lifespan of the 3lt Gu

[92shorty]

looking at upgrading the shorty to a Gu wagon and one has come up for sale in town. It's a 2002 model with most goodies already on it. Most are ARB, which,bull bar, driving lights, 2" suspension, BFG all terrains, roofrack, dual batteries, outback roller draws, uhf, roof console etc...

Price he was asking was $36,000 and although that sounds good, my only concern is that it has done just over 150,000km

If it was the 4.2lt I wouldn't hessitate, but being the 3lt, should I be concerned or will also go on forever like it's big brother

cheers George

[bogged]

should I be concerned or will also go on forever like it's big brother

Some people love em... I wouldnt have one for $1.00...

Its a 'how longs a piece of string' question really, it may last 500,000,000 it may last 150,001... nobody knows
whats the service history like on it?

if it was the 4.2, I'd beat you there!

[bigpilchard]

I dont know much about them but I have always been told to stay clear of the 3ltr BUT I spoke to a car dealer and he said he wont buy or trade one unless it has done over 150,000km because he says that the bugs will have been iroined out of them by then.Like I said ....I couldnt tell you but hearing that from a dealer who deals in 4x4 ,and dosnt want the dramas with a sale in the fist month especially the costs involved with the porblems of the 3l.So in other words If it was me I would ring a few diesel motor rebuilders and ask their opinion.I would look at it ,and base my opinion on theirs.
Hope this helps ya out-Marty

[forissan]

I like to call the 3.0l a hand grenade motor becouse the longer you hold it the more likely it is to blow up in your face, have known of quite a few first hand that have all blown up. the milage may change but usually before 200,000km

[Bingham]

hey, ive been doing allot of price reserach into them and that price is way to high for those kms.......

before christmas so values have dropped since then .....

i was looking at and east coast commercials 3l 03 60 000 st for 36 onroad

then at metro nissan an 94 with 40 000kms was 39000 or an o3 with 70 000 was 36


yes the accessories are good but not woth those extra $$$$ in my opinion... once you get a 3 l over 200 000 km id say you'll have a shit of a time to sell at all little own for good cash...

my thoughts

my boss's car broker claims he'll get me an 04 with maybe 60kms on it for 35-36 auto or manual so im being patient

bingham

[Not For Highway Use]

I wouldn't buy a pre June 2002. All emgine bugs and airflow sensor problems were eliminated. A mate sold a three year old GU 80km for $28k that was the best he could get.

[Simo63]

Are these stories about the 2.8 and the 3.0 for real or just urban myths?

Any links, any Nissan mechanics confirm?

I'm not a Nissan mechanic Barnsey but where there is smoke there is invariably fire and from the number of people that have had problems with these 3 litre motors I'd steer clear of them personally. A mate of mine had one with just over 100,000 kms on it and it hand grenaded a piston November last year ... melted the top out of it ... wasn't overheating or anything just grenaded without warning.

On the other hand, you can't kill the 4.2's with an axe.

The other thing I noticed with the 3 litres is that when 4wding they don't seem to have any grunt up the hills. We recently were 4 wheeling around Amamoor with my 4wd club and we had 2 3 litre GUs along as guests. I'm not sure if it was the drivers being inexperienced but I witnessed both cars stalling on steepish climbs where I don't think they should have ... then they had to rev the ring out of them to get going again. I approached one of the owners and queried if he had it in high range because he was having difficulty (read slipping the crap out of the clutch) getting going but he had it in low range so they don't really impress me as a 4wd.

I'm sure they have their good points and some very happy owners but I won't be trying my luck with one.

Simo

[alki]

The other thing I noticed with the 3 litres is that when 4wding they don't seem to have any grunt up the hills

I had 4.2 td with me on the trip and he couldn't climb a hill in high range,which I did easily.

[alki]

The other thing I noticed with the 3 litres is that when 4wding they don't seem to have any grunt up the hills

I had 4.2 td with me on the trip and he couldn't climb a hill in high range,which I did easily.

[Simo63]

The other thing I noticed with the 3 litres is that when 4wding they don't seem to have any grunt up the hills

I had 4.2 td with me on the trip and he couldn't climb a hill in high range,which I did easily.

