Newbie, Advice on buying please.

mcnallykev · 19-08-2020, 10:33

Hi All,

Been looking at Patrols, Land Cruisers etc. Patrol is winning out. I like the thought of a y60 4.2 diesel but doesn't everyone it would seem. I have had cars on PCP for a few years and with Covid it has made me re evaluate what I need to be spending money on.

My PCP deal is up in December and I will make money on my car strangely! So, going to buy the balloon out and use the extra to buy something else. I have seen a W reg 3.0D on gumtree but the owner says the engine was replaced under warranty. It seems to be a reasonable price @67,000 miles with the engine having done half of that. but also needs work done and Tidying up.

Question is are the replace 3.0D engines reliable and generally are they fairly good on rust etc. I'm not expecting a perfect car but owned a Range Rover for two years about 4 years ago and it cost me £10k in repairs so a little wary!!

Thanks in advance for advice/help.

Kev

elty001 · 19-08-2020, 19:12

The early 3.0 l patrols are the ones with the problematic engines.
What year are you looking at??

mcnallykev · 19-08-2020, 23:06

Thanks for the reply. It is a year 2000. The current owner has added this in the description.

THE ENGINE AS ONLY COVERED HALF OF THAT MILEAGE ABOVE. THE REASON BEEN YEARS BACK THEY WHERE A CERTAIN FEW PATROLS WHERE THE OIL PICK UP PIPE WAS NOT LONG ENOUGH WHEN TRAVELLING UP HILLS,.CAUSING MAJOR FAILURE. NISSAN REMOVED THE ENGINES AND REPLACED THEM WITH A NEW MODIFIED ENGINE...

Cheers

Barrbeast · 20-08-2020, 00:27

Hmm, if Nissan replaced the engine under warranty because of the issues with the early 3.0s that would make sense I guess

(technical point, any early 3.0 engines that didn't go pop, Nissan just fudged a fix on them by shortening the length of the dipstick so increasing the oil capacity

)

To be honest though, if you're looking at 3.0s I would just try to stay clear of any 3.0 older than late 2003 which is when Nissan refined the engine design - so many of the early 3.0 engines were trash. Some of them are fine but it was the early ones that established a bad rep for the 3.0 which has been hard for it to shift.

Later ones should be no bother as long as you keep them serviced. I had a 54 plate for 4 years, 3 of them as a daily, and she was modded and used and abused offroad throughout that time (and as far as I know is still going strong). I only sold her as I wanted a 4.2 and the right shorty came up at the right time.

I did some engine mods on my 3.0 but if you were going to do any of them I'd say fit a catch can. You can do others but I'd say catch can is the best if you have to pick one.

The number one rule with the 3.0 is that you need to do a bit of research before doing most engine mods as it's ECU controlled with various sensors and changing one factor can have an unwanted knock on affect.

Blanking the EGR is a classic example as if you don't adjust the turbo boost when you do it, you can cause the engine to start overboosting which then leads to bang time.

I blanked the EGR and had a straight through exhaust after the cat on my Y61 but I also lowered the spool rate to compensate and had no issues (I quite liked how the combination changed the characteristics).

Fez_uk · 20-08-2020, 09:47

2000 year is getting on a bit too, 20 years old. Spares for running gear, engine etc are easy to find but you can struggle to find body parts and chassis parts like you can on landrovers.

They don't rust quite as bad as landrovers, But their body panels are steel. If it was me i'd look for a patrol in good condition rust wise rather than strictly low mileage.

mcnallykev · 20-08-2020, 10:42

Thanks guys. There is a SWB on Autotrader at the moment that I really like but I'm not sure if the boot is big enough. I would have to fit a dog cage and holiday stuff in as well as tow a caravan. Wife and 2 kids as well! If you think it will be big enough I'm all ears! I like the shape of the Y60 more but totally understand the benefits of the Y61.

