Lemon or not

[ckh]

Bought an 89 GQ about 2 weeks ago now as mu Suzuki Vitara dies, or at least was close to death, got 2 K for it as a trade on this GQ wagon, which had the price on the windscreen of 8990... So straight off 7K out of pocket.

Day 2 took it back under its 1K warranty as engine was missing driving down highway.. They fixed turned out to be points.

Day 4 driver’s side front brake line burst they fixed, day 7 other front brake line burst. They fixed also,

From day 2 I noticed at different speeds and if there was a bend in the highway the steering or the front end would shake like hell.. They said this was a Nissan problem.. Called several different places who one wanted to bite me 200 just to diagnose the problem... Found a guy at tyrepower Rocklea who said he had fixed hundreds of Nissans, and even Nissan bought cars to him to fix. He had it for the better part of the day and only cost $250, I don’t know if it’s my imagination of not but there is still a slight shaking. Shudder in the car, have called him back he said it could be drive train or a number of other things but he said he was happy with the before and after, the only faults he could find was one bush had a slight crack in it, which he said I could get another 6-12 months out of. He did say the front end was sitting an inch lower than stock, and I have noticed the rear end sitting lower than my mates GQ.

There is no rust except for a small minor patch on bottom of one of the rear windows... no sight the car has ever been off road, the bodywork is like it came off the showroom floor, think previous owners only ever used it for towing, it’s got 210000 on the clock and inside the car looks like new. The guy at tyrepower said to fix the sagging rear and front end he would put a 50mm suspension lift in it fitted for 1350.
under the bonnet looks like a new car also, apart from the problems I had with the windscreen washer leak, which I fixed by pulling out a pump from my son's old ford, which fixed that. Just paid 275 for window tinting.

Have FOUND ONE OF THE SOLENOID connectors broken off for the rear diff lock, and the hose was plugged up with a screw, have tried fixing that.

All my mates are telling me I got a good truck, but after seeing prices for same model or even newer cars on the net, I'm wondering if I not only paid too much but have bought a lemon. I know its 23 years old, I dont expect it to be in as new condition, but can some one on here since this is all about Nissan patrols, have I thrown my money away...

[MudRunnerTD]

Assuming that it is a TB42 (Petrol) engine? or even an RB30 Petrol? 7K for the condition sounds OK especially if you got a good coin for your junker.

What exactly did he do to your front end?

The continued wobble could well and truly be the tyres that have been running bad for so long and now are worn slightly with a lump.

It sounds like a tidy car.

If it has stock suspension then you should be expecting to put a kit through it by now but......... Does the current factory suspension pass a RWC? If it does not then your dealer is up for the fix! If your concerned go somewhere else and ask them to give you a Road Worthy on the car, dont tell them you just bought it but are looking to sell it. If it does not pass the Road Worthy then that is that and the dealer must make it Road Worthy to standard by law. Well actually the guy who gave the dealer the Roady is up for it but they are likely in bed together anyway but stuff them. Get it checked elsewhere and make them accountable. They are then arguing with a licensed tester!

Dont be in a hurry to get the Tyre Power Lift kit mate! That is why you joined this forum. Research is very important when looking to do your lift. Your New so educate yourself here before jumping in unless you need the lift now in which case your back to the RWC question????

Hope that helps.

[MudRunnerTD]

The Slight crack in the bush would fail the Road Worth check to start with!!

[ckh]

Assuming that it is a TB42 (Petrol) engine? or even an RB30 Petrol? 7K for the condition sounds OK especially if you got a good coin for your junker.

What exactly did he do to your front end?

The continued wobble could well and truly be the tyres that have been running bad for so long and now are worn slightly with a lump.

It sounds like a tidy car.

If it has stock suspension then you should be expecting to put a kit through it by now but......... Does the current factory suspension pass a RWC? If it does not then your dealer is up for the fix! If your concerned go somewhere else and ask them to give you a Road Worthy on the car, dont tell them you just bought it but are looking to sell it. If it does not pass the Road Worthy then that is that and the dealer must make it Road Worthy to standard by law. Well actually the guy who gave the dealer the Roady is up for it but they are likely in bed together anyway but stuff them. Get it checked elsewhere and make them accountable. They are then arguing with a licensed tester!

Dont be in a hurry to get the Tyre Power Lift kit mate! That is why you joined this forum. Research is very important when looking to do your lift. Your New so educate yourself here before jumping in unless you need the lift now in which case your back to the RWC question????

Hope that helps.

he wont tell anyone what he does to dix the wobble, he said after doing it for 20+ years its a trade secret he's keeping... I doesnt have stock shocks it has monroe on , front settering dapener is aftermarket too I got a copy of the roadworthy with the paperwork with the car, the fact they fixed the second brakine blow out a few hundred k's past their 100K warranty, I cant complain too much..

[ckh]

The Slight crack in the bush would fail the Road Worth check to start with!!

Reading the quote the tyre power guy gave me, its in one of the offset caster bushes..
new set 396 fitted...

[MudRunnerTD]

Reading the quote the tyre power guy gave me, its in one of the offset caster bushes..
new set 396 fitted...

But you don't have a lift so should not have faster correction bushes?? The mechanic claiming trade secret is a w4nker! He may have done a king pin offset like a safe-t-steer bearing race.

