GQ Patrols...general info?

Dean
General info on these cars is that they are very reliable.The Diesel one you are looking for did come out with a turbo but the earlier didn't which left them a bit sluggish.My neighbour has had both and he recons after going from a std diesel gq patrol to a turbo it was a huge difference.
The drive lines have not changed they are strong and rearly would let you down.
All the best
Tim

http://www.gqpatrol.com

Dont worry about the cracks that are mentioned because mine has been welded in most of those places and is as strong as now....

___________________________________
Simpson trip 05/04 then turn left at Birdsville to Darwin via Lawn Hill etc
___________________________________

hi dean, they are quite a good unit in general. whatch out for the rust in the rear drip rails and the rear quater glass frams seem to rust out pretty well too. if you cant find one with a turbo thats fine but a turbo makes them 1000 times better. drive lines are strong and reliable. yeah they are pretty much the same drive lines for the past decade mate. i have a gu and all i have really done to my drive line is change the flywheel/pressure plate from a dual mass to a solid. best thing i ever did!!!!!! no more vibrations..............

good hunting

The trucksters site at www.gqpatrol.com has a comprehensive list of things to look for in a GQ. They are a very tough reliable truck and you will certainly get your moneys worth when you buy one.
The 4.2 didn't come as a factory turbo'd engine, the ones that are turbo'd have after-market turbo's. The 4.2 turbo diesel was factory in the GU Patrol.
The DX is the base level unit, 5 seats no electric windows etc.... the ST has the creature comforts and 7 seats and the TI is the Luxo model. There is an RX but I'm not sure what it has.
We have had our 95 DX for twelve months and literally wouldn't swap it for the world. you can see it here
Good luck!!!
Cheers
Brian

Dean,

I currently own a 2000 GU Patrol in ST form. I have previously owned a 1990 petrol Maverick, followed by a 1993 RX Patrol. The RX was a version between the DX and ST. It had the 3rd row of seats and the sliding windows in the side cargo area, but still had the vynal floor mats. I loved it. It was a bit of a slug when I first bought it with 40K on the clock (ex-Water Ways at Batemans Bay...but I knew it's "owner" & he treated it better than any vehicle I've ever owned!). I had a snorkel, dual battery and Safari Turbo added within weeks of buying it and then it went as good as the old petrol one. It had nearly 300K on when I sold it in 2000 and had never given me any trouble.
The GQ did not ever come to Australia with the 4.2lt motor in factory turbo form (although I believe they may have been available overseas that way). They did, however, have a 2.8lt turbo diesel motor variant, but it was apparently a real dud too. Then there was the 3lt petrol motor, another dog. I reckon if I was to have to back-track to a GQ again, I'd be looking for a very good (rust free body) unit with either a 2.8lt t/d or the 3lt petrol (which should be the cheapest variants available) and then spend about $10K on it for a Marks Adaptors Chevy 6.2lt (or 6.5lt) V8 diesel (turbo wouldn't be necessary, but would be bloody nice to have too). I've spent over $26K on accessories for my current toy and I really can't afford to ever get rid of it, so the Chevy will get the nod if ever the 4.2 packs it up!
Happy GQ hunting.

We have a 1989 Ford Maverick, a Nissan GQ Patrol by another name, we have had ours since 1991 and believe it or not it has only done 175,000k's (I had a company car for quite a few years). We recently thouhgt about upgrading to a GU, but with the change over cost being probably around the vicinity of $45-40k we couldn't justify getting rid of the old one, paint and body are NEARLY as straight as new. (had the sides repainted)

We have replaced:
The water catch tank, they get a bit brittle
A viscous fan coupling, they are prone to fail
A clutch (some of my fault), but they were a bit light in the early GQ's, replaced with a heavier clutch and we get a bit of shudder in reverse at times.
The rear window assembly(rust!!).
Standard fuel tanks on the early ones are a bit prone to leak at the spot welds.
Clutch slave cylinder

And that's all on a 15 year old car, not bad eh?

Hi guys,

Thanks for all of the info packed replies.

4.2 diesel will be what I'm going to look at, and after driving the 3.0L diesel Hilux for the 2.5 years on 32 inch tyres, I think performance of the GQ should acceptable!
Although the Chev diesel conversion would be cool!

I think I'm set on this being my next truck, as an 80 series equivelant will be probably 5 to 10K dearer, and I could kit myself out in a GQ with suspension, bar, winch etc, etc for less than a late 90's bare bones GU. And I've never been worried about the way a vehivle looks, (ie the age of it), or been worried about having the latest "Shape", so this seems the logical move?

Anyway......if there's any more info to offer, please don't hold back, be it good or bad!

Cheers
Dean

Hi Dean , Ive had gqs for years both petrol and diesel I love them Ive currently own a 1994 4.2 efi rx .its a great truck both on and off road,Lots off power when needed also alot of torque for a petrol.Drinks more petrol than i drink beer.but if you drive at 100ks you can get 600kms per tank .Its great for towing etc....The gq is great value for money and fun to have.
regards uppy

Hi Dean, I am a happy owner of a 92 GQ auto diesel fitted with after-market Turbo Dynamics Turbo. I love the beast! It probably has not got the performance of the manual diesels, but the sheer ease of driving makes it worth the sacrifice. I do lots of offroad, sand, steep mountains etc and the auto makies it so easy. The previous responders mentioned possible rust spots being rear section sliding window sections- yes check that area. But also get underneath and have an expert check out the running gear. They are almost unbreakable (the GQ that is) but some people know how to abuse a good car. The GU is the current -rebadge of the GQ, basically the same engine, gearbox etc, but only one air cleaner, wheras the GQ has a pre-cleaner AND aircleaner. Not many autos were produced, but they are still listed for sale now and then. I reckon you ought to get one pretty right, because most diesel buyers think that autos are for petrol engines, or city shopping carts. But man, they perform in the real off-road situation- even your bird will love it!.
I wouldn't suggest an auto if you plan on heavy towing tho' because you would not wish to use overdrive (buggers torque converter). Fuel consumption on mine is around 14-15litres/100km with a roof-top camper and loaded with fridge, drawers, grog etc, whereas the manuals will give you 11-12 litres/100 on average.

God hunting,
Speighty, Riverland SA

My 3 litre petrol powered GQ has just passed 281,000 with no signs of age at all.

just another question guys regarding this model....

what size tanks did they come with standard, and was there a factory diff lock option on them?

95 litre tank - never heard of a factory locker