The_MuffinMan25

So after driving in traffic for atleast 45 min in the heat I arrived at the Sacramento Raceway. Less than 30 minutes after arriving I was able to make my first pass. I tried to light my tires up before I lined up. I revved to 3500-4000rpm and dropped the clutch all my car did was move forward I saw some smoke I knew I had just burned my clutch some. (I have 10" wide tires in the rear last time I went to the track I got them to spin a bit). First run was crap I launced @ 2500 since thats where I will start boosting if I'm accelerating and I launched terrible ran a 14.1 (2 months ago without testpipes and exhaust ran a 13.6) So my second run I didn't try to light the tires up since my car rank of clutch. I lined up and I got my car to around 3500 and kept tapping the gas when the tree lights went I made sure I was on it and took off around 3500-4000rpm. I thought my tires spun all the way through 1st I shifted into second and tach went like 300 rpm below redline it held there then I felt like I had power/traction my tach rpms started to go back down slowly as I got going, then caught up to my car and went to redline and I shifted into third and I finished another 14.1 I was highly dissapointed. I was happy my tires actually spun so I knew I actually had power but I knew what ever happened in 2nd was my clutch. When I got back in the row my friend told me My tires didnt spin at all it was just my clutch slipping hella bad. I was pissed because I figured it was because I had tried to spin my tires the first pass and burned my clutch.

Afterwards I launched tapping the gas around 2500rpm and everything was fine no clutch slip or anything ran a 13.7 so I was getting back to doing something right. Last run I tapped the gas around 3-3500rpm I believe my tires spun a bit and I still finished @ 13.7 I was pissed that I had to baby it since I cant really afford to do a clutch right now. Also that with testpipes and exhaust I wasnt able to see a difference (since I had the issue and then had to baby it.)

Question is the last two runs clutch seemed fine though I wasnt going to risk it. Drive home last night and today back and forth from work car drove fine clutch seems just like it did before.

Is it possible that I just dont have enough power to really spin 10" wide tires easily, and beacuse I revved it up that my clutch just spun/burned up and that it still had issue until after things cooled down?

I just figured if a clutch is done it's done or drivable but noticably messed up, not that It could just slip that bad and then be fine.

Tim

KasbeKZ

i've always heard the stock clutch can't take much upgrades. and i've also had much more problems with clutch slippage when the car was hotter, so i would say you just need to upgrade the clutch.

The_MuffinMan25

Yea, Stillen (single) Intake, Unorthodox Pulleys, Testpipes, HKS Hi-Power, and 17" Rims 10" tires in the rear. I dont think it's that much added power, but with the big tires I'm sure it's added stress. Weird you know how if put the accelerator to the floor in first after like 5500rpm the rear tires chirp. I havnt had that happen since I put my testpipes and exhaust on. I'll have to test that soon seems weird it would stop after adding more power...

snwbrderphat540

clutch should never spin when the pedal is fully dis engaged you ****ed your **** up!


no big just upgrade get a new lightened flywheel (i suggest fidanza) and a nice street clutch by ACT (around 3500 if they give those specs) should hold great. get a new throw out bearing as well, learn to launch and also your using street tires, they dont need to be warmed up, just go AROUND the water pit and give a quick low launch so they spin while you roll for a quick couple seconds no need to light them up but dont want COLD tires but dont need to light them up at all. then launch around 4k but let out on the clutch using your leg dont pop it this way you control the slip until it can handle the full engage without poping the tires free. also try to keep about 20 min's between races otherwise you will start to heat up your engine and clutch and maybe even brakes more than you should and they could start to fade faster... well not the engine but you should still be nice to that anyways.


also tapping the gas isnt going to do to much thats more of a DSM thing imho we got enough torque for the launch in these engines when staged and prepared to launch to not attempt to build boost like that. if you feel it necessary get a 2-step function in that car

KasbeKZ

this isn't a very backed up statement, but i believe that the loss in back pressure from your new exhaust, although over all beneficial, may increase lag, therefore, your ability to bark the tires so well. possibly.

The_MuffinMan25

20-30 min atleast between passes @ Sac Raceway. I never go through the water, and light them up was an expression I'd never just sit there and spin them for hella long once I hit red line or near it I let off I wouldnt hold it or shift to keep spinning. I'll try letting out the clutch instead of dumping it but I'm not going back until I do a clutch. Flywheel is a mabye but If I'm already in there mights as well. Also when I do my clutch I'm doing downpipes so It's gonna be a little while before i can save up instead of using a credit card.

