Nissan Patrol 4.5 performance

Hi Meerkat,
no smaller than the what the cruisers have had from 1992- 2004
Extractors and a 3' system,
Check the timing it may be retarded slightly,
You can get dual mapped chips that recognise the difference between LPG and petrol and adjusts the ecu accordingly.

Cheers
Dave

HI Meerkat,

We all know what you mean. I had a GQ and I put the 4.5 in it running a Holden computer. It was ok with 108 RWKW. The GQ is also a bit lighter that the GU. Extractors, good exhaust is the starting point but if you really want to maintain some sort of momentum then turbo it with the duel fuel. You don't have to run big numbers. 6-7 lb and you will have a smile that you won't be able to get rid of until you get used to it and want more.

Use a gas research carby, a computer that can handle two different tunes, 1 for petrol and 1 for gas. You can use the standard diesel manifold and turbo of choice.

Ideally it will be intercooled but not completely necessary on low boost engines. These engines love a little forced induction and will last forever if looked after.

You will need a good tuner to get it set up and presto up those hills will she fly. LPG loves turbos the main thing is to get set up corrrectly. What state are you in? If in Victoria, call PGS in Mornington and ask for Joel. He is the man.

Cheers,

Chambo

Mine is a 4.8 and it flies and find it hard to imagine that there should be that much difference. I tow a heavy trailer and a van without too much of a problem. I'm guessing here but are you running it on gas when towing and maybe the engine doesn't like running on gas?

I would suggest it is not the engine size that is the problem.

Kind regards

Hi Meerkat

Theres a massive torque & power difference between the 4.8 and 4.5 and seriously I wouldn't consider anything less than a small supercharger for that engine.

Think long and hard before you go down a path of small dissapointing and costly improvements and take the plunge and trade up to a 4800 which has the rest of the gear like bigger brakes to match.

It will prove cheaper in the long run.

Autos are worse than the manuals, and I found I only used overdrive if I was unladen and driving on a flat road. I now have a manual and it is better but still nothing flash.

As mentioned these motors love turbos/gas, especially on gas. AXT does a kit for about $6500 including chip which is very competitive. PGS seem to know everything about turbos, they will be able to help you out. A big outlay but if you get extractors, exhaust, chip, snorkel that will cost about $3-4k depending on what you get, and the increase in power won't be anything special. On my last truck I invested in a snorkel, extractors and exhaust and played with the timing but it all had minimal effect.

I also got quoted from my trusted mechanic almost $5k to rebuild my motor. This included new pistons/rings, ported head, up the compression (run it mostly on gas), play with the fuel system and something else(maybe chip, can't remember). He estimated 180-200kW and the motor will look untouched from the outside. Might be worth looking into.

Thanks Dave - I thought the engine in the Landcruiser was superior to Nissans

Meerkat

I have the 99 GU 4.5 and find it great. I run a larger exhaust system with pacemaker extractors. One thing you should check is your MAF sensor...mine was faulty and after I got a dyno they picked that up. It improved performance and fuel economy. I don't do heaps of towing but tow dads boat every now and again and find it does the job just fine.

Thanks Everyone who responded. I have decided to go down the path of having a unichip installed so will post a further update to let you know how it went.