Hard Shift into Gear

Hi All new to the site and cannot say that I am actually a happy Navara owner, worst vehicle I have had so far. Wondering if anybody that has a manual (I have a D40 V6 4.0 Petrol 2007 6 speed twincab 4 x 4) thinks that the gear shift is clunky/stiff or not smooth for a better description. I feel that when selecting gears at speeds it takes a bit of force to get it into gear, it doesn't have that nice detent feeling that is felt with most manuals and when going back down gears it feels like the gear shifter is actually bending from the force required when trying to push it into the next gear and a bit of a rev is always necessary. My ute has 78,000klm on the clock with myself having travelled the last 20,000 since purchase and it has always been like this.

I spoke to Nissan and they drove it and there opinion is that it is fine. I actually find the ute quite depressing to drive because of this as this is not normal in my opinion and I have owned a lot of manual vehicles with the majority being V8 4/5 speeds. I am running castrol VMX 80 which was recommended by the dealer but I feel that the oil may be too thick hindering a smooth positive shift with a nice feel of the detents as the gears are engaged (This is what's lacking at the moment). I have contacted castrol and they say that castrol VMX-M 75W-80 is the actual oil that is recommended, VMX 75W-80 if synthetic is preferred and this is actually a thicker oil then the VMX80.

Has anybody else experienced this and what did you do to fix it? If you think your shift feels fine what oil are you running? Is it also normal for the clutch pedal to have to be raised so high before it engages (I like a low engaging pedal as a high pedal is a pain in the arse on hill starts) or does mine need to be adjusted?

Another moan while I am here, I hate the way the engine rips straight up to 2 grand on cold start up, WTF is that all about??? again Nissan says that is normal. Not in my books, sounds like that every part in the engine is running dry until the oil pressure builds up. Is this really normal??? I have actually been thinking of plumbing up a pre lube system to prevent this type of dry start up but I am actually getting to a point of just getting rid of the ute and buying something that has less of this type of character.

This ute floats like boat when going around corners, when I hook up my van (19") it sags in the arse and gets a bad wobble up at 100klm, quite scary at this speed and doesn't build confidence so I sit on 90klm ( Have tried all different tire pressures), makes me want to put on a hat and dye my hair grey. I will need to invest in a load leveller and anti sway bar. 1st is too high for a comfortable working gear making it necessary to either ride the clutch more than I like to, being that this is the Navara's achilles heel or put it into low range when shifting the van but it is annoyingly low for on road use but 2nd is too tall for 2nd gear take offs so it 1st gear all the time even though you are changing into 2nd before crossing the intersection or rev the tits out of it just to get some sort of normal driving feel to it (Then it is hard to go into 2nd).

I had a 2001 4 x 2 Holden Rodeo V6 (Isuzu) 5 speed before this and it towed the van without any hassles sitting on 120klm with no worries and no sway bars or load levellers required. 1st was a great working gear and when normal driving 2nd gear was the lowest needed with 1st just being used on steep hills and it handled like a car around corners. Unfortunately I have two boys built like apes and the Navara offered the room in the back that the Rodeo lacked.

Cheers TwoDogs

im not sure if its just a v6 petrol thing but the diesel 2010 built d40 doesnt rev up to 2000rpm on start up in hot or cold weather, im sure someone with a v6 petrol will let you know if that is normal.

as for the gear box mine seams to shift really nicely, actually a few people who have driven it have commented on how nice the shifts were. i would think that if you feel like you are going to snap something with all the pressure it takes to shift gears ,something has to be wrong.
from what i know the 6spd manual isnt the best box for towing, and it is recommended that if you do tow on a regular basis or for any long hauls you should buy the auto. the problem is the dual mass fly wheel that most all modern utes know run are meant to be very weak , from what i have been told the auto is a very smooth and strong box. maybe your clutch or box has been damaged from towing??

i cant really comment on the wobble you get when towing a van,but when i have towed my trailer full of sand or concrete rubble, it seems to tow it really well.
as far as the suspension goes i changed mine at a 1000km because i thought the stock gear was not matched very nice and the cornering was petty scary, plus i wanted to get it a little higher off the ground. that was the best mod i have done, it now handles awesome for a 4x4 ute.
a mate of mine who ownes a 2008 hilux sr5 drove mine on a recent trip to the snow and commented on how good it handled compared to the hilux, which he said wobbled in the corners.

any way i hope you get the answers you need and end up happy, but i some how doubt that you will be now after your current problems have probably left a sour taste in your mouth, which is a bummer, because i have had two navara's and think they are a good unit.

good luck with it.
nathan

Welcome to the forum.

I'd honestly suggest you cut and extend a Holden Rodeo and dump the Navara, it sounds to me like you are not going to be happy with it. A 19' van should weigh something a little over 2tonnes and the Rodeo will find that to be close to its upper limit - but if it did it "without any problems" then maybe it's the direction you should go.

