Nissan Navara Engine Problems

It could be a fuel problem, but it could easily be something electrical, or perhaps something from left-field such as a blocked exhaust system. Perhaps a sensor somewhere in the driveline is functioning properly until it gets hot and then shutting down, causing the engine to stall. Perhaps you have a bad earth point or loose electrical contact. Maybe the fuel pump is on its last legs and unable to supply enough fuel to keep the engine running.

It’s all a bit of a guessing game, but fortunately, modern cars have on-board computers which detect problems and log them until the car can be scanned. At that point, the glitches and problems should be revealed and you can start to plan how to solve the problem.

Surprisingly, yes it is a fairly common observation. The idea is that having the gauge tell you that the tank is nearly empty even though it has a few litres still sloshing around in it, is a great way to convince you to find a service station before you run out of fuel. In the old days, many cars had a reserve tank which had to be switched on when the main tank ran out of fuel. This reserve tank was your insurance against being stranded. The modern fuel gauge acts in the same way by ensuring you have a supply remaining even when the gauge is telling you you’re just about empty.

Normally, a car has around 50 to 80km of fuel left when the gauge reads zero (although don’t be tempted to find out the hard way). So the 20 litres remaining in your tank when the gauge is on empty is on the high side, but far from abnormal.

This is actually a pretty common problem and there seems to be two common causes. The first is leaking seals inside the turbocharger. The turbo needs oil to lubricate it, but if its seals are leaking they can allow oil into the inlet tract and, therefore, the intercooler.

The second cause is possibly even more common and involves the crankcase ventilation system allowing oil into the intake (and intercooler). A modern engine needs to consume its own crankcase fumes and burn them (rather than vent them into the atmosphere) as part of its anti-pollution systems. But in many cars (and modern turbo-diesels are the prime suspects) those fumes can contain some oil mist which, once enough of it has accumulated, will form the oil droplets you’re seeing in the intercooler.

While a faulty turbocharger will need to be replaced, if the problem is the work of the crankcase ventilation system, it still should be addressed before the oil mixes with soot from the exhaust gas recirculation system (another emissions-control device) and forms a horrible, back gunk that clogs the engine’s intake system. If hat happens, costly disassembly and cleaning is required.

Even if you’ve caught this in the early stages (before the gunk can build up) the oil can still cause problems with sensors inside the inlet system and could cause poor running and high fuel consumption. A good quality oil catch can is the preferred method of stopping this occurring as it 'catches' the oil mist before it gets to the inlet tract.

It depends on which engine your Navara has. If it’s a D22 with the 2.5-litre engine, the oil-change capacity is 5.6 litres. If your car has the three-litre engine, it will need 6.7 litres to complete an oil change. If your car is the later model D40 version, the 2.5-litre engine will require 6.9 litres. Those amounts should allow for an oil-filter change as well.

In each case, the recommended oil is a 5W40 semi-synthetic.

This is a typical car company response to the problem of pedal error which has raised its head many times since about the 1980s when car maker started getting sued by drivers who had pressed the wrong pedal, but claimed the car had accelerated of its own accord.

The solution was to make sure that if the driver accidentally pressed the throttle, if they also pressed the brake in panic, the car would stop accelerating. By pressing the brake and throttle together in your car, you’re reproducing that exact situation. So, really, there’s nothing wrong with your car, and it’s only doing what it’s programmed to do.

A lot of drivers don’t like this feature, however, as it means the slightest hint that both the brake and throttle are applied at once is enough for the car to cut its power and not move, as you’ve discovered. Many have found that when trying to enter fast moving traffic or make a quick lane change, and operating both brake and throttle at the same time for a quick getaway, this function is actually dangerous.

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do about it other than learn to not even brush the brake pedal when you want to make a quick start.

No. While the D40 Navara did have warning lights for things like contaminated diesel fuel and a warning light for the Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) the Navara didn’t stretch to a light to warn that maintenance to the camshaft timing system was due. That’s mainly because the Navara’s four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine used a timing chain rather than a rubber timing belt, and the chain should have been good for the life of the engine.

Experience has shown, however, that the YD25 engines that used a single-row primary timing chain did, indeed, experience premature chain wear and failure in some cases. And this is probably at the root of your question. The trade now recommends that these chains be changed before the 80,000km mark, with inspections every 40,000km to make sure nothing is wearing out too fast. The aftermarket has developed a double-row replacement timing chain for these engines, so any replacement of the chain should take this into account.

Fan belts and other rubber drive belts can squeak or squeal if they’re not correctly adjusted for tension. Usually, a too-loose belt will be the cause, and to fix it, you need to slacken off the adjuster and tighten the belt to the correct tension.

In some cases, though, you may find the noise is coming from a partially seized or worn bearing in one of the pulleys. You could try a little squirt of penetrating fluid on the bearings to see if that makes the noise go away. If the bearing is really worn, however, it will need to be replaced.

Sometimes the noise will be caused by coolant or water getting on to the rubber belt. Check the radiator and its hoses for leaks that could be allowing fluid on to the rubber and making it squeal.

This fuse on the battery is there to protect the entire electrical system (and indeed, the car itself) from damage due to a short-circuit. It’s a good idea, particularly in a four-wheel-drive where you might be running a lot of electrical gear such as extra lighting and a fridge.

The problem with this system, though, is that because it protects the whole car, just about any electrical system on the car can cause the fuse to blow.

If the starter motor is the most recent change to the car’s electrical system, then that’s where to start looking for a short-circuit. However, the problem may not have anything to do with the starter motor. An auto electrician should be able to pin-point the problem and fix it without resorting to simply replacing components one at a time.

This sounds like a classic case of a hydraulic lifter (also called a lash adjuster) that is dying a slow death. These components rely on engine oil pressure to maintain the correct clearance between the engine valves and the rockers that actuate them, and any wear will show up as a ticking noise when the engine is first started and is still building oil pressure. They can often 'tick' for a few seconds or more before going quiet.

The recurrence of the noise has probably got something to do with a fall in oil pressure at idle when the engine warms up, allowing the lifter to start ticking again. But the engines in this series of Navara were also known for ticking or rattling noises as the result of worn camshaft-chain tensioners, broken or damaged cam bearing bolts and wear in the auxiliary pulleys and belt tensioners. If the noise does turn out to be a dud lifter, do the smart thing and replace them all, as wear in one means certain wear beginning in the others.

This could be caused by any number of things, and an electronic scan of the vehicle will surely reveal some of its secrets and may point you towards the fix. It almost sounds as though the car is going into limp-home mode when you first start driving it, but then reverts to proper operation once the engine has warmed up a little. But this could also suggest a turbo-boost leak somewhere in the system that is closing up and disappearing once there’s some heat built up.

If there’s oil around the intercooler hose, you may have oil in the intercooler itself. This can cause all sorts of problems and is often caused by a worn turbocharger. I’d definitely be having a close look at the turbo unit, checking for wear and damage as this could be the root cause.