GU 4 Patrol Lock Up Clutch Shudder

Submitted: Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 00:29
ThreadID: 96735 Views:3433 Replies:3 FollowUps:2
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My 2005 Auto GU 4 Patrol which has done 140K's has just developed a slight shudder or vibration when it goes in to lock up. I back off the juice when I feel it and then it goes away. I only use the vehicle every 3 or 4 weeks these days and was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this problem, what was the fix and if it possibly has anything to do with the intermittent use. Thanks in advance,
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Reply By: KevinE - Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 09:25

Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 09:25
This issue was discussed in the Saturday paper recently in the "Ask Smithy" section of the cars guide; Smithy reckons it's caused by the clutch being overheated when being "slipped" too much. He also said replacement is the only fix.
AnswerID: 490375

Reply By: Ross M - Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 10:41

Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 10:41
Has the vehicle recently had a service and it is now doing the slip thing??
Sometimes service people put the wrong oil in autotrans and they slip.
The weakest clutch will slip first.
Guess which clutch is the weakest in the trans?

Another reason is the trans oil may have been there too long and it's grip enabling properties are diminished, causing slip.

Yes the clutch may be wearing out too. The clutch is in the torque converter.
AnswerID: 490382

Follow Up By: blown4by - Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 11:00

Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 11:00
Thanks for that. I don't think it would be overheating because it does this first thing in the morning while still cold. The ATF quality may be an issue but should not be as I service it myself and keep Mobil 1 fully synthetic ATF in the transmission which was put in at the 40K service so has now done 100K which is not a lot for a fully synthetic oil which has only done a small amount of light towing. Also when I put it in I fully flushed the system (12 litres) not just the 4 litres that drains from the drain plug.
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FollowupID: 765680

Reply By: member - mazcan - Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 13:12

Sunday, Jul 08, 2012 at 13:12
hi
have you had a look at the center bearing and the uni joints
AnswerID: 490399

Follow Up By: blown4by - Thursday, Jul 12, 2012 at 21:44

Thursday, Jul 12, 2012 at 21:44
The Patrol doesn't have a centre bearing and I haven't checked the u/j's but I grease them every 5000K's and they are still 'tight'. The vibe only occurs as soon as the torque convertor starts to go in to lock up. Actually it is more of a shudder than a vibration. Once it is in lock up the shudder continues which I suspect is due to the clutches slipping. When I back of the juice and let the clutch grip the shudder goes away.
Since my first post I have spoken to an auto tranny expert and have tried a product called Shudder Eliminator. Amazingly this product almost completely eliminated the shudder after 20K's driving and today I did a 500K run with hardly any noticeable shudder or the resultant vibration. I suspect though that this product is only going to be a temporary stop gap measure and in time I will have to replace the clutch plates in the torque convertor to fix the problem (until it happens again from what I hear)
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FollowupID: 766164

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