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NP300 down again

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8.2K views 24 replies 5 participants last post by  JDO  
#1 ·
My NP300 is currently experiencing a very rough idle, loss of power, and a lot of rattle under load. No lights or faults. Premonition tells me this is likely to be a bad injector.

I’ve booked it in to Nissan and will advise the outcome.

This is the second time my NP300 has had a mechanical issue in 2.5 years, and I must confess I no longer have confidence in it for its primary purpose, which is remote area travel where my survival may literally depend on the vehicle starting and running.

I am going to begin pricing up what it will cost to extract myself from this car 2.5y early. A lot, I suspect.
 
#2 ·
That's disappointing, I can understand your frustration, is it the same Renault unit that sits in UK spec'd models?

I had a very long burn of an engine cutting out fault with my previous Pathfinder.
I went through the issue with fine tooth comb for over 3 years, in the end, gave up as I had lost faith and needed a more reliable truck.
So bought another one lol.
This one has been very good in the 4 1/2 years I've owned it.

Really interested what you will be looking at for replacement, Hilux? Ranger? Holden Colorado?
 
#3 ·
Yes it’s the YD23DDTT, which I assume is the same engine you get. We remain Euro 5 though.

To be honest, while I’ve loved the extra space and the segregation of human and canine passengers that a utility offers, I have been disappointed by the poor chassis strength, small cabin, and overall low durability of the genre (not confined to the Navara). I’d always borne that in mind and intended the Nav to be a five year vehicle, and structured its finances accordingly.

I think my next vehicle will either revert to a 4x4 wagon, or possibly a more durably-constructed pick up (of which there is only one currently on market, the Land Cruiser VDJ79 V8).

However, given the sunk costs in my Navara and the fact that my wife’s Passat is not under lease, I might do a “parallel” replacement of the Passat with a cheaper 4WD that will do 75% of what I need, until the Nav can be replaced at the end of its term. In that case I’d be looking at Land Cruiser Prado, Ford Everest, Isuzu MU-X, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, etc.
 
#4 ·
I guess all pickups by their very nature are a compromise. If you look at the new price versus the other vehicles you mention, any pickup is much cheaper, even including the VW, that explains much of the compromise.

Not good about the fault, but isn't that part and parcel of today's high tech vehicles? Even Toyota?
 
#5 ·
I’ve only ever had three breakdowns that have stopped me in my tracks... well, 3 since my teenage days of driving 30yo bangers anyway.

One was when the oil filter catastrophically detached from my Pajero while driving. That was nearly a decade ago. Still no idea why. Two have been with this car. Admittedly the current fault still allows me to drive, but not with any confidence.

I’m probably being unfair on it, but confidence, once shaken, is hard to get back...

I won’t do anything before my next big trip, which is in April/May. But once I’m back from that...
 
#6 ·
Based on symptoms I now think the problem is more likely to be air in the fuel system. Obviously the very recent work done in that department (fitting my 160L tank back in December) may play a part here.

Before it goes to Nissan I’ll send it to my local shop to bypass my secondary fuel filter and test any obvious leaks in the tank-to-factory filter line.
 
#10 ·
Well I decided to press ahead with my weekend camping trip. The problem is definitely getting worse, with it now misfiring at idle and any time the engine is not under much load. The problem improves when the engine warms up, but does not go away. The exhaust smells very richly of fuel, but is not smoking.

Nissan can’t get me in until Tuesday, and even then only in Cardiff (an hour away). Hopefully it’s still running by then.
 
#12 ·
And the answer to me question is yes, I’ve filled it with ULP. I have no explanation as to how. I have driven diesel vehicles exclusively for well over a decade and I’d describe myself as pretty mechanically astute. I’ll swear blind until I die that I picked up a diesel handle. But clearly I did not - the fuel cap reeks of unleaded. Maybe I was drunk. Maybe I have a brain tumour. Maybe my wife did it. Maybe some idiot swapped the handles around.

This is embarrassing :(

Nissan are arranging to move the Nav on a flatbed to a dealer tomorrow. The dealer will look at it on Monday. We shall see. With any luck, a quick drain and filter change and we’re away. Worst case I guess I’m up for fuel pump, injectors, rail, plus whatever damage has been done to the heads with unleaded pinging away in there.
 
