Engine Swap for a 2008 Navara D40 ST-X 4x4 2.5L Diesel Spanish Auto

[vak82]

Hi All, wonderful community btw...

I've got a 2008 Navara D40 ST-X 4x4 2.5L Diesel Spanish Build Auto with about 190,000km on it. Unfortunately, it's got a cracked head and has suffered numerous overheating issues (needle has reached 3/4 up the scale each time it overheated before pulling up (EGR Cooler Fail and coolant being spat out of the overflow reservoir bottle ).

Rather than going down the path of repairing or getting a replacement cylinder head and fixing any other potential issues that may arise, I'm seriously looking down the path of swapping the engine out with a fresher and younger engine.

Just wondering, is there a difference between the engines used in a Spanish or Thai built Navaras or are there any compatibility issues? If I got an engine that was previously installed in a manual Navara, how much more complex would it be to swap it over? Also, what other year model Navara's (or Nissan's for that matter) would have the same engine that could be a straight forward swap? Ie. is the engine used in an 08 Narava D40 the same engine used in all the Navara D40 Series (2004 – 2015).

Any advice, recommendations or stories would be much appreciated. I'm not pressured for time as I've got a spare corolla to get around. But I would love to get this vehicle back on the road.

Cheers,

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome aboard.

You've got a 126kW engine, which was in at least the 2007 to 2011 models. Manual vs auto should not be a drama, you won't need to take the ECU across, but you will need to register the injectors in the ECU. Most everything else will just be like a "normal" (maybe read that as "old style" ) engine swap.

Of course, the usual caveats apply - with a 2nd hand engine, you don't know what you're getting, you don't know how the engine was treated etc. I'd wager that my own Navara's (2009 auto, approaching 350,000km) is in better nick than a lot of engines with half the km on them (no leaks, no rumbles, it's all smooth go-go-go). I wouldn't replace my engine with a 2nd hand unit - I'd either get a reco engine or have mine reconditioned.

Replacing the head is a fair task - but it does give you the opportunity to do things like check timing chains and tensioners, injectors, cylinder walls etc. It's a path you might consider, especially if you have access to a mechanic you can trust.

Note that a reconditioned engine ought to have new bearings and everything in it, and ought to last just as well as a new one (minus metal fatigue, but the diesels are built strong so that shouldn't be too much of a drama). A reco will also have had its timing chains put in properly - something they don't always get right.

But if you can trust the mechanic - or if you're handy enough to DIY - replacing the head is an option to consider.