thoughts on the 3 litre diesel GU Patrol

Rackers03

Rackers03

Member
Hi there,
I've been looking around and seen quite a few 3.0 turbo diesel Gu patrol's in my price range (up to $6,000) and they look in decent shape. One I have found is a '01 with the five-speed manual and a few mods on it (decent 4wd tires, roof-rack, awning, high-lift jack) and 300k on the clock. I've heard that they are a bit problematic and was wondering what to look out for on these trucks or if they should just be avoided. It looks to be in good shape and would be a good first car to take on the tracks.

Cheers,
Hugh
 
Swaggie

Swaggie

Moderator
I'm pretty sure the 01 puts it in the hand grenade category. The motor blows at anytime, but if it's still going now I guess it's ok.
My personal view is I could never understand why they put a 3 litre in one of these vehicles.
I've come across a couple of people that had to replace engines back in the day, they were not happy chappies .
 
Rackers03

Rackers03

Member
Swaggie said:
I'm pretty sure the 01 puts it in the hand grenade category. The motor blows at anytime, but if it's still going now I guess it's ok.
My personal view is I could never understand why they put a 3 litre in one of these vehicles.
I've come across a couple of people that had to replace engines back in the day, they were not happy chappies .
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Fair. I'm heard some of those diesels are bombs. Would putting some extra temp gauges on it be a good idea to keep track of it?
 
Kouf97

Kouf97

Active Member
There is a few simple modes to do, the biggest problem is the boost spiking.

At minimum id do the following.
  • Daws/ Needle Valve.
  • Intercooler
  • 3 Inch Exhaust
  • Egt & Boost Gauge
  • Catch Can

    This will stop a lot of the usual problems as long as you do a bit of research.Iif you wind the boost up you will also need a voltage modifier for the maf sensor or you will get a limp mode cut off coming in all the time, i found 18psi a nice point for keeping EGT's down on stock internals.
I stroked mine and spent bix bux on it, would smoke a 4.2 with a 12mm pump on it. In the end but they are still a highly-strung pissy little diesel. There isn't one good diesel in the patrol lineup.

Much better going for a 4.5 or if the budget allows a 4.8. They go heaps better and way more reliable, fuel usage gets offset by cheaper servicing costs.
 
Rackers03

Rackers03

Member
Kouf97 said:
There is a few simple modes to do, the biggest problem is the boost spiking.

At minimum id do the following.
  • Daws/ Needle Valve.
  • Intercooler
  • 3 Inch Exhaust
  • Egt & Boost Gauge
  • Catch Can

    This will stop a lot of the usual problems as long as you do a bit of research.Iif you wind the boost up you will also need a voltage modifier for the maf sensor or you will get a limp mode cut off coming in all the time, i found 18psi a nice point for keeping EGT's down on stock internals.
I stroked mine and spent bix bux on it, would smoke a 4.2 with a 12mm pump on it. In the end but they are still a highly-strung pissy little diesel. There isn't one good diesel in the patrol lineup.

Much better going for a 4.5 or if the budget allows a 4.8. They go heaps better and way more reliable, fuel usage gets offset by cheaper servicing costs.
Click to expand...
Trust me, I would love a TD42 Patrol, but I doubt I'll find one in my budget. Do you think as long as I look after it, do those mods you said and don't push it over say 4000RPM she should be fine?
 
unko84

unko84

Well-Known Member
If in your price range have a look at crd patrol they use a cupple more liters per hundred but more reliable
 
dno67

dno67

Well-Known Member
At 6k, your paying for the motor and there throwing the car in for free.
I'd be looking for something with documented service history, 6k don't go far when rebuilding a diesel.
 
Kouf97

Kouf97

Active Member
Rackers03 said:
Trust me, I would love a TD42 Patrol, but I doubt I'll find one in my budget. Do you think as long as I look after it, do those mods you said and don't push it over say 4000RPM she should be fine?
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Hey mate as I said, the Nissan diesel motors are all pretty crap, the 4.2 is not much better than the 3L and certainly not worth the prices people ask.

For low budget, id really look at the TB45 or TB48. Heaps stronger motor goes better and cheaper to service. They are a bit thirsty but id takes that any day over the diesel.

The mods can help prevent the issues from occurring but it probably ran for however many K's without the anti detonation mods and who knows how long until it pops. Don't want to put you off, I really liked mine (when it was running) but I spent way too much on it. I could have done a LS2 conversion for the money I spent on mine but I was on my P plates at the time and would have gotten pinged pretty quickly
 
Rackers03

Rackers03

Member
Kouf97 said:
Hey mate as I said, the Nissan diesel motors are all pretty crap, the 4.2 is not much better than the 3L and certainly not worth the prices people ask.

For low budget, id really look at the TB45 or TB48. Heaps stronger motor goes better and cheaper to service. They are a bit thirsty but id takes that any day over the diesel.

The mods can help prevent the issues from occurring but it probably ran for however many K's without the anti detonation mods and who knows how long until it pops. Don't want to put you off, I really liked mine (when it was running) but I spent way too much on it. I could have done a LS2 conversion for the money I spent on mine but I was on my P plates at the time and would have gotten pinged pretty quickly
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Yeah, a TB45/48 wouldn't be too bad (especially the 48) but I can't find any Gu ones in the area... So I guess I'll have to ho with diesel. Would the TD28 be any better than the ZD30?
 
4Tunner

4Tunner

Active Member
Rackers03 said:
Yeah, a TB45/48 wouldn't be too bad (especially the 48) but I can't find any Gu ones in the area... So I guess I'll have to ho with diesel. Would the TD28 be any better than the ZD30?
Click to expand...

I have a RD28 in my GU. They aren't a bad engine but don't expect a racecar.. Main things to watch are : take care of the cooling system as they are prone to cracking heads if let overheat. Also watch the harmonic balancer doesn't some loose as they can spin on the crankshaft and chew the key way out.
 
E

ElectricDiesel

New Member
I've got an '04 3.0TD Patrol with 345K on the clock.
These vehicles that have reached this age are highly unlikely to "detonate" anymore. The problem was they would overboost causing it to lean out (not enough fuel) or simply to much boost pressure and bend con rods.
I have had next to no troubles with mine in the 3 years I have had it. Definitely doesn't get much love.
Currently it's stock as a rock and does 10.8L/100km. When I put the ironman roof rack with awnings on it goes to about 13.5L/100km. Castrol oils and Sakura filters and ya can't go wrong.
 
CaptainBanana

CaptainBanana

Well-Known Member
And by the time you spent that extra money trying to undo the factory shortfalls you could buy a car that probably won't explode.

The cars are so old now it could have an engine swap from any other year model which means it could have had a grenade replaced with another grenade ready to go.
 
Ditch

Ditch

Well-Known Member
I`ve had my `05 3.0L DI Gu for 10 years & have put 200,000 km`s on it without any problems. Get around 12L/100 km out of it with the Rooftopper, Front Rack, 60l Engel & cooking gear in it all the time. No engine mods of any kind. Still drives the same as the day I bought it.

As mentioned the earlier models(pre `05) were known to have problems with pistons failing due to boost spikes. Installing NADS seemed to eliminate the problem.

One thing to check if buying one is the upper rear shock mounts as they are prone to cracking if the vehicle was used for towing or heavily loaded on rough roads.
 
Barra GU

Barra GU

Well-Known Member
As kouf said about i dont like any of the diesels in the patrol range and even the td42 is known for its problems.


At that price range id go a 4500 or see if you can get the 4800.

Can always swap the emgine out later like i did
 
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