P
#14 ·
Oh dear it happens usually when your minds on other things or distracted by the young thing across the forecourt :). If it was mine I would be doing something to mitigate the problem ASAP ie set up a can of diesel to flush through the injector system as the longer the petrol is there the more damage it does to seals . you leave whats in the tank and just flush through in the engine bay .
 
Q
#15 ·
At least you've got an explanation. I'm up to around the 140,000km mark on my NP300 now. It sounds just as rough as the day it arrived and still makes all the strange noises that it ever has done! It has been tediously reliable and aside from fuel extremely cheap to run!
 
Q
#19 ·
JDO said:
I do owe my Nav an apology, but in a fit of despondency I started googling car porn, and now I can’t get past this thing of beauty:

View attachment 60269

It’s only triple the price of the Nav!
Click to expand...
Only triple?! I find that hard to believe!
 
#20 ·
Today two things happened:

First Nissan Roadside Assist finally got off their backsides and sorted my loan car. It’s an X-Trail AWD ST. Quite nice for the money; clearly a lot in common with the interior of the Nav though...

An hour later, the dealer holding my car told me they’d got it started after resetting the “fuel injector sensors” and it’s running fine now. $622, pay the lady on the way out.

I will go down there after work tomorrow (2 hour drive!) to talk to the guy in person. I asked if there was likely to be long-term damage to the injectors or rail and he said “I don’t have a bloody crystal ball mate”, which doesn’t fill me with confidence.

For those playing along in Australia, NRMA insurance have agreed to cover repairs under the accidental damage clause of my comprehensive policy (although for $622, I will not actually make a claim).
 
#22 ·
Collected the car this afternoon and drove home. Ran fine, seems to be unaffected.

The service manager turned out to be less abrasive in person, and reckons the most likely long-term effect will be premature wear on the fuel pump. This would manifest itself, he tells me, in taking longer than usual to fire when starting, especially when it’s hot. That’s when it’s time to book in and replace it.
 
#23 ·
In the unlikely event anyone is still reading... when I was convinced the Nav had had breakdown #2, I started thinking about what I do and don’t like about it, and what I’d replace it with.

I settled on a 76 Series Landcruiser wagon - this is a real dinosaur of a car, with two live axles, rear leaf springs, manual gearbox, manual transfer case, manually-wound windows... and the stonking 1VD 4.5 litre V8 diesel from the 200 Cruiser, albeit in lower-tune, single-turbo form.

I went looking at one today and am devastated that I don’t fit. I just can’t get far enough away from the wheel - not unlike a Defender in that regard - unless I crush the legs of the rear seat passenger behind me. I doubt my boy would approve.

So, the Navara gets a reprieve for now. The Y62 Patrol keeps catching my eye, but to add enough fuel capacity to make a V8 petrol work in the desert, you have to relocate the spare wheel, and you can’t upgrade the hydraulic suspension to cope with the weight... it’s just not right, even if it is a damn fine piece of machinery.
 
P
#24 ·
Has the new Ford arrived with you yet as on paper it sounds quite a step forward. We are hoping to have a look as soon as we can.
Not sure what they have done to get 213BHP and 500nm torque out of a 2l diesel that matched to a 10 speed auto (from Mustang)should fit the bill. Always been anti ford due to the way they burn diesel but they say these are pretty frugal.
 
#25 ·
popsdosh said:
Has the new Ford arrived with you yet as on paper it sounds quite a step forward. We are hoping to have a look as soon as we can.

Not sure what they have done to get 213BHP and 500nm torque out of a 2l diesel that matched to a 10 speed auto (from Mustang)should fit the bill. Always been anti ford due to the way they burn diesel but they say these are pretty frugal.
Click to expand...

That 2.0 diesel is not yet available on the Ranger, although you can pre-order the Raptor which has it. However you can buy it in the Everest wagon.

Unfortunately it prices itself against both the Y62 Patrol and the 200 Landcruiser, and it is a class below them in size. The Patrol absolutely slaughters the Everest in performance and space, while the Cruiser matches performance (albeit from more than double the engine capacity), has more space, and is more established as a “serious” 4WD.

It does sell, but it won’t set the market afire. Most Australian 4WD buyers are skeptical of small capacity engines, and the Ranger’s current sales are built to a very large extent on its big lazy engine.
 
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