Cliffy Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 We have a 2004 Autotrail Tracker on a 3 TonFiat Ducato 2.0 ltr, with 66500 miles on the clock. The clutch is the original fitted by the manufacture We do two tours of Europe each year amounting to around 5000miles. Should I renew the clutch before any future long trips. I have a dread of the clutch going whilst half way up a mountain pass in some far flung country. Is there a recommended mileage for a clutch change? Has anyone had experience of clutch failure or mileage done on a clutch, good or bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Hi Cliff, You must have a very morbid fear of your clutch failing far from home as I seem to recall you asking the same question last year... http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/When-is-the-time-right-to-replace-the-clutch-/39087/ And IMO the answer is as long as a piece of string! It is one of those things which may keep on going for thousands of miles or give up tomorrow. My biggest fear would be to disturb everything to have it replaced, it's a gearbox out job on a Ducato, and then for loads of other things to go wrong as a result. Or even worse for the new clutch to fail shortly after, it is not unheard of! My motto, leave well alone! Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 I have never had a clutch failure in over 50 yeras of driving cars and vans some of which have covered outrageous mileages. But I have bought vehicles with suspsect or slipping clutches and had to replace them, one at very low mileage. An experienced driver can often get enough feel for a clutch over time to know when something is not right - have you reached that stage - if so change it - if not donn't? It is very rare and unpredictable for a clutch to disintegrate or fail totally and a clutch that starts to slip can often be managed for thousands of miles with care enough to get you home, although you may need to vacate mountainous areas to do so. So it all depends on how it is used during it's life and my view is that if it ain't broke there is no need to fix it as it may well go on working quite happily for years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 Changed mine after 25 years and 85k miles :D ........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QFour Posted November 13, 2016 Share Posted November 13, 2016 If it was used all day everyday round town doing loads of stops and starts then you may think it would fail at some point. On the other hand if it only ever drives up and down the motorway everyday then there are other things to consider. These vehicles are built to do a job and they do it in all sorts of roles. Don't worry about it. If it happens in Europe it will probably be cheaper to fix than in the Uk. Perhaps you should head towards Italy to be on the safe side put N42.1520069 E14.4537975 in your sat nav :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted November 13, 2016 Author Share Posted November 13, 2016 Keithl - 2016-11-13 9:10 PM Hi Cliff, You must have a very morbid fear of your clutch failing far from home as I seem to recall you asking the same question last year... http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/When-is-the-time-right-to-replace-the-clutch-/39087/ And IMO the answer is as long as a piece of string! It is one of those things which may keep on going for thousands of miles or give up tomorrow. My biggest fear would be to disturb everything to have it replaced, it's a gearbox out job on a Ducato, and then for loads of other things to go wrong as a result. Or even worse for the new clutch to fail shortly after, it is not unheard of! My motto, leave well alone! Keith. Keith, you have a better memory than me. I know I was worried about it last year but I had forgotten about the post. I always breath a sigh of relief when I pull up on the drive after a long trip. It is a bit of a morbid fear. I am a great believer in preventive maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Cliffy - 2016-11-13 9:38 PM I always breath a sigh of relief when I pull up on the drive after a long trip. I am a great believer in preventive maintenance. You are not alone with either of those lines of thought! You can imagine the relief I felt when we got back from a 7000 mile plus trip to Scandinavia and the Nordkapp and back without the van ever missing a beat. No faults for over 7000 miles in a Fiat - wow! Just make sure you have a good recovery backup just in case is the best way to reduce stress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John52 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 It depends too much on the driving to give any meaningful measure of mileage as when to replace the clutch. I decided to replace mine at 100,000 miles before a trip to Spain (and I had nothing much else to do) and shouldn't have bothered because when I took the old one out it was nearly as good as the new one. When it does start slipping you should be able to drive it home before it packs up as long as you are careful not to let it overheat. Heat will kill it far quicker than wear. I have driven a lorry back from Italy with a slipping clutch. Its just a matter of hanging on to lower gears to avoid too much torque causing it to slip and overheat. Worth using a bit extra fuel in lower gears to save the cost of getting it done out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 My clutch began slipping on my Hymer when in Portugal a few years back, I booked the van into a Fiat Garage in Beja , contacted my breakdown insurance and explained my predicament and told them I was 50 miles away from the garage at the Mines at Domingos and said I thought I would be able to get the van there unaided but was not sure , I was told to go ahead and drive to the garage when ready [5 days later ] and if I broke down they would recover me to the garage, I made it to the garage with no problem, the Insurance booked us into an Hotel for 4 nights , called us every day to check things were OK paid our taxi fares and Hotel costs, I had to pay for the clutch replace 1100 Euros , I am with COMFORT Insurance and their breakdown ,can't fault them , the Hymer had done 90,000 miles at the time.So don't worry be Happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaytee74 Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Cliffy - 2016-11-13 8:57 PM We have a 2004 Autotrail Tracker on a 3 TonFiat Ducato 2.0 ltr, with 66500 miles on the clock. The clutch is the original fitted by the manufacture We do two tours of Europe each year amounting to around 5000miles. Should I renew the clutch before any future long trips. I have a dread of the clutch going whilst half way up a mountain pass in some far flung country. Is there a recommended mileage for a clutch change? Has anyone had experience of clutch failure or mileage done on a clutch, good or bad unless you have noticed clutch slipping or a increase in clutch pedal travel at point of bite i would not be concerned as normal clutch lifespan is normally well over your 66000 miles unless your a bad driver and been abusing the clutch (which i suspect your not ) at present milage your nearer to timing belt change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROND Posted November 14, 2016 Share Posted November 14, 2016 Worry about it when it starts to slip. I have a 2004 Autotrail Appache on a 2.8 jtd and it has now done 93000 and still going strong so you should be ok for a while yet RD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagHal Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 ROND - 2016-11-14 8:13 PM Worry about it when it starts to slip. I have a 2004 Autotrail Appache on a 2.8 jtd and it has now done 93000 and still going strong so you should be ok for a while yet RD Agreed, a clutch will show signs of failure suddenly but should still work sufficiently for you to get to a garage and manage the issue. It may still work for hundreds of miles. If it slips or starts snatching then worry about it. Clutch life depends on driving style and where you drive. Also don't overfill engine oil if the crankshaft seal is leaky the clutch will get covered in oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted November 15, 2016 Share Posted November 15, 2016 Unless you drive every day in London or similar a clutch should last 100,000 to 150,000 miles minimum. In my experience with cars, replacement clutches even genuine manufacturers parts are never as robust as the original one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted November 19, 2016 Author Share Posted November 19, 2016 Thanks to everyone for the advice and words of comfort. The comments are very reassuring. I think I am being a bit over cautious due to the van now being 14 years old and has not been any trouble in that time, which is why we still have it. It is well maintained and serviced annually, I have had the timing belt changed twice. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted November 20, 2016 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Worn clutches normally give notice when they wish to retire by slipping under full throttle. Early retirement can be postponed by early down changes. The only sudden failures I have dealt with are due to rotten drivers wh slip the clutch so it severely overheats and the pressure plate breaks in half and locks the clutch solid so it cannot be disengaged. I amazed one owner who had battered her clutch into submission by getting into the casualty engaging bottom gear pulling the starter and driving away and changing smoothly up and down to recover it back to the garage. Regularly driving a truck with a crash gearbox hones the gear changing skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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