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- 09 370Z Nismo
Now I know everyone hates a how-to without pictures, but I wont have a digi cam until christmas, so I'll do my best to use zoomed out pics of engine bays =/
I bought my stainless steel clutch line from corksport.com, great buy, only 24$ shipped. Why did I need it?
The clutch fluid gets to the transmission via small, 1/8" aluminum tubing, needless to say this tubing can take very high PSI. The harder the clutch (pressure plate) has to push up against the flywheel, to grab all the horsepower you are pushing back with, the more PSI in these aluminum lines. Unfortunately not all of the line leading to the transmission is aluminum. At one point near the tranny housing itself, there is a spanse of about 10" or so that goes from aluminum tubing, to a rubber hose. This hose, under high PSI, will expand, instead of transfering fluid. Therefore it doesn't let your clutch grip as much as it wants to, your clutch slips, and power isn't transferred to the pavement. I'm not sure why they wennt to rubber then back to aluminum, but my guess is, the pipes had to go thorugh a very curvy bend, and instead of bending a metal tube to the bend, they just slapped in a rubber hose. Voila, cheap bend in the clutch line. Replacing this rubber expanse with a steel braided tube from corksport allows you to do what the car wants, and push that clutch down on the flywheel as hard as it can, to use all the horsepower. I, myself really didn't need this mod until I got an aftermarket clutch and pressure plate, as it pushes a lot more than stock against the flywheel, and the rubber hose would just expand.
Okay, tools you need:
Small open end 10mm Wrench
Needle Nose Pliers
Small drain pan to drain 2 oz. or so of fluid (maybe a cut in half 2 liter bottle)
Total Time to install: 15 minutes my first time, didn't even know where it was at first, so you may be quicker.
Step one:
(I did this on an engine with a header and a intake, so I had some more room to work with, you may not)
Take your 10mm open end wrench, and on the aluminum pipe side of each tabe, your wrench should fit the bronze colors fitting. Loosen this fitting so you can open it the rest of the way with your fingers, but do not let the brake fluid come out just yet. Loosen the other bronze colored fitting on the opposite end of the rubber line.
Step Two:
Take the needle nose plies, and on the end of the rubber length of the clutch line, grab the tab that holds it in place and tug it towards the front of the car, and a little up. Do the same thing for the other end of the clutch line, as there is a total of two tabs.
Once the tabs are removed you, loosen the bronze ends the rest of the way with your hands.
CAUTION: Brake fluid is not something you want to rub in your eyes of get in your mouth, please wash your hands very well after finished
Some brake fluid may dribble out of the line at this point, so if you don't want to stain the ground, use your little bucket now, or a low profile drain pan. When the rubber line is disconnected you should be able to pull it out by squishing it towards itself like a chinese finger trap, it will pull out of the mounting ears this way.
Note, now that you have the clutch line out, how the 20mm or so fittings on the end of it are hex-sided, except for where two faces meet they curve instead of coming to a point. When re-installing your aftermarket line it has the same fittings, and the mounting ears it goes on has this pattern in it, you must match up this pattern to the mounting ears, so that the line will go through the mounting ears far enough for the tabs to clip on.
Pretty much this means that you pulled out a 7-sided peg out of a 7-sided hole, and it needs to be matched up before it clicks in place. It's very simple when you handle the piece in person.
so.... just take the aftermarket line and match up the fitting puzzle piece to each mounting ear, and screw the bronze fittings into the line on each end. Now while holding the fitting perfectly in it's 7-sided hole, it should be far enough in the mounting ear to allow you to slide the clip on the outsides of the line. Thus securing it in place. If anything this will be the only annoying part. If you get too annoyed, just screw in one end, and then try to clip it together, leaving the other end un-hooked, so you can move it around more.
The only part I can't help you do is after this, you should bleed the clutch line of air, which, I, as of yet do not know how to do, but will be going to autozone shortly and buy the one man bleeder tool that costs like 5$. You may want to bleed it before fully installing it if you know how. I myself haven't bled my car yet after 2 days, I don't think it will cause any problems waiting to bleed the line, you just may not feel the full affect of the upgrade until you do.
