Posted December 26, 2004 LOL NP, I was talking about assemblies with different materials... Water expands at freezing but doesn't loosen so that's no good... Ahh, I believe the russians have the answer !!! VODKA, the human antifreeze !!! Well sort of; you can still freeze, you just dont care... And it will definitely loosen up you muscles if you drink enough (and bowels, and bladder, and mouth) !! :bow: Best I can do is advise you to move. It was 60+F here most of the week (unusually warm). Hang in there bud... Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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