Travel Plans Thrown Out The Window

Submitted: Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 10:50
ThreadID: 87482 Views:3906 Replies:10 FollowUps:18
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The Cook and I left the Gold Coast early May for a 3 month tour of the N T & WA.

Our plan was to head up to Rockhampton and then travel via the Capricorn Hwy out through Sapphire, Barcaldine, Longreach,Winton, Mt Isa ect stopping at the mentioned places for a couple of days re: catching up to people we know and after that head over to the NT.

Now here is where the drama started, while driving between Longreach and Winton we received a call on the CB to the fact that the Nissan was blowing heaps of Smoke.

I pulled over at a rest stop and got the Cook to rev the motor a bit while I checked for smoke, yep there was lots of black smoke tinged with blue.

We started on our way again and headed to Winton, the vehicle was still pulling the van okay and there was no indication of any other problems, I thought to my self that I could have picked up some crook fuel some where.

When we got to Winton I got the Cook to rev the motor again and I checked for smoke and there was none to be seen, so I thought all was well, so we stayed there over night and the next day headed to Mt Isa.

On the way to the Isa I noticed that the vehicle seemed to be losing power on slight grades, and the smoke had returned.

Being a Saturday we decided to stop over at Cloncurry and make a few calls to see if we could get the vehicle looked at re: a Nissan Dealership, the closest one was at Mt Isa, so we made an advanced booking for the following Monday.

When we arrived at the Isa we dropped into the Nissan Dealership, they had a quick look at it, they hooked up there testing eguipment and it showed no problems, the service manager said to bring the vehicle back the following day and they would go right over it.

We hired a car and left our vehicle with them for the day, when we went to pick up the Nissan they told us they checked all the hoses ect they took a fuel sample and had it tested, they did a dyno test.

The end result was they noticed a slight lack of power and no smoke, they said it looked like crap in the fuel had caused the problem.

They asked me where we were heading and they said it Should Be Okay, the manager said don't forget your vehicle is still under Manufacturers Warranty and you can get Road Side Assistance any where in Australia.

I said can you guarantee that it will be right to carry on with our trip and he said no, the problem could be in the Fuel Injector System or the Common Rail, okay I said get it checked out, Now This Is The Dilemma, the service manager stated that Nissan Australia and Toyota use an independant company to inspect /test/ and repair injector systems.

AND HERE IS THE JOKE, he said 90 percent of the time they say it's not a warranty problem and the average repair or replacement cost is around $13000 to $15000.

So in the mean time we would have had to hang around Mt Isa while this was being done over 2-3 weeks.

In short we headed back home via the coast and purchased a new 4.8 litre Petrol Nissan Patrol.

My opinion for what it's worth is the 3ltr crd vehicle is To Much Truck For Little Motor, let alone towing a 2500kg van.

PS. The 3 ltr motor had only done 33000 ks and never flogged.

Cheers







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Reply By: Member - Toyocrusa (NSW) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:03

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:03
Gees DAZA. That is not a good way to start a long trip. I guess the up side is you were at the start and not up in a more desolate area. Don't understand why you stuck with the brand though. I have read enough about their customer service and backup over the years to not recommend them to anyone. Hope it goes much better for you now. Regards,Bob.

AnswerID: 459563

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:25

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:25
I like 4bys with a Chassis and a Front Diff, you could say i'm a bit old fashion in that regard.
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Follow Up By: fisho64 - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 12:45

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 12:45
thats a real blow Daza, sorry to hear that.
But the Patrol isnt the only solid axle chassis is it?

I thought one of the other guys on here got the last 4.8 in Oz a few years back?
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Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 18:40

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 18:40
G/Day fisho
The manufacture date is 2010.
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Reply By: Axle - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:15

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:15
G/Day Dazza, ...Bit of bad luck mate, Your loyal to the brand i'll give you that..lol. The thing is though ,how would the owner ever know that the fuel system was faulty and deserved a warranty claim?...very easy for them to say the thing is buggered from what ever, and its going to cost x amount of dollars!!. Sounds like a way out for these companys.

Cheers Axle.
AnswerID: 459565

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:45

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:45
If the problem had occured where I lived there would have been a different outcome,
the Cook had images of being stranded in the middle of no where similar to the thread 87443,

I have always been one to cut my losses and carry on with life, I have had other good out comes from Nissan re: warranty problems in the past, but I thought if I have to spend that sort of money on repairs I may as well put it towards another late model vehicle,

As it was when we purchased the 4.8 litre patrol they didn't even look at the trade, the deal was done over the phone.

