tmorgan4 Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 After listening to the throwout bearing making more and more noise everyday I drive the car I've decided it's time to get it fixed. I'm most likely going with a Centerforce Dual-Friction setup, and want to know what else should be replaced while the shop is in there. I won't be doing the work, so I need some opinions on what to let the shop know to replace. I'm not sure whether the Centerforce kit includes a new throwout bearing and other misc. parts. Would you reccomend using OEM parts for everything besides the clutch setup? I've considered using all OEM parts, but planning on larger tires and such leads me to want the Centerforce. I read about the older Pathfinders needing the rear seal replaced, not sure whether it's necessary on the R50. I'll have the flywheel machined when it's off unless I find an aftermarket one. I'll likely be supplying all the parts, so I'd like to have EVERYTHING I need to bring to the shop. If anyone has a list it would be awesome! How many hours should I expect the shop to charge me for? Any help is greatly appreciated! :bow: Tyler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OR99.5Speed Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) I used all OEM parts. Clutch disc, TO bearing, pressure plate. Also resurfaced flywheel. I bought the stuff from Dave at North Texas Nissan, I think I only paid about $276 or something for the parts. The "clutch kit", which was no-name, was $100 cheaper, but for all of the labor I wanted to do it right the first time. I hired a mechanic to do it all, 5 hours of labor. It's tough because it's a two-man job when the T-case comes out. Also was peeved at the mechanic, because when they removed the heat shields they left one loose, rattling like hell. My exhaust at idle now sounds a little throatier, but I kinda like it...I guess they left off a shield. Works great but the pedal still doesn't feel like others with fewer miles, kinda stiff with long travel. My truck is very, very difficult to drive smoothly. Is yours difficult to drive smoothly? My gearbox also has a bit of play. :sniff: Edited March 28, 2006 by OR99.5Speed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 I'm curious why you're considering the Centerforce? I've heard pretty mixed reviews. As of now, I'm thinking I'll go OE replacement. The original is still holding up after 200K miles... Seems like it would be hard to beat that kind of reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OR99.5Speed Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 As of now, I'm thinking I'll go OE replacement. The original is still holding up after 200K miles... Seems like it would be hard to beat that kind of reliability. 200k miles? That's just insane!!! Dave Burnette at the Nissan dealer in Austin where I order my parts said that around 100k clutch replacement is normal for our trucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted March 28, 2006 Author Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) Thanks for the responses. I just visited the dealer and another shop around here and both quoted $840 for labor. :oops: I was looking at the Centerforce since it's made for off-road vehicles and is built to put up with larger tires and the stress these things put up with. I'm planning on 33's in the future, and I'm not sure how long the OEM clutches last when under lots of abuse. Both the dealer and shop told me to be careful when using the Centerforce since if it is installed and falls apart $100 down the road, I get to pay another $900 to install the new one. The OEM carries a 1 year/12000 warranty. Once I figure in machining the flywheel, it looks like it'll be about $1300-1400 depending on whether I use OEM or CF parts. I've heard the CF I and II are crap, but anyone have any experience with any CF clutches? Thanks! OR: Are you sure it was only 5 hours of work? The dealer said it's an 11 hour job. Edited March 28, 2006 by tmorgan4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OR99.5Speed Posted March 28, 2006 Share Posted March 28, 2006 Thanks for the responses. I just visited the dealer and another shop around here and both quoted $840 for labor. :oops: I was looking at the Centerforce since it's made for off-road vehicles and is built to put up with larger tires and the stress these things put up with. I'm planning on 33's in the future, and I'm not sure how long the OEM clutches last when under lots of abuse. Both the dealer and shop told me to be careful when using the Centerforce since if it is installed and falls apart $100 down the road, I get to pay another $900 to install the new one. The OEM carries a 1 year/12000 warranty. Once I figure in machining the flywheel, it looks like it'll be about $1300-1400 depending on whether I use OEM or CF parts. I've heard the CF I and II are crap, but anyone have any experience with any CF clutches? Thanks! OR: Are you sure it was only 5 hours of work? The dealer said it's an 11 hour job. Hmm...it might have been eight...I have the memory of an 80 year-old woman...it's the college drinking life. You know what? It was a shop out in the boonies. $55/hour for labor, and the labor total was around $500 I think...I might have the reciept in the truck so I could find out tommorow (it's ridiculously far away right now ) Let me check on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted March 28, 2006 Author Share Posted March 28, 2006 After doing a little bit more research, I'm a bit hesistant to get a Centerforce. I looked at quite a few import boards with guys running much more HP than I ever will, but they all complained they they either fell apart of slip; not quite what I'm looking for. Are there any other performance options? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Does anyone know the limit of the stock clutch? My impression is that it has quite a bit of reserve holding power - I do not recall anyone having problems even with the typical upgrades we do. Like most manufacturers, Nissan would probably use common components across multiple vehicles to minimize costs. And since the Pathy probably has the lowest power output of all their V6 applications, the stocker may be pretty overkill already? Anyone know details of commonality of our clutch components as compared to, say, the 300ZX from similar years? Yesterday, I was towing a large tandem axle flatbed with a full size van carcass on it. With my Pathy with 200K miles on the clutch. No problems! I was quite impressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 I was just on the Exedy website which is the OEM clutch for our Nissans. I should compare some part numbers to other models and see if they match up. Suprisingly, they had a seperate part # for 96-99, 2000, 2001, and 2002+ if I remember correctly. All the other manufactures have listed all these years as the same part number. The guide also says "performance options available" but doesn't list them. I figure if the stock clutches are Exedy and