Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Anyone know this Patrol or any history of the vehicle?

Are you looking to buy it??

If it is a 4.2 diesel, it looks like there is an intercooler fitted, that means a turbo too. The 4.2 diesel motor ( TD42), is as strong as an ox as a normally aspirated or non turbo motor (N/A). But with everything it always comes down to how the vehicle was looked after. With the fitting of an aftermarket turbo, there is an issue of combustion heat that could cause things to go wrong. The turbo for us guys here on the highveld is basically an altitude compensator, basically giving us the same power as the guys down at the coast ( ok, maybe a little more, but not going to make it a bullet). with this bit of extras boost, the motor needs to be fueled a little extra, making the motor burn hotter. The temps if left unchecked can hit 800 deg or more VERY easily, and considering the pistons will start to melt at around 750 deg ( so I'm told) you have a recipe for disaster. BUT... if that Patrol has an EGT gauge fitted ( Aftermarket ), and there is some kind of service record, either from the dealer, or workshop, or receipts of oil and filter purchases, then that means that the owner has looked after the Patrol. If there is no EGT gauge fitted, I would be VERY hesitant, depending on price. The water temp gauge is NOT and indicator of what the EGT's are or have been.

I will tell you what happened on my Patrol, to give you an idea, and possibly a better understanding of whats involved here. Firstly I LOVE my 4.2 Turbo Diesel.... real trucks don't have spark plugs !!!! ( watch the other guys chirp now with there petrol Patrols.... ), and don't get me wrong, I am not saying anything bad about that Patrol.... BUY IT.... but for the right price.

My Patrol has an EGT gauge fitted, but the injectors were never serviced. On a trip to Botswana I burnt a hole through the no 2 piston, the EGT's were normal, but because the injector was not giving a proper spray pattern, and was basically dripping the diesel onto the piston, it created a hot spot. This then caused the piston to melt on a corner. To give you an idea of how strong these motors are, I drove 550 km from Botswana to Alberton with a blown engine !!!!!!

You don't mention the Km on this Patrol, but check if the Injectors have been serviced. They say they should be serviced every 70 000 or 90 000 km. When I did mine, they cost R 420 each to recon.

This does look like a sweet machine, and I cannot stress enough how much you are going to LOVE driving this machine. Doing 4x4 trails with my 4.2 diesel is the most satisfying thing you can EVER do. Are there other BIG diesel vehicle manufacturers that have the same issues.... ohhhhhh yes.... and don't let anyone bullshhhhhh you that they don't, but the 4.2 Patrol is by far for me the strongest total car ( strongest gearbox, diffs and transfer case ). There is also no electronics, no computers that can cause nonsense. The only electronics for engine management is a wire that says to the diesel pump... gooi hom die diesel... that's it.

Those tyres on there look good, the body looks good ( from the one photo)

I've tried to give you both the good points ( and there are many many more ), and bad points. These bad points, like with ANY vehicle, is a chance you take, and that doesn't matter what brand or make of vehicle it is !!

I really hope you buy this !!!!

Thanks for the information, much appreciated. The vehicle can be viewed here http://www.surf4cars.co.za/Showroom/Veh ... noredirect

Please let me know if the price seems reasonable, as i am not a vehicle technical guru, what are my options on get a once over on the vehicle?

Hi,

There are two things that bother me about this vehicle.

1: They dont mention an aftermarket turbo install, why not?..., but looking at the intercooler scoop there may well be one fitted (not ideal really when buying second hand)

2: It states the vehicle as a 2001,...but i was under the impression that in SA they stopped bringing in the 4.2 NA Diesel version in 1999? (However i may well be wrong about this). Looking at the leather trim on the door panel it appears to be legit to the date, but perhaps brought through Zimbabwe?

This motor maw have been very well looked after, and the KM reading is good for the year model (ie: Not many KM per year), but you just never know.
Before you buy this motor have a compression test done.

All the best mate,

Russ.

Paulo, I'm glad to see some other guys agree that it can be a 2001 model or a 4.2 diesel, but not at the same time!

Ask the dealer to check the VIN or engine numbers for you. VIN numbers look like this: JN1TCSY61Z0, followed by another 6 digits (the actual serial number). The JN1 says it was made in Japan (they all are), the T says it's a station wagon and the C says it's equpped with a TD42 diesel motor. Y61 is the model, whilst the Z means it was not destined for Brazil, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. The 0 after is just padding before the actual serial starts. The engine number should start with a TD42, followed by six more numbers in the case of a 4.2 diesel. See, it's quick to become a Patrol expert on this forum?

Cedric's right about asking for receipts, etc. These 4.2 motors require an oil change (9.8 liters of the stuff!) and an oil filter change (both of them) change every 5k kilometers. My guess is many owners may want to cut corners there?

If you take it for a test drive you should floor it with the revs between 2000-3000. If it visibly smokes (black = unburnt diesel) from the driver's seat, it's overfueling and therefore not well tuned. A quick burst of black smoke is fine, but once the turbo has spooled up it should compensate for the additional diesel fuel and burn it all off without excessive smoke. Overfueling leads to increased exhaust gas temperatures, and too much of that is bad for the motor. If it is smoking you can argue that you have no idea how long it's been driven like that and use that as a bargaining tool if you really want it. I think it's probably priced on the upper side of the market value for a 4.2 diesel any way.

Cedric, I must diagree ever so slightly with you about turbo'd diesels. When you boost a diesel you are adding more air to the fuel, thereby lowering the combustion temperatures (honest, I won't tell stories about important things like this!). This allows you to add more fuel again, balancing temps out and giving you more power in the process. It's probably easier to overfuel (and by consequence overheat) a normally aspirated diesel engine because you have less air volume to offset the effects of a slight error in fueling. Same thing as trying to get your shower ju-u-u-st right when you are only opening the taps a small amount, or tyrying to add just the right amount of tomato sauce to a single "slap" chip!

Christo, you make a valid point, and it does make sense.

The price is difficult to gauge, but yeah without some form of service history.... R120K is for me upper margin pricing, as there doesn't seem to be any extras, except for the turbo, and roof rack.
If no EGT gauge is fitted... I would still be cautious, and use that to negotiate

I rebuilt my 4.2 with 6 new pistons and rings, re sleeved the block and reconned the head, with bearings etc and re conned the diesel pump and injectors( was basically a brand new motor ) for R 35K... ok I did do it myself

You could probably quite comfortably buy this Patrol, recon injectors, and pump, open up the motor and get the head checked, look at the conditions of the pistons, or take them out, put new rings and bearings, and a genuine Nissan head gasket for R 18K .... then its basically brand new, and good for 500 000 km.... again this would be doing it yourself.

So the choice is yours. Would I buy it?.... hmmm yeah I think I would, but that would depend on the price.

the 2001 vs 4.2 is a bit confusing to me too... TD4.2's were only in the 98 and 99 models ( of that shape ). From 2000 they changed to the ZD30. It could be that it was only registered in 2001. mine was made in 98, but registered in 99. Take the VIN no to Nissan and see what info you can get on it

A compression test will help, but may not show any damage that may have occurred to the pistons so far, but worth getting. Compression ratio on the TD 42 should be 22:1 and not lower than 21:1