Nissan Vanette: common faults & what to check

Which Nissan Vanette are you looking at?

2 generation variants documented. Pick the shape you recognise: the faults, the servicing and the timeline below all narrow to it. Free, no account needed.

Engine not documented

2 variants documented

1985–1994C221985–1994C22Engine not documented for this generationEngine not documentedDocumented issues5 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Tennen-Gas via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

1994–1999S211994–1999S21Engine not documented for this generationEngine not documentedDocumented issues5 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: TTTNIS via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Start your free check on this Nissan Vanette

No plate needed. You get the risk score, the buyer's checklist and the guided inspection for the exact car you picked above — not the whole nameplate.

The checks worth doing on a Nissan Vanette before you hand over any money. Every documented fault is listed below, each with its own page.

• Serious issue

  Open the coolant header tank with the engine stone cold and look at what is in it: it should be clean and coloured, not brown, oily-filmed or rusty.

  See why

  LD20 head gasket failure and a warped head — overheating that costs the engine

  Head gasket failure is the LD20's best-known way of ending, and on a van it is made likelier by where the engine sits: buried under the cab with far less airflow than a car engine gets. Once the gasket goes, coolant and oil mix, compression drops away and the head itself usually warps from the heat, so the repair becomes a machining job rather than a gasket. Owners often meet it as a van that has been slowly using coolant with no visible leak for months. On a thirty-year-old van the bill can easily exceed what the vehicle is worth, so this is the check that decides whether to buy at all.

  What you would notice

  • Coolant level dropping with no puddle underneath
  • Creamy or brown sludge on the underside of the oil filler cap
  • White smoke from the exhaust that does not clear once warm
  • Temperature gauge climbing on a hill or in traffic
  • Bubbling in the header tank with the engine running
  • Heater blowing cold when the engine is hot

  Typically $1,500–$4,500 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Arrange the viewing so the van has not been warmed up, and hear the first cold start yourself.

  See why

  LD20 injection pump wear and hot-restart failure

  The LD20 diesel in these vans uses a mechanical injection pump, and pump wear is the fault that ends most of them. The classic pattern is a van that starts perfectly from cold, drives fine, and then refuses to restart once it is hot — cranking away with no fire until it has stood and cooled. A failing fuel cut solenoid on the pump gives the same symptom, and it is worth ruling out first because it is far cheaper. Poor fuel and long gaps between filter changes both bring pump wear on faster. Parts for these vans are also increasingly hard to find new, so a pump problem can mean a long wait as well as a bill.

  What you would notice

  • Starts every time cold, will not restart when hot
  • Long cranking after a fuel or shopping stop
  • Loss of power or a stumble under load once warm
  • Diesel weeping around the injection pump

  Typically $900–$2,800 to put right.

What these repairs cost on other cars

Some of the Nissan Vanette’s documented faults are repairs other models share. Each page lists the documented NZ cost for every model it affects.

• Head Gasket Repair Cost

Other Nissan models