[Pheonix]

I want to give a huge thankyou to all the contributers on this forum.

Without the questions from the newbies and knowledge passed down from the seniors, I would'nt have got my GU back on the road without spending huge $$$$.

At the beginning of the year I was the proud owner of a '02 3L GU...happily driving down the highway when the 'Grenade' dropped a piston. I had only owned the truck for 7000 k's and had no idea about the reputation of the ZD30
I took it too a mechanic and he said it could cost $10,000 or more for a rebuild depending how much damage was done inside...I was stunned!!...was he taking the piss!?! so I rang around and it was pretty much the same everywhere.
So the Patrol sat in the corner while I researched possible alternatives....e.g. reco exchange, engine conversions e.t.c.....all the time I studied up on the ZD, starting with googling 'Diesel" because I did;nt even understand how they were different from petrol engines!!

Anyway...I bought an Elleries manual, some basic tools, a rebuilt '05 ZD engine off ebay(no accessories inc.) and proceeded to fix the bloody thing myself!!!!
Well after pulling the stuffed donk out of the truck 2 weeks ago, I took my time switching all the gear over to the new block....mmm...theres alot of bloody cogs to line up on the front of an engine eh?
Today I turned the key for the first time in 3.5 months...it was a nail bitting experience...BUT...it fired up straight away!!! YAAFUGGINHOOO!!!!...no fault codes present and purring like a kitten(tractor like kitten)
Tmr I will put on the Pro-vent, Dawes valve and guages....run it all in then take it off-road again next week.
The whole shebang cost me lots of time....and only $3500 turn-key

Thanks again to every one for posting tonnes of useful and important info on this site~~~~
The Pheonix rises again!! :driving:

 

[Jacket_1985]

good on ya. hope all goes well and this one lasts a bit longer.

 

[T0nka]

brilliant effort. my replacement cost me 10k

 

[GASSED GU]

Good on ya mate for stepping on the block and having ago.alot of people seem to forget that it's not as hard as it look's or just got more money than other's

 

[T0nka]

I didnt have the money, i just didnt have the facilities to have a go

 

[Pheonix]

hey Tonka...I sure lucked out with the facilities....i got access to the 50tonne over head gantry crane at work....taking out the donk was as easy as pushing a button!!

 

[GU Bundy]

Top stuff mate... and the experence you gained will be priceless, especially when you are out and about.

 

[T0nka]

Yeah currently i live in a bloody unit, cant even wash my car downstairs without the gerrys in the building having a sook

 

[mikegq]

good on ya mate. all it really is is common sence. and you would now have some great experiance that will stay with you forever
top stuff
mike

 

[Pheonix]

Cheers fellas...I dead set didnt know anything before this all happened. Now I understand how the timing,fuel, vacuum systems and all those other complicated doo-dads work together now.After I do the "prevention mods" to the motor...I think i'll turn my hand to the suspension next(within reason)..

 

[POLAR BEAR]

Awesome outcome and as GUbundy said the experience and knowledge of your engine will be priceless. Just being able to diagnose a possible problem ( particularly when in remote areas) can mean a fix or a new part is on the way well before you are towed back into a town. Or it means you can have a part brought out to you.

I bet you felt good when it turned over !

 

[q8160]

Good one

Hi Pheonix, good on ya..... hope you replaced the glow plugs..... ceramics have a tendancy to have the tips 'break off' and 'pepper the cylinder.

I have fitted metal tip glow plugs to my 3.0L along with a timer to limit power on to 25 seconds.... so far this has worked well.

If staying with ceramic glow plugs, and my opinion only, I would be replacing them at 80,000 kilometers.

My 2 bobs worth