Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Hi fellow Pa'trols

Ja, my vrou het besluit ons nuwe aquisition word gedoop Pa-se-Trol.

After four years of driving Discovery, I discovered Patrol. I bought this lovely, no, menacing looking beast two weeks ago and now I want to learn all I need and can about it.

Drive train:
I figured out that I have to get out of the car to engage(lock) the front hubs when I want to go into 4x4. I cannot however figure out if the difflock engages when I turn the small switch which says 'Diff Lock'. I do not hear any clank-thud or grrrr, and there is no warning light on the display-board to indicate that it has engaged. How does it work and what should I look for if it does not work?

Fuel system:
The(a) pervious owner replaced the original carbs (don't know what it was) with a weber(don't know the size yet). Apparently I'm looking at 8km/l on open road. That I am testing at the moment so I don't know yet.

Interior:
There is buttons for electric windows on the driver's side, but only the front windows are electric the rear passenger doors are winded windows. what do I make of that? On the same panel there are buttons for the side mirrors adjustment(working) and the doors' central locking (working). Would that mean the rear passenger windows were modified?
There is a set of guages mounted top of the rearview mirror: Indicating body Roll, Incline, height above sealevel. Is that standard?

Suspension:
It looks as if the rear-end is hanging a bit although the shocks and coils seem to be in good condition. Any suggestions on suspension 'upgrades' etc.?


Tyres:
I got these real fancy rims(anyone wants them?) with these Duelers. Obviosly the tyres are too small(width) for the rims and I need to get other tyres or rims. I would like some more standard rims. Any good suggestions here. I know your're gonna ask me about what teerain I'm going to drive on, but all I can say now is that I wan to build a overlanding vechile.

thx in advance

Wouter ek het vir jou 'n service manual op 'n cd en is van Saterdag middag in Pretoria (Zambeziweg) as jy een nodig het.

Ja sebblief man! Waar (in Zambezi) sal ek jou kry?

newbeast wrote:Hi fellow Pa'trols

Drive train:
I figured out that I have to get out of the car to engage(lock) the front hubs when I want to go into 4x4. I cannot however figure out if the difflock engages when I turn the small switch which says 'Diff Lock'. I do not hear any clank-thud or grrrr, and there is no warning light on the display-board to indicate that it has engaged. How does it work and what should I look for if it does not work?

Interior:
There is a set of guages mounted top of the rearview mirror: Indicating body Roll, Incline, height above sealevel. Is that standard?

Suspension:
It looks as if the rear-end is hanging a bit although the shocks and coils seem to be in good condition. Any suggestions on suspension 'upgrades' etc.?

thx in advance

Nice-looking Y60, congratulations and may it give you many years of faithful service.

Some Patrols/Safaris sold in some markets came with a factory clinometer, but most did not. Yours is mounted in the factory location and has the factory features, so it probably is factory.

There should be a light which comes on when the difflock is engaged. No light may only mean that the bulb has burnt out.

Usually, Patrols sit higher in the rear than the front. Your springs may be worn or non-standard. Whether you want to fit a lift-kit or not is up to you, but a fresh set of springs should restore your ride height.

Hello Wouter

Drivetrain:
That switch should switch on the diff lock, but you will not hear anything. There is a light in the instrument binnacle, top left that will come on when the diff lock has actually engaged. To make it engage you may have to drive around a corner. It is a vacuum system and will only engage if the engine is running and there is a differential speed between the two rear wheels unless the dog teeth happen to line up. Please note that on these old patrols the diff lock wil switch on or off in any gear and drive mode (you can switch it on in 2H).

Interior:
It seems likely that the rear windows were converted.
The binnacle with the roll, climb and altimeter is standard. On mine the altimeter is a bit confused.

Suspension:
These cars are known to sag a bit, but yours looks higher than standard to me. If you are planning an overlander, I would recommend fitting air helper springs in the back, as they can easily be pumped up to conform to any load. Further I would recommend connecting the two air helpers together but with a valve in the pipe so that they can be isolated. I would use 12mm pipe for this. In this way you can isolate the helpers on the road which will give you added stability, but off-road they can be connected to give you uncompromised articulation.

Wheels:
This is a contentious matter. Some guys prefer steel wheels, others mags. Persionally I prefer mags, but if you want steel, stay away from the Nissan factory wheels for this car as they are prone to cracking.
The bigger the wheels are in diameter, the better they are off-road (in almost all conditions) but the worse they are on-road. Bigger diameter tires give you more ground clearance, better traction and better flotation.
Wider tires are an advantage in some conditions but a disadvantage in others and will increase your fuel consumption. You pays your money and you makes your choices. Be aware though that your patrol will need some modifications (mainly to the mudguards) to run 33"tires.

Hi Wouter,

Wheels:
I will keep those mags of yours, it looks good but in the end it is a personal choice. When getting new rims check the centre bore diameter as these Patrols require rims with bigger centre bores than normal standard rims.

Difflock:
You will have to check your vacuum lines and see if your solenoid is still working properly.

Weber:
Please place some pictures of the Weber setup. If you can get 8km/l sjoe you will be a very happy man

Enjoy the Patrol

Welkom Wouter, jy sal vir seker "Pa se Trol" geniet. Die res van die vrae is al mooi ge-antwoord. Ek dink wat uitstaande van jou kant gaan wees is om met ons die resep vir 8km/l te deel. Dis nie alledaags en ons almal hunker daarna. Laat weet bietjie, al moet jy die vorige ('n) eienaar bietjie "bribe" vir detail, maak so!!

Groete

My Patrol se vorige eienaar het ook vertel dat sy brandstof verbruik tussen 6,5 en 7,5 is - kon dit nog nooit kry nie!

@ Dolf
Dankie man! Ek sal verseker elke oomblik geniet. tot dusver lyk die bransdstof verbruik nogal goed as ek 'n vergelyking moet maak met wat die ander manne sê. Hierdie is nou net dorp ryery en eenkeer vanaf Pta na Lanseria (maar baie haastig met 'n vrag vol 17jarige manne en hul yshokkie gear) staan dit op 6km/l. Dalk haal ek nog die 8... sal maar sien.

@ Pieter Connan
There is a green light that lights up on the instrument panel when I engage 4H or 4L. I accepted that as indication that 4x4 is engaged. This happens whether the diflock switch is on or off. There is no other light. What should the light look like? Does it have a picture like 4 wheels and a cross in the rear diff area?
I have thought of air helpers and your suggestion is taken to heart. I already have piping, valves and fittings from when I converted my Disco.


@ all
I'll probably keep these mags, although I feel sorry for taking them into the rough where rocks may damage it. But then I did not buy this hulk to impress the guys with the bling...

I'll take some good pics of the Weber and place them in the week...

Watter liggie is onder daai groene?