First time Navara / 4WD owner

[Boppa28]

Hi guys,

Found this site via Google, so joined up hoping to learn a bit !

Picked up a 2012 D40 auto ST this afternoon - seems like a great truck so far. Only has 48,000 kms so hoping for a long and happy relationship...

One thing i have noticed - a little bit of shudder occasionally on low speed take offs. Only after selecting drive from either park or reverse - not sure if that's a common thing ? A quick search here didn't reveal much. I also had some serious lower back pain (my back is pretty crap after years of sport !) but i think that's just a case of not knowing which seat setting was best when i picked up the car !

Short term plan is to find a decent head unit with reverse camera (pretty important with a two year old daughter !), and also upgrade my old Quintrex boat so i have something decent to tow behind it...

Main intended use is as an all rounder - daily drive for work, tow the boat / racecar to and from the track, and the odd run on the beach / offroad for some family fun.

Looking forward to reading and learning a lot !

Boppa

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome aboard!

Takeoff shudder could be from a number of things, from prop shaft bearings to suspension issues (the rear diff tries to rotate when power is applied, the suspension stops it). First steps would be to take a look at the prop shaft - it should be nice and snug with no noticeable play. Then look at the leaf springs, make sure the pack is mounted firmly, is all intact and not too inverted (D40 leaf springs are almost flat - designed for a smoother ride).

Upgrading the springs to dual-rate is worth considering, you'll get lift plus carrying capacity out of the move.

Does the shudder happen regardless of how long you wait after engaging the gear? For instance, if you're driving along and stop at the traffic lights, when you take off again do you get any shudder?

 

[Boppa28]

Hey Tony, thanks for the reply, great advice !

To be honest mate i've just been slightly more patient (put in gear, wait a second or two before accelerating) and it's been fine ?

I might get it checked by someone who knows what they are looking at prior to warranty running out...

Re towing - racecar and trailer would only be about 1600kgs, boat and trailer maybe 1200 tops ? Standard spec suspension would be fine with that i'm guessing ?

Cheers
Boppa

 

[Old.Tony]

We towed a 1.8T caravan and that meant 180Kg of ball weight, so it did weigh the back down. Look at how low the rear sits in this photo:

That's standard suspension and 180Kg on the ball, 4x 20L jerry cans of diesel, 1x10L jerry can of unleaded, Engel, Honda Eu20Si and a small bag of tools.

It's heavier than yours, but not by a lot. The standard leaf springs probably can't cope with more than 150Kg (rated) but in reality they probably won't handle (long term) even an empty tub.

All I can say about the suspension is that you'll be thanking everyone that suggested you get new springs once you've gone and had new ones put on.

You might have a sticky clutch too, or even something wrong with the thrust bearing on the clutch arm (or even the arm itself).

If your clutch needs replacing, hot tip: negotiate with the dealer that you pay the difference for the dealer to fit a single mass flywheel and an Exedy heavy duty clutch, which seems to be the most popular choice. The SMF will give you a little more vibration but it should be barely noticeable. Dual mass flywheels are a great idea, but they don't shed heat very well and if you're lugging a boat up a ramp, you'll be punishing the flywheel quite a bit and wil lend up burning the clutch. Hear a lot of DMFs causing clutch failures in 30,000km of driving - switching to SMF and HD clutch = problem solved.

 

[Boppa28]

Tony - It's an auto....

There goes any credibility i may have had right ? lol

Will heed your advice re towing though - it makes sense mate...

Boppa

 

[Old.Tony]

I wouldn't worry about credibility - it just went up! Towing with an auto makes more sense since the manuals have that DMF. It works fine for some, but there are a lot of people that have had a LOT of trouble with their DMFs.

The TCM is designed to be a little 'slow' so it can make sure everything's right before engaging. A valve body upgrade from Wholesale Automatics in Victoria will spruce up the responsiveness of the gearbox but I've never found it necessary. The only time it's annoying when I'm doing a 3 point turn (or as we had to do on a fire trail up near Nundle, a 23 point turn).