Nissan Problems

No, it doesn’t. Nissan dropped the 1.6-litre turbo-diesel with the facelift in 2017, replacing g it with a two-litre unit that was both more powerful (96kW plays 130kW) and had more torque (320NM versus 380). Beyond those numbers, the progress was a bit harder to see as the later, two-litre engine used quite a bit more fuel (7.4 litres per 100km against 5.3 litres for the 1.6-litre engine) and was only available as an all-wheel-drive vehicle and with a six-speed manual transmission. The earlier, 1.6-litre X-Trail was available with a CVT transmission (two-pedal operation) but if you chose that transmission, the vehicle was front-wheel-drive only.

Modern engines rely on a raft of sensors to inform the computer of what’s going on under the bonnet and what needs to be adjusted to keep the thing running smoothly and efficiently. A car that is using too much fuel and stalling could be having a problem with the sensor that tells the on-board computer that the engine is up to operating temperature. A cold engine needs more fuel to run properly so, if the sensor is telling the computer that the engine is still cold, the computer will continue to inject extra fuel into it. Of course, if the engine is up to temperature (regardless of what the sensor says) that extra fuel will show up as increased fuel consumption and could easily make the engine stall or run roughly.

However, that’s just one possibility and with the dozens of sensors dotted around a modern engine, the best advice is to have the car electronically scanned to see what fault codes are thrown up. The good news is that these sensors are usually inexpensive to replace and should return things to spot on pretty much immediately. Other suspects would be oxygen sensors and maybe even the stepper motor which controls the idle speed.

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.

You could be right in presuming that the clutch is not fully disengaging as this will definitely cause gear-selection problems. If the clutch is worn or has broken components inside, then it can be impossible to make it fully disengage, and choosing gears – particularly from a standing start – can be difficult if not impossible. At that point, presuming the clutch is adjusted properly (and your car uses hydraulic clutch actuation, so there’s not really any adjustment in it) a replacement clutch is the only real fix.

But don’t rule out a problem with the mechanism that actually selects the gears and links the gear-shifter to the gearbox proper. In some cars this is a cable, in others it’s a set of linkages, but either set-up can become maladjusted and cause shifting problems.

The ZD30 will probably not be remembered as one of Nissan’s greatest engines. In good condition and running properly, they’re not a bad unit, but they have managed to develop a reputation for – as you’ve identified – giving problems long before they should.

Any off-roader’s engine is liable to overheat, especially when you’re working it hard in the bush with minimal air-flow through the radiator. Many Patrol owners have identified this and fitted larger, aftermarket radiators to fix the issue. A bigger worry is the engine’s propensity to explode – usually – number three of four piston with catastrophic results.

The trade has a few theories including a build-up of oil and soot (which forms black gunk) that partially blocks the inlet tract that causes uneven mixtures across all four cylinders. At that point, you could have hot-spots occurring that can potentially melt pistons. Another theory holds that the same black gunk was messing with the engine’s sensors and allowing them to send false information back to the computer, again leading to incorrect air-fuel mixtures.

Boost spikes were another problem, apparently caused by the engine’s slow response to commands from the computer. In extreme cases, turbo-boost could increase violently and damage pistons. Even then, it wasn’t that simple, because Nissan itself seems to have misunderstood the engine, originally specifying an oil capacity of too little, leading to oil starvation and engine damage. The company quickly added a couple of litres to the specification (for a total of 8.3 litres) and instructed its dealers to shorten and recalibrate dipsticks when the cars came in for servicing.

For all that, the ZD30 has gathered its admirers who value its performance and reduced fuel consumption over some other turbo-diesel Patrol engines. For our money though, if you can afford it, the bigger, less stressed TD42 turbo-diesel is the pick of the Patrol engines from this era. The catch there is that the TD42 was only available with a five-speed manual while the ZD30 could be had with an optional four-speed automatic.

It’s important to give Nissan (or any other manufacturer) the opportunity to put things right. While ever that process is ongoing, you need to be patient and allow Nissan to try to find a fix. Your car is still covered by the manufacturer’s new-car warranty, so that’s the process by which it should be tackled.

If Nissan were to give up on the problem (and you) then you’d have cause to seek recourse according to Australian Consumer Law. I’d also be talking to Nissan Australia’s customer service division to see what else can be done.

The clock-spring is the electrical linkage that connects the driver’s air-bag and everything else that lives on the steering wheel (cruise-control, stereo controls and more in a modern vehicle) with the rest of the car. The clock-spring is needed to allow the steering wheel to turn while maintaining those electrical contacts.

It’s quite a common thing to have to replace and will probably cost a few hundred dollars to have a workshop do the job.

You really have two ways to go here. The fact that you want to go off-road in the best/worst conditions this country has to offer means an SUV or cross-over just isn’t going to cut it. With that in mind, you’re looking at either a dual-cab ute or a conventional four-wheel-drive wagon.

In the ute world, there’s plenty of choice within your budget, but you need to be careful that the vehicle in question hasn’t been worked to death by a tradie towing a bobcat Monday to Friday. The popularity of these vehicles, meanwhile, means that there’s lots of choice when it comes to aftermarket bits and pieces to complete your dream vehicle.

The other route – a conventional wagon-style 4X4 – also places a lot of choice within your budget. The Toyota LandCruiser Prado would be a good choice, as would something like a Mitsubishi Pajero which has always represented good value for money both brand-new and second-hand. You could also look at Nissan Patrols which also give you plenty of car for the money and, if you shop carefully, you could find a really nice LandCruiser 80 Series, reckoned by some to be the absolute pinnacle of off-road wagons, even though they’re getting on a bit now. There’s great aftermarket and service support for all these options, so it will come down to your personal preferences.

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.

The biggest complaint from owners of the earlier X-Trail turbo-diesel was a lack of low-down torque which gave the car a lazy feel when accelerating from rest. Nissan actually issued a Technical Service Bulletin (like a recall, but for a non-safety related issue) to reflash the turbo-diesel’s computer to increase boost pressure at low revs and give the car a livelier feel.

But like many modern turbo-diesels, the X-Trail has also been the victim of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) problems where the engine never gets hot enough to cause the DPF to self-regenerate. The bottom line is that if you don’t drive the car at freeway speeds for at least 20 minutes once every few weeks, you could be setting the DPF up to fail. Replacing the DPF is a costly business, too, so make sure that your intended use for the vehicle fits with its mechanical requirements.

A diesel engine is also often more costly to own and maintain thanks to higher-cost, more frequent servicing that can easily offset the diesel’s lower fuel consumption compared with a petrol engine. Urban owners are drifting away from diesel powerplants and back to petrol engines, and that, frankly, makes a lot of sense.