Hello from Geelong

[d.j.]

Hello all, im Dave. A few years back ( believe back when it was Navara.asia) i had joined the forum with a d21, a 2wd dual cab with a z24. Had that ute for about 3 years which i sold and took up with a gq patrol for another 5, ended up with a jimny in 2016 and sold that just before the rona hit. have just taken a 2018 series 3 d23 nav, just picked up this evening. Its got 70k on the clock, a good start of accessories already on it which I hope to add some drawers, dual batteries and my wife said she wants the i-drive..... she did the test drive last weekend and said it was a bit sluggish ( compared to her escape) i showed her a video of a before and after i-drive and the next thing i hear is " ooh i want one of those"

Im looking to do some mods in stages to hopefully prolong the life of the car , starting with a catch can. Im at two minds of doing a secondary fuel filter. Is there anything else i should do to get more life or is it a bit of hit snd miss?

 

[Old.Tony]

Welcome ... back? Cool!

I'm a skeptic about the iDrive, because it really does only modify what the ECU is being told about how hard you're pressing your foot on the go pedal. It doesn't remap the injection process, or the boost levels, it only works on the accelerator pedal input. It's actually deceptive, in that you'll expect a certain amount of throttle to give you a certain amount of 'go' and you're actually getting more - but you're just getting the same 'more' as if you pressed the pedal harder.

A second filter isn't a terrible idea but - at least in the YD25s, so possible with the D23s - it can cause fuel delivery issues, usually solved by a lift pump in the line before the filters. Personally, I don't have a second filter on mine, I just change it regularly (mine is serviced regularly) and I drive the car fairly sedately (even when towing).

Apart from that, just make sure the car sits idling for a minute after any hard driving (eg climbing hills or freeway speeds) so the turbo can cool back down and if you're going to cold climates (alpine regions) and intend to stay overnight, make sure you use winterised fuel. A snorkel would be good for offroading and you'll hear people say it keeps intake air temps down, but while that's completely true, the performance gain will be barely (if at all) noticeable. Having it - properly installed and sealed - will be of benefit when doing water crossings.

A lot of the changes do depend on what you want to do with the car. Long-haul towing comfort is improved with Clearview mirrors, plush wool seat covers and some decent lights for night travel. Towing is also improved by switching to dual-rate springs on the rear so that unloaded and loaded response is similar. Remote outback travel requires extra spares, a good compressor for varying tyre pressures, possibly a HF radio and a good first aid kit + Epirb.

 

[d.j.]

Thanks for the advice Tony, i was a bit skeptic myself on the I-drive, many people i know have them reckon they are good but they dont really change much in power. Its going to be a while before we head off for trips so im focusing on prevention. As with the catch can had been reading up and i keep coming across bottom radiator hose rubs on the a/c pulley? I have yet to check mine but sounds like something serious almost like a recall item....

Heres a pic of the rig, took it for a fair drive this morning, pulls a bit to the left so ill probably need to book in a front ender, the previous owner replaced the front springs too so when i saw it had looked lifted but i suspect is standard. (Have original suspension spares plus upper control arms and factory sus is in rear)
When I asked the dealer they couldnt explain the spares all they said was previous owner traded in for a ranger.

 

[Old.Tony]

It looks like it's a bit higher than standard. That can cause the steering geometry to change. Ideally, you need a steering setup that allows more adjustment than standard - my local tyre guy told me to get some parts with additional eccentric adjustment (I gave the paper to Pedders who did the work). Pedders also did the wheel alignment and sent me on my way (we were heading to a race meet, with a big trip afterwards). No, I won't go back to Pedders, they didn't inspire me with their "sorry mate, you've got a widget that can be fully adjusted but we can't adjust it" BS!