Nissan Problems

THE 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine had problems early on that Nissan claims were fixed by the revised dipstick and extra oil fill. Yours should have had that fix, but it's worth checking that with your dealer. The problem seems to be worse when highway driving, and becomes worse still when towing or at high temperatures. It was thought to be a piston-cooling problem, and the extra oil fixed that. But there are reports of failures of the mass airflow sensor, which seems to tell the engine computer to run the engine lean.

IT'S hard to advise you because there isn't anyone out there who has the experience of having converted a car like yours with the modifications you've made. The thinking is that a vapour-injection system would probably work fine, but because it hasn't been done it's impossible to be sure.

CARS that aren't regularly driven can develop problems. Seals dry, belts harden, oil drains back into the sump, leaving the engine dry. Running an engine circulates oil through the engine and coolant through the cooling system, but it doesn't help the gearbox or rear axle. It's a good idea to give your car a run once a month. If you can't,, keep the battery on a trickle charger and change the oil regularly.

THE 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine had problems when it was launched. The main one was a lack of oil capacity, which resulted in piston meltdown. It tended to occur when the Patrol was driven on the highway at high speed. The problem was traced to insufficient oil in the engine, which affected the cooling of the pistons. Nissan claims to have fixed the problem by increasing the oil fill by about two litres, simply by replacing the oil dipstick with one that has markings farther up the stick. The change was supposed to be carried out by dealers as the cars came in for servicing. Your GUII would have had the new dipstick from new, so you should have no problem.

THE airbag is more important at that stage of driving, so I'd make that a higher priority than anti-skid brakes. Research shows few drivers apply the anti-skid brakes hard enough to get them working to their full potential. I like the Nissan Pulsar N15, which has a timing chain so servicing costs will be lower. It also has a driver's airbag and should fit your budget.

THE factory radiator is the way to go. They can be had for about $180, which is cheap, and they're the best. Nissan service specialist Jerry Newman says electrolysis is usually caused by a stray electric current, probably as a result of a bad earth somewhere in the car. But he says it rarely occurs if you use the correct coolant at the correct level.

NISSAN service specialist Jerry Newman says he has never had a problem with the N15 cylinder head cracking, and reckons the $3500 cost to replace it is high. Because it has happened again so soon after replacing the head, and assuming the people who fitted the replacement head are reputable, I would look further for the cause of your problem. Consider a sticking thermostat, a leaking radiator or hoses, or incorrect coolant.

IT DEPENDS what you regard as incredibly thirsty. Four-wheel-drives tend to be thirsty. They're heavy and have to drag all that extra four-wheel-drive gear around, and the Rodeo's petrol V6 is a 3.5-litre unit. If fuel consumption is a key consideration for you, try a diesel. Fuel consumption will be much lower, and you won't lose too much performance.

The manual will give you about 10 per cent better fuel consumption than the auto. I would expect you would get about 9 litres/100km on the highway without a caravan, but that would probably increase to 14-15 litres/100km when the caravan is on the back. The Hilux and Navara have similar fuel consumption. But I have concerns about the reliability of Nissan's 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine so can't recommend the Navara.

THE Nissan will happily tow your campervan, but you might consider fitting higher-rated rear springs to avoid the rear end bottoming out, and replace the auto transmission oil with a high-quality oil.