Tips on MQ

My last truck was an 85 Y-Pack shortie. It gave me about five years of good trouble-free motoring. The only thing that I had to do other than routine maintenance was replace the 5th gear! They are quite small and soft and if used for repeated towing tend to rag out. Fuel consumption was pretty good, from memory the best was about 28 - 29mpg. Off road it was not too bad . . . a little limited by articulation because of the standard leaves (and rough too!), but that was improved by disconnecting the front swaybar. I actually found that the SD33T was a great motor given the age of the truck. It happily sat on 100kmph with enough go to overtake when needed.

Hi Mattnicole,at those kms it is either a really good original motor or it has possibly been rec onditioned, either way you shgould get some great use out of it. As for the window frames there are a number of marine trimmers about who do them in aluminium, about $400 for the pair when I had it done. I live in WA and saw an add in the Sunday Times one week end. Ours was a great little truck and took us into and out of some amazing places, until my wife discovered that there were far more comfortable options available. Now have a GU4.2td.
Happy travelling.
Mike.

i owned one a lwb T/d, just sold it. Had twin locker etc and went everywhere, but they r getting old and they can be higher maintenance because of drum brakes, shackles & rubbers. Motors with factory air do have issues around 300-350 because they leak around head gasket because of the bolts that hold the air con to the head. Generally they elongate them when reinstalling them. Pumps are expensive to rebuild around $3000 for a total rebuild. I had my motor completely rebuilt inc turbo injectors & pump & cost around $10000. I car never let me down but they are harder to modify as there are less aftermarket goodies out compared to a gq. Mine had heaps done to it and heaps of mods, but it was difficult. Get the 1 piece frames out of a gq- thats what i did and so long to rusty frames. Believe it or not mine had no rust, but my mq before that was rusty. Check the cab mounts under the carpet, radiator supports, rear qters, roof etc. MIne had been dyno tuned and run about 12 psi boost & went hard, but that was after it was rebuilt. They go for yonks, but if it hasn't been maintained when it goes it will cost u plenty.
hope it helps

These are a fairly old truck like motor that have a good reputation for reliability and low down torque. The SD33 (3246cc) pumps out 81kw and 255Nm. Not a bad vehicle on road, can easily cruise at 110 even with a load. Off road MQ's are very capable, low reving torquay motors and good ground clearance help(240mm with 7.50R16's) They have excellent approach angle and good gearing.
Mechanically they are strong. The SD33 is tough and reliable. Even with your high mileage you can still have a strong motor with plenty of life left in it. Gearboxes and drive lines are also strong and not prone to failure.
MQ's tend to be noisey in the gearbox, this may not necessarily mean the box has a problem, but be aware. Rear wheel bearings can cause problems if not regularly greased.
Now to find an MQ without rust is a rare find, the mechanicals tend to outlast the bodies! Check the bottom of doors, tailgate,rear guards and front body mounts near the radiator. (check for body filler with a magnet)

Be sure to invest in lots of fish oil!

Sorry i didn't see where you said it was a swb. LWB gq frames will fit into LWB mq - not SWB

the mq turbo diesel produce 81kw and 285mn from the factory, it may be a bit less now