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Hi All,
I'm considering becoming a Pajero Owner and looking at the NM series, 3.5 petrol, Exceed. I'd like to get one on LPG or have it converted to reduce fuel costs.
I need some help and advise on
~ Any common faults or temperamental issues?
~ Any issues with LPG?
~ How many k's to expect from the 3.5 motor?
~ How often does the timing belt need changing and what should it cost me?
~ Are they easy to work when doing basic home service and tune?
It won't be modified or used for 4 wheeling as I have my Cruiser for that. This will be the handbrakes car, carting the kids and perhaps towing the camper or boat.
I need something reliable that's not temperamental and doesn't have breakdown issues (if there's such a thing) otherwise I'll need to build an extension on the doghouse........
Any advise is helpful......Thanks.......... (including how to keep the handbrake happy... )
ok,
~ Any common faults or temperamental issues? = dont run LPG and its all good
~ Any issues with LPG? = can b temperamental, shortens life expectancy of engine (Mitsubishi do not list this as a LPG compatible engine)
~ How many k's to expect from the 3.5 motor? = no lpg = well over 300000km if looked after, LPG can burn out exhaust valves....
~ How often does the timing belt need changing and what should it cost me? = every 100000km, cost? - gen/nongen? how many kms? (cam and crank seals, water pump ect)
~ Are they easy to work when doing basic home service and tune? = oil change - yes, tune - no.
Auto? - GENUINE AUTO FLUID ONLY! (SP3)
in short, if the engine/vehicle is left standard and regularly serviced it will last.
NOTE. valve stem seals may need to be replaced around 200000km and above - blowing smoke. (stop smoke does not fix this, can b $$$ if done in a shop)
[quote="DRides"]CORRECTION!!!! - Mitsubishi do list this as a LPG compatible vehicle!! still can b temperamental like any engine on LPG[/quote]
Yes, Im familiar with the symptoms of lpg having owned several lpg vehicles in the past and a current cruiser having done over 200k on lpg.......and still going great......touch wood.
4by:
I have a 2000 NL manual Pajero. A lot of the components – particularly the engine stuff would be compatible with the NM model. My vehicle has done 218000 km – nearly all on LPG. I have had troubles with the gas system – the latest being caused by a crappy batch of gas I bought in the El Cheapo outlet in Bathurst. My opinion is that the high tension leads are only 5 mm diameter and that is not enough insulation to run LPG. Yes – I have LPG and would, if I could, change to thicker leads. My wife’s Magna also runs LPG and has also done 218000 km, but apart from a dealer stuffing one lead during a service, I have had no problems with that car. The Magna uses 7 or 8 mm dia leads.
Part of the problem is that the LPG requires a higher voltage for the spark to jump where it should – at the plug gap. The original set of plugs ran for 105000 km and the gap was over 1.6 mm when I pulled the plugs. There had been no misfires of backfires up to that point. Spark Plug manufacturers recommend using a plug one grade colder than the original fitment plugs. In the Pajero’s case, the colder plug was not available as far As I could determine in Australia, so I bought a set of plugs from the USA (this was a lot cheaper, even including the horrendous freight bill). I finally went for NGK Iridium IX plugs and the engine runs much smoother and uses noticeably less fuel. The only drawback is that I suspect that these plugs will not go for the full 100000 km. I only have about 10000 km so far on them.
Backfires are caused by having the HT leads so close to each other. As the plug gap widens, a higher voltage is required to make the spark jump. Eventually, the spark will find the weakest point. That may be to earth (you will get a misfire then) or it can be to an adjacent plug lead. If the inlet valve on the adjacent plug lead happens to be open at the time of the crossfire, you can get a backfire. If you also have your foot down flat out, there is quite a bit of gas/air mixture and it makes a large BANG. It typically blows the air cleaner box and the air flow meter apart. I have had this a few times, and am working at all times to try to avoid it happening again. Keep your plug gaps good (I close mine down 0.1 mm less than recommended) and ensure that you have good leads properly laid out so they do not lay across each other and you should have no problems with LPG and backfires.
Is the engine LPG Compatible? Before I bought my NL, I checked with Mitsubishi that the engine was LPG compatible. The brochure said it was and so far, I haven’t had any problems with valves. I imagine that the NM and later models would all be LPG compatible.
How many K’s from a 3.5 engine? It all depends on how it has (and will) been maintained. Regular oil changes are vital for the engine, transmission and diffs. Not just every 15000 km as the books says – how often as well. I had a Range Rover before the NL, and the previous owners had the car serviced every 10000 km. The only problem was that it took up to 2 years to do the 10000km, and the internals of the engine were gunked up beyond belief. I soon changed that problem. I know of a guy who had a 1962 Falcon which had 3 engines in it in 25000 miles. The thing never got warmed up. Taxis are a classic example. they never wear out and they never cool down either.
Regular oil changes for the transmission (auto) are even more important.
Timing Belt Changes: Every 100000 km. If you have a good mechanic, he should do it in 5 hours. I take about 8 hours, but each time I have done it I have forgotten all the tricks and have to learn it all over again. Multiply that by the hourly rate and you have the labour costs. The parts can be expensive – shop around. Ebay has some good deals on belts & idler pulleys etc. I got mine from USA along with a few other bits to spread the freight costs over a few more parts. You should consider replacing the water pump and maybe the crankshaft and camshaft oil seals at the same time because it is a lot of work and money to have to do it later.
Are they easy to service and tune? Oil changes are simple. Just watch the flow rate when you are refilling the oil because it is easy to slop the oil everywhere outside the engine. Lift the dipstick and this allows the oil to flow a bit quicker (not much but it does help).
As for tuning, there is virtually nothing you can do at home. Spark plugs and leads are about the only thing you can do, and that isn’t particularly easy. You have to take the inlet manifold off to get at the plugs and leads.
On the subject of leads, I agonised over what to use. I used TopGun once and they started all my backfire problems. NEVER AGAIN! I then used Bosch, but they are made just a bit too long for the application and you finish up with bits of leads flapping about in the breeze. I am using Bosch leads at present because they have stainless steel core and XLPE insulation, with a silicon outer jacket. Hopefully they will last a lot longer. NGK leads (the original fitment) are marked with the cylinder number and are precisely the right length. It makes fitting the new leads so much easier because in order to get access to the plugs and leads, you have to remove the manifold and the ignition coils are mounted on the manifold. Fortunately, they have marked the cylinder numbers on the manifold (albeit a fair way away from the coils themselves) so you can line up No 2 lead with the appropriate coil pack etc.
Valve Stems: As stated, both of my vehicles have 218000 km on them and as yet, neither shows any valve stem seal problems (there is no smoke on engine overrun or extended idle). Again, regular oil changes will I am sure help to make items like these last a lot longer.
The early NM models did have some problems with wheel bearings. They were non-serviceable and when they failed, were expensive to replace. I imagine that the original bearings should have failed by now and you may have a later model adaptation which I believe is serviceable.
Brakes were another issue with the early models. Something about the brake booster. Hopefully that should have been cleared up by a recall by now, but it may pay to check up on this
Other than that I know of no other issues with the NM models. The Exceed certainly had all the goodies and would make the female members of the family happy. They are a fairly reliable machine.
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