Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Clean Green, spray on leave for hours hose and brush off, repeat. Stay away from harsh chemical cleaners

Yeah, Clean Green works the best for me too. And a toilet brush.... .... don't laugh, it scrubs all the s__t away.....

Well, this thing could be mistaken for a shit box, but its my shitbox.
Got the father in law to help out. Sorted a jack and tool kit, the bottle jack didn't have the crank arm. He custom made a tool bag like one of those roller types.
Now got to do the oil. It is practically solid.
Took another short trip loaded with 8pax (2 Philippines= 1 American). Lots of hill /mountains around here. She made it, but temps got to 3/4 of the way to red. I was watching puckered a bit.

G

... nothing like a little sphincter tightening to get the heart racing.

The GQ Patrols do get warmer than the GU Patrols from what I've read, but there may be a reason for the temps getting high.
Check that the shroud over the fan blade on the radiator is in good condition.
Check that the viscous fan locks up when the temps get hot.
Is there antifreeze/coolant in the radiator water. (I use either Nissan Agents or one of the well known brands and follow the instructions carefully. If the mix is too weak you wont get the right effect from it. If too strong, you can do damage to the metal from the hydrochloric acid that keeps the rust away.)
Check Thermostat is opening up properly.
Make sure that the radiator has airflow through it. Sometimes rubbish collects between the aircon condenser and the radiator that restricts airflow.

Not sure on the GQ, but the GU has a plastic "scoop" that fits under the radiator that channels the air. This will assist in creating a negative air pressure in the engine bay, which should help the airflow through the radiator.

I would very strongly recommend fitting an additional temperature gauge operating off it's own sender unit, as well as a system that alarms if the water level is low.

I think there are several systems which can do both in one unit. Here in SA we use a brand called Madman, but I think it is a local product.

On mine, the temperature gauge fluctuates quite a lot for a relatively small change in temperature, but on the later cars the gauge fluctuates very little. On mine, the white line at the bottom is about 60 degrees, whereas the white line just below the red is about 92. Safe zone should be up to about 108 degrees, but I don't like going there.

As Cedric has mentioned, there are many factors that influence the performance of the cooling system, and there isn't much safety factor built into this system, so all elements need to be in good condition.

Checked cooling system and all is where it should be. you can say functioning.
I think I had a full load and the roads here are no joke. Super steep in the hills 15deg grades+. Also, the vehicles on the roads are shiite. So if I get stuck behind a jeepney essentially a bootleg bus I have to downshift and rev high anyways..
Good info on the stock temp gauges and upgrades. Will look into it.
Changed oil. The plug was 1mm to small 15mm and was held in place with sealant. Wtf. Got and paid to much for what was supposed be a gq y60 plug but didn't fit. It was 16.2x1.25 where the proper was 16x1.5. New oil filters and motul 4100 turbolight 10w40.
Next check tranny an diff oils and grease axles.

in all her glory

Keep posting the progress as you go. We crave information and photos

here she is

New issue: ENGINE SHAKE/RATTLE

Here are symptoms:

happens in 4th or 5th gear
low rpms in 5th
random rpms in 4th
shake seems up/down motion
seems harmonic/frequency

getting off the gas, changing rpms, braking etc can get out of it.

Mounts?

Cheers
G