3.0L GU - Who owns one? - 4WD Trip | Your 4WD Trip Companion

12 Feb 2018

Hey guys,

Seriously thinking about upgrading to a Patrol (or 80 series.. but let's talk patrol atm). Initially was looking at td42 GQ's but lots of them on the market are trashed to death rust buckets... So looking at GU's (newer) - Petrol ones are incredibly thirsty and not really keen on spending $100 petrol just to get from my house to Licola lol..

Next option is the dreaded granade.. zd30 - few clean ones around that are actually family wagons and practically not trashed. Who on here has a well setup one? I just want a solid base, I built the Navara up and now I realise it's not good enough for me lol - so don't want to do the same mistake again.. I need a solid base vehicle that will be a beast offroad.

For those who own one, let me know your experience.. how does it go offroad, how does it go on diesel and especially when turning 35s etc? Did you have any granade problems?

Also anyone did an engine conversion from the zd30? How much did it cost you roughly? .... just thinking about the future.

Thanks.

Ben (120Prado)

14 Feb 2018

I almost bought one a few years ago. In the end I bought a 120 Series Prado.

The Patrol is super capable off road. Plenty of size and space. Very cheap to modify also.

The downside is the engine is underpowered. No matter what you do the engine may still blow up even with the anti detonation kits etc

My petrol Prado does 13.5ltrs per 100klms. Not bad at all I think.

Jason (JTM)

14 Feb 2018

Ben (120Prado) wrote:

I almost bought one a few years ago. In the end I bought a 120 Series Prado.

The Patrol is super capable off road. Plenty of size and space. Very cheap to modify also.

The downside is the engine is underpowered. No matter ......

This is not the case, yes the engine is a little underpowered, but there are so many steps that can be taken to rectify this. This rubbish about the grenade engine is exaggerated at best. The 200-2003 models had problems yes, anything from 04 on are fine. Install a NADS kit etc, get your gadges in to monitor then you can build from there, an aftermarket exhaust and extractors are deadset a gain in power for these things you can't believe it. I work on these things all the time, don't own one so it's not a bias opinion but I'm buying one in the next couple of months as they are rock solid.

Stuart (Stuwy)

14 Feb 2018

Hi,

I have a 2010 Patrol. It has 202,000kms on the clock and is serviced every 5000 kms. I have never had any issues.

As for off roading it is a very very capable vehicle & would highly recommend it. The only down side is that it is a bit underpowered but this is a small trade-off for the amount of fun you will get out of it. There is plenty of stuff at reasonable prices to modify the vehicle.

Cheers - Stuart

Darcy (Darice11)

14 Feb 2018

I've had a 2005 3.0 patrol for 6 years now which has only done 110k's, and diesel. Lots of mod's except nothing heavy. Never any problems.

I've taken the roof rack off and upgraded to one of those plastic smart bars on the front which is a one man job to put on as it's so light. Better than the steel ones (a debatable point of course). With lockers front and back and no extra weight, the thing will go most anywhere when the beefed up weighted down machines fail. I tow a camper trailer occasionaly which is fine but admittedly I wouldn't wish to weight it down with anything more than that.

Richard (Papa_Bob)

14 Feb 2018

I’ve gone from a 120 prado that same as you built up then realized it’s always going to struggle on clearance being ifs.

Never been so happy off road in the patrol. Got a 2012. Had a remap catch can and titex kit to control boost fitted. Different car! 104 rwkw, 400nm torque. Plenty of power in reality, no race car but useable power. Haven’t fitted 35’s yet. Still running 33’s.

You wont look back on one if these.

In hindsight I would probably try get a clean 2006 so any engine conversion is an option if you want to go that path.

hope that helps.

Neil Howden (Bt50Beast)

14 Feb 2018

Mate of mine has an 08 3.0 hi st-l around 200,000 on the clock. It’s been super reliable except for a few odd problems. He’s on his third alternator, split the intercooler and intake hose. But with twin lockers and 33’s its almost unstoppable off-road. Very underpowered for towing, he has a 3 inch exhaust which helps a bit but trans always sits in a lower gear meaning it’ll sit on 3000rpm at 100. Driving his after driving my 08 Bt50, his felt very agricultural. Trans had abrupt gear changes and heaps of turbo lag (even with an iDrive). But horses for courses, they’re cheap to buy and modify, easy to work on and as said above the later models seem to be grenade proof

Dean (Burto)

14 Feb 2018

I’ve had a 2008 3 litre auto common rail diesel patrol for 4 years now it’s set up with all the gear needed for touring towing a 2500 kg off road van and some hard 4x4ing I use it for what it’s made for.As for the under powering I have a catch can,chip and 3inch exhaust and a good fuel/water separator for crap fuel that you can get from remote servos but that’s a given on any common rail and it’s got more than enough power I have come from v8 land rovers v8 landcruiser I’m not a die hard brand person if it’s good value for money and it gets you to your destination and back safe and with no troubles 👍🏻. As for the grenade tag I think that was put to bed a long time ago I keep fresh oil in mine and look after it like any diesel and haven’t had any dramas.Fuel wise towing the van sitting on 90kmh 2000rpm I average 16/17 lp100 but that blows out to the 20 if your up to the 100/110kmh and around town 14/16 lp100 I’ve herd all the figures people say they get on some sites 10/11/12 lp100 I’ve never had that no matter how i drive it and everybody i have a chat to on my travels get around the same as me so don’t be fooled as to rediculas figures that get the thrown around.

