Hi! i currently own a nissan Patrol Gr, as it is the only car big enough to pull our caravan. However, a few weeks ago i downsized the van, and taking the new one on holiday, i somehow managed to damage a piston!!! As you can imagine, the pickup company werent happy when i told them the news! So, does anyone know WHY this happens, the car only has 70000miles on it and for a diesel thats peanuts! So, any info gratefully recieved. I have to get a new engine installed now as the damage costs well exceeds £4k so a new engine is cheaper. Im going to sell it aswell as i no longer trust it and i will almost certaintly purchase the terrano. Cheers for any info!

 

well a blown piston it self souldn't cost 4000...bout 500 tops if you get the work done at a shop. as for why...could be heat(cause by anything from bad valve timing to exhaust gas back up from a bad cat)expanding the rings and causing them to seize on the cylinder or the heat melting a thin spot on the piston...if it was complete piston failure, could have been a stuck valve causing detination to have no where to go( altough this usually results in rod failure...some times a weak piston can go before the rod) and last but definatly not least if the oil was gunked up then oil might not have been hiting the cylinder in question. but a word of advice...if the guy that told ya bout the piston condition was the same one that wanted to charge ya 4k...get a second opinion...could have been anything from hydrolock to timing belt failure...lol. if you have anything more specific you need answers about feel free to ask and you shall recieve