Aftermarket Turbo GQ Patrol TD42

Q. Is there anything that I would need to do to my GQ Patrol TD42 internally before fitting an aftermarket turbo? It’s at 285,000km and I will definitely be getting the injectors done and the pump timing set at the same time, but I keep hearing these stories about the pistons and rings, and even the conrods being different between the factory turbo and the non-turbo motors. It’s taken me a year to put aside the cash for the turbo and exhaust, and the last thing I want to do is blow the motor up turbocharging it incorrectly! What about the cooling system, in your experience does it need upgrading?

A. Perfect machine to do that on and our ‘Project Nissan’ which had done 499,000km when we bought it has just had its turbo and exhaust put on. Just do some basic checks like when the motor is hot undo the rocker cover oil filler cap and if lots of gases blast out then forget it. If none or barely a whisper of gas is floating out then she is fine for turbo charging. Cooling system should be fine for the job. Make sure it’s all clean and new in coolant. Just remember over fuelling blows up Turbo Diesels NOT Turbos. Be sure when this is all performed you have dyno before and after results as well as AFR (Air Fuel Ratio) mapped so you can see how rich/lean it is. Always remember in a Diesel: - Rich is HOT Lean is COOL.