Nissan Patrol Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Sounds like your clutch is slipping, possibly from being asked to start off in a higher gear for the past five years.

WE RECEIVED quite a few emails from readers who have experienced the problem or know of it. Nissan released a service fix for it that appears to do the job.

THE quote should be about $1600 to replace the clutch. A factory Nissan clutch kit costs about $600 and there would be about 10 hours labour, Nissan specialist Jerry Newman says. The gearbox is difficult to remove. Nissan allows more than seven hours to do it, so 10 hours is normal. Your Patrol does have a dual mass flywheel, but it can be machined for about $50.

THE factory clutch is a bit marginal and usually starts to shudder before actually failing. Most people replace it with a heavier-duty aftermarket clutch, which seems to last much longer than the original.