If you want the Navara fixed (and this will be a lot cheaper, but may not make you happy if you've resigned yourself to thinking about this vehicle as rubbish) then replace its clutch with a heavy duty Exedy and toss the flywheel, changing that to a single mass (it's a dual mass now, and they don't like lots of stress).

Changing the clutch will fix the pedal travel issue - because I'll bet yours is worn - and it will soften up the gearbox. I'd also take a look at changing the hydraulic fluid in the clutch as well, just to be on the safe side.

Then get in touch with Zordo on this forum and ask about suspension mods to help with the tail.

In all honesty, most utes these days have dual mass flywheels and while this works well for an unloaded vehicle (just like the suspension!) it's not very good when you put some weight on or behind it.

I do hope you can fix the problems and become happy with the vehicle. There's nothing worse than feeling encumbered with something that doesn't do it for you.

I reckon just ditch the Navara twodogs you wont ever be a happy camper with it.

Old.Tony said:

Welcome to the forum.

I'd honestly suggest you cut and extend a Holden Rodeo and dump the Navara, it sounds to me like you are not going to be happy with it. A 19' van should weigh something a little over 2tonnes and the Rodeo will find that to be close to its upper limit - but if it did it "without any problems" then maybe it's the direction you should go.

If you want the Navara fixed (and this will be a lot cheaper, but may not make you happy if you've resigned yourself to thinking about this vehicle as rubbish) then replace its clutch with a heavy duty Exedy and toss the flywheel, changing that to a single mass (it's a dual mass now, and they don't like lots of stress).

Changing the clutch will fix the pedal travel issue - because I'll bet yours is worn - and it will soften up the gearbox. I'd also take a look at changing the hydraulic fluid in the clutch as well, just to be on the safe side.

Then get in touch with Zordo on this forum and ask about suspension mods to help with the tail.

In all honesty, most utes these days have dual mass flywheels and while this works well for an unloaded vehicle (just like the suspension!) it's not very good when you put some weight on or behind it.

I do hope you can fix the problems and become happy with the vehicle. There's nothing worse than feeling encumbered with something that doesn't do it for you.

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Hi Tony, thanks for the reply (and others) When I got the Navara I had to shift the van out of an area that the Rodeo had put it into and that is when I learnt that low range was needed (The clutch had to be ridden in 1st and stunk for ages) and yet the 4x2 Rodeo put it there no problems. I then got on the net and typed in about Navara clutches and any problems. I near crapped myself when I started reading the amount of problems people were having/had and repeatedly having. Mine had not failed or had slipped but I was worried that this thing may go at any minute and not something you want happening going up a steep hill towing a van in peak hour traffic. I did then go out and enquired with a few 4x4 places about the issues and was put onto a few local gearbox/clutch places who were well aware of the issues, putting me on to a few brands of clutch kits (all solid flywheel) to think about. I have since been driving the ute gently when towing, using low range all the time but it is as you say, changing the clutch will resolve a few of the issues I am having (But it only had 60,000 on it when I got it, 80,000 now, clutches should last longer then this but as mentioned the first gear ratio does not help) and the suspension is easily sorted by changing out some bits but it all takes money and this is what I thought the initial purchase price was all about, a complete package that was competent of doing what it is designed for. I really think that a lot of emphasis with these RV's and their performance/handling these days is put into Mum's taking the kids to school and grabbing the groceries and when you want to get the ute to perform as it should you have to fork out more dough on top of what you have already spent, that sucks. I will keep the ute and I will change the clutch and suspension eventually and may then appreciate driving it but the funds have already been drained buying what I thought was going to be an all purpose RV ute. Cheers TD

I understand how you feel, about spending extra cash ... we bought ours purposely to tow, hence the auto. We were looking at a 3T fifth wheeler but articulation fears ended that desire rather quickly!

If your clutch is still going at 80,000km you're actually doing well. Some people have reported their clutches lasting just 30,000km - quite a disaster when you think about it, but the $2,000 spent to repair the clutch also happens to be how much extra you'd pay on a new vehicle to get an auto. In my opinion - and that's knowing how clutches, flywheels, pressure plates and torque converters work - the auto should be the ONLY choice for towing anything more than a box trailer.

I should probably draw your attention to using low range on solid surfaces too, in ANY of these 4WDs if you turn the steering wheel while in 4WD on a solid surface you WILL stretch the transfer chain. If you need to engage 4L simply for the gearing, and don't intend to use 4WD as needed, I suggest popping the drive shaft off the front diff and sealing up the joins with heavy plastic to prevent dirt from getting in.

For those that don't know why: when you turn a left-hand corner, your left rear wheel marks out a small circle, and your right front wheel marks out a very big circle. In 2WD mode, your right rear wheel is also marking a bigger circle than the left, but the limited slip diff takes care of this and doesn't let the drive train bind up. When you engage 4WD in these cars, there is NO limited slip differential between the front and the rear, so the entire drive train tenses up - it's called 'binding' - and just like a chain, it will break the weakest link and that's the transfer chain.