# OEM or Aftermarket clutch kit



## sneakboxer (Jan 12, 2008)

I'm having intermitant (cold) throwout bearing noise and i going to change the clutch when the weather breaks. My question is what clutch kit would you use? OEM, centerforce, NAPA, or no-name? I'm thinking OEM. I do not beat this truck off road or tow much at all. I'm just looking for dependibility and long life.

While i'm asking... Are there any big problems to look out for when changing the clutch? I have changed a few clutches in old VW's but, they were pretty easy.
Thanks in advance,


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## Abeerdrinker (Jan 8, 2008)

The only problem you can have is sometimes the no name or unpopular names have week pressure plates. You wont know to after you change it and will not grip on flywheel on a good acceleration. Bad time to find out and have to do it again. I would say go real after market that has a name or if not stick to OEM. It lasted this long the first time it should last just as long with the new one.


Ps dont forget to resurface your flywheel and change the seals since the trans is off or coming off.


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## rockcrusher44 (Oct 7, 2006)

Speaking from what experiance I have I would go with a nissan clutch. When it comes to replacing clutches I've always had better luck with OEM. Nissan four wheel drive trucks are nothing like changing the clutch on a bug unless you are on a tight budget like me I would suggest getting a qualified machanic to do it. However if you like working on cars and have a decent repair manual its not brain surgery.


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## sneakboxer (Jan 12, 2008)

Trust me with this weather and my time constraints i'd love to have someone else do it but the quotes range from $900 to $1,100. They are saying that it will take 10+ hours. Well looks like i have a job on my hands... 
The removal of the t-bars make me a little nervous but it looks like i need to take my time and just remove all the stuff in the way: fwd x-member, mid x-member, driveshafts, wires, linkages, stick, starter, and so on. 
On the VW i think it was 4 bolts, two wires, a gas line, and throttle cable. 
I think i'm going to go OEM, Thanks for the input.


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## Z_Rated (Apr 29, 2006)

For the price plus the quality of the correct part... OEM all the way. Ask for the Key Value Clutch Kit. Z


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## lumbee (Mar 20, 2005)

nissan pickup clutch, Parts Accessories, eBay Motors items on eBay.com


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## heavypork (Sep 14, 2004)

I just did the clutch on my hardbody, I went with OEM, because the original lasted over 200,000 miles and im happy with that. From my experience DO NOT get the Nissan Key value clutch, it is NOT the same as the one that came on your vehicle. Read my thread about my "Key Value" clutch situation....

http://nissan4wheelers.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/931602833/m/30610017341

and dont worry about the torsion bars... just soak them with PB blaster or some penetrating fluid days before your do anywork. Itll make things alot easier.


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## sneakboxer (Jan 12, 2008)

Thanks Heavypork! thats just the kind of info i was looking for. Boy o Boy i would have been P*##@& off if the dealer would have sold me a substandard part. I always thought the reason you go to the dealer was to avoid the bad replacement parts. It is good to see Nissan stopped doing that. A few more weeks and i'll have the time to rip in to the truck. 
Thanks again,


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## Z_Rated (Apr 29, 2006)

Interesting, 12 years or so on my original clutch and about five years since I replaced it and still going. Of the parts I could identify, everything matched. I still say the price was right for the correct part in my experience, about $130.00 including the alignment tool. Big help having the factory service manual as well. Oh and PB Power Blaster, that's good stuff.

Z


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

The Key Value clutch kits are very good; I installed a number of them before and after I worked for Nissan and never had any problems. The pressure plate and disc are (or, were, the last time I checked) made by Valeo, which is the OEM manufacturer of the original Nissan clutch parts. 

Key Value Nissan parts were developed in the 90's so Nissan could have a competitively priced part to compete with the aftermarket. The line included clutch kits, exhuast pipes and mufflers, wiper blades and refills and disc brake pads. 

The key value clutch kit offered everything you would need for the clutch assy. and the pilot tool. It was a much cheaper price then buying the individual Nissan parts and they worked well.

The exhaust parts were also pretty good, being made by Calsonic, an OEM supplier of original Nissan exhausts, air conditioning parts, and starting in 2002, dashboards. The advantage to buying the Kay Value exhaust was the price, however, Nissan came out with a lifetime warranty on the "regular" Nissan exhaust, if you were willing to pay the money for the more expensive exhaust parts.

The Key Value wiper inserts were simply okay. The original type wiper inserts, IMO, were much better in fit and quality.

The real problem was the Key Value brake pads, which was the biggest selling item of the Key Value line. I believe they were made by Bendix and were about half the cost of the regular Nissan pads. They looked like cheap aftermarket pads, made a lot of dust, and would squeek to no end! This really is what tarnished the "key Value" name and caused a lot of dealers to not "push" the product. In time, they revised the lining composition and made it a lot better. Personally, I would still opt for the regular Nissan pads or a good set of aftermarket Ceramic pads over the KV pads, but would have no problem using them on a customer's car, if they requested them, or a car I was fixing up to sell.


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## heavypork (Sep 14, 2004)

Thats Understandable and more clear to me now. But for what its worth...from my experience the key value clutch i just got had a smaller clutch disc on it... although it was made by Exedy which is my personal favorite clutch company (had three on my past ps13, rps13, and current s14 sr20's).
Since im going to be abusing my clutch with towing and off roading... i'd rather have the one with more surface against the flywheel. The Regular nissan one i just got from the dealer is a valeo 250mm disc, and had a stiffer "feeling" pressure plate. The Key value was 225mm with 24spline... which makes me think it was taken off a 240sx... actually the disc was almost identical to one of the 240 discs i have layin around. Either way the part numbers from the kit matched up to the correct one for my truck... so it definetly was the correct part.


Reguardless, Regular Nissan or Key Value Nissan, Just Dont get a cheap aftermarket brand... ive had friends get them off ebay or online places and the pressure plates are usually weak and tend slip even on unmodified cars.


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