After 21 months the Dmax meets its match.

Gronk

Hell, I hope you are wrong.

The dmax has only done 64k and has never done any hard work.

But, having said that I did complain at the 1500km first service that I thought there was too much clutch shudder, but I was told it was acceptable.

Perhaps it is handy that I still have that in writing.

Boo Boo
Don't you just love the comment about the shudder being acceptable.

Any shudder is a sign of things to come.

A clutch by design is made to progressively increase the applied torque from the engine to the gearbox via frictional means. If it shuddered at 1500km then it wasn't performing properly.
Clutches begin to shudder when there is frictional surface damage otherwise the are smooth acting. Same as in an auto clutch pack although they are oil clutches..

You could always reverse through the service dept front window and blame the clutch shudder. "IT was slipping and then suddenly it didn't"!

A slipping clutch does not get better, it can't repair itself or sneeze out the problem. ie letting it cool won't take away what made it slip in the first place.

How much freeplay does the pedal have before you can feel the fork touch the clutch? Has It got any freeplay?

If the dealer has never adjusted the clutch freeplay when at service, then that would most definitely beyond a shadow of a doubt be a contributing factor in the wearing and slipping failure of a 64Km clutch.

Check underneath to see if there are any spanner marks, pressure marks on adjustment of the clutch slave cylinder. My guess is ??

Cheers
Ross M

AT 64,000km the clutch freeplay should have been checked 7 times after the initial at the factory.

Ross

Not only did I love the clutch shudder, but also the service book that says the free play should be checked at all svc's.

Being a clutch I think I am on a hiding to nothing getting the clutch replaced under warranty.

I'll try an Isuzu dealer first, never know your luck, then I'll go to a decent clutch specialist, hopefully.

Because we travel a fair bit it has not been serviced by the same place each time. Our next stop is Mildura for 2 months, then home to Scone.

Does anyone know reliable place I can go to on the south coast from, say the Gong down to Bega way?

Ross you do provide excellent technical knowledge, but one thing "it will not get better when it cools", isnt quite true entirely.
Essentially a clutch and brake are the same thing, and while a mechanical problem may cause slipping there is also a human factor. Hence if you suffer from brake fade you wouldnt automatically replace all the pads/shoes and so also a clutch that has gotten hot may not automatically require replacing. Granted it will never be better than it was but if it isnt glazed there is a moderate chance of it surviving

G'day fisho

What you have said is pretty much what a mechanic at Delmeny told me yesterday.

I told him my problem and he did a bit of a test on it.

Put it in 4th gear, put the accelerator down and let the clutch out. It stall straight away.

If the clutch was worn it would have just slipped.

He said he wouldn't get a new clutch yet, but he did say to get a HD one for not many dollars more.

How ever I,ll keep my eye on the rpm while on the road

There will always be some deterioration but as you were told its not automatic replacement.

Rockape

I have to agree.

My old troopy would not have noticed the 'bump', but sadly the missus fell out of the back and did a bit of damage and could no longer get into the troopy without a struggle.

The dmax has been a good replacement and has never been abused.

The only time I ride the clutch is when I back out of our 60 mtr drive, and I don,t do it the whole length.

Having said that I will get the clutch replaced as soon as I can.

Oh, by the way I like the boat. The skipper is a bit of a worry. LOL

Lyn

I am in the process.

The nearest Isuzu dealer is about 3 hours away, how lucky am I .LOL

I'll try and find a clutch dealer nearby and see both in the next day or so.

OK, should I be worried?

I rang the Isuzu dealer in Bomaderry and spoke to the service department. I explained the problem and was given the usual speel about it may or may not be a warranty repair.They won't know until it's pulled down. Fair enough.

I then asked how much it would cost to replace if it's not under warranty. He said off the top of my head around a couple of thousand.

Then he went on to explain that it would depend on whether it was worn or whether the springs in the pressure plate had caused the problem. That prompted me to ask if it was a dual mass or single mass.

Pregnant pause, then he said he did not know.

I'm not mechanically minded, but how can you quote on something off the top of your head when you may not know what you are quoting on.

He is now going to find out and give me a ring sometime today.

I would think he is quoting "off the top of his head" based on previous jobs they have done. The major expense in a clutch replacement is the "getting at it" part which can easily be a full days work. A presumption of a requirement to replace the clutch plate is also reasonable at a cost of $500-$1000 (my guess). So I think its not unreasonable for a service rep to give a quick estimate with that knowledge alone.
The downside of a dual mass flywheel is that they cant be machined, so if there is any damage (shuddering would imply damage in my book) then it would have to be replaced. I dont know what they cost but cant imagine they would be cheap.
You should probably consider going to Canberra for service as its a bit closer and you would have a much wider selection of specialists to choose from. Downside for you is that it requires a bit of a hill climb to get too and a faulty clutch may cause you problems there.

Well Isuzi got back to me within an hour.

It seems that my 2011 dmax does in fact have a single mass clutch.

I have been quoted $1300 to replace the clutch etc and machine the flywheel, if it is not a warranty job.

I have booked it in for late next week.

From what he has advised if I drop it in at 10 am it will be ready mid afternoon.

Thanks for all your responses they were appreciated.

The only problem is if it's not a warranty job ( which I think it will be ).....you get the same clutch again !!

There are better quality ones out there aftermarket that will be stronger and probably have a longer life than a standard one !!

Only downside....you can't change your mind once the things pulled apart in their workshop !!

Gronk you are probably right.

I will ring a couple of places tomorrow and see what they have to offer.