Nissan Problems

THE problem may not be with the tacho itself. It could be in the signal the tacho is getting, so take it back to the auto elecrician and have him check the system.

THE problem may not be with the tail shaft. Have you had your wheels and tyres balanced? Try swapping the front wheels to the back and vice versa. Also check the transmission path the vibration follows to get to where you feel it. There are many components in the path -- suspension bushings, body seals -- that can dampen the vibration and all these should be checked for damage. Also check the alignment of the shaft, and ensure the drive-line angles are within specification.

YOU shouldn't experience too many problems, according to Nissan specialists. The diesel engine in the Urvan is a tough old nail that is readily serviced if something does go wrong. But they say there shouldn't be a problem. Some early diesels can have problems with seals in the fuel system, but there's no suggestion yours should be affected.

YOUR poptop would probably weigh about 1500kg when loaded, so that's the weight you need to consider when buying a vehicle. In my view it comes down to where you want to go when travelling, and what you want to do with the vehicle for the rest of the year. If you stick predominantly to the blacktop on your travels, then a regular Commodore or Falcon is probably the best way to go. Both will easily tow your poptop, are comfortable and will give you reasonable fuel consumption. An X-Trail will tow up to 2000kg if the trailer has brakes, so that will also handle your poptop. A recent experience with a 3.0-litre Subaru Outback, rated to tow 1800kg, showed that when it was towing a 1200kg camper trailer the fuel consumption rose about 30 per cent, and rose even more when towing a camper weighing close to its rated tow capacity. That said, the Outback would be a great compromise for round-town use and towing capacity.

HAVE you thought about repairing the chassis? Cracking is not necessarily the end of the world. I'd check with a chassis specialist who can inspect the cracking and determine if it's worth repairing. If you are intent on fitting the body to another vehicle it comes down to the weight of the camper body. Think about the weight when it's fully laden with all the gear you plan to take with you. The vehicles you're thinking of are nominally one-tonne utes, so they should do the job providing your camper is one tonne or less when full of gear.

THE SKYLINE never had a cooling problem, unlike the VL Commodore, which used the same engine and was very troublesome. The problem is related to installation of the engine, not the engine itself. In the Skyline it was a gem. You say the temperature goes up but not whether the engine overheats, so I assume it doesn't. It's quite normal on the Skyline for the gauge to swing, depending on the temperature of the day or the load on the engine, and as long as it doesn't go all the way to the H mark, there shouldn't be a problem. If it does go to the very top, I'd expect you to have signs of overheating, so I guess what you see is normal.

BEFORE the advent of bigger front-wheel-drive family cars from Toyota and Mitsubishi in the '90s, we mostly used rear-wheel-drive cars for towing. They are still preferred for towing because the weight over the rear wheels is an advantage. The recent popularity of all-wheel-drive cars, including 4WDs, has further clouded the towing issue. If I were to go on the round-Australia dream drive, I would take an all-wheel-drive. Not for the towing, but to get to those out-of-the-way tourist destinations that I couldn't get to with a two-wheel-drive car.

THE N14 Pulsar (1991-1995) was a great small car, but there's always a risk in buying a car that's 10 or more years old. When we reviewed the N14 Pulsar, we found one that had done more than 300,000km without giving major trouble. On average an N14 will have done 130,000 to 180,000km and would be worth a risk. Look for one with low mileage, in good condition with a good service history.

I WOULD recommend using a fuel additive such as Valvemaster or Flashlube. They are available at your local servo and are easy to add to the fuel whenever you fill up.