If your radius arm bush is cracked fit nothing but factory rubber ones and demand that be done by the RWC bloke.

Where are you?

If your keen on a lift regardless take it to someone that does 4x4 stuff as they generally know what is what

[ckh]

just called tyre power and the guy said the one caster bush with a 1 cm tear in it would not have been picked up by someone doing a road worthy with out muching around with the front supension like he did to fix the wobble, he said the other caster bushes have "wear" cracks they arnt actually broken or torn so would pass roardworthy, just was hoping he's agree with what you said theat it shouldnt have passed a roadworthy, but he said he cant prove that the tear didnt happen until after the roardworthy was done, on a different note am almost scared to go back to the car yard as when they find out every thing that was wrong with the suzuki, they will probably be writing it off.. and if I were to threaten to take them to court over this tear issue the tyerpower guy said it could back fire on me that I had been driving my suzuki around unroadworthy...

[ckh]

This is what she looked like when I first got her.........
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/99051313/patrol.jpg

[MudRunnerTD]

Nah mate the RWC is current for at least 30 days regardless and your entitled to go back

[MudRunnerTD]

That looks like it is sitting ok mate

[MudRunnerTD]

If your happy to call it a day then don't jump in and go the tyre power bloke without some research mate. Get a quote from your local ARB for a 2 inch lift and new radius arm bushes - rubber only with no correction. Nissan genuine

[ckh]

Will be watching these posts like a hawk and taking all advice and suggestions on board before I do anything, besides cant afford to do anything sat the moment, blew my wallet and back account getting this thing... :)

[04OFF]

I think your mates are right, looks like a nice truck, those things you list hardly go even close to making the car even close to a lemon, now i agree, failed brake lines are a big concern for sure, but steering wobble can be a issue with Patrols, rusty rear windows are a problem on GQs, the fact the yard is trying to help fixing some things is good.

Now sure you may have paid a little more than a private sale, but you will have peace of mind of clear title, and obviously they have already paid to fix some things (more than youd have got from a private sale) of course the car must be roadworthy, but the tyre guy already suggested the bush problem is so small it would be easy to overlook, you cant expect a 23 year old car to be like new, its a old used car ,so expect wear and tear, apart from the brake lines, i think you are doing OK.

Perhaps what Mudrunner suggested about another inspection would be good advice for your peace of mind, you need to be confident in your cars safety, but i would not beat yourself up over other little things, plenty of advice to help you fix the rest on here, and you need to get on and out, and enjoy what owning a Patrol is all about ! :thumbup:

[Outrage]

My 2000 GU had worn bushes, bit of a wobble, etc after a bit of use off road, just spent a bunch getting a the remaining ones replaced with genuine rubber, the ones on there were very bad, some might as well not have been there. Would expect an old GQ even if never been off road to have the same sort of wear, roads have plenty of pot holes in them, hit them at 110km/h would do as much damage as a few trips off road doing 10km/h over rough terrain.

A GQ with 210,000km on the clock for $7k is not bad. For that age vehicle the km count is low, which gives reason for the price. Plenty of post 2000 patrols around with +300,000km. The shaking/shudder can be caused by many things, it only takes one thing out to do it, but typically has multiple things contributing so fixing one will only reduce it, not get rid of it.

From what you have described, the vehicle is not a lemon at all, just has worn items, expected for it's age.

[Richo460]

Sounds like a good truck, you will always get a few issues with a car of age but the things you described are pretty minor. Like a few people have said, just do some research on here before jumping into anything, after reading things on here you can do a lot yourself saving loads of money.

[ckh]

That looks like it is sitting ok mate
The guy from the tyre place said the front was an inch lower than stock, and if you look at the pic you can see that the back end is sitting lower than it should by the height from the top of the tyre to the bottom of the wheel arch.. pulled up alongside a nissan that looked simular to , mine last night and notice how the space between the top of the wheel and the arch where the same, defenatly higher than my rear eand...

[ckh]

Noticed on Sat an ever so small spot on my mates driveway, but it was red, so power steering fluid, cant see where its leaking.. hope its not $$$$ to fix...

[MudRunnerTD]

Hi mate,

OK, now first thing, dont take this the wrong way bud as no disrespect is intended.

Dont get lost in the lines of your car. if you convince yourself that its a Lemon then it will be a Lemon forever. If you convince yourself that the thing is all wrong because some bloke that wants to sell you a new lift kit tells you so then it will do your head in.

So, figure out a few bench marks before you get to carried away.

Stock standard spring gauge is 15.1 - 17.4mm thick. if yours measures greater than that you have an aftermarket kit in it. Colour is irrelevant.

I have had a bit of a look and cant find the factory spec for the ride height but the measurement will be from the centre of the axle to the guard. Dont get lost in the soup.

[ckh]

Hi mate,

OK, now first thing, dont take this the wrong way bud as no disrespect is intended.

Dont get lost in the lines of your car. if you convince yourself that its a Lemon then it will be a Lemon forever. If you convince yourself that the thing is all wrong because some bloke that wants to sell you a new lift kit tells you so then it will do your head in.

So, figure out a few bench marks before you get to carried away.

Stock standard spring gauge is 15.1 - 17.4mm thick. if yours measures greater than that you have an aftermarket kit in it. Colour is irrelevant.

I have had a bit of a look and cant find the factory spec for the ride height but the measurement will be from the centre of the axle to the guard. Dont get lost in the soup.