I bought my stainless steel clutch line from corksport.com, great buy, only 24$ shipped. Why did I need it?
The clutch fluid gets to the transmission via small, 1/8" aluminum tubing, needless to say this tubing can take very high PSI. The harder the clutch (pressure plate) has to push up against the flywheel, to grab all the horsepower you are pushing back with, the more PSI in these aluminum lines. Unfortunately not all of the line leading to the transmission is aluminum. At one point near the tranny housing itself, there is a spanse of about 10" or so that goes from aluminum tubing, to a rubber hose. This hose, under high PSI, will expand, instead of transfering fluid. Therefore it doesn't let your clutch grip as much as it wants to, your clutch slips, and power isn't transferred to the pavement. I'm not sure why they wennt to rubber then back to aluminum, but my guess is, the pipes had to go thorugh a very curvy bend, and instead of bending a metal tube to the bend, they just slapped in a rubber hose. Voila, cheap bend in the clutch line. Replacing this rubber expanse with a steel braided tube from corksport allows you to do what the car wants, and push that clutch down on the flywheel as hard as it can, to use all the horsepower. I, myself really didn't need this mod until I got an aftermarket clutch and pressure plate, as it pushes a lot more than stock against the flywheel, and the rubber hose would just expand.
Okay, tools you need:
Small open end 10mm Wrench
Needle Nose Pliers
Small drain pan to drain 2 oz. or so of fluid (maybe a cut in half 2 liter bottle)
Total Time to install: 15 minutes my first time, didn't even know where it was at first, so you may be quicker.
Step one:
(I did this on an engine with a header and a intake, so I had some more room to work with, you may not)
Take your 10mm open end wrench, and on the aluminum pipe side of each tabe, your wrench should fit the bronze colors fitting. Loosen this fitting so you can open it the rest of the way with your fingers, but do not let the brake fluid come out just yet. Loosen the other bronze colored fitting on the opposite end of the rubber line.
Step Two:
Take the needle nose plies, and on the end of the rubber length of the clutch line, grab the tab that holds it in place and tug it towards the front of the car, and a little up. Do the same thing for the other end of the clutch line, as there is a total of two tabs.
Once the tabs are removed you, loosen the bronze ends the rest of the way with your hands.
CAUTION: Brake fluid is not something you want to rub in your eyes of get in your mouth, please wash your hands very well after finished
Some brake fluid may dribble out of the line at this point, so if you don't want to stain the ground, use your little bucket now, or a low profile drain pan. When the rubber line is disconnected you should be able to pull it out by squishing it towards itself like a chinese finger trap, it will pull out of the mounting ears this way.
Note, now that you have the clutch line out, how the 20mm or so fittings on the end of it are hex-sided, except for where two faces meet they curve instead of coming to a point. When re-installing your aftermarket line it has the same fittings, and the mounting ears it goes on has this pattern in it, you must match up this pattern to the mounting ears, so that the line will go through the mounting ears far enough for the tabs to clip on.
Pretty much this means that you pulled out a 7-sided peg out of a 7-sided hole, and it needs to be matched up before it clicks in place. It's very simple when you handle the piece in person.
so.... just take the aftermarket line and match up the fitting puzzle piece to each mounting ear, and screw the bronze fittings into the line on each end. Now while holding the fitting perfectly in it's 7-sided hole, it should be far enough in the mounting ear to allow you to slide the clip on the outsides of the line. Thus securing it in place. If anything this will be the only annoying part. If you get too annoyed, just screw in one end, and then try to clip it together, leaving the other end un-hooked, so you can move it around more.
The only part I can't help you do is after this, you should bleed the clutch line of air, which, I, as of yet do not know how to do, but will be going to autozone shortly and buy the one man bleeder tool that costs like 5$. You may want to bleed it before fully installing it if you know how. I myself haven't bled my car yet after 2 days, I don't think it will cause any problems waiting to bleed the line, you just may not feel the full affect of the upgrade until you do.
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