A Nissan Patrol will do 500,000 km if you service the right things. It will also eat a head gasket at 180,000 km if you service the wrong things and skip the ones that matter. The factory schedule is written for a Patrol that commutes. Yours probably tows, beaches, or both. This is the list we actually work to.

Engine, by engine

TD42 and TD42T (4.2 diesel). Gear-driven timing, so there is no timing belt to change despite what half the internet says. Oil and filter every 5,000 km with a 15W-40 diesel oil; the TD42 holds 10–11 litres of engine oil with the filter. Confirm the final level on the dipstick after filling and running the engine. The turbo models run hotter and the oil goes black fast; don't stretch it. Valve clearances every 40,000 km, and if you've never had them done the engine is probably noisy because of it. Coolant every two years without fail: the TD42's weak spot is the head when it's overheated once, and the GQ radiator cores are old now.

ZD30 DI and CRD (3.0 diesel). Everything on this engine comes back to boost, fuel and air. The factory MAF, EGR and intake arrangement is what gives the ZD30 its reputation. Oil every 5,000 km, and we mean 5,000; the small sump and high piston temperatures punish old oil. Clean or replace the MAF when it's serviced. If it's a DI with no boost control fitted, fitting one is a service item, not an upgrade. Fuel filter every 10,000 km on the CRD; common-rail injectors don't forgive water.

RD28 and RD28T (2.8 diesel). This one does have a timing belt: 100,000 km, and do the tensioner and water pump with it. The RD28 head cracks between the valves when it's run hot, so the cooling system matters more than on any other Patrol engine.

TB42, TB45, TB48 (petrol). Timing chains, not belts. Plugs and leads at the book interval, and watch the TB45's coolant: they run warm towing and the factory fan clutch is often tired by now.

Driveline: the bit people skip

Swivel hubs. Every GQ and GU. Oil, not grease, in the swivel housings, and they leak into the front diff over time. Rebuild with new seals and king-pin bearings around 150,000 km, or when you can feel play with the wheel at 12 and 6. Set the preload properly or the death wobble starts.

Wheel bearings. Front bearings are a known Patrol service item. Repack and set at every second service if you do beach work; salt water gets past the hub seals.

Diff and transfer oils. Every 40,000 km, or 20,000 km with towing or water crossings. Check for milky oil after any creek crossing. See our Patrol diffs guide for the H233B and H260 specifics.

Breathers. Extend the front diff, rear diff, transfer and gearbox breathers up into the engine bay. The factory ones sit low and the first deep crossing fills a diff with water.

Free-wheeling hubs. Pull them apart, clean and grease once a year. A seized hub is the most common reason a GQ won't go into 4WD on the beach.

Uni joints and centre bearing. Grease the unis at every service; the rear shaft on a GU is long and the centre bearing lets go around 200,000 km.

Cooling system

The single biggest killer of Patrol engines is heat. Coolant every two years with the correct Nissan-spec coolant, radiator cap tested, viscous fan clutch checked (it should roar on a cold start and fade), and the radiator rodded or replaced if it's original on a GQ. If you tow, fit a transmission cooler on an auto; the factory one is inside the radiator and is marginal.

Brakes and suspension

GU front rotors warp if they're machined too thin; replace rather than machine once they're near minimum. GQ rear drums need adjusting. Check radius arm bushes and panhard bushes at every service; they're what stops a Patrol wandering, and they wear fast once a lift is fitted. Shocks on a touring Patrol are done at 60,000 km regardless of how they look.

Body and electrical

Rust starts in the rear wheel arches, the sills under the rear doors and the GU's rear quarter behind the bumper. Wash the underside after the beach. Electrically, the GQ's main earth strap and the GU's chassis-to-body earths corrode, and the symptom is everything from dim lights to a non-starting engine. Clean the earths before you replace the alternator.

Our service schedule, in short

  • Every 5,000 km: engine oil and filter, grease unis, check swivel hub oil, tyre pressures and rotate.
  • Every 10,000 km: fuel filter (CRD), air filter, brake inspection, bushes and shocks checked.
  • Every 20,000 km: diff, transfer and gearbox oils if you tow or beach; free-wheeling hubs cleaned.
  • Every 40,000 km: all driveline oils regardless, valve clearances (TD42), wheel bearings repacked.
  • Every 2 years: coolant, brake fluid, radiator cap and fan clutch check.
  • 100,000 km: RD28 timing belt, water pump and tensioner.
  • 150,000 km: swivel hub rebuild.

We do all of this in Burleigh Heads, on Patrols only, and we'll tell you what your particular Patrol is due for after one look under it. Book online or call 07 3924 3317.