Jeff (Fat-arse)

14 Feb 2018

Hi guys,

I currently run a dirty thirty, its slightly modified, engineered and as most have said underpowered.

I tow a hard floor camper, been on a few trips dragging it about, but as one said horses for courses, do your homework and you should be competent in all that you set for yourself.

My vehicle is a 2002 Gu wagon, max ADR spec lift, runs 35 muddies atm but my daily drive i use 33 inch which has slight rev increase, twin lockers, three inch exhaust, engine management system (chip most seem to call them), catch can ,dual fuel filters ,twin batteries along with other mods, yes the mods are relatively cheap, but what I've discovered is information is power so talk to people in the know and make an informed decision, transplants are from the guys i know depending on what you want to do are around fifteen k.

The vehicle is a good stable base to start with, comfortable, affordable and diesel is definitely the way to go in the bush.

Next mods i wish will be gearbox and diff upgrades shortly as i tow a fair bit, again horses for courses.

Cheers Jeff.

Ray (Ray)

14 Feb 2018

I have a 2008 CRD auto that has nearly 200,000 km on the clock. I've had it chipped since new (https://australianimage.com.au/nissan-gu-patrol-diesel-chip/), with 3" exhaust, and have absolutely no power issues. It's towed my previous 2t trailer loaded with wood up our hilly country without issue. We also tow a 1.5t campervan up into the HIgh Country with no problems. Fuel economy in our hilly area is consistently around 13lt/100km and on the freeways 10lt/100km, towing about 16lt/100km and I don't drive like a granny.

Unfortunately the myths about engines destructing go on even though that's well and truly in the past. It really only affected the early Di engines and after 2005, or 2004, you don't really hear about problems. When you do and delve deeper, it's nothing to do with the old issue. The one thing everyone should do is block the EGR and enjoy your driving. And the other thing I'd absolutely recommend is a throttle controller: https://australianimage.com.au/electronic-throttle-controller/.

Andrew (Range Rover V8)

14 Feb 2018

You never mentioned the type of 4wding that you do but if you are not into extreme 4wding I would consider an Izuzu MUX. They are recognised as a very capable 4x4, economical and reliable. They come up very nice with a bit of lift and accessories and are a good tourer and off roader. Patrols are at the age where their first major round of servicing is due for the parts that wear out and most of them have had their fair share of punishment. Invest into something like a MUX and save your long term repair money.

Jason (JTM)

14 Feb 2018

Andrew (Range Rover V8) wrote:

Wow, 17 years I've been a mechanic at a 4wd suspension specialist seen and worked on every 4wd under the sun probably 100 times over, this is nothing but garbage.

Andrew (Range Rover V8)

14 Feb 2018

Jason (JTM) wrote:

Wow, 17 years I've been a mechanic at a 4wd suspension specialist seen and worked on every 4wd under the sun probably 100 times over, this is nothing but garbage.

Just your opinion against others who cares nobody listens to your hostility it means nothing.

Ray (Ray)

14 Feb 2018

Andrew (Range Rover V8) wrote:

Patrols are at the age where their first major round of servicing is due for the parts that wear out and most of them have had their fair share of punishment. Invest into something like a MUX and save your long term repair money.

My Patrol is going on 10 years now and has not required much servicing at all, other than the 10K oil and filter changes. What I'd call its most major service was replacing the stub axles after they finally succumbed to grit and water from so much off-roading. I got those from eBay which are made in Japan for a fraction of the Nissan price and they were easy to replace, are bearings and seals.

A low mileage (probably never been off-road), late model, Patrol would be an ideal vehicle and priced way less than any new vehicle, leaving money for accessories/modifications. I can't see any of these newer IFS ute-based vehicles standing up to long-term off-roading like Patrols. The maintenance and repair costs would not be cheap. The Patrol is especially good value in that spares, accessories and mods are ubiquitous, meaning you can get just about anything for a great price.

Thurstain (Tcm9669)

14 Feb 2018

Thanks for all the feedback guys, actually more positive comments than I imagined. Honestly I was looking at 2000 to 2003 models as they are more on my price range atm, especially after building up the Navara and spending all my money on it.. But looks like they are actually the problematic ones...

Reason for a patrol and no prado or mux is, I already have IFS with the Navara, and it's mostly the reason why I want to get a patrol / 80 series.. Want something stronger and more reliable. My Navara is pretty much built to the max (not much else I can do without compromising it further or making it totally illegal) and even though it's capable and took me through some serious terrain, it's best suited for a camping light offroad rig.. I love technical tracks (rocky terrain) and hence the patrol, better clearance, fits bigger tyres etc.. Navara is amazing on sand in robe etc.. and medium challenging terrain with some ruts etc.. But it will never be what a patrol is. So, yes.. Want some solid base vehicle that I can confidently spend my money on over the next few years to keep it for years to come.

Thanks all for the feedback, I'm in no rush to buy one.. I'll just keep looking for the right one.. But maybe should concentrate on 2004 onwards.