"SICK"6-speed update

[spctr13]

At or around 35,000 miles I started to hear and feel a noise as the clutch came up to the last 1 1/2 to 2 inches of travel , especialy when downshifting . It was also noticeable while stopped , and when accelerating out of toll booths etc..

Dealer has found a problem with the input shaft in the transmission , GM has no repair parts at this time . New transmission being sent from Michigan .

Mac

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2001 2500 Silverado 6-speed .Sunset Gold, Leer 122 Cap , TransferFlow 98 gallon crossbed tank .Cobra 140 Watt inverter, CTX Laptop , Delorme Tripmate GPS , Joto Desk ,Roadmaster Active Suspension .

[DSLPOWR]

Had the same thing happen to one of our work trucks (2000 Ford Powerstroke F-450) at 12,000 miles. They also had to replace the complete transmission. Almost sounded like grinding marbles..... http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com/ubb/eek.gif

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2002 3500 Duramax/ZF6 speed/4x4/LS Interior/Summit white

2001 2500HD/Alli-Max/4x4/LT Interior/Extended cab/short box/Onyx Black/Graphite leather/295 BFG's/Eagle Alloys/MX7000 lightbar/Lund Deflector/DeeZee Gold series Toolbox/DeeZee Aluminum Tread Mud Guards/DeeZee Aluminum Tread Bed rail protectors/BOSS 9'snowplow/Straight piped/EGT and Boost guage (Pillar mount)

1994 Chevrolet 2500/Silverado/4x4/Blown-injected 454/9" Lift/35X12.50 BFG's/15X10 American Racings
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=dslpowr

[spctr13]

Update ;

Checked in with dealer today . Because GM has no repair parts for the 6-speed I am getting a new transmission , dual mass flywheel , and throughout bearing . All because of a failed bearing on the input shaft , maybe $ 20-25 at the most . It had scored and slightly burned the shaft . The parts are here and I should get the truck back Tuesday . Unfortunately I am going to have to break in a new tranie , fortunately it happened at 35,500+ miles .

Mac

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2001 2500 Silverado 6-speed .Sunset Gold, Leer 122 Cap , TransferFlow 98 gallon crossbed tank .Cobra 140 Watt inverter, CTX Laptop , Delorme Tripmate GPS , Joto Desk ,Roadmaster Active Suspension .

[Kansas Kid]

Dang, it sure did cut it close to that 36,000 mile mark! Certainly saved you a good chunk of change buy going out then, even though you hate there to be a problem at all.

[RealBigTruck]

I've got the same thing going on right now at 21,000 miles. I bought the ZF6 to reduce the possibility of tranny failure. I sure hope this isn't a sign of things to come!

Gary

[RealBigTruck]

Looks like Chevy has authorized replacement of the flywheel, clutch, pressure plate and throw-out bearing for my ZF6.

This is not good news. The dual-mass flywheel is coming apart after only 22,000 miles of use. Mostly highway towing about 9,500lbs.

Great.

Gary

[Big O]

If mine goes out, I hope it is at 35,000 mi.

[amcgibbon]

Gentlemen, I havent been around this forum for a while, but you have all got me a little worried about this 6 speed GMC that is being shipped to me in about 2 weeks. Are you all having that much trouble with this tranny? Is it really hard to shift? I would appreciate any insight ZF owners have on this configuration. Thanks.

On order. GMC 3/4 ton 4x4 crew long bed. Dura/ZF
Invoiced at factory today!
:confused:

[srubrn]

amcgibbon,

I have a 2002 Chevy with the ZF and I haven't a problem one. The tranny is a little stiff when you first get it, but it loosens up or you get used to shifting it. I wonder sometimes whether some For* guys are in here starting rumors.

[1BADDMAX]

My truck is about to turn 42k miles. I have not had any trouble out of the transmission or clutch. However, my left side rear axle seal has started to leak again. The dealership said they will fix it since it was fixed under warranty the first time. Other than that and a few other small things I've been really pleased with this truck. I still get about 20mpg on average and up to 23-24 on long trips.

[RealBigTruck]

srubrn,

I am/was a For* guy. I've still got an F350 IDI turbo/crew/dually in my driveway. It still has the E4OD tranny in it, which is slipping a bit.

That's why I chose the ZF6 when I upgraded to my 2002 3500. Every other vehicle I've owned has been a manual transmission. I have never needed to replace a clutch and all of my cars have been over 100,000. Maybe "cars" is the key word here. Also, none of them have had a dual-mass flywheel, either.

