Bit of advice please

[Patrol'n]

Hi all,

I am helping a mate with his purchase of a GU patrol.

He has a line on one that seems good, 2002, ZD30 wagon, very tidy in the pics, for $10,500.

Overall it seems worth a look, and has the EGR and Dawes mods and turbo has been rebuilt etc.

I am happy to check the usual stuff like chassis, body, leaks, interior, how it drives and such, my main questions are,

1. With 351000 ks, does the ZD30 have a good service life ahead of it and is it likely to need work on the injectors and pump or any other expensive maintenance any time soon?
2. It has an LPG injection system fitted. I have no experience with these systems, and there is plenty of conflicting info on the net. Should we just steer clear of it, or is it still worth a look? If so are there any red flags I should look out for?

Thanks as always.

[dom14]

I haven't seen or heard of a bi-fuel (diesel & LPG) Patrol.
ZD30 engines are quite a handful on it's own.
I would ask for some expert advice.

[BigRAWesty]

Personally I would walk away..
That's a lot of k's.
And the gas system.. why have they fitted it to a turbo deisel?
Gas is supposed to aid a NA engine in getting a better burn..
Unsure why they would add it?
But also what Dom has said.. it adds extra complications to a very technical engine..

[threedogs]

Walk away its at the end of its service life IMO
A leaky IC will cost you $500 straight up

@ Dom14 Diesel/gas injection has been around for a while.
It gives a squirt of gas to give a clean burn of fuel.
For what you pay I dont think you'd see much difference on a well tuned ZD30

[4bye4]

Hi all,

I am helping a mate with his purchase of a GU patrol.

He has a line on one that seems good, 2002, ZD30 wagon, very tidy in the pics, for $10,500.

Overall it seems worth a look, and has the EGR and Dawes mods and turbo has been rebuilt etc.

I am happy to check the usual stuff like chassis, body, leaks, interior, how it drives and such, my main questions are,

1. With 351000 ks, does the ZD30 have a good service life ahead of it and is it likely to need work on the injectors and pump or any other expensive maintenance any time soon?
2. It has an LPG injection system fitted. I have no experience with these systems, and there is plenty of conflicting info on the net. Should we just steer clear of it, or is it still worth a look? If so are there any red flags I should look out for?

Thanks as always.

1. Even with the EGR and NADS mods 315000 ks is a lot on a ZD30 Di. Impossible to tell but at that sort of Ks I would expect to have to do at least an injector pump sometime soon.
2. I am a licensed gas fitter. At that many Ks I would be removing the gas system. Without all the tech details, running on LPG makes the motor run hotter, a bit or a lot depending on the syetem fitted. There is also no lubrication in gas, it is dry. No matter the quality of your diesel fuel, there is always some carbon and oil etc that helps as a lubricant. I don't think gas is a good option on a motor with that many Ks on it. As Dom14 says ZD30's have enough to cope with on their own. I have one BTW.

[the evil twin]

I would walk away...

315,000 - means there will be some significant rebuilds and recond of components happening soon

Mods - means that the dude has been wringing it's neck for power so it hasn't had an easy life so far

LPG fumigation - works great. Mate put it on his '06 TD42Ti almost from new and it makes it zing.
But LPG or Petrol fumigation is only there to get more grunt and a ZD30 has only so much to give.
That tells me that old mate has been really working the vehicle hard.

[Patrol'n]

Thanks very much gents, I have passed on all your advice and he has decided to keep looking... I've heard that from 2003 onwards the engines got more reliable?

[4bye4]

Thanks very much gents, I have passed on all your advice and he has decided to keep looking... I've heard that from 2003 onwards the engines got more reliable?

Um - yes but the date tends to differ a bit depending on who you are talking to. My GU4/2005 is OK but you still hear of the occasional one giving up the ghost. Problem is the more you ask the bigger the opinion list gets untill you are pretty much back to where you started - that is making up your own mind.