I'm trying very hard not to convince me self I got a lemon, all my mates so far even one who is a diehard land cruiser man, said I got a good car. One thing you said which has stuck in my mind is "some bloke that wants to sell you a new lift kit " sitting back thinking yes he isn’t out to do me any favours he h out to make a sale and or make money, cause the work he did on it last Monday to remove the shaking I get at 90+KPM is still there, he said before the job he stands behind his work and if it doesn’t fix it, it would be free, he now saying the problem has to be from the tear or crack in one of the offset castor bushes and wants $396 to fit and replace.. he did say last week when he found the tear that that was the only thing he could find wrong with the front end other than it sitting an inch lower than stock.

Trust me when I say I'm taking everything you guys are saying in, and apologise if I sound like a bit of a Wally with any perceived dumb questions or statements etc..

[taslucas]

Hey mate, you haven't got a lemon....you've got a patrol. With a little work it will serve you for years to come. One thing I remember to cheer me up when I'm feeling down about my car repairs is this: a car is just a series of interchangable and repairable parts.
Chin up, your driving a patrol:-)

[threedogs]

Hi mate, you've been given pearls here by Mudrunner and Co,Don't take this the wrong way either, because your new ,because you're not familiar with different problems,
because you're not familiar with prices, people WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE of you.
You have a very clean 4x4 with a few niggles. make a few lists, one what you want to use the 4x4 for.
what accessories would enhance first list,
what order should I do these mods, Hint ask forum members '
Easy peasy 4x4 is sorted and you're out with mates showing how good your 4x4 is [PROUD MOMENT]



I've met Wally you are not him

DID YOU GET RWC WITH FISHING ROD HOLDERS ON BULLBAR????

[ckh]

Hi mate, you've been given pearls here by Mudrunner and Co,Don't take this the wrong way either, because your new ,because you're not familiar with different problems,
because you're not familiar with prices, people WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE of you.
You have a very clean 4x4 with a few niggles. make a few lists, one what you want to use the 4x4 for.
what accessories would enhance first list,
what order should I do these mods, Hint ask forum members '
Easy peasy 4x4 is sorted and you're out with mates showing how good your 4x4 is [PROUD MOMENT]



I've met Wally you are not him

DID YOU GET RWC WITH FISHING ROD HOLDERS ON BULLBAR????


Yes even though I bought it this month RWC was dated 6-6-12, yes it came with an alloy bull bar and rod holders, the spun them around so they were on the inside of the bullbar. Why do you ask, do you know the vehicle? Bought it from a car yard at Wacol.

[MudRunnerTD]

Your Road Worthy is only valid for 30 days from date on certificate. They should have got another Roadie before you purchased it. It is reasonable that you can claim that the Road Worthy is valid 30 days from the date of Purchase. When the yard got it done is Not your problem??

Nah i dont think 3dogs knows your car but the fishing rod holder makes the car unroadworthy! It must have a rod in it and you must be on the way to or from the water to make it legal. Un bolt it, they look like Shi1t and are a real danger to Pedestrians. They provide you No Credibility, infact if i saw you driving along with it bolted on and empty i'd think your a D*ckhead! Pet Hate. Nice car shame about the rod holder kinda thing ;)

[happygu]

I'm trying very hard not to convince me self I got a lemon, all my mates so far even one who is a diehard land cruiser man, said I got a good car. One thing you said which has stuck in my mind is "some bloke that wants to sell you a new lift kit " sitting back thinking yes he isn’t out to do me any favours he h out to make a sale and or make money, cause the work he did on it last Monday to remove the shaking I get at 90+KPM is still there, he said before the job he stands behind his work and if it doesn’t fix it, it would be free, he now saying the problem has to be from the tear or crack in one of the offset castor bushes and wants $396 to fit and replace.. he did say last week when he found the tear that that was the only thing he could find wrong with the front end other than it sitting an inch lower than stock.



chk

I wouldn't worry about a 20 Year old car where the springs have sagged only 1 inch........ I remember when the GQ and the Range Rover came out with coils - there were people saying they won't work, they won't last, how can you get a coil to hold up that much weight, leaf springs are the only way to carry a load.....

I think that a 1 inch drop over 20 + years is enough to dispell that myth forever, and whose to say it is actually a 1 inch drop at all. Is this guy a Patrol expert? I once owned a GQ Patrol, but I can't quote the official ride height, and the guys that still own them now haven't immediately piped up with the 'official ride height', and that ride height may have varied slightly with different engines, different years, etc, etc

Just remember everyone on the road is driving a car with used parts - they don't stay new for long.

Mic

[ckh]

Your Road Worthy is only valid for 30 days from date on certificate. They should have got another Roadie before you purchased it. It is reasonable that you can claim that the Road Worthy is valid 30 days from the date of Purchase. When the yard got it done is Not your problem??

Nah i dont think 3dogs knows your car but the fishing rod holder makes the car unroadworthy! It must have a rod in it and you must be on the way to or from the water to make it legal. Un bolt it, they look like Shi1t and are a real danger to Pedestrians. They provide you No Credibility, infact if i saw you driving along with it bolted on and empty i'd think your a D*ckhead! Pet Hate. Nice car shame about the rod holder kinda thing ;)

Just looked it up, here in QLD a RWC is valid for 2 month or 2000K's for a private sale and 3 months or 1000K's for a dealer/car yard selling it.

