Nissan Navara/Frontier engines

The Nissan Navara / Frontier is a Japanese pickup vehicle manufactured since 1997 by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. In North America, the car is sold under the name Nissan Frontier, in Mexico – Nissan NP300, and in Chile – Nissan Terrano . Since 2014, the 3rd generation of the model has been produced. The car was named after the area / kingdom of Navarra in northern Spain. The machine is manufactured in the USA, China, Spain, Thailand, Mexico and other countries. On the basis of Navara, they produce a lot of special equipment and even mobile homes.

The Nissan Navara/Frontier was offered with 15 engines since 1985 (8 petrol, 7 diesel). Displacement ranges from 2.0 to 4.0 liters, power output from 75 to 265 hp. 3 use a timing chain and 3 a timing belt. 4 are turbocharged. The longest rated lifespan belongs to the Nissan VQ40DE (about 500,000 km).

Nissan Navara/Frontier engines by generation

EngineYearsVolumePowerFuelTimingOilLifespan
Nissan Navara 1 (D21) 1985–1997
Nissan VG30i1985–19893.0 L V6130–140 hppetrolbelt3.9 L~380,000 km
Nissan TD231985–19922.3 L R475 hpdieselgears6.2 L~440,000 km
Nissan TD251985–19972.5 L R475–80 hpdieselgears6.5 L~450,000 km
Nissan TD271985–19972.7 L R480–125 hpdiesel, NA / turbogears5.9–7.2 L~400,000 km
Nissan KA24E1990–19972.4 L R4115–140 hppetrolchain4.3 L~375,000 km
Nissan VG30E1990–19973.0 L V6150–180 hppetrolbelt3.9 L~390,000 km
Nissan Navara 2 (D22) 1997–2008
Nissan KA24DE1997–20082.4 L140–155 hppetrol4.1 L~350,000 km
Nissan KA24E1997–19992.4 L R4115–140 hppetrolchain4.3 L~375,000 km
Nissan VG33E1997–20043.3 L V6170–180 hppetrolbelt3.7 L~300,000 km
Nissan QD321997–20023.2 L R4100–110 hpdieselgears6.6 L~450,000 km
Nissan YD251998–20042.5 L R4150 hpdiesel, turbo~300,000 km
Nissan ZD301999–20043.0 L R4105–170 hpdiesel, NA / turbo6.3–6.9 L~250,000 km
Nissan KA20DE1999–20042.0 L R4120 hppetrolchain4.1 L~340,000 km
Nissan Frontier 2 (D40) 2004–2021
Nissan QR25DE2004–20212.5 L152 hppetrol5.1 L~300,000 km
Nissan VQ40DE2004–20214.0 L265 hppetrol5.1 L~500,000 km
Nissan Navara 2 (D40) 2004–present
Nissan YD252004–present2.5 L R4150 hpdiesel, turbo~300,000 km
Renault V9X2010–20153.0 L V6230–240 hpdiesel, turbochain8.3 L~250,000 km
Nissan Frontier 3 (D23) 2014–present
Nissan QR25DE2014–present2.5 L152 hppetrol5.1 L~300,000 km
Nissan Navara D23 2014–present
Nissan YD252014–present2.5 L R4150 hpdiesel, turbo~300,000 km

Nissan Navara/Frontier engine FAQ

What engines were used in the Nissan Navara/Frontier?

Nissan Navara 1 (D21) (1985–1997): Nissan VG30i, Nissan TD23, Nissan TD25, Nissan TD27, Nissan KA24E and Nissan VG30E; Nissan Navara 2 (D22) (1997–2008): Nissan KA24DE, Nissan KA24E, Nissan VG33E, Nissan QD32, Nissan YD25, Nissan ZD30 and Nissan KA20DE; Nissan Frontier 2 (D40) (2004–2021): Nissan QR25DE and Nissan VQ40DE; Nissan Navara 2 (D40) (2004–present): Nissan YD25 and Renault V9X; Nissan Frontier 3 (D23) (2014–present): Nissan QR25DE; Nissan Navara D23 (2014–present): Nissan YD25.

Which Nissan Navara/Frontier engine is the most durable?