The_MuffinMan25

Well I'm boosting much sooner then before the exhaust. Mabye because of the now more constant power (earlier on) instead of a late kick in of boost near the end they're not chirping.

snwbrderphat540

not chirping cause your clutch SUCKS!!!! do the combo i said its not a rediculous price setup and is probably the best IMHO. also you need to do a flywheel at least resurface and sometimes there could be stress cracks in it and crap so i say just replace it plus the fidanza's i believe are non integral setup so you can just replace the friction surface each time. fast and cheap no machine work. also you would reduce lag and increase power when you reduce back pressure. only way to increase lag is a bigger turbo.

KasbeKZ

lol i guess i should've thought a little more before posting. any way, did you already have down pipes and then take them off? i was sure you said you had them

The_MuffinMan25

No, I never had DP just pre-cats. I was waiting til I had to do the clutch to buy DP's. I know he Fidanza flywheel is only $350 a good clutch is like 4-500 (wouldnt the clutch come with a throwout bearing) Then I just need a weekend to do the job. I could do It @ school but I would have to leave it there for two days and I dont trust my school enough for someone not to mess with my car. Either I'm benchpressing a tranny in my garage with the car on jack stands or I could take a day off work and try to get my old Highschool Autoshop teacher to help me do it. I read on Mitchell On Demand that its a 4.5 hour job so I feel I might have to end up biting the bullet and paying my work or a Z shop to do it only problem there is my work wont do the downpipes if so it will cost more. and if I go to a Z shop it will cost me alot of money.

KasbeKZ

4.5 hours is a pretty cocky estimate to change a clutch and a flywheel. i would plan at least a day and a half. the clutch may come with a bearing, if it is a full kit. but i think it is only $30 or 40, so no big deal

ZLover4Life

Day and a half? An evening at best.

And turbos don't require backpressure... the size of the passages on the turbo are small enough to accelerate the exhaust gas plenty.

KasbeKZ

ok. there's a lot of debate over it, and the right side has never been pointed out to me. it took me a day and a half. and i didn't even take the flywheel off. but i didn't have the car on a lift. it was on ramps in the front and blocks in the back. and i usually think every move through for a few minutes before i do it. there's a lot of silent sitting. i hate breaking stuff

The_MuffinMan25

If I can get a lift then I think I could do it in less then 6 hours for sure. In my garage sat and sunday job and alot of cursing.

ZLover4Life

The mods are gonna make you resize that sig, just so you know.

And 6 hours is reasonable. Experienced people can do it in 4-5, so 6 for the first time isn't impossible at all.

Remove DS, starter, clutch slave cylinder, shifter linkage, trans, then a bunch of bolts for the clutch and flywheel followed by putting it all back together.

If you don't have a service manual, consider investing in one... you'll need torque specs.

snwbrderphat540

and a torque wrench otherwise those specs are pretty useless haha

but those are importan when it comes to flywheel and clutch specs. i remember them for the L motors (not your car) 100ft/lbs on the flywheel and 17 for the pressure plate. also FYI it can be a bitch getting flywheel bolts off and can even start rotating the engine i had to use a buddy on the front main pulley damper bolt with a breaker bar and an impact gun on the back cause a wrench just wouldnt cut it it would start to rotate teh engine and even with the breaker bar on the front main bolt it would just loosen it off the crank lol. such a pain in the ***.... this was all n an L motor but i cant imagine it wouldn't be completly possible to do this on a VG as well

Mhinrichs

ha I always just wedge a pry bar between some flywheel teeths and a bell housing bolt to keep from turning the engine.

ZLover4Life

2nd. Pry bar or long screw driver locked against something will do the trick.


And Eric, a person without a torque wrench has no business tearing into a precision machine like the 300ZX... it's implied. lol

KasbeKZ

lol i had to buy a new torque wrench for the Z. one that went in inch lbs. i guess i didn't really need to. i bought it off of bad info. but i have it now. or my dad does rather

The_MuffinMan25

I'll resize my sig I just got the link off my myspace where that is posted. I checked my local nissan dealer for a used service manual but they were out. Mabye I'll buy new of that link in the sticky's. Otherwise a hayes and chiltons between the two you can get the info you need.

KasbeKZ

there is no haynes. i would just print out the sections that you need from the online manual

The_MuffinMan25

that should help too. I can print stuff off Mitchell OnDemand @ my work as well, online manual might be a better idea though.