Nissan TD42T engine: known problems

Used in 2 guides · 4169cc diesel · 6 known problems

Displacement

4169cc

Fuel

diesel

Known problems6

Everything our guides list for the variants with this engine: the engine itself plus the gearbox and ancillaries it's paired with. Each shows which cars it's listed for.

High

Head gasket / overheating under load

Turbocharging stresses the cooling system; neglected coolant, radiator or fan clutch under heavy towing can cook the head gasket or crack the head.

Fix: Upgrade radiator and cooling, fit an EGT/boost gauge, and keep the system maintained. Verify it isn't a cheap home-brew turbo install.

Any · ~$1500-3500

Listed for: Nissan Patrol GQ

High

Overheating / head gasket if cooling neglected

The TD42 is reliable provided cooling is maintained; a tired radiator, fan clutch or worked-hard turbo conversion can cook the head gasket.

Fix: Keep cooling system fresh (radiator, fan clutch, coolant). Upgrade radiator on turbo'd examples.

Any · ~$1500-3500

Listed for: Nissan Patrol Y61

Medium

Turbo bearing/seal wear and oil feed

Turbo bearings and seals wear with age and hard use, especially where oil-feed/return lines are tired or the unit was run hard.

Fix: Turbo recondition or replacement; ensure clean oil supply and let it idle-cool after hard runs.

From 150k+ km · ~$800-2000

Listed for: Nissan Patrol GQ

Medium

Lighter late-build internals

Post-1994 TD42T engines used lighter internals and are reportedly less indestructible than the early NA TD42, so a heavily worked example can be more fragile.

Fix: Don't over-tune; keep boost and EGTs sensible and the cooling healthy.

From 200k+ km · Varies

Listed for: Nissan Patrol GQ

Medium

Injector pump and injector wear

Mechanical injection pump and injectors wear at very high km, causing hard starting, smoke and lost power.

Fix: Diesel-specialist pump and injector rebuild. Many examples have already had this done - ask for records.

From 250k+ km · ~$1500-3000

Listed for: Nissan Patrol Y61

Low

Tired/aged ancillaries

These are old vehicles - expect perished hoses, weeping seals, worn suspension bushes and engine mounts.

Fix: Budget for a refresh of consumables on purchase.

Any (age) · Varies

Listed for: Nissan Patrol Y61

Cars with the TD42T2

Nissan Patrol GQ (Y60)

1987-1997 · 4.2L TD42T turbo diesel

Value

Nissan Patrol Y61 (GU)

1997-2016 · 4.2L TD42 / TD42Ti diesel

Value

From the FlamingCars guides for these cars. Specs are shown only where the guides agree and the value is verified.