If you want to print this write-up or save it to your computer, click here for a PDF version.
This may not apply to 4-cylinder Xterras. If someone knows for sure, let me know and I'll edit.
Hi folks. I recently bought a 2000 Xterra V6 and the clutch pedal was very noisy. The clutch assist spring bushings had worn completely away and the bare spring was scraping against the metal bracket. I ended up removing the spring which on my truck actually worked fine except I then had the World's Heaviest Clutch. After a few weeks of hunting parts and any type of replacement instructions I got the spring and bushings replaced. Hopefully this guide and my struggles will help you guys do the same!
This spring is pretty interesting. Near the top of the pedal it acts as a return spring, holding the pedal against the upward stop and the cruise control switch if you have one. After a bit of downward travel it pivots and becomes a pretty active assist spring, helping to force the pedal to the floor.
There are a few fun issues with getting the spring and bushings in good order:
Particularly if you have an early 2000 Xterra, the Nissan parts database seems to be wrong.
I've outlined all the parts I needed to replace with the callouts that show up on the Nissan Parts image (Figure 1 below), the callout they actually appear under, the Nissan Part number, and the SKU on Courtesy Parts. If you order through Courtesy Parts you can just put the Nissan Part Number in the search field, and I'd recommend going that route. I ordered incorrect parts twice from both my local Nissan Dealership and Courtesy Parts because of the callout/part number mismatch.
Figure 1: Nissan Parts Diagram for WD22 Xterra Clutch Pedal
The spring tension is very high and its hard to cram the thing back in there.
You'll need to unbolt the master cylinder from the firewall under the hood and disconnect the master cylinder from the pedal by removing a clevis pin to relieve the tension on the pedal. Even then getting the spring in will be a challenge.
If the assist spring is already broken it can be kind of hard to piece together how it was supposed to work.
I've run across accounts in my search for a guide to replacing this stuff of folks who have had their springs completely break or the tab on the pedal that hits the spring breaking. I've hopefully included enough information here that you can piece yours back together from a fully-disassembled state.
Anyhow let's get started.
Here's what I'm going to be installing:
Figure 2: Parts to replace, callout numbers and part numbers
I'd recommend replacing all the above parts if you're having to tear into this. I am reusing the U-shaped center bushing as I forgot to order a replacement for that one. My spring is already removed but if yours is still intact under there, we'll get to the undoing of that shortly.
Start by opening the hood and finding the two master cylinder mounting nuts. I've indicated the right bolt in the green callout of Figure 3. The left one is just on the other side of the same bracket. The right one is best accessed by a long 12mm socket, and the left one is best reached with a 12mm offset wrench. Once you get them slightly loose they should spin off by hand. Remove them, being careful not to drop them, and set them aside.
Figure 3: Clutch master cylinder and mounting bolts.
Next go into the cab of the Xterra and move the seat all the way back. Crawl down under the dash and find the clevis pin that goes through the master cylinder bracket and clutch pedal. Remove the hairpin clip from the clevis pin and remove the clevis pin from the pedal. Be careful not to drop both of these items as they'll probably fall under the carpet if you do.
If your spring is still attached at this point, let the clutch pedal go all the way to the floor and use needle pliers to remove one of the ends. It will be under a decent amount of tension and the spring end will shoot away from the firewall. There's a computer that it will likely hit but mine didn't make too bad of an impact or dent the metal casing.
Once you have the spring out, push out the two old spring end bushings on the metal bracket if they're still there, remove the old U-shaped center bushing, and push out the old clevis pin bushing from the clutch pedal. You can then install your new bushings. The spring end bushings snap firmly into place and the clevis pin bushing will stay put during reassembly. I coated the back of the U-shaped center bushing in grease to help it stick in its place on the clutch pedal during reassembly.
