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3.0 or 4.2

5K views 64 replies 23 participants last post by  skamme 
#1 ·
Need some opinions.
Looking at upgrading from the old maverick and cant make up my mind.
Should i fork out the money for a relativley stock 4.2 wagon or should i go for a 3.0 for heaps cheaper and spend the left over on mods??

cheers
 
#4 · (Edited)
I dont think you will get a unbiased answer to this question as the 3l peple will say the 3l and us 4.2 owners will say the 4.2 & BennoGU28 will tell you the RD28 is the only way to go

The 3l are a lot cheaper and there are a lot more on the market and if you go for a GU3 onwards i think they are less prone to failure than the early ones

The other thing to look at if you are looking at a manual is the 3l has a dual mass flywheel that is less reliable than the traditional solid flywheels on the 4.2

In standard spec performance wise i dont think there is a lot in it & fuel consumption seems around the same with both engines

With the 3l you can chip it and increase performance electronically where as with a 4.2 you need to modify it mechanically

I think the 3l guys on the forum believe with the popular mods they carry out they can make the 3l reliable

I dont think i have ever seen a post from a 4.2 owner who say they wish they had a 3l instead but there are sometime posts from 3l people who say they wish they had a 4.2

I have never personally worked at a nissan dealership but i have worked with guys at toyota dealers who have and they ask me what engine is in mine (no engine badge on a GU4 DX Wagon) and when i say the td42 they all say in their opinion it is the better engine of the two

Regards Don
 
#7 · (Edited)
Just to add that 3l have a bad reputation (undeserved probably) because of the problems with the early models and i believe this affects the resale value (although they were cheaper to but initally than the 4.2) but this is probably a good thing in your case if you are looking at buying one where as the 4.2 engine seems to have a high resale

Regards Don
 
#14 ·
True and the buy price of a 4.2 puts them out of price for many of us. When I was looking, there was atleast 13k difference in the vehicles I looked at. Dont like the grumbly gnarly drive train thing with the 4.2 either:)
 
#13 ·
But you would do it at 5k anyhows, 3l are great lil motors, perform well, use bugger all fuel doin it.
Yep they do have a few issues with reliability, but service the **** out of it and enjoy.
I shudder when I hear people doin services at 10-15k, may be a bit different if you cant do it yourself but its not hard.
Zappa
 
#20 ·
I only ever service mine (oil and filters) every 10k and IMHO its ample. Todays synthetic oils are A1 and easily last well past that driving distance. Unless around any contaminats like water, then every 5000kms is not really achieving much. I would highly doubt there is any correlation between 5 and 10k changes and reliability.
The only engines I have serviced at every 5 have been the high performance turbo petrol's, after doing multiple laps at the track. Each to their own..

I agree with Benno, the patrol gearboxes are far from their strong points. As far as refinement and sleeknss goes.
 
#16 ·
My 3l doesnt have the grumbling like my ol 4.2, and in my ol GQ use to tow in 5th a heap, with some mechanical sympathy of course.
I was under the impression and the manual says that 3l and 4.2 have the same box.
If they do why are the 4.2 so noisy?
Zappa
 
#18 ·
I bought my 2004 3.0l diesel patrol new and serviced it at 5000km intervals.

The engine was pulled down yesterday after being diagnosed with a cracked head (no 2 cylinder) and to top it off a slither of glow plug came off the glow plug tip and has been bouncing around the cylinder resulting in the no 2 piston incurring all these divits. (turbo damage also????)

End result? I'm looking at a full engine rebuild at a cost of approx $12000.

You buy a diesel engined vehicle for ecconomy, reliabliliy and longevity. The 3.0l fails all these attributes in my book

Search for 3.0l issues and you will be plagued - chooses wisely.

Leroy
 
#35 ·
I bought my 2004 3.0l diesel patrol new and serviced it at 5000km intervals.

The engine was pulled down yesterday after being diagnosed with a cracked head (no 2 cylinder) and to top it off a slither of glow plug came off the glow plug tip and has been bouncing around the cylinder resulting in the no 2 piston incurring all these divits. (turbo damage also????)

End result? I'm looking at a full engine rebuild at a cost of approx $12000.

You buy a diesel engined vehicle for ecconomy, reliabliliy and longevity. The 3.0l fails all these attributes in my book

Search for 3.0l issues and you will be plagued - chooses wisely.

Leroy
Hi Leroy, sorry to hear about your troubles, are you aware that you can pick up a fully rebuilt long motor with 12 months warrante for around $4,700 through this supplier. A full rebuild kit is around $1700, if the head needs replacing, there is another 2k to the bill so the rebuilt one with a warrante is now looking mighty fine :)

If memory serves me right, Nizzbits can get a new factory long motor for around 7.5k for you.

Cheers,
Whitie
 
#19 ·
My 2002 3.0L has done 185,000km - 175,000 of them with no mods whatso ever.. One owner - a grey nomad who towed a pop top caravan around Australia.

There are alot of them out there, believe it or not, not all patrol owners frequent forums - Probably too busy enjoying this great land of ours! :) Im suprised how little fuel the 3L uses considering how heavy the truck is..
 