I took off the rod holders as they looked crappy and were partly obscuring the left leadlight...

[nissannewby]

Yeah i though that was the case with dealers up here the roadworthy lasting longer.

[Bigcol]

mate, what a sweet looking GQ........
as has been said several times, dont sweat the little things,
make a note of what you want to do with it - Touring / Off Road Warrior / Horse Trailer tow rig / daily driver etc...
ALL the things you want to do with it
then do the research as to what you need to transform your rig into what you need, have a browse at your local 4x4 shops, and 4wd wreckers for ideas and also prices

My GQ had Lowrider suspension for about 5 years until I had enough of climbing DOWN into it, and then brought some second hand stuff - all fixed for under $500

your Tyre power guy should have swapped the rear tyres for the front when he played with it - that may have solved some more of the "Nissan" wobbles
I pulled my tyres off the rims, cleaned the inside of them with 600Grit wet & dry, balanced the rims, then balanced the tyre, THEN put them together - hey presto, no more wobbles........ I was just lucky that nothing else was shagged though, and I did put new Tyres on all around

it all takes time, as any of these guys, and they would probably say that Safety First then bling bits later

as I said, nice looking rig, and you will have more than a few thousand Kms of fun driving it

cheers
(just my 4cents worth)

[stets]

Mate I too have an 89 gq. Lots of squeekes and other noises. Rubbers all had to be replaced at different stages. The original diff lock vacuum solenoids often either don't work, or break "tubes" can get a new one for under $200. Easy to fit and the Nissan diff lock is one of the best out there. I have tortured mine!!!
The shaking is commonly referee to as death wobbles as they scare you to death when they are bad. All new suspension rubbers/bushes/ Inc panhard arm should fix this if not king pin buses and bearings are the culprit.


And you own a Nissan patrol. No where in those letters can you manage to squeeze a lemon out of. Simply a few worn parts that once replaced can last you another 20 odd years


Tap,tap,tapping in your head

[ckh]

Mate I too have an 89 gq. Lots of squeekes and other noises. Rubbers all had to be replaced at different stages. The original diff lock vacuum solenoids often either don't work, or break "tubes" can get a new one for under $200. Easy to fit and the Nissan diff lock is one of the best out there. I have tortured mine!!!
The shaking is commonly referee to as death wobbles as they scare you to death when they are bad. All new suspension rubbers/bushes/ Inc panhard arm should fix this if not king pin buses and bearings are the culprit.


And you own a Nissan patrol. No where in those letters can you manage to squeeze a lemon out of. Simply a few worn parts that once replaced can last you another 20 odd years


Tap,tap,tapping in your head


There's a ratting squeeking sound coming from driver's door/dash area, buggered if I can find it, anyone know of comming noises from that area. so i can tighten a loose screw or what ever!!!

[taslucas]

Mine has the same noise. Squeaky, rattley. Coming from inside the guard, behind the dash, top door hinge kind of area.
I just turn the music up:-)

Tap, crackle, pop

[ckh]

The tyrepower guy is also saying a 50mm lift kit will help fix the problem... I'm going to chase him up tomorrow as he said if he regarding the orif=gional job he did if it did'nt fix the problem there would be no charge, so will see if I can get him to apply that to the offset caster bushes, on a different note, if the problem does get fixed by fixing the offset caster bushes, if I later decide to put a 50mm spring lift kit in it will it undo things he has done to date? or cause different problems?

[ckh]

Got the 50 mil lift kit in, drives like a different car, replaced the points with a Pertronix Ignitor lobe sensing kit, runs a lot better, still a bit of a shake to her, tyrepower guy said everything in the front and rear end was perfect, he did notice the monor was leaning to the left a little so he even bough me a new set of engine mounts, a mate is helping me put them in this week end.... took it up to rainbow beach for long week end, was getting 17l/100Ks going up, near 30 l/100 on the beach, but coming home last night got 14.3 l/100Ks so cant complain about that...


this is a picture of what she looks like now after all the suspension work..

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/99051313/2012-09-26%2008.03.10.jpg

[Winnie]

What engine have you got mate? With those fuel figures you certainly have NOT got yourself a lemon!

[ckh]

4.2L carby, on a 4 speed automatic transmission....

[Winnie]

That is phenomenal then! Petrol or LPG? Please don't say LPG or I will be very jealous.

[ckh]

petrol. not set up for dual fuel....

[taslucas]

See, everything is working out just fine:) and i bet you've got a smile from ear to ear:)

Heres something to make you smile more: My fuel consumption on a TB42 auto is around 26-28lt per 100 kms so it would seem that your "lemon" is way out performing my "awesome patrol" hahahaha.

Good to hear your on the track to years of great patrolling:)

[ckh]

Mine has the same noise. Squeaky, rattley. Coming from inside the guard, behind the dash, top door hinge kind of area.
I just turn the music up:-)

Tap, crackle, pop

Sort of fixed the squeak/rattle noise coming from near dash/door area, dump a shit load of armourall in there and now quite as a mouse.... :)

[ckh]

Really starting to think I bought a lemon.
One guy has suggested
"If you have the old points put them back in my guess is the pertronix ingition is on the way out i had one in my wagon at random it would miss or not start went over every thing no better then i put the points back in and fixed the problem. give it a go it doesn't take very long to swap over."

