Navara Cracked Firewall

[Jaylee291]

Hi DavePP Just recently had the same issue with my firewall cracking and having no clutch I'm in contact with fair trade about the matter wondering if I could email you about it and get some Info, Cheers Hayden

Hey mate. I have the same issue and have spoken with fair trading and now looking at taking this to NCAT but would love to know if you had any luck getting yours fixed?

 

[Jaylee291]

Hi DavePP & Haydj98,

I am going through exactly the same thing with my 2009 Navara. One day the clutch just stopped working and turns out the fire wall is cracked. This was not due to any fault of mine or any accident. Nissan have called today after assessing the vehicle and have said they will not cover the cost to repair the car. I am about to go to fair trade and any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am in Victoria.

It has already been 3 months now and I can see this getting dragged out even further...

Thanks in advce to anyone who has any advice.

Kate

Hi mate. How did you go with your nav getting fixed? I’m trying to track down evidence of other vehicles with the same issue for NCAT. You can contact me [email protected]

 

[Jaylee291]

Cracked fire wall

Sorry no didn't think about it at the time. The crack is near the clutch (as the only reason I found out about the crack was when I couldn't drive it because the clutch had gone - driving along a busy road of course) Anyway not the clutch but the crack that has made the clutch unusable (the clutch had been a bit off for a few weeks and had the mechanic look at it and it was fine - he wasn't looking for a cracked firewall!) Also in hindsight starting the ute one morning weeks prior it made a terrible noise, checked under then bonnet, tightened anything that was loose, but now think this was the flex that might have been the final nail in the coffin.

Dave, can you please contact me on [email protected]

 

[Jaylee291]

Hey guys, same issue here, but the wall has completely given way.

Any advice on how to proceed with chasing Nissan to fix it?

Hi mate. Did you get an further on this case?

 

[Troy86]

Nissan Navara Fire Wall Fixed!

Just following up on my posts from the beginning of the year. My Nissan Navara that had a cracked firewall (due to no fault of mine) and was just out of warranty (see prior posts)
Anyway it got back on the road approx 2 months ago (after being out of action since before Xmas 2014) and it was fixed at no charge to us by Nissan Australia after a very long and drawn out process. I will say that Fair Trading NSW were fantastic.

Hey Dave,

I know this is a rather old post but hopefully you're still on this forum.

I have just found out that my 2010 d40 has the same issue with the cracked firewall cover, I have it booked in for Nissan to have a look and charge me 144 bucks to only give me the same information I already know.

How did you start the process with fair trading? because no doubt I'll have to go down the same road, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Troy86]

Hi mate. Did you get an further on this case?

Hi mate, how did you go with your issue? i have the same cracking around my 2010 d40 although it's only done 140 000 kms not looking forward to the long process ahead.

 

[Jaylee291]

Hey mate. I have the same issue and have spoken with fair trading and now looking at taking this to NCAT but would love to know if you had any luck getting yours fixed?

Hi mate, how did you go with your issue? i have the same cracking around my 2010 d40 although it's only done 140 000 kms not looking forward to the long process ahead.

Hi Troy,
We were successful with our case with NCAT although we didn’t get all of what we asked for because we only submitted 1 quote rather than 2 or 3. So it will be off to court again for remedies. I have 4 others with the same issue and as long as you don’t or haven’t ever installed a heavy duty clutch it should be covered. We are highly considering a class action against Nissan Motor Co so if you want to send me through details to [email protected] I can let you know what we decide on doing.

 

[Troy86]

Just sent you an email Jaylee

 

[Phunk]

Hi Troy,
We were successful with our case with NCAT although we didn’t get all of what we asked for because we only submitted 1 quote rather than 2 or 3. So it will be off to court again for remedies. I have 4 others with the same issue and as long as you don’t or haven’t ever installed a heavy duty clutch it should be covered. We are highly considering a class action against Nissan Motor Co so if you want to send me through details to [email protected] I can let you know what we decide on doing.

Between this and things like the CVT, Nissan has really dropped the ball over these last 10 years. Always gets me on edge thinking when my D40 will randomly just call it quits.

 

[johnhendek]

Hi Jaylee

I'm also sending e-mail to ACCC. have you made progress on this? i'm happy to jump onboard with the case. Please let me know

 

[ads4cole]

Hi, what has everyone's longer term experiences been with this issue? I've also just had the same thing occur to my D40.
(first sign cruise control not working as a result of clutch sensor disengagement) then next day difficult shifting of gears so I inspected & found the issue.
Seems Nissan never fixed the problem as my ute is 2015 December.
I'm wondering if anyone's vehicle has lasted after repairs & a reinforcement plate fitted. It is clearly something that should never ever fail in the first place & has happened far too often.
How did jaylee go? As I'm also in Vic.

 

[ads4cole]

For anyone else that see's this thread, this the solution to the issue...
When depressing the clutch the force is transferred to the clutch box frame onto the firewall where it's mounted. But additionally & also worse most of the force is transferred to the master cylinder piston located on the other side of the firewall in the engine bay. The master cylinder is held in place by two studs that are welded to the base of the clutch box frame that pass through the firewall. When you depress the clutch the force transferred to master cylinder is pulling on the studs in the direction of the front bumper causing the firewall & clutch box to flex at the base. This why everyone sees there clutch box crack apart in multiple places at its base & similar cracks in the firewall (see pics). The right way to repair is have the base plate on the clutch box cut off & refabricated in either 3mm mild steel plate or 2mm CrMo plate if you want the same dimensions as standard. The 3mm mild steel plate adds 1mm to the length of the clutch box. The box bottom plate is a 100mm x 80mm rectangle when flat with 20mm 90dg return folded into it at one end & appropriately located drilled holes for the studs etc.
Re welding the old one is not ideal because it has already work hardened & one corner of the base is prone to flex because it is not well supported or designed.
So you replace the base & make it stronger so it won't flex. Then you need to have the firewall cracks Mig welded up by a good welder. It's 1.2mm thick & in a difficult spot so for a welder to see what they're doing is difficult. With that done it's on to the last part & this I believe is where I've seen alot of people potentially get it wrong. Lots people have an extra plate welded onto the firewall in the engine bay where the master cylinder mounts to try prevent further failure but I don't think it's ideal because the forces at play will then act on the points where it's welded & it doesn't distribute the load the best. The solution I came up with is to cut a plate out of 1.6mm mild steel sheet that gets siliconed to the firewall in the footwell between the clutch box & master cylinder. So you liberally coat one whole side of the plate
(2-3mm thick) with silicone then stick it to the firewall in the footwell then mount your clutch box through it & attach your master cylinder in the engine bay & tighten. This allows the clutch forces to be spread over the largest allowable maximum area of the firewall (see pics).
Fitting a plate like that is also something that could be done to distribute the load & prevent the firewall & clutch box cracking/failing in the first place (if I had a manual I'd do it) might take around 6hrs & a few dollars as opposed to the three days it took me to repair mine & I'm a particularly skilled fitter/fabricator/welder.

 

[ads4cole]

Pics of my repairs. I installed it all & it has been utterly solid since. Note the master cylinder to clutch pivot attachment has to be adjusted because of the minor change in dimensions between the clutch box & master cylinder but there should enough adjustment for this.