Next is the most fun part. Coat your new spring in grease on the ends and center landing. You'll want to get a zip tie or string and tie your clutch pedal to the floor around the bracket for the clutch start interlock switch. You should only be tying back the gravitational weight of the pedal since you unbolted the master cylinder. Please do not try to tie back the pedal with the master cylinder still connected. Inserting the spring is going to be hard enough and you don't need to chance hundreds of pounds of force flying up at you near the fulcrum point of the pedal if your zip tie breaks. This repair isn't worth losing a finger over, okay?
Hold the lubricated spring so that the center of the spring comes down and out towards the firewall and the two ends are up above. Squeeze the spring so that the two ends can fit through the bushings in the metal bracket. That part should be simple. Now you need to get the center landing in the U-shaped bushing on the pedal.
With the pedal on the floor you will have the least amount of resistance to fight. Here's how I did it. Bend the orange electrical connector holding tab out of the way a bit and insert a 3/8" socket extension around 6" long or something similar to that into the spring. Place the end of the tool right in the center of the spring and push the other end up and towards the firewall to bring the center of the spring down, away from the firewall, and slightly to the side. You're prying against the clutch bracket (see Figure 4).
While doing this you'll need to use the thumb of your other hand to push the center landing up into the position it needs to be in to catch the U-shaped bushing. You should be able to hook the very edge of the spring landing on the bushing and slowly release the prybar tool and it will slip into the correct final position. If you can get this done you're pretty much home-free.
Figure 4: Coaxing the spring into position.
Now grease the clevis pin slightly and insert it through the master cylinder and your clutch pedal though the new bushing you installed earlier and reinstall the hairpin clip. Go check under the hood and make sure your master cylinder is still on the studs coming out of the firewall then slowly lift the pedal from the floor, drawing the master cylinder back into its final position. I took care that the master cylinder did not over-extend but I don't know if this is really a concern. I didn't want to chance getting a carpet full of brake fluid, though.
Once you're done you should have it assembled to look something like this:
Figure 5: Completed spring and bushing installation.
All that's left now is to reinstall the master cylinder bolts under the hood and take it for a spin!
Hopefully this guide helps someone. Let me know if you have any questions about the process!
This may not apply to 4-cylinder Xterras. If someone knows for sure, let me know and I'll edit.
Hi folks. I recently bought a 2000 Xterra V6 and the clutch pedal was very noisy. The clutch assist spring bushings had worn completely away and the bare spring was scraping against the metal bracket. I ended up removing the spring which on my truck actually worked fine except I then had the World's Heaviest Clutch. After a few weeks of hunting parts and any type of replacement instructions I got the spring and bushings replaced. Hopefully this guide and my struggles will help you guys do the same!
This spring is pretty interesting. Near the top of the pedal it acts as a return spring, holding the pedal against the upward stop and the cruise control switch if you have one. After a bit of downward travel it pivots and becomes a pretty active assist spring, helping to force the pedal to the floor.
There are a few fun issues with getting the spring and bushings in good order:
Particularly if you have an early 2000 Xterra, the Nissan parts database seems to be wrong.
I've outlined all the parts I needed to replace with the callouts that show up on the Nissan Parts image (Figure 1 below), the callout they actually appear under, the Nissan Part number, and the SKU on Courtesy Parts. If you order through Courtesy Parts you can just put the Nissan Part Number in the search field, and I'd recommend going that route. I ordered incorrect parts twice from both my local Nissan Dealership and Courtesy Parts because of the callout/part number mismatch.
Figure 1: Nissan Parts Diagram for WD22 Xterra Clutch Pedal
The spring tension is very high and its hard to cram the thing back in there.
You'll need to unbolt the master cylinder from the firewall under the hood and disconnect the master cylinder from the pedal by removing a clevis pin to relieve the tension on the pedal. Even then getting the spring in will be a challenge.
If the assist spring is already broken it can be kind of hard to piece together how it was supposed to work.
I've run across accounts in my search for a guide to replacing this stuff of folks who have had their springs completely break or the tab on the pedal that hits the spring breaking. I've hopefully included enough information here that you can piece yours back together from a fully-disassembled state.