Cheers

19-08-2020, 10:33	#1
mcnallykev Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Scotland Posts: 8	Newbie, Advice on buying please. Hi All, Been looking at Patrols, Land Cruisers etc. Patrol is winning out. I like the thought of a y60 4.2 diesel but doesn't everyone it would seem. I have had cars on PCP for a few years and with Covid it has made me re evaluate what I need to be spending money on. My PCP deal is up in December and I will make money on my car strangely! So, going to buy the balloon out and use the extra to buy something else. I have seen a W reg 3.0D on gumtree but the owner says the engine was replaced under warranty. It seems to be a reasonable price @67,000 miles with the engine having done half of that. but also needs work done and Tidying up. Question is are the replace 3.0D engines reliable and generally are they fairly good on rust etc. I'm not expecting a perfect car but owned a Range Rover for two years about 4 years ago and it cost me £10k in repairs so a little wary!! Thanks in advance for advice/help. Kev

19-08-2020, 19:12	#2
elty001 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Aflreton,Derbyshire. Vehicle: 2000se+ 2.7tdi terrano II Posts: 6,830	The early 3.0 l patrols are the ones with the problematic engines. What year are you looking at??

19-08-2020, 23:06	#3
mcnallykev Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Scotland Posts: 8	Thanks for the reply. It is a year 2000. The current owner has added this in the description. THE ENGINE AS ONLY COVERED HALF OF THAT MILEAGE ABOVE. THE REASON BEEN YEARS BACK THEY WHERE A CERTAIN FEW PATROLS WHERE THE OIL PICK UP PIPE WAS NOT LONG ENOUGH WHEN TRAVELLING UP HILLS,.CAUSING MAJOR FAILURE. NISSAN REMOVED THE ENGINES AND REPLACED THEM WITH A NEW MODIFIED ENGINE... Cheers

20-08-2020, 00:27	#4
Barrbeast Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Dundee, Scotland Vehicle: 1990 4.2 SWB Safari Posts: 2,615	Hmm, if Nissan replaced the engine under warranty because of the issues with the early 3.0s that would make sense I guess (technical point, any early 3.0 engines that didn't go pop, Nissan just fudged a fix on them by shortening the length of the dipstick so increasing the oil capacity ) To be honest though, if you're looking at 3.0s I would just try to stay clear of any 3.0 older than late 2003 which is when Nissan refined the engine design - so many of the early 3.0 engines were trash. Some of them are fine but it was the early ones that established a bad rep for the 3.0 which has been hard for it to shift. Later ones should be no bother as long as you keep them serviced. I had a 54 plate for 4 years, 3 of them as a daily, and she was modded and used and abused offroad throughout that time (and as far as I know is still going strong). I only sold her as I wanted a 4.2 and the right shorty came up at the right time. I did some engine mods on my 3.0 but if you were going to do any of them I'd say fit a catch can. You can do others but I'd say catch can is the best if you have to pick one. The number one rule with the 3.0 is that you need to do a bit of research before doing most engine mods as it's ECU controlled with various sensors and changing one factor can have an unwanted knock on affect. Blanking the EGR is a classic example as if you don't adjust the turbo boost when you do it, you can cause the engine to start overboosting which then leads to bang time. I blanked the EGR and had a straight through exhaust after the cat on my Y61 but I also lowered the spool rate to compensate and had no issues (I quite liked how the combination changed the characteristics).

20-08-2020, 09:47	#5
Fez_uk Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Mid-Wales Vehicle: Maverick 2.7 - Patrol 4.2 Posts: 5,645	2000 year is getting on a bit too, 20 years old. Spares for running gear, engine etc are easy to find but you can struggle to find body parts and chassis parts like you can on landrovers. They don't rust quite as bad as landrovers, But their body panels are steel. If it was me i'd look for a patrol in good condition rust wise rather than strictly low mileage.

20-08-2020, 10:42	#6
mcnallykev Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: Scotland Posts: 8	Thanks guys. There is a SWB on Autotrader at the moment that I really like but I'm not sure if the boot is big enough. I would have to fit a dog cage and holiday stuff in as well as tow a caravan. Wife and 2 kids as well! If you think it will be big enough I'm all ears! I like the shape of the Y60 more but totally understand the benefits of the Y61. Cheers