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dual mass flywheel

33K views 23 replies 23 participants last post by  Dave. 
#1 ·
Hi,
as some of you may know i am currently looking for a t5 (finally decided on a 1.9tdi) but i have another concern that i seem to be seeing problems with.....The DMF.
At the moment i am looking at a couple of vans 58reg (2009) 1.9 (one with 15k one with 36k) would these have the dual mass flywheel? is there a perticular milage that they commonly go? i have read somewhere that they can cost in the region of 1.5-2k to fix, is this right?

Failing the above, i have seen a 2007 1.9 with only 10k on the clock, would this also have the dmf?

also while im at it, do all the 1.9s have traction control/asr? just wondering as one guy has to very similar vans listed but only one states traction control!

thanks in advance for any help :D

jon
 
#3 ·
Just get on an by a van, if something goes wrong, fix it. Mines got over 120K on the original DMF and it's fine, I was dead worried about buying a T5 at the start, then I started reading about all the scare stories about Vivaros', Vito's, Transit's, don't always believe what you read on the internet...
 
#4 ·
All T5s have a DMF and most of them never have any problems (mine is on 100k or so on original flywheel).

Just listen for a nasty rattle on idle, or a clutch slip/judder when pulling away (especially obvious when reversing up hill). If those warning signs aren't there then get stuck in.

Replacement cost should be under a grand fitted.
 
#5 ·
Hi All,

I've owned a t5 now for 3 months. its a 55 plate 102ps 1.9tdi done 119,000 miles and I think I have the dreaded DUAL MASS CANCER but the rumble I'm getting is a constant noise and I'm sure I notice it after warm up ( say when engine is at 70 degrees).

Originally thinking I had some well worn wheel bearings I jacked it up and theres no vertical play on the wheel. I jacked up the whole front end and started and ran it to hear a rubbing noise (pulsing)

The van actually drives fine and clutch is great, no differculty changing gear just a drone noise when moving along above 30mph or so.

I've just come from 5 years of type 25 fun and games and decided to spend my time out of teh tool box by buying a t5. hmmm

does this sound familiar to anyone?
 
#7 ·
We've just bought a 58 plate 1.9tdi after 3 years in a T25 which never actually let us down but I had a little chuckle at all the tools / spares / tow rope / jump leads we carried for those "just in case" moments

We camped for the first time on the "wedding" weekend and there were 2 other T25's at the site plus our T5 - guess which one didn't start on the morning of departure, we'd not realised the fridge was 12v only and had the power switch the wrong way round so it flattened the van battery!

Got a jump start from the site tractor and set off slightly red faced!
 
#8 ·
dual mass flywheel is on all diesel vehicles now (as far as I know, you may find a manufacturer that doesnt use them but I doubt it).

They take up the torque to stop the gearbox getting ripped apart in a diesel. check youtube for an explanation.

They are a right pain and sometimes fail / are badly made often giving a judder/vibration when using the clutch particularly. The flywheel is like 2 wheels, one that takes up the initial torque against springs so rotates only so far against springs before turning the other wheel. Either it ends up being able to rotate too far or it goes loose around it's centre mount a bit like a plate that doesn't have a flat bottom on a table.

Basically, no rule on when they go, but you must replace this and the clutch at the same time due to the labour costs involved with a van (6 hours or so). You have to see it as a fragile clutch if you like, and you have to see it's maintenance as combined with clutch - whichever goes, replace the other too.

The only thing I'd add, since this is an expensive job due to the labour, is that you might have the work done somewhere that will redo the job if you have another bad flywheel following the work that might not materialise for say 8 months.
It might cost more and keep it being an expensive job, and it won't help if it doesn't re-fail for a long time, but at least you have some come back rather than saving say £250 on a cheaper replacement mechanic. A bit over the top maybe, but a thought.
 
#10 ·
The trouble is people become obsessed and blinkered about a full service history, yes I agree it's better than none at all but it does not hide if a van has been thrashed from new by a spotty teen. I suspect most get a hard life causing a lot of the issues like drive shafts and dmf's. Mine was a repossession with no service history and in excellent condition for 100k miles. Just go for it expecting to do a full service and a water pump etc. Everyone posts about the bad things and keeps quiet with a healthy van.
Buy the best you can afford but don't think it is bullet proof with fsh !
 
#15 ·
If you suspect it is going, get it changed when you can would be my recommendation.

The flywheel in mine completely shattered when it went on startup - I wouldn't want to know what this would have done to the engine/gearbox casing if it had gone at high engine speed.

Not only that, breaking down is always an inconvenience and can be costly too...

Other than this, my 70k 1.9 has been sound as a pound for the 2 years we've spent together.
 
#16 ·
id take to a gearbox centre they'll be able to tell you if its going right away..

from experience get it done sooner rather than later otherwise you could end up with a heavy bill for gearbox damage as when the dmf goes it stops dampening and can ruin the gearbox bearing and eventually the crownwheel... which ==££££ as i found out recently...
 
#18 ·
mine had a slight jerky idle and it was the dual mass
£360 pounds for a dual mass and full clutch kit from german and swedish and its the LUK kit, same as what came out
also i did get a slight chattering noise on idle
all symptoms now cured
fitting cost about £200 as a bit of a pain and grease your driveshaft splines at same time guys
 
#22 ·
hi,
I would suggest when you need to change i,t go for a solid flywheel conversion which is a straight swap. Techniclutch do a solid flywheel with valeo clutch for £193 delivered. Once on never have to worry about the flywheel again. Just remember vans and cars managed without dual mass for most of automotive history
 
#23 ·
I had a T5 T30 1.9tdi 102 on an 08 plate from brand new and did 130k Miles in it and in that time had 2-3 dual mass flywheels, 2 gearbox rebuilds, a turbo, a turbo intercooler and finally a new engine at 97k! All this work was carried out under warranty.It sounds bad but my van was used hard and was always up to its weight capacity and drove it flat out most of the time. The 1.9 engines are not upto heavy duty long distance work (confirmed to me by VW customer assistance mechanic) as things like DMF and clutches almost are consumables! I also think that had I have been in any other van the problems would have been far worse! I suspect most of my problems were down to poor engine choice! The early 2.5 tdi engines have water pump issues which was sorted around 06 plates I think! I would advise picking one with full VW service history and most importantly pick the van and engine fit for purpose! When my DMF were on the way out I could hear a rattle on idle when the engine was cold also low speed manoeuvring was jerky! Pretty sure that the DMF and clutch and fitting wasn't more than 6-700 pounds even at VW so not the end of the world! Would not fit the standard fly wheel with no dual mass as I suspect that gearbox would go prematurely! Hope this helps :)
 
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