3.0LT patrol(90-92mod)

Dave I have not owned one, but by all accounts the rb30 is a superb motor that goes forever if serviced correctly and more econominical than the 4.2, but it has to rev to give its best. Make sure you get it checked out by a mechanic
Cheers Pete

The 3.0l is not a bad machine, its a tad underpowered but turbo it and it screams

Hi Dave,
I have a 3.0 Petrol 1992 GQ with 370,000. Serviced very irregularly. I lift the bonnet just to make sure the engine is still there.
Sure it's a bit underpowered but will do everything asked of it (except hills). It can get a bit frustrating at times but hey, it doesn't drink much fuel for such a big rig.

It really depends on your requirements and expectations. I don't do much towing other than the trailer and the van at times. But when towing the trailer it's usually got all 750kg in it and runs well. I push it around town a bit and it responds well to that treatment. On the highway it's just a lazy cruise. Good for the wallet in both fuel and points. I have had trips with the BIG boys and other than exhaust note and refueling periods, they never knew I was not the same as theirs.

I have thought about updating the engine but other than a rebuild and turbo, I get a bit put off by the fuel consumption of the bigger engines and the thought of shelling out more for a diesel engine than what I paid for the rig is too much to bear.

In the end I am happy with my "little" 3.0 ltr and it's great for excuses for being late to something when really I didn't want to hurry anyway.

The little gotcha with the 3.0l is the running gear. Fine if you want to keep it that way but it is not the same as the larger engined models. It uses the navara running gear (well gearbox anyway). If you want to upgrade to a bigger engine or maybe a chev, you do need to replace the box as well. The rest is fine as is. Diffs etc will be fine left to handle the raw power of a chev. I am not sure if the gearing is the same otherwise but is still tough enough just the same.

I currently use about 15L/100k around town and about 13L/100 on highway depending on load and hills. Try that with a 4.2. My other car is a Frontera and it is much better all round for power and fuel but it is injected and more complicated if things go wrong. The ol' 3.0 just doesn't stop and being carby and spark, it would be easy to kick in the guts if it did take a rest. I expect to be still trucking for years yet with no changes.

Cheers Cam

Dave
I have a 1990 rb30 and yes it may be a little underpowered but a good exhaust system does make a difference. The best thing i find with it is it runs very smooth and the rb30 doesn't mind being revved high if you need that bit of extra power. As for towing i have never towed anything really heavy mainly my sons motor bike and quad and it handles that really well. A few people will bag the rb30 but i am more than happy with mine. I currently get 13 lt per 100 highway (sitting on around 90--100kph) and around 16lt per 100 around town. I am not sure what the 4.2s get but suspect you would be paying more for tha bit extra power.
Go with what you think and enjoy the GQ

Steve

Dave,
I believe the motor is a gem (if you could get a turbo'd fuel injected transplant from a VL commodore would be great) but by all accounts is a very reliable motor. Nissan at the time figured that a carby instead of injection was a plus for working in remote areas.
The gearbox is not the same as the 4.2 petrol or diesel (it's from the ZX30, I bleieve) and has had some issues with 5th, mainly when towing. The transfer case is identical to the larger-engined models. The diffs are also lower-geared than the larger engined models, but consider them just as reliable.
A colleague had some problems with the second throat on the carby not cutting in properly and Nissan went thru about 3or 4 carbys under warranty before they got it right. Prior to that, it had no guts; after being fixed, went like a rocket. Also a warped inlet manifold letting in air later in its life.
They were great value in their day.
Gerry

Hi Guys
There is some great info on the forum re getting the most out of this great engine.
Being the high performance Nissan Skyline engine it can go exceptionally well but you need to know what to do to it. (If nothing else keep the revs between 2500+ and 5000rpm and use premium ULP)
Also much lower service costs as they stay in tune.
Do a forum search on "RB30".

cheers
Kerry W