Nissan Navara: TD27T Injection Pump Wear and Fuel Delivery Failure

The TD27T indirect-injection diesel fitted to early D22 Navaras suffers injection pump wear at high mileage, particularly in vehicles operated on contaminated or poor-quality diesel. Bosch and Zexel rotary pumps lose delivery pressure as internal tolerances open up with wear. Hard cold starting and progressive power loss are the typical progression. Replacement pumps are increasingly second-hand or require specialist rebuild as new-old-stock parts dry up.

• Difficult or slow cold starting requiring extended cranking
• Progressive loss of power under load
• Rough or hunting idle
• Excessive black smoke on hard acceleration
• Fuel knock or clatter on cold start

1. 1

   Test cold starting – engine should fire within 3–5 seconds after glow plug warm-up cycle.

2. 2

   Observe smoke colour under hard acceleration.

3. 3

   Check for any injection pump service history.

4. 4

   Ask about fuel source and whether any biodiesel or contaminated fuel has been used.

Parts involved: High-pressure fuel pump.

$1,500 to $3,800 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “Has the injection pump ever been serviced or rebuilt?”
• “Where is the vehicle fuelled and has any off-spec diesel been used?”
• “Does it start reliably in cold conditions?”

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.