Pete22
Member
I haven't checked in for quite a while mainly because I've been out on the wallaby. Just completed an 18,994km trip around Australia which included a loop through the Kimberley. I won't turn this into a travelogue but will concentrate on how my Navara performed. Problems started on Day 2 on the road when I started getting some intermittent power losses......and fuel consumption increased to around the 19-20 ltrs per 100km. I got as far as Charleville in Qld before calling it quits and sorting the problem out. Took the ute into South West Nissan and the guys soon narrowed the problem down to the turbo. Unfortunately it was going to take Nissan somewhere from 5 to 10 days to get me a new turbo so I contacted my son who manages a large Repco store and he was able to get me a new turbo direct from Garret to Charleville overnight. The Nissan guys too just 3 hours to get me going once they had the turbo. I can certainly recommend this Nissan dealership for great customer service if you happen to be in the area.
Back on the road again and the first thing I notice was the massive increase in power. So much so that I reckon that the turbo had been well short of its best for some time. Next thing I noticed was the massive improvement in fuel consumption - down from the previous guzzling to a very respectable 13 ltrs/100 km.........and I was fully loaded in the tub and towing my 1.4 tonne off road campertrailer. Gotta be happy with that eh??
No further issues for the next few weeks........not until she stopped altogether when I was in the most remote part of the Kimberley at the Mitchell Falls. Symptoms were: all dash light on when key turned on....including the NATS light for the immobilizer....power was at the starter motor but the bugger wouldn't turn over. Also for some reason the A/C thermo fan was on all the time. Inspection of the engine bay also found the fuel filter had broken off the firewall and the lower radiator shroud had come adrift......both falling victim to horrific corrugations of the Kalumburu and Port Warrender Roads. Did I mention that the corrugations were bad??
Anyway I was just 3km short of the campsite at Mitchell Falls NP when the car stopped so after failing to find the problem after a couple of hours in the 38 degree heat we towed it into camp. I thought my luck was in as there were a couple of young fellas there who just happened to be a mechanic and auto sparky!!! They went all over the car.....identified the problem as something to do with the immobilizer and throttle actuator - not communicating with the ECU. Checked all fuse boxes, engine bay and cabin, but not a single blown fuse. Checked all relays.......no problems on test. Bottom line couldn't get the car going again. Fast forward 2 days and the RAC recovery truck arrived from Kununurra to pick me up (cost $6,500.....$3,000 paid for by NRMA and $3,500 out of my pocket
). After another 2 days on the road.....camping rough and travelling rough with 3 adults in the front of a 10 tonne tray truck - and we arrived back in Kununurra. The guys at the RAC workshop got stuck in trying to isolate the problem and to cut a longer story short.....it was a bloody fuse after all.....but wait for it.......NOT located in any of the fuse boxes but in the lower section of the large black box to the rear of the ABS (see photo). So the repair only cost 20 cents.......a couple hundred to weld up a new bracket to remount the fuel filter. Also had to replace the shocks on my camper as they shit themselves on the run back being towed behind the trayback.
Once the Nav was running again we hit the road westward again......back across the bitumen to Broome and then on down the west coast and back home. I emptied my catch can again when I got home and surprise surprise.....while it had a bit of sludge in it it was about 2/3rds full of water.......buggered if'n I know where that came from. Also the alternator front bearing is on the way out too I think from the noise (again an intermittent noise) it is making. Also sounds like my timing chain is going slack again.......it was replaced at 104000km and now have 166000km on the clock.
Anyway I just happened to be walking past the local Toyota dealer last week and asked him what sort of deal he would do me.......I was quite happy with his response so I should pick up my new 3.0 ltr auto SR5 HiLux next week......and the build for off roading starts again.
Notwithstanding that I had a few problems with the Navara it wasn't too bad a car overall. I just wasn't prepared to take on the NP300 as the first in the line and I didn't want to be let down again as I head out on the road again shortly. Both of my most recent loooooong trips....ie Cape York and Kimberley have involved a piggy back on an RAC truck.......here's hoping I have a little more luck with the new yota.
Back on the road again and the first thing I notice was the massive increase in power. So much so that I reckon that the turbo had been well short of its best for some time. Next thing I noticed was the massive improvement in fuel consumption - down from the previous guzzling to a very respectable 13 ltrs/100 km.........and I was fully loaded in the tub and towing my 1.4 tonne off road campertrailer. Gotta be happy with that eh??
No further issues for the next few weeks........not until she stopped altogether when I was in the most remote part of the Kimberley at the Mitchell Falls. Symptoms were: all dash light on when key turned on....including the NATS light for the immobilizer....power was at the starter motor but the bugger wouldn't turn over. Also for some reason the A/C thermo fan was on all the time. Inspection of the engine bay also found the fuel filter had broken off the firewall and the lower radiator shroud had come adrift......both falling victim to horrific corrugations of the Kalumburu and Port Warrender Roads. Did I mention that the corrugations were bad??
Anyway I was just 3km short of the campsite at Mitchell Falls NP when the car stopped so after failing to find the problem after a couple of hours in the 38 degree heat we towed it into camp. I thought my luck was in as there were a couple of young fellas there who just happened to be a mechanic and auto sparky!!! They went all over the car.....identified the problem as something to do with the immobilizer and throttle actuator - not communicating with the ECU. Checked all fuse boxes, engine bay and cabin, but not a single blown fuse. Checked all relays.......no problems on test. Bottom line couldn't get the car going again. Fast forward 2 days and the RAC recovery truck arrived from Kununurra to pick me up (cost $6,500.....$3,000 paid for by NRMA and $3,500 out of my pocket
). After another 2 days on the road.....camping rough and travelling rough with 3 adults in the front of a 10 tonne tray truck - and we arrived back in Kununurra. The guys at the RAC workshop got stuck in trying to isolate the problem and to cut a longer story short.....it was a bloody fuse after all.....but wait for it.......NOT located in any of the fuse boxes but in the lower section of the large black box to the rear of the ABS (see photo). So the repair only cost 20 cents.......a couple hundred to weld up a new bracket to remount the fuel filter. Also had to replace the shocks on my camper as they shit themselves on the run back being towed behind the trayback.Once the Nav was running again we hit the road westward again......back across the bitumen to Broome and then on down the west coast and back home. I emptied my catch can again when I got home and surprise surprise.....while it had a bit of sludge in it it was about 2/3rds full of water.......buggered if'n I know where that came from. Also the alternator front bearing is on the way out too I think from the noise (again an intermittent noise) it is making. Also sounds like my timing chain is going slack again.......it was replaced at 104000km and now have 166000km on the clock.
Anyway I just happened to be walking past the local Toyota dealer last week and asked him what sort of deal he would do me.......I was quite happy with his response so I should pick up my new 3.0 ltr auto SR5 HiLux next week......and the build for off roading starts again.
Notwithstanding that I had a few problems with the Navara it wasn't too bad a car overall. I just wasn't prepared to take on the NP300 as the first in the line and I didn't want to be let down again as I head out on the road again shortly. Both of my most recent loooooong trips....ie Cape York and Kimberley have involved a piggy back on an RAC truck.......here's hoping I have a little more luck with the new yota.