That's interesting ... when you say 4.2 td does that mean a turbo diesel or just a normally aspirated td42 motor? There may have been other factors in your experience. I was only commenting on what I had seen and may be wrong however how much torque does your GU 3.0 put out then? I've had my turbo TD42 on a dyno recently and had it tuned up a bit and it is now producing (if I'm reading the dyno graph right) 750 Lb of torque at 2300 rpm running 285/75/16 Cooper Sts (33's).

I know the 3 litres are quick away from the lights however I didn't think they were that torquey. I've driven a mates '05 3 litre Navara and whilst not intercooled like the Patrols, the Navara is a fair bit lighter and it was quick ... quick to rev and quick to drive but I haven't towed with one so I don't know first hand.

Have you towed with your GU yet? We tow our 17 foot dual axle Millard Pop top with our GQ all the time .... interested to hear how the 3 litres tow as I've not heard any bodies experiences on that topic yet.

From what I saw recently with these 3 litres GU's on our club run, my GQ with the turbo td42 would easily out pull them. Anyway, like I said, I agree with Bogged and won't be getting one (although I think I'd have one for $1.00 easily enough )

[phippsey]

hey, ive been doing allot of price reserach into them and that price is way to high for those kms.......
bingham

I'll agree with the bigman here. That's pretty steep for a 3.0, more like a 4.2 price at that age/kms.

[mach.25]

I have a friend who just had one blow up. It was out of waranty but strangely enough Nissan gave him a new motor out of the goodness of their hearts? Too many stories for there not to be a big problem.
Another mate has been a diesel mechanic for donkeys and he has seen tons of 3litres that have crapped out after about the 100K mark. No way I would fork out for a 3 litre, go and grab a 4.2. If you think you may regret the 3l don't do it. The 4.2 is not dearer second hand and does not use more fuel and will handle 4bing much better anyway. You can't beat cubic inches man. Take it from someone who drives a zook.

[gu4800]

If you think you may regret the 3l don't do it. The 4.2 is not dearer second hand and does not use more fuel and will handle 4bing much better anyway. You can't beat cubic inches man. Take it from someone who drives a zook.

Shouldn't you say the 4.2 is ALOT dearer second hand. They were substantially dearer when new, and hold thier value a lot better. Out of all the GU's, the 4.2 has the best resale value. The reliability of the 4.2 is hard to beat, hence the MUCH higher resale.


EDIT:

Just did a very quick search, and I reckon you would pay a $5-6K premium (minimum) second hand for 4.2 over a 3.0.

Oh, and for what it's worth - I'd pay the premium and get the 4.2!

[dirtyGQ]

looking at upgrading the shorty to a Gu wagon and one has come up for sale in town. It's a 2002 model with most goodies already on it. Most are ARB, which,bull bar, driving lights, 2" suspension, BFG all terrains, roofrack, dual batteries, outback roller draws, uhf, roof console etc...

Price he was asking was $36,000 and although that sounds good, my only concern is that it has done just over 150,000km

If it was the 4.2lt I wouldn't hessitate, but being the 3lt, should I be concerned or will also go on forever like it's big brother

cheers George

they are timebombs waiting to destruct surprised it has that mant k's and has had no major problem they hole piston's and they can't seem to tell you why

[Swerve]

All,

Having just purchased a 2003 GU 3Litre TD (auto) 2 weeks ago it is great.

Paid $36500 including
Stamp duty
2 year ext warrenty (plus 6 month factory warranty)
with 51,000 kms

Has Bull bar, tow bar, driving lights, tint. Have towed my 1000kg boat/trailer 1500kms already and sits on 110 km/hr all the way. Before any hills I turn overdrive off and depending on the hill it may drop back to 100km, very rare back to 90km.

Steve

[Bingham]

All,

Having just purchased a 2003 GU 3Litre TD (auto) 2 weeks ago it is great.

Paid $36500 including
Stamp duty
2 year ext warrenty (plus 6 month factory warranty)
with 51,000 kms

Has Bull bar, tow bar, driving lights, tint. Have towed my 1000kg boat/trailer 1500kms already and sits on 110 km/hr all the way. Before any hills I turn overdrive off and depending on the hill it may drop back to 100km, very rare back to 90km.

