Land Rover out Patrol in ?

Hi all, I have been a Land Rover driver for over 25 years and joined this forum as I'm looking to step over on a Patrol.
The vehicle I'm looking at is a 1996 Patrol 2.8 turbo diesel. It seems to be a nice car , some blemishes but that's OK for a 4wd. It drives great , just needs new Tie-rods front and some minor things. What sort of 'worries' me a little is that the mileage is low 230000 AND it has a new head..... Even for a Land Rover that would be a bit early ;-) So I wonder 'why ?'.
Was it overheated due to negligence? If so what else can be wrong not noticeable now. With my Rover aluminium block I would be very worried even after a head replacement. Should I have the same worries with a Nissan engine like this 2.8 ?
Does the 2.8 really run cheaper as a bigger Nissan engine, or are there 'second thoughts' base on experience.
Has anyone Land Rover AND Patrol experience and is willing to share thoughts on difference :-)
THANKS: Jacob

G'day Jacob ........ from what i have seen on here the 2.8 is a good motor only thing you need to watch out for is the keyway on the crank to locate the harmonic ballancer has a issue ........

possible over heat due to negligence or lack of maintinance .......... there is another person who is either looking at one or just bought one who is also over his defender and upgrading to a simular car as you ....

in genral discussion /GQ Y60 there is a thread there posted today that has some stuff that may help

Thanks & Interesting I'm not the only one sick of Land Rover

welcome to the forum @LandRoverGhost

I would not say "Sick of Land Rover" - more along the lines of "Seeing the Light"

as I said in the other thread, yes some DO overheat - a bit of pot luck I am afraid
could be not serviced, shot water pump, shot Viscous hub, blocked Radiator, wrong coolant, its a Monday Morning, turkey driver - anything can and will do it

if the head has been cleaned and re-fitted properly, you should have no troubles at all

biggest problem with them, is they like to rev to get to speed - but - constantly sitting on red line can and does have a bad effect on them

have a look at the harmonic balancer - and see if there is any movement on the keyway - take the nut off, and if it looks like its been moving - burr's on the edges of the key - trouble is looming on the horizon
(underneath, mirror, engine off, big spanner on the Alt (should turn it) watch to see if pulley is moving slightly, but the shaft isn't) not a very successful way to do it, as your looking for thousands of an inch movement)

if they are looked after (not thrashed to within an inch of their life) serviced regularly,, they are a great reliable beastie

Thanks !!!
As for seeing the light ? You could be right .....
Still not sure if there's anything ever to beat a Land Rover off road.
But for sure can do with a lot less repairing time and good enough 4WD capability ;-)

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Originally Posted by LandRoverGhost

Still not sure if there's anything ever to beat a Land Rover off road.

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hahahahahahahahahahaha, I love that..............

there is a reason why Thiess brought the FJ40's in to Australia............ their brakes didnt fade like the Landy's did coming down the Snowy Mountains

dont be miss lead by the Camel Trophy Video's and advertising - their (Camel Trophy) recovery and Backup Crew vehicles are 3.0L GU Patrols.......... I wonder why......................

Quote:

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there is a reason why Thiess brought the FJ40's in to Australia............ their brakes didn't fade like the Landy's did coming down the Snowy Mountains

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Thanks for reminding me why I once swapped my drum brakes for discs on a County 110 :-) ..... do Patrols rust ???? :D

Ok more serious : what are typical rust area's of a GQ Patrol to be aware of ?

if they have never been looked after, they can rust anywhere

usually look behind the wheels, if they dont get cleaned too well, a build up of dirt and mud will turn into rust
if it has had a roof rack - the gutters sometimes rust

pretty much the usual places


the Key is - if it has been looked after

Welcome to the forum mate.

G'day mate and welcome to the forum.