Can a faulty gearbox cause a clutch to wear?

Question

I bought an Iveco Daily Van new back in February (10 months ago) and yesterday it broke down.

The basic symptoms being that it wont engage into gear (the engine start fine but when you depress the clutch and put it into gear no power goes to the engine).

I have returned it to the dealer expecting it to be covered under my 3 year warranty.

They have diagnosed that the gear box and the clutch both need replacing, but they are saying that the clutch is worn out and is a consumable. I will have to pay for the clutch (but not the gearbox as that is covered).

I feel a little bit aggrieved by this as the van is so young and it hasn't been driven carelessly.

Should I be accepting that it is down to wear and tear or should a clutch last a lot longer than that?

Can the gearbox failure have caused the clutch to wear?

Cheers for any answers in advance.

Answer 1

This is a "Yes and No" question. A few variables determine if the clutch wear is due to a faulty gearbox (Transmission).

• The last time the clutch was replaced
• Your driving habits (riding the clutch, hard shifting etc etc etc...)
• Synchros in the gearbox

If it's a fairly new clutch, and you are an experienced driver that treats your clutch well; It shouldn't be wearing that fast. You have synchro rings inside the transmission that are essentially mini clutches made of brass in between your gears in the gearbox. They allow for smooth transition from gear to gear so you don't have to rev match. When these go bad it is very possible that the clutch may wear down because of rough shifts due to the failure of the synchros.

Additionally if the gearbox is failing and not operating correctly it could be putting extra stress on your clutch. A good example would be gears binding up. It may still run correctly, but eventually it will fail due to added stress that it wasn't designed to handle. It is possible that failing synchros could cause gear damage because of rough shifts; This can also happen without the operator even noticing.

I would ask to physically see what they're telling you is the issue and ask for an intelligent answer as to how they came to their conclusion. Most times dealerships are friendly in that respect. Remember also that they have to make their money and will try to "Skim" service if at all possible to avoid wasting money on their end. Since the clutch could have been ruined by MANY different things and assuming you drive your vehicle properly; I would argue for a free clutch simply because of the plethora of variables in this situation. I think the things that are wrong with your vehicle outweigh operator error.