Terrano II Buying Advice & Workshop Manual

Ahh... the forgotten fourby... rare beast too, I have the 99 TDI model with a body lift, (Patrol body blocks will fit, we only raised the intercooler scoop brackets) suspension lift, winch, rear Air Lockers (yes, a Navara one will fit, so would a Courier snorkel) etc...

Spares?... no problem as it is an official Nissan import.

Faults...? Get a new airflow meter, no matter how well you think it performs, improvement will be instant, do not fit an oil based air filter, the oil mist will annihilate the airflow meter. Rear diff seals may leak, the clutch return spring is too weak (get a stronger one from a spring manufacturer). Worst engineering ballsup is the oil sender pipe from the side of the block into the alternator assembly, and hard to access, get an Enzed replacement.

A Calmini transfer case reduction set is available from the U.S. as well as front indie suspension lift kit. The rear springs you would want to get rid of straight away, they're way too soft.

More or as capable in the bush than almost anything in its class, and you will risk serious panel damage before it stops. 31 inch tyres will fit, just. Workshop manuals are available on ebay (disc).

With the air mass meter, there is a Bosch part number on the side as well as the Nissan one, provided it is the Bosch part and not a Hatachi one. Buy it from Bosch and save about $200. Injector nozzles are also available through Bosch. Nissan only do complete injectors and you are looking at around $2000 as opposed to $300.

You can download a manual from
Site Link

I have the paper one I got from Nissan, before they all started turning up on CD.

I found the clutch spring OK once the clutch has been bled properly. Mine gets along quite well and will sit on 110 all day. I get around 11L/100km which I am happy with.

They do have a tendency to run hot if worked hard in hot conditions. I replaced the radiator and fitted a 10” electric fan that helps a bit at low speed.

Water pumps are the same as a Turbo diesel Navara but are a bit awkward to replace, Starter motor is a pain to get out too.

Other than that, a nice low tech motor with go faster bits added. No cam timing belts/chains to have to worry about either.

We have one in NZ and have had a trouble free run out of it. Bought at 21,000km and now around 75,000km. Only one problem, a power window stopped working - new mechanism reqd so put the window up and diconnected the power window motor - thats what air con is for.

Other than that, a perfect run. We will see what it is like later in the week when I take it around the North island of NZ next week - have not seen it for 4 months as we live in Brisbane

Stevesub

Love mine ... Done heaps of Outback & High Country towing a Track Eagle camper trailer, as Hoyks said, they can get warm when worked hard in extreme conditions.
Mine has done nearly 350,000 km & I still average 11l/100km & use no oil between changes with a reasonable load on board, as it is ready to go camping 24/7.

I would be interested in more info re the body lift!

maniacbloke,

ive been using workshop manuals off CD (bought from ebay) for the last few years.
ive had no troubles getting the one i want.

i simply print off the section i need - ie three pages on removing rear shockies, then take them into the shed and get them covered in grease then throw them out when ive finished.

may not be the best when you broken down in the bush.
but remember, 'Proper Maintenance Prevents bleep Poor Performance.'

Gav

Thanks for the responses guys. All very helpful! I wasn't expecting so much info so fast.

Looks like its time to go hunting for my new Terrano II then I'll definitely be hanging around this forum allot more.

I purchased and download the workshop manual from the link hoyks provided above. If anyone else needs a copy I'm happy put it on one of my servers where you can download it for free.

Hi there,

I know I'm a bit late, but I second the responses here. My TII is a 98 TDi with 144k on the clock, I bought it with 80k.

We drove it around Gove for a couple of years, and it's ability surpassed my ambitions :D I certainly never had a problem going anywhere in it, even on some pretty hairy bush tracks.

The air mass flow meter is certainly a problem, mine failed at about the 95k mark (the original owner ran a unifilter which clogged up too fast on dusty gravel roads) but I have never had a problem since using the paper filter. BTW, I did get a Bosch replacement part which was significantly cheaper than the Nissan OEM part.

Unfortunately in the process of diagnosing the U/S air mass flow sensor, the mechanic cracked the fuel filter housing which cause the fuel to bleed back into the tank overnight making it difficult to start in the morning. Of course the workshop accepted no responsibility.

I have had to replace the clutch master cylinder, rear brake cylinders, fan belts a cracked engine mount, some flogged our steering rod, and cracked front bumper mounts. The Gove to Darwin track is ROUGH road by August. All in all not bad for the k's, the age of the vehicle and the driving conditions.

The only problem I've had that I can't seem to resolve is that after a muddy water crossing the check engine warning light came on and the engine seemed to loose power for a few seconds, then pick up again only to drop off again, surging and lurching as I negotiated the soft sand. Admittedly it was a pretty quick crossing to keep the momentum up, I lost my front number plate in the process.

The next day the light was off and I didn't have a problem until I got home and washed under the car, only to have the light come on again and the same problem repeat (on bitumen this time).

The local repairer said the ECU had no record of the fault and to bring it in again if it did it again. Which it hasn't yet, but I haven't done more water crossings that fast since then, so perhaps whatever was getting wet is now staying dry.

If you do post the repair manual on one of your servers, I'd appreciate a copy - hopefully I can repay your favour one day.

Cheers, Scott

Love my Terrano II TDI - '97 model - had it for about 4 years I think - been heaps of places - all road conditions - into the Bungle Bungles - Windjanna Gorge - Gibb River Road - etc - etc - never let us down once on that trip (20,000k) - most parts are easy to get - haven't had a problem at all - unlike the Japanese imports - as others have said - maintenance is the thing - do the oil changes and filter changes, and the fuel filter changes etc.
My nechanic reckons we must hardly ever use our brakes - only done the rear ones once - had a minor problem in the ignition once - but was quite easily fixed -(trouble was we were fully loaded and on our way 5 k from home, Saturday morning - checking air in tyres on camper - car would not start - RACV guy came and picked the problem - we did not turn the motor off from Frankston to Mildura - then booked in to the Nissan dealer there and got it fixed) nothing else at all really - just general maintenance things.
you'll love it!!!
jules