The Nissan Dealership had all the service records on file and knew the vehicle, the only hassle we had is that I wanted a ARB Black Steel Winch Compatible Bullbar instead of the Standard Nissan Bullbar, they came to the party, as they wanted to do the deal before the end of June.
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Reply By: Member - Joe F (WA) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:36

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:36
G'day Daza and the Cook

Sorry to read your words and the fact the the little Nissan 3lt motor has run out of puff.

I guess you could look at the saga as being a little stroke of good fortune, you have made it back home all intact, not having to go through the dramas of having a catastrophic engine failure in the middle of nowhere and possibly suffering the ramifications of a remote area recovery.

Something to think about.

Safe travells in the new "Petrol Patrol".
AnswerID: 459567

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:49

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 11:49
G/Day Joe

Yes we all have our little dramas, we can't wait to resume our trip in the near future.

Cheers
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Reply By: Patrol22 - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 12:48

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 12:48
Dazza....commiserations on the bad luck but if it is a problem caused by crappy fuel then it is really not a problem for Nissan. No manufacturer will cover you for a failure caused by bad fuel....but there is some good new on that side....most insurers including NRMA and the like DO cover this as accidental damage.
I picked up some bad fuel and thankfully my monitoring systems (water watch and the OEM kit) picked up the problem early and I was able to deal with it before any serious damage happened.
Hope you get things sorted quickly and can get back on the road soonest.
AnswerID: 459569

Follow Up By: itsdave - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 13:09

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 13:09
Hi ... just out of interest what do you mean by water watch and OEM kit?

Thanks, Dave
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Follow Up By: Patrol22 - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 13:18

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 13:18
Dave - OEM is the original equipment fitted by the manufacturer. Water watch is an Australian designed and built piece of kit especially for CRDI engines as it doesn't inhibit the designed flow rate of fuel for the engine. You can read more about water watch HERE
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Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 18:47

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 18:47
G/Dat Patrol 22
I'm not blaming Nissan, the service manager at Mt Isa was up front about the third party who inspect /test the common rail and injector system.

He only made me aware of the percentage that are repaired under warranty.

As I stated I would rather spend money on an update than fix the existing problem.
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Follow Up By: B1B2 - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 19:40

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 19:40
Patrol22,
Why is the OEM fuel filtration system not capable of filtering even obviously contaminated fuel. When the cost of repair can be so high it should be up to nissan to have this in their fuel system as matter of urgency.

Cheers,
Bill
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Follow Up By: Patrol22 - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 20:05

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 20:05
Filters don't filter water they are designed to filter particulate matter. There is a small water trap in the OEM filter systems but IMHO this is not sufficient. It is not just a Nissan thing...it holds true for all marques and is especially the case for marine diesels. Perhaps the OEM kit is OK for most circumstances but like I've said elsewhere on the forum I'm a trifle paranoid about water in diesel fuel and just think the extra protection is a small price to pay for piece of mind.
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Follow Up By: B1B2 - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 21:06

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 21:06
Patrol22,
Quote
"The end result was they noticed a slight lack of power and no smoke, they said it looked like crap in the fuel had caused the problem"

They didn't say it was water, if it was, as you said the OEM filter would have trapped it.
At least you would know if it was the problem. What other filter have you fitted to your truck?
Marine diesels are a different ballgame, most purifying the fuel to get rid of the water which is Always there.
Cheers,
Bill
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FollowupID: 733201

Reply By: Member - Fatbaz - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 13:57

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 13:57
Hi Daza
This is my first post so hope I'm doing it correctly.
Sorry to read about your problems.
I have recentlly,privately bought a CRD 2008 Patrol ute done 20000 Ks.
Had it a week and it stopped on the Sunshine Coast Motorway . Had it towed to Nissan dealer and they had it for about a month.
They have replaced the fuel rail and the injector pump under warranty with no hesitation.
Gotta say the service has been fantastic, and its a great ute to drive, but still a bit jumpy about taking it bush. Should have stuck to the 1HZ maybe.
AnswerID: 459575

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:37

Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:37
G/Day Fatbaz
Good to hear that Nissan fixed every thing.
I have never had a problem with warranties re: Nissan Australia.
Don't be affraid to take it bush.
Check out the Patrol Forum if you are unsure about any thing.

