Engine revs before power kicks in ... help?!
 

Hey All,

I've got a 1991 240 SX SE that has about 162,000 miles on it. It's a 5spd manual ... over the past week or so ... I've noticed that the car doesn't have the same horsepower (it's stock) ... and when I step on the throttle to accelerate, the engine revs up about 300-500RPM over where it currently is ... before the car decides to move.

Any ideas what could be the problem? Believe it or not ... (knock on wood) the car still has its original clutch, and original timing chain.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

Alex

Sounds like your clutch could be slipping, especially if it's got 162K miles on it!

- Can you still squeal the tires taking off in first gear from a stand-still? Second gear?

- Does this tend to happen more severely when you're in a higher gear?

My '95 Zenki only has 172K KMs (~ 106K miles) on the original clutch, and it's last leg.

i had 127,000 miles on my original clutch and it was doing the same thing your car is doing now. definately do two things. 1. get a new clutch kit installed. 2. behind the clutch pedal is a nut that you have to adjust the pedal with. sometimes if that is too loose, i will cause that problem. i did both and it fixed it. good luck.

I haven't tried to squeal the tires in a long time ... but it pretty much happens in every gear. If it is the clutch, how much is it going to cost me ... if I take it into the Nissan Dealership?

Thank you all for the quick responses ...

I was given a ballpark figure of $600 CAD for a new clutch (with labour, I think). It would be another $50-or-so if the flywheel needed remachining.

Definitely sounds like your clutch is slipping. The Nissan dealer will rape you for any work getting done. I would either do it yourself, find friends to help, possibly find a local shop, or just invite a bunch of local 240 guys over for something like an install day and just buy some food and beer (Disclaimer: If everyone is 21+, Club240 or myself do not condone underage drinking) for everyone.

In all likelihood it is the clutch. But before biting the bullet and pulling the tranny off, check to make sure your master cylinder and slave cylinder are working properly too. Failure of either one of those would cause the same symptoms.

look, DO NOT GO TO THE DEALER! i went there and they quoted me $1528.00 parts and labor. its rediculous. i suggest going on ebay and getting a clutch kit. i bought an exedy stage I clutch kit for $126.00 with shipping included. just find a buddy with a garage or take it someplace you trust. i did it with a friend and it was pretty easy (2-3hrs of work). also, do what Cowboy said and replace the hydrualic stuff as its probably ancient too. good luck.

Thanks for all of the help EVERYONE. Just curious ... how would I check to see if the master cylinder and slave cylinder are working properly? I'm not mechanically savvy at all ...

Thank you in advance,
Alex

Check transmition oil

same here my original clutch had 228,XXX miles on it. lol.

exedy stage 1 replacement. just like new.

=D.