Nissan Navara Problems

Given the kilometres showing on the car in question, that price-tag is about right, rather than any kind of exceptional bargain. Beyond that, the D40 Navara is not generally regarded as a magnificent long-term prospect and many in the trade reckon about 160,000km is the limit for reliable service going forward. At least the one you’re looking at has a full service record, so that’s a start, but frankly, there are better options out there that represent greater value for money as well as longer shelf-life.

The D40 in turbo-diesel form was susceptible to timing chain problems at about the 80,000km mark. Check the service record to see if a new chain was fitted around this mileage. Even if it has, mechanics reckon the chain needs to be inspected every 40,000km thereafter to prevent catastrophic failure when you least expect it. The D40 also suffered from injector problems, EGR coolers that could fail and ruin the engine, automatic transmission coolers that could destroy the gearbox and lots of other problems right through to cracks developing in the vehicle’s body. The fact that this is an ex-work truck won’t help those problems one little bit as it’s probably already had a pretty hard life, servicing notwithstanding. The broad advice for somebody looking for reliability first and foremost would be to cast your net wider.

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.

Modern turbo-diesel engines absolutely hate having water enter the fuel system. It can cause lots and lots of damage and isn’t always fixed by simply changing the fuel filter and the contents of the tank. Sometimes injectors and even the high-pressure fuel pump itself will be damaged by the ingress of water. If that’s the case, then more work will be needed before the vehicle is safe to drive again, as you may wind up doing more harm to other components until the full scope of the water-damage has been diagnosed.

For that reason, you really should have the vehicle looked at by a specialist. A specialist workshop will be able to tall you what else needs fixing or replacing. A specialist will also be able to electronically cancel the limp-home mode and any check-engine lights once all is well.

This cost of this will depend on a few things, Anthony, including which workshop you choose to carry out the work and what that workshop’s hourly labour rate is. That said, budget for around $2000 for the clutch kit and the time to fit it and you should be okay.

The other thing to consider is whether this is a good time to replace the sometimes troublesome dual-mass flywheel with a simpler, more robust singe-mass unit. The cost should be about the same, but the single-mass replacement will be a stronger, more reliable unit over time. It’s the first modification a switched-on Navara owner will make if they intend to tow heavy loads with the vehicle.

The simple answer, Andrew, is that the 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine in your Navara has a timing chain rather than a timing belt. However, it’s not that simple, as the engine uses two chains, rather than a longer, single timing chain.

The primary timing chain on your engine is a single-row chain while the secondary chain is a duplex (or double-row) chain. The secondary chain doesn’t seem to give too many problems, but many owners have found that the lower, single-row chain seems a bit underdone and has been known to stretch in service. When that happens (if the stretching is enough) the pistons and valves inside the engine can collide with fairly devastating results. The chain guides can also show signs of premature wear in these engines.

The trade recommends that the primary timing chain in these engines is changed every 80,000km or so and inspected for wear and stretching every 40,000km. Which pretty neatly sidesteps all the advantages of a timing chain over a timing belt.

This model Navara was known for a couple of faults that could cause it to enter limp-home mode (which sounds like what’s happened given the engine is no longer making full power). The first was a batch of dud exhaust-gas temperature sensors which had a habit of dying young. If that happened, the engine would go into limp-home mode to avoid overheating (and damaging) the turbocharger, even though there was no actual problem beyond the sensor itself.

The other problem with the 2.5-litre turbo-diesel was that the primary timing chain was a single-row item that was, frankly, underdone and could stretch before the vehicle had covered even 80,000km. If that happened, the camshaft-position sensor would become confused and could trigger a limp-home condition. There’s a replacement timing chain that is actually double-row (stronger) that many owners fit as a solution.

The very fact that you’re looking at two vehicles that fit into your budget but have travelled such vastly different distances should tell you all you need to know about the Nissan. Frankly, the Navara D22 and D40 don’t age well. In fact, many owners have found out the hard way that a Navara just can’t match the Toyota HiLux of this vintage for longevity and the ability to cop punishment over time.

I’m certainly not saying that the HiLux was perfect, but compared with the Navara’s litany of faults and problems that covered everything from rattling timing chains to coolant leaks and odd design elements such as the bottom of the radiator being lower than the lowest part of the chassis cross-member (not good for off-road work) the Toyota was much better. Granted the Navara you’re considering has very low mileage, so it should be okay for a while…just about till you hand it over to your son to break.

For a few years from 2005, Nissan sold two types of Navaras in Australia - the all-new big D40 series and the old D22 that dated back from the latter 1990s. 

If you want an inexpensive, compact and hard-wearing truck that's reliable but not very refined nor comfortable, the old D22 is it. Its 3.0L turbo-diesel has proven strong and reliable in this application and the Nissan has a reputation for being as tough as nails.

The larger and newer D40, meanwhile, is the much better choice if space, safety and refinement are priorities, and remained a class-leading proposition right up until the current-generation Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50 and Volkswagen Amarok all moved the pick-up truck game on in 2011. The Spanish-built ST-X is the choice grade, especially in turbo-diesel and 4x4 guise.

The Navara is considered a reliable and dependable truck, but many are also workhorses that lead tough lives and are often neglected or mistreated. If you're after one, please consider having it checked out first by an experienced mechanic.

Known issues include fuel-injection failure, roof rust, premature clutch wear in manual  models, electronics issues, turbo-charger failures and sagging rear springs.

Such problems can apply to any similar truck, so don't be too put off by the D40 Navara. It's a firm used-truck favourite for good reason.

There are literally dozens of things that can make a check-engine light illuminate, Kathleen. A faulty sensor, dud component, bad or dirty fuel, a vacuum leak, you name it, even the smallest glitch can cause the dreaded check-engine light to ruin your day.

The best advice is to take the car back to the workshop that serviced it and ask if, perhaps, the mechanic forgot to tighten or reset something properly. An interrogation by the workshop’s computer should throw up any fault codes present and from there, the workshop should be able to figure out the actual problem. It could be a coincidence, but, equally, it could be a simple thing the workshop has overlooked or forgotten to reset during the service.

This is sounding like one for Consumer Affairs, to be honest. Clearly, the vehicle is not safe to be driven in its current condition (for a variety of reasons) so I think Nissan should come to the party and at least offer you a replacement vehicle until your is fixed. And if your vehicle can’t be fixed, I don’t think the option of a replacement vehicle or a full refund should be out of the question.

The factory warranty is there to protect you, but in cases like this where the problems can’t be resolved in a timely manner, the warranty isn’t worth much at all.

Check out consumer.vic.gov.au and follow the links to the section on cars. It would also be worth informing your dealership that you’re about to get serious; it might make things happen a bit faster.

By the way, PO226 is a generic fault code (not specific to Nissan or this model Navara) and relates to a fault in the range or operation of the throttle-pedal position switch. But your other problems including the Bluetooth and reversing camera failure all point to a bigger electrical problem. Has the vehicle’s body computer been checked?