But I contacted the guy in the USA I bought the ignighter from he said it will either work or wont work, said it wont have intermittent problems like I'm describing, sent me info on how to test it with a volt meter and waving a screw driver infront of it to see if there is any change in volt readings, he said if there are changes its working, if no changes it not working...

On my 89 GQ TB42 carby model, with an auto transmission Had an annoying miss, when I drove around and was pulled over there would be a slight miss, so put it into park or neutral and would be even less noticable. Got sick of the loud tappet noise my truck was making so about a week ago adjusted the tappets, miss got worse, noticed at idle if I pulled off #6 spark plug lead no change to motor idle, but could tell it was only running on 5 when I gave it a rev... with the plug lead back on revs fine. I replaced the dist cap and leads, now at idle taking the same #6 lead off can hear a difference in the motor, but it still has a miss, have checked for vacuum leaks, can find any.
Loosened tappets off a bit idles a little better but the miss is still there, it doesnt have point have the pentrix ignighter and flam thrower coil.

Have searched the forums, some people saying miss is fluel related, so ran the tank to near empty, fill with BP ultimate, put several different fuel clearnwers and additived etc to clean system out, replaced fuel filter.


Its more noticable when I have it in drive and or the aircon turned on...
Am still getting same ecconomy as before but this rough idle and miss is driving me crasy.

Other sections on forums say my head or head gasket is stuffed..

So far have changed leads
changed plugs and dist cap
changed fuel filter.
readjusted tappets
readjusted timing. have tried to fiddle with fuel mixture.

have checked for vacuum leaks

What else can anyone suggest I hope and pray its not the head, as i only got this back in Aug and have emptyed my wallet already with doing a 2 inch lift and other things to her...

[taslucas]

Who did you buy the ignitor from? I got one (with the flamethrower coil) from the US. It turned out to be faultyfrom the factory and a replacement is on the way. Mine would start fine and idle fine but as it started warming up, it would start to miss worse and worse. They sent me the test instructions and it turned out that the module was faulty. It still ran but missed badly as it warmed up (really badly!) , not as the guy you quoted above: "it will only work or not work".
I will be getting the module back in a week or so.

Tap, crackle, pop

[ckh]

Who did you buy the ignitor from? I got one (with the flamethrower coil) from the US. It turned out to be faultyfrom the factory and a replacement is on the way. Mine would start fine and idle fine but as it started warming up, it would start to miss worse and worse. They sent me the test instructions and it turned out that the module was faulty. It still ran but missed badly as it warmed up (really badly!) , not as the guy you quoted above: "it will only work or not work".
I will be getting the module back in a week or so.

Tap, crackle, pop

Ponderosa mustangs is where I go it from its the lob sensing type not the type that has the magnetic rig and requires the dizzy to be machined down..

[ckh]

Which was faulty the ignighter or the coil?

[taslucas]

Ha! I got mine from ponderosa too! Mine is the ignitor 2, hall effect (magnetic ring). And it was the ignitor module that was faulty. How long have you had yours fitted?

Tap, crackle, pop

[ckh]

Ha! I got mine from ponderosa too! Mine is the ignitor 2, hall effect (magnetic ring). And it was the ignitor module that was faulty. How long have you had yours fitted?

Tap, crackle, pop

Had it about 2 months now. started noricing the miss a few weeks back

[oilpond]

which had the price on the windscreen of 8990... So straight off 7K out of pocket.

OUCH! I bought my 91 GQ td42 recently for 3600 with 320K on it and another 300 for bushes and filters and this sled has been unstopable in the bush:)(Go's up hills in the scub like a Billy goat,tracks are for them other people),blows no smoke and is a dream...
Just sayin...

[ckh]

which had the price on the windscreen of 8990... So straight off 7K out of pocket.

OUCH! I bought my 91 GQ td42 recently for 3600 with 320K on it and another 300 for bushes and filters and this sled has been unstopable in the bush:)(Go's up hills in the scub like a Billy goat,tracks are for them other people),blows no smoke and is a dream...
Just sayin...

you made my day thanks

[oilpond]

you made my day thanks

Sorry Bro was just sayin...

[taslucas]

Had it about 2 months now. started noricing the miss a few weeks back

mine started missing as soon as i fitted it. I got new leads, then new plugs, then changed my coil back to the original one but still no change. Then i got the test instructions from the seller and found that the module was faulty so i sent it back. It took 4 WEEKS to get there and apparanlty the replacement was to be sent back yesterday. The seller reckons the failure rate is about %1..... I thought, well, if he sells 100 a month (at a guess) then thats 1 unhappy customer per month.

[lorrieandjas]

Hey mate - just to reiterate what has been said earlier - it is not a lemon. As soon as you put a car on the road it starts to wear out - hopefully not too quickly but component wear happens the first time you drive it. I would get it checked over then make a list of the fixes you want to apply and then do any unnecessary (but wanted!) mods after that.

Jas

[ckh]

mine started missing as soon as i fitted it. I got new leads, then new plugs, then changed my coil back to the original one but still no change. Then i got the test instructions from the seller and found that the module was faulty so i sent it back. It took 4 WEEKS to get there and apparanlty the replacement was to be sent back yesterday. The seller reckons the failure rate is about %1..... I thought, well, if he sells 100 a month (at a guess) then thats 1 unhappy customer per month.

