Thread: Which Ute?

Originally Posted by maglite

The salesman reckons Nissan recommend servicing every 5000k and as i do a lot of kms this is a BIG concern, more than fuel cost to be honest.

Yep they do say that don't they
17,000 so far 2 services, 3rd this week I'd reckon

After all the info, I'm going to take a Musso our this week, for a test drive.

It seems to provide the best balance between purchase price and performance.

Will ley youse know how it goes, beinterested in any comments.

FYI - On special $25K plus on roads - pretty hard to beat, given the Merc diesel.

I don't beleive in the tooth fairy so will be looking for gotchyas.

A few words about EFI and Common Rail Injection Diesels. For most people this won't be a consideration but I thought I'd post it for the minority. Common Rail Injection Diesels are set up pretty much lika a petrol EFI motor. There's a common rail which is basically a tube full of pressurised fuel connected to all the injectors. The injectors are opened and closed electronically with the timing and duration of their opening being adjusted by a black box which takes into account all sorts of factors like revs, load, air flow through the intake manifold and degree of combustion in the exhuast. This means that the motor can develop more power whilst using less fuel than a conventional mechanically injected diesel (or carbueretor-fed petrol motor. All good so far.

The old mechanically injected diesel has a pump (or individual pumps, one for each injector) which sends a pulse of high pressure fuel to each injector at the appropriate time. The injector has a spring loaded valve which opens and closes according to the pressure of the fuel in the line. All the timing is varied mechanically and thus it can't react as quickly nor as subtly as the electronic version.

However.... if the black box decides it doesn't want to play any more, either because you've just drowned it in a deeper than anticipated creek crossing, or because ten years of driving on corrugated dirt roads have finally taken their toll, or maybe because all that humidity and dust has shorted out some important component, or maybe even because of a manufacturing fault or a level of quality control that is not up to aeronautical standards allowed a dodgy one through, well then, you're stuck. And if you reckon it never happens ask Woodborer how his last outback trip finished. .

With an old mechanically injected diesel you can run even if you have absolutely no battery. Find the fuel cutoff solenoid on the injection pump. Unscrw it from the body of the pump and plug the hole with a bolt. In an emergency if you can't find a bolt you could remove the end of the solenoid plunger by sawing or breaking it off and then replace it. Push start diesel (very easy to do). Drive to civilisation.

Again for most people it isn't a consideration, but I want to hang onto my ute for ten years or so. I should have it all decked out in the next twelve months - undertray storage boxes, water tank, 2nd battery, compressor, bull bar, winch, carry racks, diff breathers etc etc and I don't want to be doing this every three years or so. I have serious doubts that any computer controlled motor is going to be reliable at 10 plus years in the dusty and moist environment I live in. The extra power and better fuel economy would be great, but I'll just have to make do with the intercooler I just picked up.

I've also seen whay happens to a computer controlled diesel on a boat when something goes wrong. You bob around on the ocean whilst trying to raise someone on a helpline in Germany.

Mick

Its a bit like the old addage when efi cars come about... "no good you cant tune them"... well thats because you dont need too!(plug and play, in standard cars)
A system with fewer moving parts is generally going to be more reliable in the long run.
If your that paranoid about TBB carry a spare one!


TBB= The Black Box

Harry,
not being paranoid, just pointing out a possible achilles tendon. Woodborer had to have his car freighted back to civilisation when TBB decided to stop working. It meant his holiday was curtailed. There's lots of people up this way that rely on their 4wds on a daily basis. These people rarely drive on bitumen and often ford water crossings and generally hammer around on corrugated and potholed tracks. For people in such a situation a BB expiring is more than an inconvenience to their holiday. Also it's not just the BB expiring that's a problem, it's much worse when they start playing up intermittently because of dust and moisture build up in wire loom connections.
For most people buying a 4wd it's really not a problem, it's going to be a bitumen commuter for 99.9% of the time and will probably get traded in after 3 -4 years anyway. If it does break down when they're miles from nowhere on their off road trip it will give them a campfire story for years to come. For people who actually use their vehicle off road or in adverse conditions a lot of the time it's more important. How many urban dwellers would put up with a car that left them stranded on the side of the freeway without warning a few times? You need a vehicle you can rely on to get you where you want to go, without having to worry that it might stop for no reason.

Mick (not paranoid, just cautious)

Here's my Turbo Diesel SR5 and I love it !!!!

The wife and kids fit in it nicely although it's a better ride than many utes I've been in it is still a ute so not as smooth as the Pajero.

I drive it to Sydney once or twice a month and it sits on 120kph on cruise control at about 2,500rpm and about 10l / 100km. It's rated at 9 point something L / 100km.

I've done some 4WDriving in it and it handles it with ease. Mines an auto as well so it's very easy to drive.

Went camping over xmas last year and it carried us to the Sunshine coast and back carrying our 8 man tent and all the other stuff we needed for a three week camping trip.

The lockable hard lid on the back is great and comes off easily if you need to carry something large, although does require two people.

They're not cheap but oh what a feeling cruising passed Ssangyongs and Nissans.

HH.

Happy

Thats a great ute, and if all things were equal I'd get one, but...

I think they're about $50K, the Musso is $27K

$23K difference. That's a lot of tools, in fact a little less than half the average Oz annual salary. When you look at it that way, the value seems a bit thin.

Great truck tho and I'm sure it crups all over the Musso.

[quote=Pulpo]

4wd, if one back wheel spins no power for the other wheels.

sorry mate your wrong an awd car without a centre diff lock will lose all drive however a 4wd will still have full drive on the outher diff if you are loosing all drive in your 4wd ute by lifting one wheel you carnt be in 4wd.

shep