First TD Ute ever, need help.

[Simonness]

Hi guys,

Im Simon and this is my first TD ever.
I used to drive a Honda Civic and so this ute is totally different and i have no idea what to do.

If you guys could answer afew questions or link me a thread, it would help me alot or even save my ute from driving it wrong

Please remember i used to drive a Civic so dnt go nuts when i ask how to drive a TD ute.

Its a Navara 2006, 3ltr TD Manuel, all stock parts, Nissan bullbar. ST-R model and all stock ( i think )



1. under normal conditions, when should i change gears? ( in a civic it was between 3000-4000 rpm )

2. whats its cruising speed? can i reach 120km on the high way?

3. When i turn right in 2nd gear, eg round about, i lose all power around 2.5k rpm, for a second and get heaps of smoke out the back, is that normal?

4. When i turn hard, eg up my drive way, i get a clanging/banging noise from the front end, wtf is that?

thanks all for now guys, iv only had it for 3 days so im still trying to learn it.

 

[KraftyPg]

Welcome to the forums Simon

As far as I'm concerned the answer to your first question is when the vehicle tells you to, just like any manual the engine will tell you if your gear selection is right or wrong. Some will swear by higher revs before changing means better take off and better driving, some well say you don't always need high revs or high revs immediately. Doesn't matter what manual vehicle I drive I rarely watch the tacho for changing gears, listening to the engine tells you what you need and no two vehicles are identical as are no two drivers so I'd be listening to what your car is telling you over above anyone else.

Number 2, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to get to 120 most cars on the roads today will do so but why and do you really need to travel at 120 are two questions I'd counter with. As for an cruising speed that will once again vary depending on whether you want to cruise to conserve fuel, cruise to get someplace 3 mins before someone else or cruise along with the rest of the traffic but either way cruising at 120 should be achievable from a Nav.

Number 3 and 4, I'm no expert on those matters from those descriptions but I'd be getting someone to check them out, or at very least getting the dealer who sold it to you to check them out.

 

[Simonness]

Thanks Krafty for a quick reply.

Well the reason i asked about cruising speeds is that the second day i had it, i drove to work, about 30kms. i cruised at 110kmph and then suddenly i got power drop and Malfunction Indicator popped up.

i pulled over, read the manuel, says i had to drain the water from fuel filter and bleed air from the fuel lines, which i did.

Started engine again, seems all good, cruised at 110kmph and it happened again!! i did the same thing again. got to work fine.

I got home fine aswel, i jst dnt want it to happen again lol, taking it back to Nissan on monday and going a 50,000km service while im there.

get them to check the engine, front suspension, check Air Con, new oil etc etc.

the car is almost brand new and im not very happy atm.

 

[Matt76]

It really does take a bit of getting used to driving a diesel, I am guessing maybe your 2nd gear problems at roundabouts may just be too much throttle, Diesels don't make too much difference whether you give about 10% throttle or full throttle, so I do most of my driving at about 10% throttle, rarely do you need to floor it like you would with a petrol, and when you do it's best to slowly feed it on as the engine can use more fuel.

I really hope I havent sounded like you are silly, they are just very different to petrols. You will love it!

You will easily get 120 on the highway.

I think the clunking noise is just a steering stop that needs a bit of grease, the D22 boys will be able to tell you more on where that is.

 

[tweak'e]

1. under normal conditions, when should i change gears? ( in a civic it was between 3000-4000 rpm )

normal driving 2000-3000rpm. obviously around town you can get awy with 1000-2000rpm and booting it 3000-4000rpm. thing to remember is power drops off after 3500rpm and all gone by 4000rpm. also power really drops off under 2000rpm.. the trick is to change so it lands in a good rpm ie if you change to low it will go under 2000rpm and you will have no power at all and will have to change back.

2. whats its cruising speed? can i reach 120km on the high way?

what ever you want it to be. just be aware these are two ton bricks, not a moderatly aerodynamic lightweight civic. so fuel consumption increases rapidly over 100km/h and don't forget braking and handling. these are not cars, these are like driving a 1950's car on skinny tires.
if you have mud tires on its really easy to drive faster than the tires grip on tarseal.
much easier, safer and CHEAPER to keep your speed down.

3. When i turn right in 2nd gear, eg round about, i lose all power around 2.5k rpm, for a second and get heaps of smoke out the back, is that normal?

not good, certainly not normal. it would pay to put that up separately in the tech section. include what colour smoke you get.

4. When i turn hard, eg up my drive way, i get a clanging/banging noise from the front end, wtf is that?

your hard on the steering stops. probably worn the caps off. you can replace them and grease the stops. best thing is to back off on the steering. turning circle is crap compared to a car so don't bother trying to turn sharp.

 

[Simonness]

Yer i checked the Steering Stops, worn out and the metal on the frame is dented and worn out aswel, didnt know you couldnt lock the steering, my civic was ok with it, my bad on the new ute thing.

 

[tweak'e]

Thanks Krafty for a quick reply.

