1998 Patrol TDSY61

[ramsayc]

G'day,
I have a 1998 Patrol which we bought in Cairns two years ago to tow our off road camper trailer. My family and I are now living on the south east coast of NSW. The Patrol has been awesome until a few weeks ago. I'm hoping to get some advice so that I can make some educated decisions.

The Patrol started to blow white smoke on start up and was running really rough. I took it to the local 4x4 mechanic and he re conditioned the injectors and replaced some of the glow plugs. He did a compression test and that resulted in low compression across all cylinders. After a $1300 bill, we now have the car at home, unable to drive it as it's blowing smoke & constantly missing.
I was also told that the engine has hydraulic lifters. How can this be possible when the GU has mechanical lifters? I've checked the manufacturers plate under the bonnet which shows the date 05/98. Did any of the early GU's come out with hydraulic valve lifters?
Any advice greatly appreciated. It would be awesome to avoid replacing the engine $$$$.
Cheers,
Caroline