I assure you I am not a For* troll.

I do not know for sure if there was a clutch/flywheel issue. I took the truck in for a grinding noise that was occuring when the clutch was depresses slightly (1/2 to 1 inch of travel). The noise disappeared completely with the clutch pedal fully depresses. A light growling noise would be constant when the clutch pedal was fully released. To me, this meant throw-out bearing.

The dealership said the throw-out bearing was definitely bad. BUT, Chevy authorized the replacement of flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, throw-out bearing and pilot bearing. Don't know if anything was wrong with them, other than throw-out bearing. Could be preventative maintenance because of troubles in the past.

All that being said, why would a throw-out bearing go bad after 20,000 miles?! That's one of the things ****ing me off. I'm expecting to get well over 100,000 miles out of this truck. Perhaps 200,000. It's a scary proposition if I've got to expect changing a throw-out bearing every 20k! Hopefully this is just a fluke, but the seed of doubt has been planted. My confidence in a lot of trouble free miles has been shaken.

It's good to hear you haven't had any problems with yours. How many miles are on it? Do you tow with it? How heavy? Just trying to get some more data.

1BADDMAX - Good to hear no problems at 42K miles, but this still false far short of my expectations. Perhaps I was foolish to think I could get away with 100,000 minimum out of a truck clutch.

P.S. - My truck's been in the shop for a week! I hope to get it back today.

[ 12-18-2002: Message edited by: RealBigTruck ]</p>

[MaxACL]

To All:

I too have the ZF and ordered it from the factory just to get it (seems Allison wants to sell many autos). I'm pulling some large and heavy trailers to all points of the US and have no problems. The last trailers' weight was unknown but the truck torqued clockwise from red lights like the big guys.

While waiting for my next dispatch Monday there was perhaps 30 duallys lined up and we were all shooting the breeze and I was amazed to learn that many of the other two brands have more than their fair-share of problems. Big problems too. There is no "brand bashing" from anyone, just honest to gosh comments.

Bottom line (from my point of view): The three truck makers produce great products. True some sub-sub-contractors might produce flawd bearings or relays or what-nots, but the trucks are solid. I'd like to see some design engineers dipped in Vicks for some of the stupid things they did to my truck, but I see simular things built into the other trucks also.

I truely hope all yall (plural for yall) get many years of enjoyable use from your beast. I love my 3500 DuraMax ZF and I'd buy another one (perhaps a red one next time).

Mike

PS My speed-o is at 36,800. I sure hope all remains well. :D

[RealBigTruck]

Just got the truck back today. Work order shows replaced throw-out bearing and replaced flywheel. Don't know about the other stuff. Tech also claimed a trans fluid leak and replaced the shifter boot.

Runs and shifts very nice now. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays this way!

[RealBigTruck]

I've just got to say that when I got my truck back after it had the intake air heater relay replaced (again) and the throw-out bearing and flywheel replaced, it runs so smooth and quiet.

I had forgotten how much I love this truck!

Fitzpatrick Chevy in Concord, CA did a nice job, even if it did take a week.

[MEP]

I had my flywheel/clutch replaced 11/19/02 due to a failed flywheel. (The damper springs collapsed) Since the replacement, the truck has been running the best it ever has. The engine runs so much smoother. The original flywheel was messed-up from day one. I say this because the truck no longer makes a loud rattle when I shut it down.
As for my ZF shifting hard, it loosened up maybe around 15-20 K miles.
There's more info on the flywheel issue under the "Clutch Failure" topic. There's also a URL for a site that has a 2 page tech bulliten on these flywheels which YOU SHOULD ALL READ.

[RealBigTruck]

CRAP!!!

Another throw out bearing / flywheel failure. I only made it to 40k miles, which is just 18k miles since the last time I had it replaced.

Has anything changed since December of 2002? Is there an upgraded flywheel for our ZF6 yet? I DON'T want to be doing this yet again.

[luvthesmellofdiesel]

Had my flywheel replaced at the 16K mile mark. 8K more to go until the next failure probably... :-(

Dealer said the flywheel is warranted to 100K miles since it's technically part of the engine. FYI...

I like the tranny a lot, it shifts great (after several thousand miles of getting used to it), but it is a little noisy in high gear cruising 75+, don't know why, but it is... I don't have the hard pedal problem (yet).

Now if only we had 3.43 gearing to match the tranny...

Tim