advice on 02 to 04 pajeros

[pootrol]

hey all. the pares asked me as to what they should get for a tow rig for there caravan as the 89 cruiser aint to comfy. i told them a pajero. we have seen a 02 diesel with 165k. full log books or the other is an 04 v6 with gas. both are exceeds which after dad sat in he doesnt want to look at anything less. any pros cons with problems, engines etc. can you chip the 3200did and does it help much. give me the goods and bads dont hold back.

[-Scott-]

hey all. the pares asked me as to what they should get for a tow rig for there caravan as the 89 cruiser aint to comfy. i told them a pajero. we have seen a 02 diesel with 165k. full log books or the other is an 04 v6 with gas. both are exceeds which after dad sat in he doesnt want to look at anything less. any pros cons with problems, engines etc. can you chip the 3200did and does it help much. give me the goods and bads dont hold back.

V6 is thirsty on petrol, will be cheaper on gas but they'll be forever filling the tank.

The DiD makes a great tow vehicle and decent economy, but the 2.8td has very average power and economy (were they still doing the 2.8 in '02?)

About the only significant issue I'm aware of is rear propshafts popping out of the rear diff. There's a fix available, but I don't think Mitsubishi have been doing it for all vehicles - only those which have had a problem.

Have a hunt around the Pajero Club Forum - there's heaps more Gen 3s over there than here.

[NJV6]

Recently towed 3000kg, 2000km in NZ terrain (up and down up and down!) with an 2001 3.2 manual and was very impressed. Made a far better job of the last time I towed that road with an 80 series turbo diesel auto, that was a slow trip.

[PCRman]

Ive heard that the Dual-mass flywheels found in the manuals can be expensive to replace when they let go. The autos are meant to be very dependant on getting the right transmission oil (original MM oil is almost universaly recommended) and going to a larger tyre size (say stock 265/70 to 265/75) can make the lock-up torque convertor a bit tempermental.
3.2 Diesels in 3rd Gen can be chiped but I belive they are all wire-ins (not plugins like the common rail motors in 4th gen NS/NT can get). Lastly on the 3.2 diesel make sure you find out if and when the top timing chain guide was replaced as all kinds of bad things happen if the guide dies and takes out your timing chain.
Thats about all i can add. Hope it helps.

[date]

I recall that the early NM Pajeros had problems with the rear wheel bearings - typically lasting about 100000 km before they failed. They had to replace the entire hub (expensive). I think that the later models had a design change and haven't heard about this problem since. I would expect any vehicle with the original design would have failed by now and hopefully would be fitted with an improved version of wheel bearings.

Also the braking system had some problems which should by now have been fixed by factory recall.

Other than these, from what I know they are quite reliable. The 3.2 diesel is noisy but apparently pulls strongly and is economical. It is also reliable - unlike Nissan 3 litre engines.

[robbie64]

Hi i have a MN 02 3.5 V-6 and i get 15 ltr/100 towing camper fully loaded and car loaded which is better than alot of diesels and plenty of power