Was yours the Lobe sensing type?

[taslucas]

Ha! I got mine from ponderosa too! Mine is the ignitor 2, hall effect (magnetic ring). And it was the ignitor module that was faulty. How long have you had yours fitted?

Tap, crackle, pop








Was yours the Lobe sensing type?



Tap, crackle, pop

[ckh]

Who did you buy the ignitor from? I got one (with the flamethrower coil) from the US. It turned out to be faultyfrom the factory and a replacement is on the way. Mine would start fine and idle fine but as it started warming up, it would start to miss worse and worse. They sent me the test instructions and it turned out that the module was faulty. It still ran but missed badly as it warmed up (really badly!) , not as the guy you quoted above: "it will only work or not work".
I will be getting the module back in a week or so.

Tap, crackle, pop

Swapped back over to points today, and appart from noticably being harder to start, the miss is still there so have put the ignighter back in so at least it will start a bit easier.... So its looking like a burnt falve or cracked head........

[taslucas]

Hmm, that's no good. Is your coil working correctly?

Tap, crackle, pop

[ckh]

Hmm, that's no good. Is your coil working correctly?

Tap, crackle, pop
if I take one of the plug leads off the dizzy I can hold it 3/4-1 inch away from the dizzy and get a good blue spark... So am assuming coil is throwing plenty of spark and working proper..

[ckh]

Now its starting to miss onn the highway every now and then feels like I've tapped the brakes, or it will cough and carry on then come good again.. I suppose if the damage is done its only going to get worse before i fix it and hopefully get better then....

[GUtsy ute]

Have you given it a compression test?
The intermittent miss in my 89 turned out to be the auto choke spring failing and causing it to come on randomly and flooding the engine, causing it to miss.

[ckh]

Have you given it a compression test?
The intermittent miss in my 89 turned out to be the auto choke spring failing and causing it to come on randomly and flooding the engine, causing it to miss.

The missing at idle is constant, my ears prick up and I nearly smile of it goes for 5-10 seconds with out missing, check the auto choke but is fully open when warm.. have also noticed the angine doesnt increase in revs like it used to when I put the air con on, if anything it drops the revs further...

[ckh]

1. its got an auto choke.
2. Timing has been set at 10 BTDC have tried it at 5 and at 15 made no difference.
3. no bubbles in coolant when radator cap off, not loosing any coolant either.
3.5 no using oil appart from the little usual bit of smoke when first started in the morning
4. have check oil filler cpa an clean as
have tried champion and another named brand plug, but dont want to spent a fortune on the iridium plugs yet, as if I have to replace the head its going to break the bank .
5 have replaced plugs, dist cap, leads, even tried going back to points yesterday incase it was the pentrix ignighter, but same miss
6 replaced fuel and air filters after running all the cleaning stuff mentioned below
7 yesterday arvo tacho was jumping all over the place, and car ran real bad, found bolt that holds dizzy in place when adjusting timing had stripped out, so replaced with another bolt and reset timing, tacho behaving now, except for the slight movement when it misses, but the miss is still there.

Thinking it was crap in the carbo or contaminated fuel last week as for the past month had been running cheap fuel from 7/11 in it, ran it near empty on friday, and filled with BP ultimate, and added every fuel cleaner, carby and injector clean and octane booster i could buy from repco and supercheap, over 120 dollars in additatives in total. since then been filling up with either bp ultimate or shell optimax, fuel consumption is now 20.49/100 on that first tank of good stuff, then 18.03/100 on the second and filling up this morning was 17.56/100, have been giving the aircon a bit of a hiding as its been very hot up here in Ipswich and brisbane..

One thing I have noticed as when I turn the aircon on the rev's dont go up like they used to if anthing it drops the revs a little...

[BigRAWesty]

Ok, how's the brakes? With the aircon issue it sounds like the vacume (if it has it) may have a hole in the system.
In my Q the vac pump is on the back of the alternator. Not sure f your timing runs off the same vacume or if its independent. Worth a look

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[ckh]

Just did the test a few people have said to to, started the car up in the dark and looked for sparks, none to be found or at least seen....

[BigRAWesty]

I'm guessing you used a timing light to set TDC at idle, did it advance further when you increased rpm?
To me its sounding like a vacuum issue.

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[ckh]

I'm guessing you used a timing light to set TDC at idle, did it advance further when you increased rpm?
To me its sounding like a vacuum issue.

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

Yes to timing light, and yes to engine advancing when I rev it

[ckh]

Ok, how's the brakes? With the aircon issue it sounds like the vacume (if it has it) may have a hole in the system.
In my Q the vac pump is on the back of the alternator. Not sure f your timing runs off the same vacume or if its independent. Worth a look

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

Brakes stop car fine, but there is a squeal in the pads... why?

[taslucas]

Brakes stop car fine, but there is a squeal in the pads... why?

brakes use vacuum to operate properly. I think he was asking to see if there was a vacuum issue

[ckh]

have done as a few have suggested, pulled out the flame thrower and put origional coil back in, its still got a miss, did some googling. a test for a burnt valve is to put ya hand over the exhaust pipe and if there is any sucking rather than blowing its a sign of a burnt exhaust valve... tried that and was flat out keeping my hand over the exhaust, kept trying to blow hand off..