By rated service life the most durable Nissan Navara/Frontier engines are: Nissan VQ40DE — about 500,000 km; Nissan QD32 — about 450,000 km; Nissan TD25 — about 450,000 km. Actual lifespan depends heavily on maintenance and oil change intervals.

How much oil does the Nissan Navara/Frontier engine take?

Engine oil capacity with filter: Nissan KA20DE — 4.1 L (5W-30); Nissan KA24DE — 4.1 L (5W-30 / 5W-40 / 10W-30 / 10W-40); Nissan KA24E — 4.3 L (5W-30); Nissan QD32 — 6.6 L (10W-30); Nissan QR25DE — 5.1 L (5W-30, 5W-40); Nissan TD23 — 6.2 L (10W-30); Nissan TD25 — 6.5 L (10W-30); Nissan TD27 — 5.9–7.2 L (10W-30); Nissan VG30E — 3.9 L (5W-30); Nissan VG30i — 3.9 L (5W-30); Nissan VG33E — 3.7 L (5W-30); Nissan VQ40DE — 5.1 L (5W-30 / 5W-40 / 10W-30 / 10W-40); Nissan ZD30 — 6.3–6.9 L (5W-30); Renault V9X — 8.3 L (5W-30, 5W-40).

Does the Nissan Navara/Frontier have a timing belt or chain?

Timing chain: Nissan KA20DE, Nissan KA24E and Renault V9X; timing belt: Nissan VG30E, Nissan VG30i and Nissan VG33E; gear drive: Nissan QD32, Nissan TD23, Nissan TD25 and Nissan TD27. Belts must be replaced on schedule: on many engines a broken belt bends the valves.

Was the Nissan Navara/Frontier available with a diesel engine?

Yes: Nissan QD32, Nissan TD23, Nissan TD25, Nissan TD27, Nissan YD25, Nissan ZD30 and Renault V9X.

Engine details

Nissan VG30E

Nissan VG30E

1983–1999 · 3.0 L V6 · petrol · 150–180 hp · belt

The main problem is the bending of the valves due to the breaking of the crankshaft shank.

Nissan TD23

Nissan TD23

1985–1995 · 2.3 L R4 · diesel · 75 hp · gears

The engine is very noisy and prone to vibrations due to the timing gear drive.

Nissan TD25

Nissan TD25

1985–2015 · 2.5 L R4 · diesel · 75–80 hp · gears

Due to the fault of the timing gear drive, the power unit is prone to noise and vibration.

Nissan VG30i

Nissan VG30i

1985–1989 · 3.0 L V6 · petrol · 130–140 hp · belt

The main failure is breaking off the crankshaft shank and bending the valves.

Nissan KA24E

Nissan KA24E

1988–1999 · 2.4 L R4 · petrol · 115–140 hp · chain

Most often, owners complain about very high fuel consumption or oil consumption.

Nissan QD32

Nissan QD32

1995–2007 · 3.2 L R4 · diesel · 100–110 hp · gears

The motor is very reliable, but the noise and vibration from the timing gear drive is annoying.

Nissan VG33E

Nissan VG33E

1995 · 3.3 L V6 · petrol · 170–180 hp · belt

Due to the breaking off of the crankshaft shank, it may well bend the valves in the motor.

Nissan KA20DE

Nissan KA20DE

1999–2009 · 2.0 L R4 · petrol · 120 hp · chain

This gasoline engine is very reliable, and its resource exceeds 300,000 km.

Nissan QR25DE

Nissan QR25DE

2000–present · 2.5 L · petrol · 152 hp

Until 2004, motors were equipped with not very durable catalysts, which quickly collapsed, and their crumbs were sucked into the combustion chambers.…

Nissan VQ40DE

Nissan VQ40DE

2005 · 4.0 L · petrol · 265 hp

Nissan owners with such a unit often complain about fuel consumption, and not about breakdowns, but it still has one weak point.…

Renault V9X

Renault V9X

2008–2015 · 3.0 L V6 · diesel · 230–240 hp · chain

Due to the very narrow crankshaft journals, the diesel engine is extremely sensitive to lubrication pressure and, with any drop in the…

Nissan TD27

Nissan TD27

2.7 L R4 · diesel · 80–125 hp · gears

The engine has a huge resource, but few people like noise and vibration.

Models with the same engines

Scroll to Top