Nissan Navara Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Honestly, this problem could be caused by anything from a transmission that is worn out to one that is simply low on fluid. It could even be caused by a bad earth somewhere on the car or something as simple as a blown fuse.

You need to take the vehicle to a workshop that can electronically scan the vehicle and hopefully turn up a fault code that will pin-point the problem. Without doing this, you're simply guessing at what the problem might be and will end up replacing parts you didn't need to.

It's unusual to have a major failure of the front diff, unless it has been left in low range four-wheel drive on the highway. If that hasn't happened I would request a full explanation of the reason the diff has failed.

We don't have any specific information that might be of use to you, but I would suggest you seek the advice of a differential service. I'm sure they would be able to tell you of any other failures they have seen, and probably give you an opinion on the failure of yours.

I agree with the advice you've been given, go up to high-range and get out of the problem area

This cost of this will depend on a few things, Anthony, including which workshop you choose to carry out the work and what that workshop’s hourly labour rate is. That said, budget for around $2000 for the clutch kit and the time to fit it and you should be okay.

The other thing to consider is whether this is a good time to replace the sometimes troublesome dual-mass flywheel with a simpler, more robust singe-mass unit. The cost should be about the same, but the single-mass replacement will be a stronger, more reliable unit over time. It’s the first modification a switched-on Navara owner will make if they intend to tow heavy loads with the vehicle.

You could be dealing with a broken or worn clutch that is not disengaging as it should. This would explain the notchy shifting. But the whining noise makes me think you could have a worn or dry throw-out bearing. This is part of the clutch that allows the clutch actuator to disengage the clutch while the engine is running. If it’s worn or it runs out of grease over time, it can start to make a shrill noise and can cause iffy shifting.

They did to wear out clutches relatively quickly, and the cost to replace them was high because you had to replace the dual-mass flywheel as well as the clutch. The way around it is to fit an aftermarket heavy-duty clutch and solid flywheel.

The vibration you refer to is caused by the torque converter locking up at too low a speed. It's done for fuel economy, but I reckon Nissan has got it wrong in this occasion. They might say they have had few complaints about it, but I bet there are lots of owners out there putting up with it because their dealers have told them it's "normal".

We have been told the same thing, that it's the way it is set-up and that's it really. I don't believe it would be too big an ask for Nissan to have a service fix available for those people who, like you, find it annoying.

It could be that the clutch needs replacing. It might not be fully disengaging.