Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Thank you Wilhelm

very interesting topic.

please keep us posted.

Ok, this weekend I drove to Sabie, 80% loaded. (3 Adults with all provisions for the weekend.)

584.8km (30km 4x4; 100km town; remainder open road)
107.25L fuel.

It seems that fuel consumption remains relatively steady at just over 18 l/100km. I will keep monitoring, but will no longer provide an update on every refuel (unless of course something changes).

Vehicle is still an absolute dream to drive. I should have done this a long time ago.

Love the work on the project Michael !
Well done

The Patrol has now traveled a little over 5 500 km since the conversion and it is time for another update on fuel consumption:

I have driven the Patrol hard, normal and "economical" and the fuel consumption has been..... well unexpected.

The best fuel consumption I've had was a fully loaded vehicle from the coast to Secunda driven relatively hard. Consumption 17.9 l/100 (I had a youngster behind the wheel and he was having fun with it.)
The worst fuel consumption was when I tried to drive economical (Secunda/Gauteng) with no weight in the vehicle. Consumption 18.4 l/100.

It seems the answer to my dilemma is that I am not aggressive enough? The harder I drive, the better the consumption????
I believe it has to do with driving style and rev range... Perhaps my old-man style of driving slower at lower rpm (and lower boost?) is what is creating this seemingly bizarre phenomenon.

Interestingly though, before the conversion, these figures would range between 16.4 and 20.2... so at least I can say the vehicle is more efficient when used "properly" than before.

Something seems strange at this point and I plan to get to the heart of it... Will continue updating.

The 4.5 Turbo Version 1.1

After about 7000 km, the Patrol wasn't entirely lekker... It was still better than before the conversion, but it wasn't as good as it used to be. Fuel consumption was a little higher (around the 19 l/100km mark) and the power was down. So at 8000 km it went back to Michael.

Some things that were done:
* New waste-gate spring (increased boost at lower rpm).
* New waste-gate gasket (the previous one just wasn't up to the demands).
* Replaced a bit of old wiring.
* Some suspension upgrades/repairs.

The vehicle came back quieter and if possible even more smooth. I do believe it has marginally more power as well, especially in my normal driving range around 2000-3000 RPM.

However, lady luck wasn't on my side, and 500 km later I started picking up over-heating issues. Never before have I been so thankful for the Spitronics ECU. It cut the power, drove me in limp mode and got the engine temperatures back in order, all without even climbing off the highway. Took the vehicle to a local mechanic, and lo and behold: I needed a new thermostat. No serious problems and I'm back on the road.

So two fuel-ups thus far, and fuel consumption still just above the 18l/100km range. I must however also admit that I have become a lot more "windgat" in the last few months so my foot has gotten a little heavier.

... ya gotta feed them there horses !!!

As promised, more updates on fuel consumption:

As it seems is the way with this vehicle, things keep going wrong, and the latest item on the list is that the clutch has now started slipping when I give it a little extra. If you drive the vehicle like a standard 4.5, you will never notice it, and I can still cruise 120 up a hill in 5th, so no real complaints although I am planning on having it fixed soon because I can no longer get pushed back in my seat when accelerating.

Anyways, what I was trying to get to is that for the last 3 fill ups I've noticed a drop in consumption. The first time I figured it was an error (not everyone fills it to the same level), but after three consecutive fill ups, it is now confirmed. When driving like a normal person the fuel consumption comes down to between 17.2 and 17.6 l/100km.

Hmm.. that just won't do. Need to get the clutch fixed ASAP.

PS: Also to note, towing a 4m trailer with some furniture against a strong headwind pushes the consumption a little over 20 l/100kml (and that is with the not-so-lekker clutch).

After the Botswana disaster of 2018, Graham replaced Skilpad's clutch with the 4.2 diesel heavy duty clutch.
I think Dirk got the same clutch now in his car too. It is much stronger than the standard one, and for a turbo'd 4.5 I think that would be the way to go.

Yup, Michael fitted the bakkie clutch for me as well

So its still a STD part then? Just used for the Bakkie?