Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Ok so I'm a bit of a chop..... But I can't believe that I actually am the chop that I claim to be....

A few months back one of the oil pipes that comes off the oil adapter plate that fits between the oil filter and the internal oil cooler that forms part of the TD42 popped off. This came as quite a shock, as it the last thing one expects to have happen. The external oil cooler was fitted to my Patrol before I bought it and as such the hoses too. How long these hoses have been on the Patrol, I have no clue. So to cut a long story short, I bought some new oil resistant hoses, and while giving the Iron Maiden her 5000Km service I whipped off the oil cooler adapter plate and hoses and flushed out the oil cooler radiator. All was going well whilst I fitted the connectors to new hoses and then fastened them to the oil cooler with a little PTFE tape to prevent any oil leaks.

My external oil cooling setup also has a pressure or temperature regulator that sits between the oil radiator and the adapter plate. This was my next step. I started to screw in the brass fittings again with some PTFE tape, I tightened then with a spanner whilst holding the regulator in my other hand wedging it on the ground to tighten it up perfectly ( I hate oil leaks !!!)...... then I hear the delicate "cluck" sound !!!! ..... I cracked the regulator housing !!!! The crack can be clearly seen, and I'm not amused. I used a few foul words and a bit of sign language and decided to bypass this regulator temporarily till I got a new one.

I then proceeded to fit the brass fittings to the adapter plate, again with some PTFE tape. I fitted to one fitting..... on problem, I then tightened up the second fitting ( with PTFE tape ) the same way I tightened the regulator, and guess what .... I cracked the adapter plate too !!! I now used the whole friggin alphabet of swear words that I knew, not to mention a few hand signs too. I mean what the hell just happened !!!!

So now I have 2 options. Repair or replace. Firstly can this be repaired? I was told that I could try using Q-bond ( superglue type liquid with the powder ) or Pratleys steel. The Q-bond Could possibly work as it will flow into the crack, with the powder giving the surrounding area some strength. The Pratleys Steel will not flow into the crack so preventing a leak I think may be difficult, but I may be wrong as I know this stuff works like a charm on most repairs. Any other suggestions?

Second option would be to replace both of these. Where can I get just the parts I'm looking for? Preferably in the JHB south area.

these are the @#*%&#@ cracks...

Cedric ptfe makes up space so the thread is much thicker after you apply it .....what works well is to apply it against the tread with a taper towards the end....so you only tighten till its enough. ...mabe look on mr turbo website .....Michael gets his stuff from them ....also i saw he uses a volwagen gasket maker
that replace gaskets that might do the job better....wouldn't try pach it you might lose a lot of oil very quickly when you are on the road

The other engine your looking at? Doesn't it have fitting on?

I haven't heard from the dude yet.....

I realize the PTFE tape will thicken the threads, but for me to manage to crack the metal tightening it "by hand".... damn I'm flipping superman....
I just wanted it to seat perfectly even when hot so I wanted it to be tight.

I'll look at mr turbo

Cerdic its bad when a man doesn't know the end of your own strength

Tinus lotz wrote:Cerdic its bad when a man doesn't know the end of your own strength

Ha ha..... ek sit ook met daai probleem

Ouch Cedric!

Please don't ever m@%r me!

Considering the damage you could do to your engine if the item fails and the fact that it is obviously weakened somehow, I would definately replace. Doesn't need to be done right now, as the oil cooler should only be necessary when working pretty hard.
I have never seen one of those regulator jobs, but the sandwhich fitting should be available from any half-decent motor racing shop. Maybe try ATS?

When putting everything back together, clean it all really well, doing the final clean with an oil-less substance (eg. thinners, benzine or carb cleaner), then use Loctite or that red pipe sealant they sell at the hardware shops rather than PTFE tape.

I know it's rather exensive, but I would strongly recommend replacing the hoses with Aeroquip (or similar) braided steel hoses. The best guy to get them from used to be Mike Bond, but I don't have contact details. So ask at that same racing shop.

If one of these hoses pop off while you are driving on the freeway, your engine could seize before you have time to do anything about it!

To fit the filter directly to the engine, you will need a shorter threaded fitting, but these are normally fairly standard and if you take the sample (the one off the other filter) to a scrapyard, you should be able to find one. If not, get the one from Christo's engine from Michael or one from Louis' spare engine?

Thanks Peter,

Luckily the adapter plate is fixed to the existing thread that the oil filter fits onto by means of another threaded fitting that fastens onto the engines thread, holding the adapter in place, and then has the same thread for the filter to screw onto that again, so all is well for the next 5000Km till the next service and then I'll fit the new adapter plate and regulator.

I see some of these setups have a built in regulator in the adapter plate, where as some don't. So I'm a bit confused. Is it necessary for the regulator thingy?

Cedric i think but this just my opinion that that koolstoof motor oil pressure is more than wat the cooler can take to it limits the pressure via it mabe ask frans about that one....