Nissan Patrol..Wheel spin and Skids !

[smallzoo]

I love asking questions as you can see from this forum...


So far I have always driven Nissan in 2 wheel mode.

1.
I drive to work a lot down country lanes. Often I have to move over for a tractor or two. When my nearside wheels plant themsleves into the grass verge I often have a lot of wheel spin to get back on the road again. I would have thought that the offside wheels being on the road would easily pull it back on the road without spin or am I being stupid !

2. I know its a big vehicle which may be th reason for this but I have noticed that if I press on the brakes ( particularly when its wet ) sometimes the brakes will lock and I am forced to skid a bit. This can easily be done at 30+mph.. I am not driving fast but is this due to being such a heavy vehicle or am I missing something ?

I am looking forward to some interesting answers on these !!

 

[Deleted Member S]

I'm not a Patrol man so i'm only guessing hear But I don't think the patrols have a LSD in the rear axel so it'll be an open diff & you would get wheel spin unless you switched on the rear axel lock.As for the brakes i'm unsure but someone will be along soon to put me right if i'm wrong about the axel bit & to help you with the brakes

 

[jace]

yep open diff with switch on dash for locking it think itd handle like pig/damage things if you drove it locked as youd try to turn both rears at same time round corners where inside hasnt so far to travel thats why diffs were invented but in muddy offroad conditions one wheel may be slipping and open diff will push all power to it leaving you stuck lock diff and itll turn both (plus front two if in 4x4) hopefully getting you unstuck. (always better to go into muddy situation in 4x4 and diff locked instead of waiting to get stuck 4x4 a no no on hard roads youll see umpteen warnings on here on tranmission wind up)
your probibly just getting used to good breaks and two tonne + of car to try an stop you dont have abs then?

 

[smallzoo]

Skids and things..

Thanks for that.. so basically :-

1. if I am going down a muddy lane with nice muddy verges it might be
either better to engage the diff lock or 4x4

2. Dont use 4x4 on normal roads


As for ABS I dont know I guess I will have to look in the manual. On the dashboard there is a Stability switch but no light appears anywhere I can see to check if that os working..not sure what it does anyway yet..guess another sensible trip to the user manual !!


Peter

 

[jace]

if its a off road none tarmac road farm track youd probibly get away with just locking rear diff but if serously mddy and rough 4x4 will get you through tyres will make big difference aswell big knoblys gonna get you through easier than road tyres but suffer on road.
4x4 on tarmac road will kill g/box not straightaway so zipping across tarmac to get to more mud be ok.
if its got abs and lockin somethings wrong and youd exspect a light on dash stability sounds like it tighens all suspension and invokes some kindve traction control if its fitted id exspect abs aswell

 

[Guest]

Re: Skids and things..

Thanks for that.. so basically :-

1. if I am going down a muddy lane with nice muddy verges it might be
either better to engage the diff lock or 4x4

2. Dont use 4x4 on normal roads


As for ABS I dont know I guess I will have to look in the manual. On the dashboard there is a Stability switch but no light appears anywhere I can see to check if that os working..not sure what it does anyway yet..guess another sensible trip to the user manual !!


Peter

Neither, if you engage difflock on normal road you will get wind up and most likley damage your vehicle. Similar if you drive in 4x4 and its not permanant 4x4.

All vehicles with the two nearside wheels (or offside) may get a little spin from wet grass, this is normal with two still on tarmac. You can either, live with it, or engage 4wd to move off, then stop and reverse a metre or so to disengage.

 

[smallzoo]

diff lock 4x4

As you can see from my dumb question and informed reply I am new to these patrols. THis is why I was hoping to find someone in my immediate area that can talk me through how to use the vehicle 'properly!' before either winter sets in or I wreck the vehicle. I ahev had Jeeps, Range Rovers, Discoveries and Subarus before so its obvious that I am not used to the 4 wheel drive on these great motors..here's hoping I get some local help..Cheers

 

[Guest]

Best bet would be to come on a green lane day, even if only for the morning or afternoon to meet the members, have a chat and try out your 4wd with others.

I'm running a begginners day on 30th Dec. Happy to help you out then.

 

[jace]

youll find plenty patrol lovers on here really are crackin trucks yours a 3.0td?

 

[Terranosaurus]

samllzoo - stick some info about yourself in your profile and put your vehicle details in your signature, makes it easier for people to help with queries etc. See mine or cameramans for details

 

[Toolbox]

smallzoo,

The stability switch is for locking up the rear axle stabiliser bar (antiroll bar) This should be set to ON for road use and can be switched OFF for a smother ride off road. I think I am correct in saying that if switched off and the forward speed is a over a certain amount it will switch back on without moving the switch.

 

[lexi]

Stabiliser disconnect. It is for more articulation off road and when reconnected for less roll on tarmac. Patrols have front axle CVs..don`t suffer same wind up probs as Uni`s.. Only use 4wd on tarmac if you`re on snow.

Patrol brakes are a lot more powerful than some of the truck cabs I`ve tried so you may just be heavy with stamping foot? Mine has rear LSD but thankfully no ABS. British spec Patrols have some of the highest spec available from the factory as standard. Mine came from Cyprus and is Aus. spec.
Just reread post and seen it is not a brake issue. Yes difflock on as you have no LSD
Alex

 

[Terranosaurus]

Patrols have front axle CVs..don`t suffer same wind up probs as Uni`s..

Terranos and Mavs have IFS and CVs up front but they suffer from wind up, can't imagine the Patrol is any different. CVs are a bit stronger than universal joints but everything still winds up. There seems to have been a rash of threads of late with people new to T2s/Mavs wondering why there trucks grind to a halt when tehy turn the steering wheel when the have 4wd engaged on the black stuff.

 

[lexi]

Patrols have front axle CVs..don`t suffer same wind up probs as Uni`s..

Terranos and Mavs have IFS and CVs up front but they suffer from wind up, can't imagine the Patrol is any different. CVs are a bit stronger than universal joints but everything still winds up. There seems to have been a rash of threads of late with people new to T2s/Mavs wondering why there trucks grind to a halt when tehy turn the steering wheel when the have 4wd engaged on the black stuff.

Yeah ......how many miles were they doing? You can wind series axles up on a few miles on tarmac............less on constant right hand turns. Shudder to think how long these guys were driving on the black stuff 8O

Cvs are not only stronger but they are less prone to wind up when you compare both types of part time 4WD IMO

Alex

 

[Terranosaurus]

Cos of the lack of centre diff a T2/Mav will grind to a haltin a matter of yards, even feet, if any real steering is used on hard dry surfaces

 

[andrewk]

smallzoo,

The stability switch is for locking up the rear axle stabiliser bar (antiroll bar) This should be set to ON for road use and can be switched OFF for a smother ride off road. I think I am correct in saying that if switched off and the forward speed is a over a certain amount it will switch back on without moving the switch.

Yes.

 

[lexi]

Cos of the lack of centre diff a T2/Mav will grind to a haltin a matter of yards, even feet, if any real steering is used on hard dry surfaces

Right....... Only ever drove Patrol a few miles by forgetfullness in 4wd on the black stuff......no issues. Maybe IFS is the difference? Mmm.. Mine is Auto

Alex