Am going to a guys place this arvo to try his GT40 coil and see if that makes a difference

[BigRAWesty]

Brakes stop car fine, but there is a squeal in the pads... why?

Yea brakes are assisted by vacuum that's why I asked. I'm still leaning towards a vacuum issue. Because your aircon choke is vacuum assisted aswell.
Simple test. Find your vac lines and test for suction.
Your brakes have a dedicated line so its good that there working.
Have a poke around, you might find an issue

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[ckh]

Just had it to a cylinder head specialist, he sais I definatly have a valve problem, he will supply recond head plus all the gaskets and new bolts for 1100 if I do the job myself, or for him to do it basically 2 K and he would need the car for 4 days or so. reading though the manual, I recon I could get the head off and new one one with in a day........ doesnt read as being that hard to do...

[taslucas]

That's a bugger mate. Did he pressure test and compression test?

Tap, crackle, pop

[ckh]

That's a bugger mate. Did he pressure test and compression test?

Tap, crackle, pop

No he didnt test anything just listened to the miss

Got a mate who will put a perfectly running motor in mine, including ignition and carby, motor will cost me 1K but his mechanic mate says I should get at least ten years out of it if I look after it, so 1 K for the motor and for him and his mate to install it they want my motor to do up.... Considering its going to cost 1100 for a recon head for me to fit my self, and if that aint the problem a carby recon for god knows how much, they say this motor is good, new water pump, new fuel pump only fault with it is the power steering pump has a slight weep, so they are going to put my power steering pump on it, he said to turn up at his place on a sat morn in a few weeks and I'll be driving it home that afternoon/evening...

[BigRAWesty]

If I was you l'd take the second motor, but not for $1000.
Then strip yours down and slowly rebuild it completely. If your keen snail it aswell..
Then once completed swap them back and sell on the old motor, or recon it to and sell it.

Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[ckh]

Ok got the ruff idle and missing at speed sorted, turned out to be 2 bqad sets of plugs and a earth wire. runs smooth as now, but have been doing the trick where you put a piece of paper against the exhaust pipe and if it gets suckd in at allit meand a burnt or buggered exhqaust valve, I know I need to replace my exhaust and gasket as when a mate held his had over it yesterday you can hear it hissing around the exhaiust manifold, is there much credability to the piece of paper test? when I hold my hand over the exhaust I can feel presure trying to blow my hand away but cant feel it sucking.. so I'm hopeing I have fixed my engine problems, unless someone can varify the paper test means means a valve is shot. now just need to sort my car shaking at 90K's and I'll have a good truck.. unless my valves are shot and i got to replace the head!!!!

[taslucas]

Plugs and an earth wire.......
That's a damn lot better than an engine swap!!
Good to hear it's sorted:-)

Tap, crackle, pop

[BigRAWesty]

Great stuff.. there ya goes. Pays just to fiddle sometimes..


Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[GUtsy ute]

Glad you got rid of the miss without breaking the bank.

Out of my depth here, talking about electronlc ignition.
Does the Petronix system use the standard rotor?
If so, the modification to extend the end of the rotor to decrease the gap between it and the
terminals in the distributor cap gives a much better spark.
You can buy them on E-bay or do it yourself.

Type( extended rotor button) into the search bar.
Quite a few threads on it.

Cheers.

[taslucas]

Glad you got rid of the miss without breaking the bank.

Out of my depth here, talking about electronlc ignition.
Does the Petronix system use the standard rotor?
If so, the modification to extend the end of the rotor to decrease the gap between it and the
terminals in the distributor cap gives a much better spark.
You can buy them on E-bay or do it yourself.

Type( extended rotor button) into the search bar.
Quite a few threads on it.

Cheers.

Yep the pertronix uses the same rotor. You're probably better off keeping the original rotor instead of going for the extended. I fitted a pertronix 2 ignitor and found I had the extended rotor. I'm thinking of swapping back to the original rotor. The idea is that if you have the standard points and coil it helps to extend the rotor so that the spark jumps across easier but with aftermarket ignition and a better coil there is a whole lot more available power and you get a bigger spark when it jumps the standard gap between rotor and dissy cap

Tap, crackle, pop

[GUtsy ute]

I knew I was out of my depth!!LOL

[ckh]

The tyre power guy said he did all that.. going to a mates placew tomorrow and trying a completely different set of rims and tyres, it that solves or improves things, I'll know my tyres or wheels are out of round.. Today when driving on a perfectly flat bit of freeway it felt like i was on a coragated dirt road,, my Mate is also going to have a look to see if anything else stands out like a sore thumb, I'm so glad I met "scaredgq " Andrew on a forum, he's a top block and knows his stuff when it comes to gq's, I'm still in awe as to what he has done to his and its only running on gas, would make most V8's be imbarrased...

if you do a google for exhaust sucking air you will find plenty of the yanks etc testing for burnt valves using paper or a dollar bill, from motor bike engines though to 4-6 and higher cylinder engines..