Cheers
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FollowupID: 733285

Reply By: Bigfish - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 15:24

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 15:24
Reckon you have made the right decision. The 4.8 nissan is a good towing motor. I have never liked the small capacity diesels that are turbo,d in order to gain reasonable power. The 3 liter had a horrible reputation for self destructing. I do believe the later models have had a redesign to make em more reliable You cant beat cubic inches for grunt. It may have been a fuel only problem...you,ll never know and probably dont care now anyway!
Happy motoring
AnswerID: 459583

Reply By: Member -Dodger - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 15:29

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 15:29
My concern is,
Daza has traded this 3ltr Patrol in which has a problem so I wonder if it will be fixed by Nissan or will it be a buyer beware job.

Daza
at least with the 4.8 you will have lots of power even though they are a little thirsty however I suppose the 3ltr was fairly thirsty towing the van.

I have a 4.2td Patrol and after 220,000 it is still going strong and still keeping the oil company's afloat. (they need the bucks----- Not)
It has never had a spanner on it except for regular servicing etc.

Hope the 4.8 gives as much good service as mine.

Cheers.
I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

Cheers Dodg.

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AnswerID: 459584

Follow Up By: dbish - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 16:03

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 16:03
Looking on the bright side, the $13000 to $15000 you could have spent will buy a lot of petrol. As an x mechanic I prefer petrol grunt to many undersized diesels turboed to try & do a mans job & common rail diesels too expensive to fix.
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FollowupID: 733157

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 18:57

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 18:57
G/Day Dodger

The vehicle was still under manufacturers warranty so if the dealership didn't pick up the problem from checking the vehicles history I can't help that.

I understand all warranty and service work ect goes on the vehicle history file for any nissan dealership to see.

The above stays on file till the manufacturers warranty expires.

That's why when they work on the vehicles no matter where it is they check the vin number and rego.
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Reply By: OREJAP - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 16:53

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 16:53
Out of interest Dazza, was the Patrol an auto or manual 3 Litre? I see Robin
Miller is conspicuous by his absence....LOL
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Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 18:39

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 18:39
It's a 5 Speed Semi Auto, manufactured in 2010.
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Reply By: member - mazcan - Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 19:08

Sunday, Jul 10, 2011 at 19:08
hi daza
a good outcome for you and a smart move and i agree with the senario on cubic inches and a good chassis when it comes to towing
but i feel sorry for the sucker who comes along and buys that piece of crap with the inherent problem that the dealer is also un-aware of
but then there is enough imfo out in the open warning buyers not to buy a nissan handgrenade
yours will present well in the car yard with only those small km's on the clock but the time bomb is ticking just waiting for the next owner
but then thats life hey!
enjoy your new tug/toy and the trip when you get back to doing it
cheers barry
AnswerID: 459608

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:45

Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:45
G/Day mazcan

The vehicle was immaculate, we had it serviced every 5000ks.
The Cook used it as shopping trolly, thats why the low ks
I drove past the Nissan Dealership today and I couldn't see it, either sold or in the work shop.

Cheers
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Reply By: Robin Miller - Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:02

Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:02
Tough about your holiday Daza - but maybe it will all work out for the best in the long term.

Don't forget to tell us how you find the new 4800 Patrol, there may never be another vehicle with its combination of features and performance.
Robin Miller

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AnswerID: 459670

Follow Up By: Member - DAZA (QLD) - Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:30

Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 19:30
G/Day Robin
I have just had the 12 pin towing plug and Anderson Connector installed to day to suit the Caravan.

Also a heavy duty plug for the fridge in the back with a Solenoid.

It's a pity they can't fit a aux battery under the bonnet.

We are really happy with it's performance and handling.

After driving the later model, the 2008 nissan felt very agricultural.

Cheers
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Follow Up By: Robin Miller - Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 20:20

Monday, Jul 11, 2011 at 20:20
The difference is hard to appreciate Daza , glad you are happy so far.

The standard battery an N50 , can be replaced with an N70 size as battery holder is big enough but a little cutting and shoving is required to the plastic covers.

I have fitted an N70ZZLMMF exide maintenance free to my 4800 and I think it is 84AH up from about 70AH.
Robin Miller

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