Overheating 2010 GU Patrol

Thanks, threedogs. Feeling a little more positive today. Son-in-law (mechanic) is coming up on the weekend and is going to have a bit of a squizz at the Patrol. And the radiator repairer friend is happy to do the work on the weekend.

Just a question: when the vehicle overheated on Monday night, the engine light on the dash came on and wouldn't go off. It was still illuminated on the Tuesday morning (temperature overnight was around 2 or 3 degrees) when the tilt tray picked up the Patrol, but when I asked the service manager what code showed up when they checked, he said that the engine light wasn't on when they received the vehicle, and no code showed. He said that it just got so hot that the engine light came on. Is this possible? I thought the engine light only came on when a sensor was activated.

Thank you, Mudrunner!! I shall pass that one on to the missus!! She'll take a great deal of pleasure in doing that!!!

Forget the Patrol, enjoy the weekend with your family, Things may be better next week.
Happy fathers day Goat, extra sqeeze for your GLW

Bugger me drunk! Yep I'll be interested to see what fair trading have to say here. Funnily enough I've had two dealings with Nissan: One where an aftermarket boost controller I didn't know was under my dash failed and they located & fixed it for basically pocket change. The second occasion, one of the factory alloys with a known manufacturing defect unwound 4 wheel nuts, then sheared off the hub on a bend comin' through Mt. Victoria(right mess). On that occasion their response was basically: tell someone who cares. Sometimes I think they must flip a coin when you walk in...

Mate, send Nissan the link to this thread to let them know the Patrol community is watching their response very closely.

Hey Goat, I hope you are making progress....

Does it always run hotter than normal, or does it seem to run normal until loaded?
Each car is a little different, but my Patrols always run just under half on the gauge, so that is what I call normal.

This seems like a really strange problem, as you have an engine that produces heat, a radiator to shed heat, a thermostat to control the amount of heat being shed, and a water pump to make it go around so it all works like it should. It is fairly simple.....

Is there any milkyness under the oil cap on the motor ?
When you first fire it up and take the radiator cap off whilst it is still relatively cold is it pumping out coolant?
Is it out of coolant in the top tank once it has cooled down?
Is the oil still a normal colour and consistency?

I know that Nissan have looked at all that, but it seems to be pointing to something quite sinister, such as a cracked head or cylinder liner, or possibly just a head gasket.

You did mention earlier on that the Turbo was changed - did the overheating start after that?


The other cheap thing to do is to change the radiator cap, as it might have gone unserviceable, and you would kick yourself if that is all it was.

If the water pump is OK, the thermostat is OK, the radiator is not blocked either internally or externally through the fins/core, then it seems like the motor is the culprit, as this is the heat source.

Mic

I've had the mechanic son-in-law have a look. We towed the trailer up the hill and it overheated again. He seems to think the intercooler is overheating, so I am going to install a fan under the intercooler and another fan in front of the air con radiator. We will also have the original air con radiator connected up so that it will run when the engine starts to overly heat up.

Wandering around the 'net, I have found a couple of posts on forums where it has been suggested that the scoop on the bonnet of the Patrol is a trifle inadequate for airflow through the intercooler, especially if you have a perspex deflector on the front of the vehicle, which I have.

It only seems to happen when the vehicle is travelling slowly and working, as it does when you tow something uphill. Travelling on level ground, even with a load on, does not make the gauge climb above half way, but as soon as it starts to climb, and I have to drop back a gear or two, the temperature starts to go up alarmingly. Steam starts to come out of the overflow container, and the radiator, hoses and intercooler are untouchable.

Funny. Nissan, when asked, ruled out the intercooler. Perhaps its not that, but I'll give this a try and see how it goes.

Sorry to be pessimistic, but i have had a perspex bonnet protector on my Patrols for the last 15 years - no issues. They wouldn't sell them for Patrols if they are likely to cause problems
Shouldn't be the intercooler itself overheating, as it is only a piece of alloy tubing, and the only source of heat comes from the engine underneath in the form of heat soak. The intercooler fan won't hurt, but I think that if that "fixes" the problem then you are masking another underlying problem.

There are larger bonnet scoops , such as the ARE one, which will force more air through, but again I am not sure if this is the underlying problem, as most people run the original scoops, and the 3 Litre is not known for overheating.

Thinking outside the square, I wonder if it is something to do with your catalytic converter or your muffler. If one of these blocks up, it could be causing low power and high temps. The inards can come adrift and start to break up.

You could try disconnecting your exhaust after the catalytic converter to rule out the rear muffler, and also see if you can hear any rattling noises coming from the cat itself.

Don't rule out the radiator cap also.


Mic

how slow are you going while towing the trailer ?

Give the intercooler a flush out with kero, make sure its dry before you re install it.
If not getting enough boost temps go up. Also make sure all clamps are tight, all vac hoses are on as well