Anyhow let's get started.
Here's what I'm going to be installing:
Figure 2: Parts to replace, callout numbers and part numbers
I'd recommend replacing all the above parts if you're having to tear into this. I am reusing the U-shaped center bushing as I forgot to order a replacement for that one. My spring is already removed but if yours is still intact under there, we'll get to the undoing of that shortly.
Start by opening the hood and finding the two master cylinder mounting nuts. I've indicated the right bolt in the green callout of Figure 3. The left one is just on the other side of the same bracket. The right one is best accessed by a long 12mm socket, and the left one is best reached with a 12mm offset wrench. Once you get them slightly loose they should spin off by hand. Remove them, being careful not to drop them, and set them aside.
Figure 3: Clutch master cylinder and mounting bolts.
Next go into the cab of the Xterra and move the seat all the way back. Crawl down under the dash and find the clevis pin that goes through the master cylinder bracket and clutch pedal. Remove the hairpin clip from the clevis pin and remove the clevis pin from the pedal. Be careful not to drop both of these items as they'll probably fall under the carpet if you do.
If your spring is still attached at this point, let the clutch pedal go all the way to the floor and use needle pliers to remove one of the ends. It will be under a decent amount of tension and the spring end will shoot away from the firewall. There's a computer that it will likely hit but mine didn't make too bad of an impact or dent the metal casing.
Once you have the spring out, push out the two old spring end bushings on the metal bracket if they're still there, remove the old U-shaped center bushing, and push out the old clevis pin bushing from the clutch pedal. You can then install your new bushings. The spring end bushings snap firmly into place and the clevis pin bushing will stay put during reassembly. I coated the back of the U-shaped center bushing in grease to help it stick in its place on the clutch pedal during reassembly.
Next is the most fun part. Coat your new spring in grease on the ends and center landing. You'll want to get a zip tie or string and tie your clutch pedal to the floor around the bracket for the clutch start interlock switch. You should only be tying back the gravitational weight of the pedal since you unbolted the master cylinder. Please do not try to tie back the pedal with the master cylinder still connected. Inserting the spring is going to be hard enough and you don't need to chance hundreds of pounds of force flying up at you near the fulcrum point of the pedal if your zip tie breaks. This repair isn't worth losing a finger over, okay?
Hold the lubricated spring so that the center of the spring comes down and out towards the firewall and the two ends are up above. Squeeze the spring so that the two ends can fit through the bushings in the metal bracket. That part should be simple. Now you need to get the center landing in the U-shaped bushing on the pedal.
With the pedal on the floor you will have the least amount of resistance to fight. Here's how I did it. Bend the orange electrical connector holding tab out of the way a bit and insert a 3/8" socket extension around 6" long or something similar to that into the spring. Place the end of the tool right in the center of the spring and push the other end up and towards the firewall to bring the center of the spring down, away from the firewall, and slightly to the side. You're prying against the clutch bracket (see Figure 4).
While doing this you'll need to use the thumb of your other hand to push the center landing up into the position it needs to be in to catch the U-shaped bushing. You should be able to hook the very edge of the spring landing on the bushing and slowly release the prybar tool and it will slip into the correct final position. If you can get this done you're pretty much home-free.
Figure 4: Coaxing the spring into position.
Now grease the clevis pin slightly and insert it through the master cylinder and your clutch pedal though the new bushing you installed earlier and reinstall the hairpin clip. Go check under the hood and make sure your master cylinder is still on the studs coming out of the firewall then slowly lift the pedal from the floor, drawing the master cylinder back into its final position. I took care that the master cylinder did not over-extend but I don't know if this is really a concern. I didn't want to chance getting a carpet full of brake fluid, though.
Once you're done you should have it assembled to look something like this:
Figure 5: Completed spring and bushing installation.
All that's left now is to reinstall the master cylinder bolts under the hood and take it for a spin!
Hopefully this guide helps someone. Let me know if you have any questions about the process!
