Is it worth rebuilding a td42 GQ these days

[patt]

Hi I’m thinking about taking my brother in-laws 1990 GQ wagon for $3000 one owner 300000kms td42 silver na with aftermarket turbo very little off road work. He replaced the clutch and water pump 5000kms ago good rubber no rust always maintained 100%. However, he recently overheated it pretty bad rad cap not on properly it still runs ok uses a little more oil and blows a bit more smoke than before. So I’m guessing its up for a rebuild sooner rather than later I need something reliable so the question is it worth dropping $6000 or $7000 on rebuilding a GQ motor these days or am i better off not taking it

[4bye4]

Some will disagree I'm sure, but IMHO it depends entirly on you. If you want to do a build then its a good base to start from going by your description, but if you are not interested in the build and just want a finished product to drive in, then the project build will probably never get finished. Don't make the decision on the bank balance alone, or you could end up with a half finished project in the back yard.

[mudnut]

Hello, Patt. Welcome to the forum.

What sort of smoke is it blowing? Black, Blue or White?

Give it a compression and leak down test.

Does it use water?

I know you can get an inspection camera into the bore of a petrol engine, but not sure of diesels.

Diesels can get glazed bores if they only get light work.

What condition is the body and chassis in?

[MudRunnerTD]

Hi Patt,

Agree with the guys above. Its a tricky one. are you going to do the rebuild or pay someone? if its a Project and your going to finish it then go for it. BUT. If your going to pay someone and your buying it for $3k and going to drop another $7k on the engine then your looking at a $10k car. What is the market like for a $10k GQ TD42T? Pretty good i'd say. You would not loose money on it but you could probably buy a going car with a TD42T with some other mods and bar work and winch for a similar amount.

If your able then do the compression test and see if you can get someone in the know to have a look at the engine. The Silver top TD42 is a winner if its a strong motor and a great starting base. 300,000kms is just run in.

[patt]

Thanks gents
body and chassis are all good no rust just a bit of paint fade
smoke looks black not to much water used
it is a good base to start from
compression and leak down test that's what i was thinking give me a better idea on how bad the motor is
im going back at Christmas and i will run a few tests

[mudnut]

Have a look at this thread, http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?12450-Why-Diesels-Smoke&highlight=smoke+colour

It should give you an indication of what causes black smoke.

[kbchez]

diesels ... black smoke = need for injector and fuel pump clean or over haul. But check and make sure it the injector pump is set up correctly. also check the air cleaner it could be full of crap and blocked well partly blocked.
Blue smoke can be caused from excessive Idling. oil change this can make the blue smoke dissapair why because with excessive idling the excess fuel can run down the bore and give a false inpression that the engine is worn out.