Steve

how do you find the auto specifically doesnt lag to much of the line? drops down without tromping.......... drove one which i wasnt overly impressd with..... but most i speak to seem happy enough

[roly]

mine lasted 78,000 kms

3 cracked and 1 holed pistons

new long motor, and turbo rebuilt

2 years later and aaround 116,000kms total, the turbo failed and took the new motor with it

[alki]

Roly,your patrol was one of the first 2000 models and apparently engines were "fixed" by mid 2001.
Mine is build 12/01 and has done 102000km so far.
I've heard reports of 3.0 lt patrols doing over 200000 km before trading in without any problems.

BTW. I did have two faulty turbos(which were replaced under warranty) and I was told that they are throw away item(not rebuilable) by two different dealers.
Both turbos just got noisy,without loosing any power.

[BadBetty]

We've had our 3.0lt GU since new in 2001 and we've just rolled over 150,000 and we've havent had a single hiccup yet.

It's been serviced right from the beginning and hasnt been treated with kid-gloves either. It gets used for what it was built for.

Plenty of power when we've towed heavy loads too.

Oh and it was the first vehicle to drive the bog hole course in this years Tuff Truck.. Very interesting.

[bogged]

mine lasted 78,000 kms

3 cracked and 1 holed pistons

new long motor, and turbo rebuilt

2 years later and aaround 116,000kms total, the turbo failed and took the new motor with it

what happened in the end with that, did the poor fool that bought it get it fixed by nissan?


dud - dud - dud - dud.......an' another one bites the dust.

[roly]

not sure, i only saw it had blown when he posted on patrol4wd

[dirtyGQ]

We've had our 3.0lt GU since new in 2001 and we've just rolled over 150,000 and we've havent had a single hiccup yet.

It's been serviced right from the beginning and hasnt been treated with kid-gloves either. It gets used for what it was built for.

Plenty of power when we've towed heavy loads too.

Oh and it was the first vehicle to drive the bog hole course in this years Tuff Truck.. Very interesting.

you are very lucky should buy a lotto ticket, have a mate with one and services it every 5000 km's and is a 2001 model this guy is a maintenance fanatic and know's his stuff too, and done two motors and has just hit 130,000 km's . Talk to diesel big gun's (no names) and even they know they are lemons yet you get a few with over 200'000 km with at least turbo issues .
If they had no problems i would certainly look at buying one as they have plenty of go and are economical .... but it is only a matter of time before.......... bang !!!!!!!!!

[Neetas]

I purchased a brand new ST 3.0TD manual in Sept for $46 plus ORC which included nissan bullbar, spotlights, 50l Waeco fridge & $3,000 of diesel, & 5 yr warranty, so about $6k of extras. From Gary Lechte Nissan in Frankston for a limited run. I have no assoc with them btw. So give them a call first if you $ can stretch that far. They do claim to be "Melbourne's Cheapest Prices".
WRT the no guts up hills, I would say it's like any other turbo. Drive it out of the boost range up steep hills, they will stall. They're a heavy beast too, so handbrake starts on steep hills will be tricky, espec for a novice.
Lots of heresay here from people who have "heard", not too many from owners. My heresay is the fuel economy is puss in the 4.2s.
Cheers
Mike

[InSanE]

i was a mechanic at nissan untill recently and they had many drama's in the first few years of production with piston's failing, excessive oil consumption, in the early days there was a recall on sump's the older sumps were replaced with larger volume sumps witch fixed a few lubrication problems, another problem with them is once they get around 80 - 100k the timing case seal leaks on them witch is a shit job and 8 hours labour if your out of warranty and turbo problems they had were bearings failing under load and the flaps in the variable veign turbo expanding with heat and jamming between the impellor and compressor housing causing the turbo to produce no boost, and the replacement turbo's are not watercooled we used to plug the water lines and fit new turbo's, i will try to find my nissan school folder and scan some papers on the problems had with the ZD30

[bogged]

From Gary Lechte Nissan in Frankston for a limited run.

ask GUJOHNNO about Gary L nissan... not sure how he went with his warranty shit yet.