[ckh]

This is what me and Andrew got up to on thursday arvo
"Hi matti- we spent about three hrs dickin around with electrics/timing,didnt swap plugs because mine are the 6's for gas.I would describe the issue as more of a hesitation at idle when warm and didnt miss under load when we drove it.has champion plugs atm and they were a tan colour.It did smell rich at idle.I am now thinking maybe a carby issue as today it is reportedly playing up worse-timing at about 12 deg,reved nicely from idle yesterday.Next thing we will do is leak test-will put about 100 psi air into each cylinder at tdc-valves closed and see if it has air coming from exhaust/carby or internally,will also check for bubbles in coolant.I dont think it is a valve issue but the head coming off or motor swap will be last on list.Motor and car seem in immaculate condition,looks like a well maintained vehicle,newish looking radiator,dosent look like its been offroad.I know this means nothing at all but makes me think its a small issue.Tappets are going to be reset warm at .40,plugs changed.have access to a carby on a running motor that runs perfect which will try after leak test.Another thought is manifold leaks but i think trying the leak test should point us in right direction.What is your views /opinion on this after yr experience with yr head change etc."

[ckh]

Even though I back to fuel usage of 15-19l/100 K's with all the dramas I'm having with this auto a mate is trying to source a gq with a manual in it and do a swap with mine, as he desperatly wants my gq for its body, I know to a degree its a down grade considering what this thing has cost me so far, but I want smething reliable and that isnt going to constantly stress me out, should I keep what I got as my mate says I'd be hard up to find another with a body like mine, or should I cut my losses and do a swap...

[happygu]

Don't let any of your dodgy 'mates' near it.......

[nipagu7]

hi , just read thru this thread and maybe i missed it , but have you changed your fuel filter . also some carby's have a small screen filter where the fuel line attaches to the carby . next i would clean the carby as it does sound like a fuel problem .

[ckh]

hi , just read thru this thread and maybe i missed it , but have you changed your fuel filter . also some carby's have a small screen filter where the fuel line attaches to the carby . next i would clean the carby as it does sound like a fuel problem .

carby is fine just torque converter lockup and getting into diag mode on trannsmission the issue now....

[ckh]

Don't let any of your dodgy 'mates' near it.......

s you recon keep it?

[happygu]

I would....car looks great to me and to a lot of others here too.

You are never going to buy a car that has no issues ever...it doesn't happen,

and who is to say that if you get another car, that it won't have problems to fix as well.

I will also add, that Patrols generally have less issues than other vehicles, so once you fix the current little bits and pieces you should be good to go

[BigRAWesty]

I would....car looks great to me and to a lot of othere here too.

You are never going to buy a car that has no issues ever...it doesn't happen,

and who is to say that if you get another car, that it won't have problems to fix as well.

I will also add, that Patrols generally have less issues than other vehicles, so once you fix the current little bits and pieces you should be good to go

Amen to that.. father inlaw is a toyo man.
I'm a nissan...
My gq has racked up 497500k's.. had new injectors at 250 thou, water pump around then and New suspension about 10thou ago.
His 80 series has just hit 200 thou (which I'm surprised at), he's changed
Diffs, front and rear
Clutch x3
Cv's
Steering pump
Water pump
Brake cylinders
Uni's
Hubs
Bearings
And that's the stuff I've helped him with in the last 5 years... :what:

And to make things worse, his is a dual fuel 4.5ltr, and my ragged old td42 still keeps with him...

You can't knock nissans... Well I can't..


Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

[ckh]

but the intermitent torque converter unlocking etc, and the fact i can get into diagnostic mode after the tranny guy changed the converter, its doing my head in.....

[NP99]

Amen to that.. father inlaw is a toyo man.
I'm a nissan...
My gq has racked up 497500k's.. had new injectors at 250 thou, water pump around then and New suspension about 10thou ago.
His 80 series has just hit 200 thou (which I'm surprised at), he's changed
Diffs, front and rear
Clutch x3
Cv's
Steering pump
Water pump
Brake cylinders
Uni's
Hubs
Bearings
And that's the stuff I've helped him with in the last 5 years... :what:

And to make things worse, his is a dual fuel 4.5ltr, and my ragged old td42 still keeps with him...

You can't knock nissans... Well I can't..


Kallen Westbrook
Owner of
Westy's Accessories (http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?15134-Westy-s-Accessories.-A-small-back-yard-builder.)

......and spares are $$$$$ more than ours!

[Parksy]

but the intermitent torque converter unlocking etc, and the fact i can get into diagnostic mode after the tranny guy changed the converter, its doing my head in.....

You should buy a Camry. I'll have the patrol.

Cheers.

[ckh]

You should buy a Camry. I'll have the patrol.

Cheers.

Have you got a decent one to swap?

[douglarv]

I think you need a new garage and mechanic more than a new vehicle!

[threedogs]

Hook up a VACUUM guage it'll tell you all you need to know about condition of motor
Still dont think its a lemon, IMO I'd run braided brake hoses, and time permitting put a kit through
all the Caliphers. With the suspenion at full droop {hoist} put a few pumps of grease in uni's , tail shaft and steering grease nipples.
Change steering damper if OE. All of what you described is just "teething problems"
Once you set up a mainenance plan , things will look better,
Camry's in the mail lol

[90mav]

That looks like a nice tidy truck! Wish mine looked taht good. Invest a few dollrs replacing a few worn bushes and maybe suspension and you have a keeper which will do you for years!

[Brisat]

I'd just sell the thing and walk because it sounds as though you would whinge if you had a brand new jigger

[my third 256]

I'd just sell the thing and walk because it sounds as though you would whinge if you had a brand new jigger

play nice we are here to help not put down