work well, a performance Exedy might be something to look into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Hmm, just crashed around Rock Auto for a while.. The clutch in my '87 uses a Beck-Arnley kit 0619119... which is also used in the '87 300ZX Turbo (but not 300ZX non turbo)... So I'd say the stock '87 is, umm, more than capable! But on your 2000, it usesa Beck-Arnley kit 0619360 ($214, BTW) which I didn't find used in any other applications in my 5 minute search. The last models of 300ZX turbo used a different clutch kit. I'd recommend crashing around the site some more to find more info. They all appear to be the same size - 250mm, 24 spline. Maybe a late model 300ZX turbo clutch will fit yours? That should be PLENTY of holding power for whatever you have planned... albeit at higher pedal force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I was just on the Exedy website which is the OEM clutch for our Nissans. I should compare some part numbers to other models and see if they match up. Suprisingly, they had a seperate part # for 96-99, 2000, 2001, and 2002+ if I remember correctly. All the other manufactures have listed all these years as the same part number. The guide also says "performance options available" but doesn't list them. I figure if the stock clutches are Exedy and work well, a performance Exedy might be something to look into. OE or OEM? OE = This specific part was used as Original Equipment on this vehicle. OEM = This part was manufactured by an Original Equipment Manufacturer -somebody who also manufactures parts for Nissan. This part may be identical to a part used by Nissan in this same vehicle, or maybe in another vehicle, or it may even be completely different from what Nissan used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordsho90 Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I had a centerforce II clutch of my 73 bronco and never had problem with mine but I had 38" tires on my bronco so it was more need over oe clutch the only thing I didnt like about it was that your left leg will be stronger then your right and I even put milder springs in it...........but like what was stated for our normal mods a stocker should be just fine I have 160,000+ on the original clutch and it still has a fair amount of life left in it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OR99.5Speed Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I was just on the Exedy website which is the OEM clutch for our Nissans. I should compare some part numbers to other models and see if they match up. Suprisingly, they had a seperate part # for 96-99, 2000, 2001, and 2002+ if I remember correctly. All the other manufactures have listed all these years as the same part number. The guide also says "performance options available" but doesn't list them. I figure if the stock clutches are Exedy and work well, a performance Exedy might be something to look into. Tmorgan, please please please call up my parts guy Dave Burnette. He knows EVERYTHING about Nissans,and was very informative in my search for a good clutch. He told me that Exedy is just a packaging corportation, i.e. they take Brand X or whatever, package it, and sell it to you as an Exedy clutch. Dave B. can tell you more about this than I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 What would be the best way to get in touch with this guy? I'd never heard that about the Exedys before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Unless you are a cultch abuser, have more HP or do funky things with huge tires, I vote for the OE or OEM clutch (I drive a WD21). Bang for buck, I've always had good luck with them, and if I have to pull the tranny every 100-150k miles, no biggie. Yes, it's a chore, but thats a lot of driving and I know it was done right. Make sure to resurface/replace the flywheel, new clutch plate, pressure plate, throw out bearing (I replaced the sleeve and spring for an extra $25), inspect/replace (I didn't) the pilot bushing, inspect the rear main seal on the motor and the input shaft seal. Clean out the bell housing, replace the clutch fluid, adjust the petal height and clean the slave cylinder seals. Thats a complete clutch job that will keep you on the road for a long time. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OR99.5Speed Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 (edited) Just to let the Pathfinder community know this, we are also a Maxima owner. On www.maxima.org, there is a member named Dave Burnette. Dave works at South Point Nissan in Austin, TX as a parts man. He is second to none in Nissan knowledge and is one of the nicest people you will deal with. He is a legend on the Maxima community, everyone orders from him and everyone has been more than satisfied. He has the LOWEST prices! Maxima Forums If you need any OE Nissan parts, call Dave Burnette at (888) 254-6060. Edited March 30, 2006 by OR99.5Speed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted April 9, 2006 Author Share Posted April 9, 2006 I just got the Pathfinder back from the dealer yesterday and ended up putting a stock clutch back in. I expected the pedal to be stiffer when new, but it goes in so much easier now it's unbelieveable. I feel like I'm learning to drive a stick all over again. Now, I just noticed for the first time after I got it back that at speeds about 50mph I get a subtle shaking throughout the vehicle. I thought it was just me but all my passengers noticed it as well. I had never noticed it before, and now wonder if it is something to do with the clutch. It seems odd that it would be at speeds 50mph and up, and it only gets worse the faster you go. The engine is still turning the same RPM as it does when I'm going slower, so could this be anything to do with the clutch not being balanced or aligned correctly? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I suppose so... But I have not experienced this my self. Perhaps they did not clock the universal joints on the drive train ? Maybe they forgot to tighten the tranny mount bolt... It may be nothing, I have no idea. Call the dealer. Good luck. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_RI Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 So OR99.5Speed, did you put a stock nissan clutch in your truck? I'm curious as to what that guy Dave had to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 The first thing I would check is what P suggested - rotate the driveshaft 180 degrees. They had to take one of the u-joints loose - remove it again and rotate 180. MOST of the time it won't make any difference, but sometimes it will! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmorgan4 Posted April 14, 2006 Author Share Posted April 14, 2006 Never heard of "clocking" the joints on there before. Just unbolt it and rotate it 180*? What kind of problems does this cause if they aren't clocked right, the same ones im describing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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