Ask any of his ex staff too.. he had the states best 2 parts people George and Brett, adn pissed them both off... :(

[roly]

I purchased a brand new ST 3.0TD manual in Sept for $46 plus ORC which included nissan bullbar, spotlights, 50l Waeco fridge & $3,000 of diesel, & 5 yr warranty, so about $6k of extras. From Gary Lechte Nissan in Frankston for a limited run. I have no assoc with them btw. So give them a call first if you $ can stretch that far. They do claim to be "Melbourne's Cheapest Prices".
WRT the no guts up hills, I would say it's like any other turbo. Drive it out of the boost range up steep hills, they will stall. They're a heavy beast too, so handbrake starts on steep hills will be tricky, espec for a novice.
Lots of heresay here from people who have "heard", not too many from owners. My heresay is the fuel economy is puss in the 4.2s.
Cheers
Mike

yeah, should i go into how many people i have personally helped get new engines in the early days?

cheap 3L patrols are CHEAP for a reason.... they are shite

[bogged]

I purchased a brand new ST 3.0TD manual in Sept for $46 plus ORC which included nissan bullbar, spotlights, 50l Waeco fridge & $3,000 of diesel, & 5 yr warranty, so about $6k of extras. From Gary Lechte Nissan in Frankston for a limited run. I have no assoc with them btw. So give them a call first if you $ can stretch that far. They do claim to be "Melbourne's Cheapest Prices".
WRT the no guts up hills, I would say it's like any other turbo. Drive it out of the boost range up steep hills, they will stall. They're a heavy beast too, so handbrake starts on steep hills will be tricky, espec for a novice.
Lots of heresay here from people who have "heard", not too many from owners. My heresay is the fuel economy is puss in the 4.2s.
Cheers
Mike

yeah, should i go into how many people i have personally helped get new engines in the early days?

cheap 3L patrols are CHEAP for a reason.... they are shite

OWNED!

[dirtyGQ]

I purchased a brand new ST 3.0TD manual in Sept for $46 plus ORC which included nissan bullbar, spotlights, 50l Waeco fridge & $3,000 of diesel, & 5 yr warranty, so about $6k of extras. From Gary Lechte Nissan in Frankston for a limited run. I have no assoc with them btw. So give them a call first if you $ can stretch that far. They do claim to be "Melbourne's Cheapest Prices".
WRT the no guts up hills, I would say it's like any other turbo. Drive it out of the boost range up steep hills, they will stall. They're a heavy beast too, so handbrake starts on steep hills will be tricky, espec for a novice.
Lots of heresay here from people who have "heard", not too many from owners. My heresay is the fuel economy is puss in the 4.2s.
Cheers
Mike

my cooments are not heresay but are fact ring any reputable diesel specialist and they will tell you the same BIG PROBLEMS WITH 3.0 LTR PATROLS.... rectified now think again.

[patrolmad]

Don't listen to hearsay specialists as they don't know what they are talking about. Only listen to 3.0 owners who have had experience with them.
My workplace operates a fleet of 14 2003 GUIII 3.0 Patrols which get driven like they are stolen. They have all racked up around 300,000kms and do alot of heavy towing (3 tonne plus) at high speed. The 3.0 Patrol I drive has ticked over 300,000kms and we have never had a problem with any of them and I know for a fact of some contractors with almost 400,000kms on them and they have been virtually untouched mechanically. As with all diesels keep them well serviced and they will serve you well.
Can't comment on the earlier ZD30's as I have never owned one. If you're looking for value for money leave the prehistoric TD42 boat anchor at the dealership and you won't look back.

[dirtyGQ]

Don't listen to hearsay specialists as they don't know what they are talking about. Only listen to 3.0 owners who have had experience with them.
My workplace operates a fleet of 14 2003 GUIII 3.0 Patrols which get driven like they are stolen. They have all racked up around 300,000kms and do alot of heavy towing (3 tonne plus) at high speed. The 3.0 Patrol I drive has ticked over 300,000kms and we have never had a problem with any of them and I know for a fact of some contractors with almost 400,000kms on them and they have been virtually untouched mechanically. As with all diesels keep them well serviced and they will serve you well.
Can't comment on the earlier ZD30's as I have never owned one. If you're looking for value for money leave the prehistoric TD42 boat anchor at the dealership and you won't look back.

mmmm very interesting never had a problem hey ??????? even nissan wouldn't try and tell people that