TD42 engine life span.......

gday iamgq.
4.2 can do that many ks but all depends on servicing.
if you dont know the history it could cause heart ache.
if serviced for that long and still going with out all the tell tale signs of wear(blowing smoke ect) should be ok.but remember thats lots of ks and wouldnt be far from overhaul. jamieson wild cat

IamGQ,
As mentioned it's a lot of K's, my MQ with the 3.3 diesel got to 500k + before I changed the engine, servicing is the critical bit, plus the general treatment of the engine, if the engine has a hard life the K's will I suspect be compromised. No matter how many K's there will be still things like injectors, fuel pump servicing to be considered. Other diesel engined vehicles get over the million so there is no reason why you can't get too and past the 500k mark. All my opinions as usualKeep the shiny side up

There is 3 main things that gives any engine a long life.
1 servicing
2 the driver
3 waming an engine up and driving LONG distances.When you start a cold motor up the pistons and rings expand quickly and are forced against the cylinder walls until the block expands.So the more an engine is started and stopped after driving short distances the lower its ultimate life is before a rebuild is necessary.This is why taxis with 6 cyl petrol motors reach 7-800000 klms even with the low quality driving skills of SOME drivers.Diesels in particulor need to be warmed up completely before driving off.This is often mandatory if you drive someone elses truck.I think there is a rule of thumb for warming up a diesel and its something like a minute for each litre of engine capacity.

In answer to the original query,my friend has a GQ LWB 3ltr petrol motor that has reached 400000klm without needing anything major.Note this vehicle was used by an owner of business which required him to drive between Perth and Kalgoolie
several times a week.So if your 4.2 is on the road for long hours it wont be a problem.

Hi IAMGQ,

I have seen TD42 engines' do well in excess of 500,000kms - I know of one with about 750,000kms on it.

I have a 2H with 664,000kms on it. The pump was overhauled at 480,000kms and injectors - about - every 200,000kms, this is the only thing I have done to the engine apart from regular servicing.

Whilst I agree with the comments on cold starts, short runs etc, the 2H is used in a landscaping business and spends most of its life in the metro area with short runs a reality. I use synthetic oil and change the oil every 10,000kms - the filter gets changed at 5,000kms. From analysis (on the oil), I could probably go to 15,000kms - but - prefer the peace of mind. I also belive that the best way to warm a motor up is to drive it. Excessive idiling is not good for a diesel.

My 2 bob's worth........

Mine is old in years but relatively young in klms.
However, I know of two with well over 500,000klms which have not been touched mechanically. (one now has 650,000+ ) Both belonged to my cousin (work vehicles) both were turboed from near new, both driven hard but well maintained. They now belong to his staff, ie: remained "in the family" so to speak. They have both been quite remarkably reliable - never a problem.
Cheers

Depends on history etc.

Nick W on GQ list has 530,000 he has owned since new using RImula X oil. There are several others lasting similar periods without hassles.

Hello David N.

Apologies for the delay in replying - I've been away for the week.

I use Mobil 1 and have done for the last 300,000kms. Mobil do make a specific synthetic (Delvac) for diesels and it is recommended especially for turbos.

I started with Mobil 1 (Delvac can be hard to find) and from the analysis (by Mobil) on the oil it seems to be doing the job very well.

Cheers....