Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

This thread is perhaps of less interest to Patrol specialists as the issues that I face are not necessarily common to Nissans.

Added to this should be the Fuel pump and Fuel filter issues I had in December
http://www.patrol4x4.co.za/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6727

And, my car's apparent inability to cross water.
So this issue came up on the river trip and again at Rust de Winter.
Below is a description and pictures of what I had done.


I was referred by Errol to a friend that does Lexus conversions (his owns a Landrammel and Navara with Lexuses in).
(while I was there another Navarra with a dead 2.5 came in for an op)

We started by using a water spray gun while the car is idling, and target specific areas of the engine.
The timing sensor on a pulley (which I always thought was the issue), got soaking wet and the engine was still happy.
However after spraying the coils and allowed water to drip over the area where the injectors are (on top of the engine), it started to stutter.

Now the simple riddle: How does the water get there, if my engine starts to stutter when it is only 50cm deep?
Well, this is presumably due to the fan that does the spraying!
May engines (I suspect the TB range of Nissan included) is resistant to this.
But the Toyotas need protection from water.
So the suggested solution is an engine cover (which we then ordered)
See the pictures before and after below.
The air intake had to be adjusted slightly (notice the two stainless steel parts) in order to make space for the cover.

Now to put this to the test:
What I need now, is someone to suggest a venue on a Saturday morning, where I can drench my truck again to see if the remedy is working.
Rain is predicted for Friday (so maybe this Saturday morning can work? - it will have to be a quick outing though as I have other commitments later in the day)

Importantly for me, there is nothing else odd about my conversion that would suggest why I cannot cross water.
Nothing is different in this engine and setup from what he has seen on other 4x4s using Lexus engines. So if this solution does not work, I would be stumped!

While I was there I also had the rubber parts of my fuel lines replaced (forward and return pipes) to proper graded petrol pipes and the right thickness, as well as my long life spark plugs (they have done about 70,000, but although they are supposed to last 100,000, given the hard work this engine does in a big 4x4, it was a good time to replace them. Also I wanted new ones in for the dune trip in March!).
New air filter (mentioned elsewhere, new oil and oil filter) - I did that myself.

And that is all the TLC my V8 has got recently.

Just for the record: In total I have done 88,000 km since the conversion in 2011.

Alex,

De Wildt has a few nice mud pools off to the right. With all the rain we've had here (and at the moment), I guess it will be nice and wet. Water is generally at least 50cm deep.

Hope this helps.

Ian

Awesome news Alex, glad you actually got to the real source of the problem.
I can just imagine how anyone must feel to fear water crossings as they are generally fun and exciting.

I'm sure the engine cover will do the job. You can maybe also look at modding the cowling a bit so it does not splash water over the engine as much or is that just not possible?

Hi Alex,

I had similar issues with my Lexus (with an engine cover). I too had stuttering & even lost cylinders when water was involved.

My issue was that the spark plug tube & coil pack assembly were not seating properly on the heads, there were circular rubbers that had shrunk with age & water was getting in through the gap.

We fixed this by getting new rubbers & also sealing the faces with a tiny bit of forma-gasket.

I still however from time to time had a cough or two when playing in the water.

J

hugejp wrote: My issue was that the spark plug tube & coil pack assembly were not seating properly on the heads, there were circular rubbers that had shrunk with age & water was getting in through the gap.
We fixed this by getting new rubbers & also sealing the faces with a tiny bit of forma-gasket.
I still however from time to time had a cough or two when playing in the water.
J

Thanks, I will look at that next.

hugejp wrote:Hi Alex,

I had similar issues with my Lexus (with an engine cover). I too had stuttering & even lost cylinders when water was involved.

My issue was that the spark plug tube & coil pack assembly were not seating properly on the heads, there were circular rubbers that had shrunk with age & water was getting in through the gap.

We fixed this by getting new rubbers & also sealing the faces with a tiny bit of forma-gasket.

I still however from time to time had a cough or two when playing in the water.

J

I have the exact same problem with the Lexus motor I'm busy with. Luckily mine is going into a road car, so apart from deliberately spraying water on the engine it should not be a major issue....hopefully

iandvl wrote:Alex,

De Wildt has a few nice mud pools off to the right. With all the rain we've had here (and at the moment), I guess it will be nice and wet. Water is generally at least 50cm deep.

Hope this helps.

Ian

Those mud pools at de Wildt stinks. I would certainly not put my car into them. It will take weeks to get your car clean again.

Jorrie wrote:
Those mud pools at de Wildt stinks. I would certainly not put my car into them. It will take weeks to get your car clean again.

Edit: oops see you are talking about "de wild" not rdw....but anyway....

But sooooo much fun......




RDW river crossing:

Hi Alex

Maybe try Kungwini as well, they have a few water crossings?

Hope it is all sorted!

Alex gaan na de wildt toe by hulle training baan daar is mos n plek wat jy deur water kan ry ek kyk, net voorstel en water stink nie