#21 ·
Seems oil changes at 5 or 10K are different amongst members

I do the oil and filters at 5,000Ks on the TB42 Petrol
Is it over kill ???
Well who cares i gotta pay for it and i gotta pay for the engine damage and rebuild
Am i being over cautios ??? Probably

The main problem is you really have to no the complete service history before assuming how to further look after a 2nd hand engine with many Ks on it
 
#23 ·
Seems oil changes at 5 or 10K are different amongst members

I do the oil and filters at 5,000Ks on the TB42 Petrol
Is it over kill ???
Well who cares i gotta pay for it and i gotta pay for the engine damage and rebuild
Am i being over cautios ??? Probably

The main problem is you really have to no the complete service history before assuming how to further look after a 2nd hand engine with many Ks on it
Depends who you ask...how man engines have let go because of oil that has been too old? Is another 5000kms going to cause a piston to grab or bearing to seize? Of course not. I did a fair bit of work years ago on oils in race engines (with mclaren and mobil) and from my experience you could pretty much run the same oil indeffinitely so long as you keep the levels adiquate. Modern engines with reliability issues from oil quality = non-existent.

People grossly underestimate the quality of modern lubricants and filters.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I kind of enjoy the rumble/vibration/growl that the 4.2's have as you idle along in first gear

I actually thought that all Patrols did this as my fathers 2.8 GQ used to do it as well

In my opinion the Patrol feels like a small commercial vehicle to drive rather than a large passenger car like the late model cruisers & prado's & hilux's i drive at work

Call me strange but i don't mind this

Re the service intervals i see a lot of engines that have evidence of oil thickening (partially blocked oil pickup screens/tar like deposits on rocker gear etc) on both petrols & diesels when the manufacturers service intervals are exceeded by a large amount of klms so i personally would stick with what they recommend

Regards Don
 
#26 ·
I kind of enjoy the rumble/vibration/growl that the 4.2's have as you idle along in first gear

I actually thought that all Patrols did this as my fathers 2.8 GQ used to do it as well



Mine does'nt make any noises at all. I've got heaps of mates with all variances. All the 4.2's have the "rumble". Mine does'nt???? Same box, good workin condition. Maybe it's not the box itself? Thrust bearing? Input shaft or bearing? Vibration in pressure plate?
 
#27 ·
I do mine every 5k, by then it has slightly changed colour. Give the engine the best chance!

Are you saying that if the oil never gets changed but levels kept right it will be fine????
If the oils arent that important why do they specify not to use ch4 oils i think??
Ive built a few motors mainly holden and chev v8s and you could tell the ones that hadnt been serviced regularly, sludge all over the valvetrain and heads, even to the point of blocking oil pickups particularly vn onwards, causing failed main bearings.
Each to there own, Ill keep doin mine at 5k
Zappa
 
#30 ·
Are you saying that if the oil never gets changed but levels kept right it will be fine????
If the oils arent that important why do they specify not to use ch4 oils i think??
Ive built a few motors mainly holden and chev v8s and you could tell the ones that hadnt been serviced regularly, sludge all over the valvetrain and heads, even to the point of blocking oil pickups particularly vn onwards, causing failed main bearings.
Each to there own, Ill keep doin mine at 5k
Zappa
I dont remember saying that oils aren't important, just that every 5000kms for an ultra low performance, low tech engine like the patrol is overboard. These engines have minimal load, power and dont rev. The patrol doesnt work the oils hard. Every 10000kms is extremely regular in my book, its not like every few years.

It makes no difference to me what people here do (which accounts for < 0.001% of patrol owners), people can do their oil every day if they want. I'm only giving my experience having done research projects and papers, years ago in this exact field. Pressing a search button about what people's habits here are doesnt tell me a lot.

I think many people are still frightened of blowing ZD's and will do anything to prevent it from happening. I personally would throw my $'s in other areas.
 
#28 ·
rjhug1,
There will always be discusion regarding oil interval changes

As i mentioned getting a car thats 10-15 year old with 200-250K on it,
Who really knows how well it was "really" maintained
Who really services their car as per manufactures recommendation nowadays
Most dont even own new for more than 3-5 years ,after that well who knows

So for anyone seeking a recommended oil interval K wether petrol or diesel
Do a search and see what most use
 
#32 ·
I think thread has digressed abit lol,,, id go for a 3.0l gu 2005 low k's search long enough you'l most probly find one in QLD are normally cheaper for around $26000 under 100,000 k's...

i normally do engine oil every 5000k's as per nissan manual instructions
brand new hino/isuzu truck every 15000k's as per dealers instructions/manual specs,,,
save the argument and follow dealers manual/specs...
 
#33 · (Edited)
Interesting that under normal operating conditions ZD30 engines are thought to be on 10,000 klm 6 month oil & filter intervals with no 5k oil change required although if you went off the Nissan genuine workshop manual it says every 15,000 klms or 12 months but the warranty/service booklet in my GU4 doesn't reflect this (Nissan warranty/service booklets that cover all models are hard to decipher at a glance compared to Toyota ones that are specific to each vehicle type)

Regards Don
 
#37 ·
Own a turbo 2.8 hilux. id have a 4.2 turbo patrol anyday. Solid engine, dont just blow up on you, torque everywhere, if you want more power plenty of options, you could fix minor problems in the bush what else do you want? id pay an extra 15k just to have one in a GU.

HTH
 
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