Issues I've had so far...still happy camper tho

[dieselfan]

I've now had my trol for just over 7 months and got it at around 175k km. Done about 10k km. I think. Wife drives it

I will hesitate to buy a "modified" car again, sound system, shocks or otherwise. Give me a stock car to mod. Just too many shortcuts are taken

- Replaced rear ironman shocks with OME Nitros - leaking
- Rear has a sag to it - some adjustment needed?
- Battery packed up - Annoying as the last 2 4x4's I replaced the battery 2 weeks before selling them
- Factory DL vacuum pipes were packed with sand. Had them replaced and new solenoid. The light still flickers though even though you can hear the clunk..5k
- Wanted to put new gearbox oil as a precautionary - sadly not all the oil was replaced and gearbox lost it's smoothness. Don't mess with it if it ain't broke...I suppose there's a reason Nissan say NOT NEEDED before 400k or somewhere there.
- Subtank pump packed up...in November when I needed the extra range, sorting it out now with Nissan 6k+ 3k pump and 3 labour.
- Back bumper had fixed 4 times, keep smacking it, the longest it's been "fixed" for...4 days.
- Rear boot light and rear interior light - reminds me of all the german cars I've had...I suspect it gets banged alot by the wife - shopping?
- Discs skimmed and pads
- 1x Gas jack bar - R500 from Nissan
- 1x Back left light cluster - 3k, Backyard panel beater forgot to fasten it and it fell out enroute home...
-1 x NEW Mud tyre, got ripped by a stupidly designed obstacle at Berakah, pipe section had a crowbar welded ON TOP holding pipes together through some mud, it ripped a big whole in my sidewall, it was here I realised I had NO jack bar also NO recovery gear as it's a Patrol screwdriver and many many 1/4 turns...

I LOVE that it's NOT a permanent 4x4, I like the flexibility. Auto hubs do seem to disengage easier than my other 4x4's.
Rear wheels wear down faster than front - hmmm

I love my patrol and most of these things are wear and tear just new for me as it's been over a decade since I bought 2nd hand. In view of this my Fuelly avg is 21l/100 - 4.7km/l. With my driving around 5.2 wife around 4.2. She drives like a bloody corsa, zipping in and out of traffic.

I'd like to boast about one thing though...just got back from a couple days in Pilanesberg with my parents' 1400kg Jurgens shaped like a brick. Avg at 100km/h GPS was 19l/100km, cruise control @ 100 so it powered uphill to where other cars struggled to overtake... My Pathfinder diesel enroute to NC towing the Explorer - similar weight but MUCH smaller was about 18.8. Best was to Komatipoort in Nov of 15l/100 - 6.7km/l. My AC is ALWAYS on. I did have to overtake a ridiculous amount of vehicles on one stretch as they were all happy to sit at 50-70km/h in a 120km zone for 30mins, by the time I was at the end I was doing 190km/h with muds perfect straight and great viz though. I'm waiting for the lectures... in my defence the first few were cars the rest 18 wheelers with NO gaps inbetween. Lower altitude opens up that engine , it "idled" in Kruger at about 25km/h nice for game viewing - 22l/100km.

I was asked a while back on Ironman vs OME etc. For the Patrol I WAY prefer OME softens the bumps like it's an independent vs solid. I look forward to replacing my front Ironman with OME...when it needs it.



My dad with his Patrol - he said just this weekend he often thinks about the 3.2 Ranger and then feels all warm and fuzzy about his 4.2 clacking along. Another food for thought, my neighbour with his 76 4.2 says 100 on a straight, 120 on a good downhill and towing trailer at about 17l/100km. 80 uphill. Just that alone made me feel better about it's thirst. We are getting to the point though where it would be cheaper to buy my wife a smaller car...xtrail than pay for the Patrol fuel bill. That does mean though that it's all mine

Lastly when I bought it I "calibrated" the fuel gauge. I can normally predict within a 1/10 of a litre how much fuel it will take to fill. Driven like a moron, reserve light will safely do 50km.

[Alex Roux]

Hi Roy

The red light: I had my reserve light on for about 20 kms in traffic, then parked slightly skew at a park where the kids went to cycle (went up the kerb since the allocated parking area was full). Got back and car won't start. Turned out that the angle made the fuel run out and probably into the wrong corner of the tank! Rather embarrassing. So personally I tend to go straight to the fuel station when lights comes on.

Speed: At 190km/h (due to a bunched overtaking haul), I suspect your consumption was close to 2km per liter.
No lecture. But I know of a guy who towed a boat with his 4.5 and drove 170 for prolonged periods.
That in my view was stupid. He did 2,5 km per litre. Had to stop frequently to refuel, and the time taken to do that made him not that much quicker overall. Still I am sure his engine life was shorter because of it, not to mention safety (with a boat!). Now that in my view is worthy of a lecture.

Towing: I would like to know what gear you used for speed control when towing. Did you stay in fourth? I am asking as I understand the 5th is not that strong.

OME: I suspect in some cases you had just a bit of bad luck, such as with your OMEs. In my case my OMEs were installed about 50,000km ago (3.5 years back). Not a hitch since. And the ride is much much softer than with the factory spec shocks.

OIl: If there was a previous owner, there is always a chance that the oil in your gears, TC case, diffs etc may be wrong.
Mine made a bit of a humm when travelling downhill and the car starts to move slightly faster than the gears. (Mayfair gearboxes had me believe I had to replace the crown wheel and pinion for R20k!)
Before doing that I got some advice on this forum and replaced all my oils first to see the effect (by Nissan). They used original factory specs for each gear box and the humm was gone. So there may be merit in doing that.

Swambo's consumption: Funnny that, my wife also tends to pull away much harder than I do (with any car). I tend to try use fewer ponies as I know how much of consumption is all down to the pull away. Due to the price of fuel currently, my Troll is now strictly for recreation, and a spare for when any of the other cars get serviced. And once a week to keep movings parts in working order. Rather sad.

[David]

... it was here I realised I had NO jack bar also NO recovery gear as it's a Patrol screwdriver and many many 1/4 turns....

Remember the extension is below the rear seat ...it is not with the jack

[dieselfan]

Hey Alex

Speed - was only for a couple 100m. My fuel on that leg was 16l/100km as I generally obey the limit.
Towing - I used 4th, and I FINALLY realise that the initial sillyness of the Patrol NOT going to the gear you select but it uses it as a "maximum" gear is actually PERFECT for towing. That means slap it over - 4th and no matter what it wont go past 4th. Towing with the Disco was annoying and in all fairness ALL AUTOS work the way of the Disco, ie you choose 3rd it goes to 3rd even at low speed where you can labour etc. I used 5th on the downhills, but mostly left in 4th.

Oil - I actually had no issues BEFORE changing the oil it was after I changed the oil that the gearbox became clunky. Besides my dad had some spooky experiences with Nissan and his diff oils - heck the want to replace his prop shaft...2-3 oil flushes sorted it out

OME - Originally had Ironman all round, NOW have OME on the back. I like them.

David - It's 11pm (still at work) and I just got back from a client...now I can't wait to go home and CHECK for the BAR! under the chair.

[David]

Hey Alex

Speed - was only for a couple 100m. ...

I know. I did a 'Boere Rally' last year where the first stage start with a sprint on a aircraft runway. I had my little one with me so I said I was going to take it slow BUT... when the flag dropped the 'devil' kicked in and it was pedal to the metal. The tyres just go 'chirp' 'chirp'
There is nothing like a 4.8 flat out... except maybe a Porche 911 Turbo