Too good to be true

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gChild
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Too good to be true

Post by gChild »

Hallo,

considering this 1996 patrol safari td42 naturally aspirated.
manual
160,000 km
locking diff
5,500 usd
slight rust beeing from Philippines.

Anything to look out for? Seems like too low mileage for age.

Cheers
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Alex Roux
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by Alex Roux »

Mileage is less of a concern.
For any vehicle that age, be prepared to pay the asking price after purchase on: general fixes, bearings, bushes, pipes, suspension, all goes with age (with or without the mileage).
The drive train however is irreplaceable. That is what you buy, because they don't make them like they used to. The rest can be fixed.
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iandvl
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by iandvl »

I understand my TBs. I do not get the TDs and ZDs. I like relatively clean air, and not those clouds of black, oily smoke.... :) I also am not particularly familiar with vehicle prices out that side.

However, I understand the TD42s to be pretty much bullet proof. I reckon one of the oilburner experts - Michael Steyn / Anthoney Forgey / Tinus Lotz - will be around shortly to give some advice. Or send them a PM.
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ricster
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by ricster »

Welcome to the Patrol Forum. :thumbup:

Most of the TD42's here in South Africa are well over 160 000km. Dungbeetle here on the forum has one over 1 million Km and its still going strong.

The TD motor is incredibly strong even in its normally aspirated form. Most of us here have fitted an aftermarket turbo which changes the dynamics drastically, but one has to spend a fair bit of money to ensure that the addition of the turbo is done properly, if not, well then you can do big damage to the motor due to overfueling etc.

Mine has about 340 000km on it and I rebuilt the motor at 150 000km (I burnt a hole through the no 2 piston 2 weeks after i bought it due to a dripping injector), and I service it with a quality oil change every 5000km. My Iron Maiden has never let me down and we have been to some remote places.

So, as Alex has said, If you can get it for as little as possible, spend a few Dollars on replacing the bushes and the general worn out items, and get the injectors replaced (they are dirt cheap compared to the fancy electronic injectors of new cars), and if there is no oil leaks and white smoke blowing out the exhaust, you are good to go. If you feel really energetic, then whip out the motor, and put in new bearings and piston rings. If you want to put a turbo on it, then I would definitely recommend opening up the motor and replacing the rings etc. Thereafter you will be good for well over 500 000km.
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Peter Connan
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by Peter Connan »

One thing that worries me from the photos posted is cooling system corrosion. You can see some of it on the thermostat housing. Makes me think the car has been run without anti-freeze for a while.

The TD42 is a very reliable engine but it is finnicky about the cooling system, and overheating can cause cracked heads. I would check that cooling system very carefully before purchase, and also perhaps do a compression test.
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by JohnBoyZA »

Welcome Gwilym!
Nissan Patrol, GRX, 4.8 (GU Y61)
gChild
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by gChild »

Great information, the inputs are much appreciated.

Will definitely do a compression test and inspect the cooling system before purchase.

Let's see how this goes. This machine would really let me see the Philippines.

Cheers
gChild
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by gChild »

Took a look see at the ride. Here's what I gathered.

-head gaskets where replaced due to leak( worries me from what was said about the cooling sys3)
-compression was spec
-at idle there was sharp high pitch clak clak clak sound, is this worrisome?
-at revs the above sound was gone
-overall was smooth with power
-shocks or bushing shot loud clank on down stroke
-exterior 5/10 faded light rust
-interior 7/10

walked away with a good feeling. Felt strong and the ref can keep the beer cold.

Any thoughts.

G
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by iandvl »

As I mentioned earlier - I'm not really a diesel expert. But I'm sure the oil burner people (cough-cough) will be here shortly...

Some of this sounds fairly normal. I know the diesels can sound very "tractor-ish" at low revs. For peace of mind regarding the replaced head gasket, you can perhaps have the coolant analysed. Not sure what facilities are available over there, but most radiator workshops around here will be able to detect the presence of exhaust chemicals in the coolant. This is a nice way to know that the head is not compomised.

The loud "clank" on down stroke - I presume this is when the vehicle is articulating ? Could be suspension bushes or perhaps even a cab mount. Was this front or back ?
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ricster
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Re: Too good to be true

Post by ricster »

The clank clank at idle, without actually hearing it, is kind of normal. These are noisy motors to start with, but when under load the "clank: becomes more of a direct injection diesel sound. The "clank clank" could possibly be improved by having the rocker clearances adjusted. This is a little time consuming to do, but not overly difficult. I can't off the top of my head recall the gap size, but its best to do it when the motor is "hot", but without burning the hell out of your hands. Once set it's kind of done for the next 300 000 km.... haha... and that give loads of time to drink the cold refrigerated beers.

Bodywork can always be repaired. It just depends on how much money you want to spend.

What did the coolant fluid in the radiator look like? If brown and unclear, then that is a sign of not having had antifreeze/coolant added to the water, which is not ideal, but if the water is tinted from the antifreeze/coolant and clear, then it sounds like it could be a winner. It's so difficult to offer an opinion cause it is always an unknown on the honest actual history of the vehicle.

Keep us posted, and if you need the specs for any settings on the motor, or any info really, there are manuals here on the forum that will help you with everything. here is the link - viewtopic.php?t=7667
Regards
Cedric
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