GU Nissan Patrol Review
You just watched that video, and you reckon Patrols are fricken awesome right? Looking to buy your own now? Then you need to read on! I’ve been a Patrol owner since I first got into the 4wding, camping and overlanding scene. I started out on a GQ Patrol with everybody’s favourite TD42 diesel engine, before moving onto the current GU Patrol with the RD28ETI diesel engine in search of more comfort. And aside from maybe an early 100 series Landcruiser, a live axle truck doesn’t get more comfortable than a GU wagon!
The GU Patrol is the longest running model to date. They started production in 1998, and are still running production now in 2015! The RD28ETI which is at home under the bonnet of my GU, was carried over from the GQ Patrol and given computer engine management and an intercooler. From factory they claim a power rating of 95KW at the flywheel and 252NM of torque. I say driving a 2.8 Patrol is a learned art. You have to balance your use of clutch and throttle perfectly, if you let that tacho settle below 2000rpm you may consider throwing a few passengers out to push until it gets back on boost. Many people complain about how gutless the 2.8 is and say you have to drive it like you stole it.
What Goes Wrong With The 2.8
Crank Pulley Bolt: The BIGGEST problem with an RD28 is their tendency for the crankshaft pulley bolt to come loose and spin the pulley, ruining your crankshaft and pretty much putting you in for an engine rebuild. Checking the torque regularly and making absolutely sure that liberal amounts of locktite are applied whenever the bolt it removed are your best insurance against this.
Crank Position Sensor: The metal disc behind the crankshaft sprocket which gives a reading for the crank position sensor has come loose on a few people’s RD28’s. This causes a false reading and may result in rough running and/or white smoke (unburned diesel). The computer will probably give a crank angle sensor malfunction code.
Blown Heads: Cracked or blown heads are sometimes reported, but probably not often enough for it to be an inherent problem. My opinion is that a blown head is caused by people flogging the motor because it’s gutless, or trying to tow massive loads and overworking it. If I wanted to tow, I wouldn’t own a 2.8.
Injector Pumps: Many injector pumps don’t make it past 280,000km, mine included. This will likely reveal it’s head in summer when you go to re-start the vehicle after a good drive and it cranks but won’t fire. If pouring water over the injector pump gets it started, you’re up for about $3000 for an injector and injector pump rebuild.
Performance Mods For The 2.8
And how about performance mods to get em going a bit better? Being so gutless by nature means any little mod that gets the RD28 working better is a good thing. First up for power is the obvious; a power chip and exhaust. The RD28 sounds AWESOME with a 3inch turbo back system. Blocking the EGR seems to bring the power on a couple of hundred RPM sooner, and you can read how to do that HERE. It also prevents your inlet manifold being clogged with soot, which you can remove with FIRE!. They boost pretty high from factory (12psi), but with a chip you can get the boost turned up to 14psi and increase the fuel to match. Now she’s a race car!
What To Look For In The Body/Chassis
Swivel Hubs: Take a look at the swivel hubs at the front, they develop a leak after a while which normally means the axle seal needs replacing. Big job, expensive in labour.
Death Wobbles: Many GU’s have or had a problem with “patrol death wobbles” in a speed range between 70-90km/h. Some people have a horror time trying to stop it, but start by checking suspension bushes and failing that, kingpin bearings.
Sub Tanks: Some models run into small issues with the sub tank whereby the light stays on and you are unable to use it. In most cases it is an issue of poor chassis-to-battery earth, and adding an earth strap fixes em right up.
Chassis Cracks: Only really an issue on those who have towed enormous vans, or utes with massive heavy canopies on the back. They are known to crack around the spring mounts on the rear. It is well documented, and a few companies sell bracing kits if you intend on moving big loads.
These points aside, the chassis, driveline and body are mostly without issue!
Popular Suspension/Driveline/Body Mods
Suspension & Tyres: A two inch suspension lift is as high as you can legally go in Australia without engineering, and is popular for that reason. Same with tyres, a 2 inch increase in size is the legal way to go and 33 inch tyres are a two inch increase on standard. 35 inch tyres will fit and work well on a Patrol, although your gearing will be less than ideal. A 2 inch lift can be done with just springs and shock absorbers, but I would recommend castor correction as well to keep some sort of handling in check.
Body: Patrol barn doors can sag or crack under the weight of the spare wheel, an even bigger problem if you’re using larger and heavier tyres! So if you want to carry a bigger spare, you might want to install an aftermarket rear bar. Most of the GU’s had a factory bullbar thrown in to sweeten the deal, so don’t be fooled into paying more for one with a bullbar. Oh and it’s normal for the body mounted tail lights to not work, something about them not meeting ADR’s. Some people put in the effort to install globes just for the sake of looks.
Driveline: All but the DX model GU’s have auto locking hubs. They are handy, but are known to play up after a while and start unlocking and locking when you don’t want em to. You can actually convert the auto hubs to manual, or replace them with manual hubs straight off the GQ patrol. The rear LSD in patrols is well known for being brilliant, but as they get older people are either shimming them up to be more effective, or replacing with lockers. Diff breathers are a must-do on any 4wd. The front diff in the GU already has the breather quite high up in the engine bay, same for the gearbox and transfer case. The rear diff breather extends only up to the chassis and is best routed up to the engine bay with the rest.
You may now consider yourself armed with all you need to know when shopping around for a GU Patrol. If you’ve recently bought a GU, or you end up buying one after reading this; make sure you send through a few pics that I can share with everybody! Oh, and if you are reading this as somebody who knows their GU’s, and reckon I’ve missed something don’t be afraid to pull me up on it. You might just be helping somebody out 🙂
Alex
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