Well the reason i asked about cruising speeds is that the second day i had it, i drove to work, about 30kms. i cruised at 110kmph and then suddenly i got power drop and Malfunction Indicator popped up.

sorry didn't see your post before. really need to get the error code read.

you won't get smoke because of too much throttle. theres nothing after half throttle anyway, just have to watch out for that nissan "feature" as it can literally be a killer.

if your smoke was white and the fuel cut could be air leak into the fuel lines. (pumps sucking air in). black could be to much EGR if egr valve is sticking open.

 

[Simonness]

ah i should check the smoke aye.

what will happen if i locked the front wheels ( the hub thing ) but leave it in 2H?

sorry, stupid questions lol

 

[Aido]

Locking the hubs and driving in 2h is a good thing and should be done at least once a month to keep the diff turning over - it will do no damage but will raise fuel consumption marginally. Just lock the hubs one day of every month if you are not using the vehicle offroad that often. Do not run the vehicle in 4h or 4L on tarmac though cause thats bad mmmmmkay?
As for your noises from the front at full lock. The arms have dents / depressions in them as standard, dont think that any damage has been caused. The stoppers for want of a better description have a plastic coating over the dome end that contacts the lower control arm - there are 4 in total, 2 to each side. If the plastic has worn through get them replaced but to save $ do it yourself they just screw in but Nissan stealers will screw you on labour to do it. to stop the noise and wear occurring just add a reasonable amount of grease to the heads of the lock stops and smear some on the control arme where they contact. Apply as often as required but is dependant upon how the vehicle is used - if offroad and in mud and gets washed with pressure washer underneath then it is very regularly but if you are on the highway only then perhaps annualy.
Power wise I believe the 3 litre is better than the current 2.5 for down low torque and turbo lag but you just have to know that a diesel has got only a small window of power unlike a small 4cyl petrol that has a reasonably linear power delivery. Use the gears to keep the engine between 2000 and 3500 and you should be able to keep it all very smooth.
HTH
Welcome to the forum too

 

[Simonness]

Thanks Aido, that was alot of info i needed.

I think the car has been a demo car and i dnt think they treat it very well either.

oh yes, the smoke out the back is white/grey from the power cut off.

I got another engine malfunction indicator just now from cruising at 110kmph, switched engine off all the way, drained the water ( or diesel ) from the fuel filter and pumped the air out. kinda gay that iv done it 3 times in the 3 days i had it..

hehe 4H n 4L, bad on road, got it =] but 2H with wheels locked, does that effect the steering? il try it tomorrow.

 

[tweak'e]

if its only stuttering and blowing smoke on the turn then i'm picking you have an air leak. very important not to have air being sucked into the fuel with these. the air screws up the timing (hence the white smoke) and also the pumps ecu is fuel cooled. but the ecu is on top of the pump where any air sits and stops the ecu being cooled.

 

[Simonness]

hmm..thats stupid.

i guessed i had an air leak, when i has to bleed the fuel lines ( by pumping it ) it felt real soft and i heard a slurpy noise for afew pumps.

the engine bay is spotless clean, im fairly sure it hasnt been driven off road, il tell nissan about this, those idiots.

thats the only problem so far. you rekon it'l cost alot? i just bought it and it already costed my an arm and a leg, i got nothing to give haha

 

[j2m5k6]

sounds like you may have water in the fuel tank as well ?

 

[Simonness]

man i have no idea..i saw it at a dealer, test drove it only for afew mins so i didnt notice anything wrong with it.

Nogotiated price, paid, picked up and drove it the nxt day with problems..boo!!

how do i check if theres water in the tank? how to i remove the water/ diesel and how did it get in there in the first place.

 

[DVR]

I can tell you how the water gets in a tank and maybe someone else can help with the rest.
Everytime the tank is opened and you hear air being sucked in, that air carries with it moisture. Over time that moisture builds up in the tank till it becomes a problem. If the car lives in humid a climate its worse. It happens in EVERY tank (fuel,brake) on EVERY vehicle.

Mind you, I think at this point it's only a possibility that you got water there. If your worried get it inspected by the RAA, NRMA or what ever you got locally

 

[justdrinkbeer]

If you bought it from a dealer they should fix it no questions

 

[DVR]

If you bought it from a dealer they should fix it no questions

ROFL....no questions????

 

[DVR]

On second thoughts you might be right so long as it's not a NISSAN dealer ROFL

 

[Simonness]

well il mkae usre i mention the problem to them when i take it back to them today.

iv got a list of stuff thats faulty and its been less then week!!

only minor problems ( for now ) but i would expected a car from Nissan to be fully functional with zero problems, they have friggin mechanics on site!

i even have to adjust the headlights cause i cant see anything past 3metres lol

 

[tweak'e]

any water in the tank quickly gets caught in the filter. these pump so much fuel around the tanks gets stirred up fairly well and the entire tank load of fuel gets pump through the fuel filter every 5-10 minutes or so.

but i would replace the fuel filter. check the old one for signs of water or sludge. its also the most common place for an air leak.
i would do it myself or get a good known garage to do it. the dealer will probably get the same idiot to do it that stuff it up in the first place !

dealers are very good at cleaning/touching up vehicles so its real hard to tell if its been off road etc. the amount of gravel rash underneath is sometimes a good sign of where its been.