1991 Nissan Patrol 4.2 Turbo Diesel

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Thu 26 May 2005 09:41
1991 Nissan Patrol 4.2 Turbo Diesel - Matt
Hi,

I have just bought a 1991 Nissan Patroln LWB with an extra high roof (think it's called a Safari or Grandroad) and would like to find out a little about this enormous beast.

It has the 4.2 litre turbodiesel engine with a 3 speed automatic gearbox - I think this is quite rare and actually seems to work quite well despite a mileage of 190,000!

Could anyone tell me the power of these turbo engines as most seem to be non-turbos in this country? In fact any info on this car would be great!

Can anyone also advise me what keep an eye on with this car and what to look out for meachanically. Can I expect hassle-free running with this tank?

Finally there is a little oil leakage from the small pipe that goes into the top of the Garrett turbo. Is this the oil feed pipe? If so is this oil just normal engine oil shared with the rest of the engine? What I'm getting at is: should I be particularly careful to change the oil regularly in order to prevent turbo wear etc.?

Thanks for any help.

Matt

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Thu 26 May 2005 18:20
1991 Nissan Patrol 4.2 Turbo Diesel - Dave N
I'm not sure that this engine was available in the UK in that year, but they did bring one over about 96/97 just before the newer shape patrol with the 2.8 diesel. I think the power was fairly low, something like 140hp, as it has an OHV engine with no intercooler. So it's really solid old technology. Not very quick, but will go on forever.

I think oil changes were every 4500 miles, so you need to keep on top of this. It's the same oil that goes through the turbo, and I would buy a new gasket for that oil feed pipe before it gets worse, as oil and super hot turbo's isn't the best combination.

One other area to look out for is the front birfield joints, as these need to run in nice clean grease. If the seals from the front axle leak axle oil into the joints, then it washes the grease out and knocks out the kingpin bearings.

Lastly, virtually all prts will have to be got from the dealer, and prices are usually high. You can also try milners offroad for some parts, but I'd steer clear of their cheap filter packs.
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Thu 26 May 2005 18:29
1991 Nissan Patrol 4.2 Turbo Diesel - Dave N
Just had a quick look at the Nissan australia web site, and they still sell a patrol with the 4.2 straight 6, but with an intercooler. Even with an intercooler it still only pushes out 150hp, so yours will probably be 125 ish.
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Thu 26 May 2005 18:58
1991 Nissan Patrol 4.2 Turbo Diesel - Matt
Thanks Dave - very helpful. I will do an immediate oil change as I don't know when the last one was done and will try to change the gasket too.

I'm not surpirised at the engine's lack of power - it is a very smooth runner and has huge torque though. Maybe it was fitted as an aftermarket conversion to this car as it is definitely a 1991 H-plate.

Any more info you come across would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt

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Fri 27 May 2005 00:06
1991 Nissan Patrol 4.2 Turbo Diesel - Dave N
I'm assuming it's a jap import, in which case they've always been available over there.

You can't beat a good straight six diesel for smoothness and torque, especially a nice old fashioned one that produces max torque at something like 1200rpm linked to a lazy auto box.
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