Clutch Replacement

[The Duke]

How long does it take to replace the clutch on a 2005 D4D, and is it better to put in a solid flywheel.

[Big Kev]

Mileage? Symptoms leading to impending clutch removal?

Are you really a Nissan, Duke......?

[The Duke]

Hi Kev, Well the "Duke" moniker, its a long story! short version, I live in France and remember Napoleon............!

As for the Rav4 its done1430000 kilometres and there is a slight juddering, had all the wheels balanced and the garage said its probably the Dual mass flywheel. There is also a vibration through the gearlever.

Regards

Simon

[firemac]

Hi Kev, Well the "Duke" moniker, its a long story! short version, I live in France and remember Napoleon............!

As for the Rav4 its done1430000 kilometres and there is a slight juddering, had all the wheels balanced and the garage said its probably the Dual mass flywheel. There is also a vibration through the gearlever.

Regards

Simon

1.43 Million Kilometres & only a slight juddering? - that's impressive, Simon. Bugg*r the clutch, I'm surprised the rest of the car is still intact!

[Big Kev]

Would be gobsmacked if still on original DMF at that kilometre-age, Simon min, but one never knows. I would stick in a good name of SMF whilst at the clutch then to offset further future double work.

[Tech01]

Presume you mean 140,000km. If gear-lever vibration is only in 5th gear, then it's "5th gear wear" - and the 5th gear assembly just needs replacing. Common fault on this year of vehicle.

If vibration is felt on all gears, and clutch control is less than smooth (eg difficult hill starts, without lots of revs), then DMF might well be on its last legs. Badly worn DMF produces this, and generally untidy clutch take-up. In advanced stages, there is rattle and tinkling noises from the flywheel area.

Choose either another DMF (expensive), or a 4-part SMF kit (flywheel + 3-part clutch). Personal SMF recommendation is for ADL-Blueprint, but Borg+Beck have also added one to their range. Avoid unknown brands.

Plenty of write-ups on this site about DMF vs SMF. Do a search on either.

Chris

[The Duke]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the info, your right its done 140,000km. The clutch is jerky and the pedal is right at the top so will keep a eye on it. It's also bad on hills. I was told the DMF can fail suddenly leaving you stranded.

Simon

[Tech01]

Hi Simon,

Unless they've got noticeably noisy (jingling, clatters, appallingly bad clutch action), DMFs tend not to fail suddenly, but give a fair bit of warning over many weeks or months. If the clutch isn't biting at the right point, get that adjusted first, according to the book.

Bad action on hills is an early sign, but, to be honest, our 2003 4.2, even when new, was less-than-impressive in this department. Going SMF sorted it out once-and-for-all.

Chris