Hello everyone, had to reregister and like you care... but yeah, I had a question on the clutch for the 2000 xterra. Has anyone changed it themselves? Im hearing its a pain, and places want over 800 for it... Im kinda inclined with drivetrain, but would like to know if anyone out there has taken a stab at it. Oh and about how many miles did you all get on your original clutch? Im at about 70k and seem to be going ok, but need to know if im twords the end of its life. Thanks for the help.

Why'd you have to re-register?

If you're at 70k you're most likely looking at a 50/50 need of replacing the clutch, depending greatly on how hard you've been on it.

If you often strive for a smooth ride without yourself or passengers noticing shifts, ride the clutch on hills, and generally drive in stop/go traffic on a regular basis, you're probably riding the clutch more than you should and it's going to wear prematurely. "Better" stick drivers are going to constantly be on the verge of stalling at startups, and keeping that left foot off the pedal as much as possible.

If you haven't noticed the clutch slipping at all and you're still getting plenty of power to the wheels as soon as you're in gear, it probably doesn't need immediate replacement, but you never know.

Just do a search in the Drivetrain or Backyard Mechanic sections of the forums for more info on replacement. It seems like 90-100k is commonplace for clutch life, but there are always exceptions.

Hope this long-winded post helps.

I changed it myself last year. A pilot bushing shredded and caused me a bunch of grief. I had never changed a clutch before, but it wasn't too bad.

I bought a cheap transmission jack from Harbor Freight ($50) for the job. I took off the driveshaft, lowered the transmission, and went to work on the clutch. Since I had the added complications of the defective pilot bushing, the X was in pieces for a weekend (the pilot bushing had to be ordered from Nissan).

If I did it, I'm sure you can do, especially if you consider yourself to be "kinda inclined with drivetrain." Oh, and the reason I did it myself was because places quoted me $1200 for the job.

The bulk of the work is simply getting to it. You have to remove both driveshafts, the torsion bar Xmember (along with the torsion bars), and then lower the whole Tranny/tcase down on a tranny jack after getting it unbolted from the engine. One thing to watch for on a DIY job like this is the crank angle sensor - it's on the back of the block and needs to be removed prior to transmission removal. Also, make sure it's out of the way when you put it back together, as it likes to fall between the two and get crushed when you reassemble everything, leaving you with another $100 in expenses on the job.

Otherwise, replacing the clutch is no different than it is on any other manual.

You were ripped off. Autozone can order them for $21.99.

Im taking my Xterra into the dealer next week to get the 5-speed transmission rebuilt, due to a syncro problem.

Gripforce.com has a good price on the Clutch kit. The dealer wants $360 in parts and $95 to surface the flywheel. $130 in parts seems more like it!!
does anyone know how their customer service? Or have any sugestions on where to get a good price on an OE clutch kit??

Hey, I was looking around on Ebay, and got this price for an exedy total kit for like 150 plus shipping. Im thinking this may be a good one for you to go with, probably the one I will go with for the job. Follow this link here, he has like 98 of them or somthing obsurd like that.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/EXEDY-PAT...sspagenameZWD1V

Another question, about how many hours did you have to put into this for all of you that have done it? And also, do you reccomend getting the flywheel resurfaced at the 70k clutch change? Im just really really REALLY not looking forward to doing this thing... :p Thanks.

Lucky or should I say not so lucky, my transmission needs work and will be out of the way for the clutch job anyways. As far as pulling the transmission, I havn't done that. Im sure it's not as difficult as the front diff lowering kit, I installed last month! I do know that the torsion bar crossmember has to be pulled and there is a sensor on the back of the block that has to be removed, prior to pulling the tranny so that it's not damaged. Do a search in the forums for replaceing a clutch. If you need any tips on lowering you Diff with the SLR kit, let me know.

Good luck

While you do need to pull the torsion bars, you do not need to pull the crossmember. I didn't. Just push it back over the crossmember and then tilt it back down and out. This is really easy if you take a hammer and tap the dust shield (bell) off the end of the transmission.

I have 160k on my clutch and it's not slipping at all yet. I can, however, hear the throwout bearing jiggling around a little when its in neutral. I'm sure I'll be changing it soon - I just don't have the cash right now.

For anyone that is going to order a clutch for the SUPERCHARGED 3.3L V6. Be warned that it is NOT the same as the regular 3.3L V6. Alot of the places that carry clutches for the Xterra, don't know this!

My clutch has lasted for almost 105k. I did have to have the master and slave cylinders replaced not too long ago though.

Before that at one point I thought I was going to have to have the clutch replaced and I got several quotes of 600ish.

brad cook

Well, it's a lot easier to pull the crossmember, especially if you've already pulled the torsion bars. What's 4 more bolts and a bit of prying?

The pilot bushings are cheap, and the updated ones are better. Just remember to squish oil in them before installation, or you could get the same problem as before (squealing during clutch operation, misalignment of the input shaft if shredded [which can take out the input shaft bearing in the trans if left alone!]).

The sensor is in the bellhousing, but feels like the bell housing. Don't attempt to pull the trans out a bit and then pull the sensor, as the damage will already be done.

The tough part may be putting it back in though, as lining up the shift lever from underneath can be arduos and time consuming if you're not familiar with doing it.

Any decent mechanic should be able to perform a clutch job easily, and without troubles. Have the flywheel resurfaced, no matter how clean it looks. I also believe the flywheel is stepped on the X's, so make sure you take it to a reputable machine shop.

Otherwise, if she's not your daily driver, take your time, over a weekend, and you'll accomplish it with no problems.

Since you're in Ft. Collins (I'm assuming in Colorado?), we have several friends who can help in the area. Or I might personally be able to help you out. I have family in Windsor and Greeley.

I got a clutch from Gripforce a few months ago for my lil MX3, its a stage 3 6 puck race clutch. They had it at my door in about 4 days & answered all my questions when i called concerning material thicknesses. (my first clutch) Quality seemed good & went in with no problems but i can't say how they hold up cause the car's still in many pieces. Good company to deal with though & great prices imo.