Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Any gotcha's I should be on the lookout for ?
Lowish K's 170 thou
Body strait looking, needs a front bumper corner .. no biggie I will want a bullbar ASAP.

Reckon I can get it for about 4300.

Looks to be stock as the day it rolled of the production line

Should be good at those klms. If its a manual the box might be a bit knotchy also check the clutch as they have no adjustment. Auto's should have no problems unless the auto has been neglected.
Might pay to get it checked by a 4x4 pro before parting with the hard earned.
Dave

So the only things to look out for is a gearbox .. suerly there must be a few more wear area's.
I am pretty mechanically competant,(able to rebuild a motor, install a lift kit etc ) but it is nice to know where to look for issues on a model your not terribly familair wiith.

I regularly service our 3.5 magna and it has been touble free for the pasty 100 thousand K's or so, hopeing a Paj will be similar.

3.0 isn't a power-house, nor particularly fuel efficient. Doesn't have a great deal of torque, either, but it is happy to rev.

Look for evidence that the timing belt was changed at 100k km. I believe the engine is a free-spinner, so failure shouldn't be catastrophic, but it's a major job to replace the belt. Most people will replace the water pump while they're at it. Look for coolant at the rear of the engine - that can be a sign that the water pump is leaking.

The rocker cover gaskets get hard with age, and oil leaks onto the exhaust gaskets. Not a tricky job to replace them, but it's several hours of work.

ECUs can fail - AFAIK, it's generally the capacitors which fail, and it shouldn't be difficult to replace them pre-emptively. I should probably do mine some time.

The NH manual gearshift problem was a synchro ring design problem - Mitsubishi changed the design of the ring, which fixed that problem. Not a catastrophic problem, more of a nuisance. NJ has a similar issue on a different shift, but I can't remember which shift - even though I have the problem.

Some will tell you that Pajeros have a weak 5th gear, but I don't think that applies to the manual in the NH. The early 5 speed (behind the 2.6) had 5th gear problems, and I believe there was a minor problem with the 5 speed autos.

-Scott- wrote:3.0 isn't a power-house, nor particularly fuel efficient. Doesn't have a great deal of torque, either, but it is happy to rev.

Look for evidence that the timing belt was changed at 100k km. I believe the engine is a free-spinner, so failure shouldn't be catastrophic, but it's a major job to replace the belt. Most people will replace the water pump while they're at it. Look for coolant at the rear of the engine - that can be a sign that the water pump is leaking.

The rocker cover gaskets get hard with age, and oil leaks onto the exhaust gaskets. Not a tricky job to replace them, but it's several hours of work.

ECUs can fail - AFAIK, it's generally the capacitors which fail, and it shouldn't be difficult to replace them pre-emptively. I should probably do mine some time.

The NH manual gearshift problem was a synchro ring design problem - Mitsubishi changed the design of the ring, which fixed that problem. Not a catastrophic problem, more of a nuisance. NJ has a similar issue on a different shift, but I can't remember which shift - even though I have the problem.

Some will tell you that Pajeros have a weak 5th gear, but I don't think that applies to the manual in the NH. The early 5 speed (behind the 2.6) had 5th gear problems, and I believe there was a minor problem with the 5 speed autos.

Thanks Scott . great info.

It's wise to change all water hoses. Cooling is always an issue. Some owners pre-emptively pull and rod radiator. Some 3.0 owners in the U.S. are having radiators rebuilt as 3-cores. Engine should last a long time if oil/filter changes are regular. I change at 2500 miles in the states and 4000K here.

try to start the v6 when cold and listen for lifter noise. if any noise doesn't go
away after a few seconds it is a good indicator of a poor service history.

Bernoulli wrote:It's wise to change all water hoses. Cooling is always an issue. Some owners pre-emptively pull and rod radiator. Some 3.0 owners in the U.S. are having radiators rebuilt as 3-cores.

Interesting comment. I've been slugging through soft sand in 40 degree temperatures, and my temperature gauge didn't move. Likewise with low-range crawling in high 30s - underbonnet temps hot enough to cause my dual battery controller to shut down but no issues on the temp gauge. The only time it's ever run hotter than "normal" was when I blew a radiator hose (my fault - after the body lift.)

I would've thought most over-heating issues on this forum have been fan related, not radiator.

I second sheps call on the lifter noise - didn't think of that. AFAIK, it's nuisance value only - does it create any other problems?

-Scott- wrote:
I second sheps call on the lifter noise - didn't think of that. AFAIK, it's nuisance value only - does it create any other problems?

Only if the lifters are noisy for long periods of time. The standard 1 minute start up tap will not hurt anything but if the noise doesn't go away then what can happen is the lack of valve adjustment can hammer the top of the valves causing the case hardening to come away and causing the top of the valve to "mushroom". Our triton at work with a 4G54 engine has just given up this week. Its had a noisy lifter for the 2 years i've been there which would come and go. Last week it was getting very noisy and another would start ticking. Pulled the rocker cover and it has 2 broken valve springs and the top of every valve looks like a satellite dish.

With regards to the overheating, i'm in the same boat as scott. The 3lt's are pretty fullproof cooling system wise. The only common issues seem to be leaking water pumps. I've had to replace mine since i've had it in 5 years but apart from that the only other overheating i've had was climbing a hill for about 45 mins in low 1st with the A/C on in 40 degrees. And all 5 other cars had their temp gauges above 1/2.

-Scott- wrote:

Bernoulli wrote:It's wise to change all water hoses. Cooling is always an issue. Some owners pre-emptively pull and rod radiator. Some 3.0 owners in the U.S. are having radiators rebuilt as 3-cores.

Interesting comment. I've been slugging through soft sand in 40 degree temperatures, and my temperature gauge didn't move.

In my U.S. 3.0, I've blown a heater hose and a radiator hose. Cooling questions and answers are very common on http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?Cat=&C=20 a U.S. 4X4 site.

I don't know why, but certain issues seem to crop up more in one country than another. When I had a 4D56, most of the info on glo plugs and the controller were on the U.K. site.

oooh .. I have found a 95 model (build early 96) 3.5 thats within my price range and seems to be in good order.

Look out for much the same stuff ???

love_mud wrote:oooh .. I have found a 95 model (build early 96) 3.5 thats within my price range and seems to be in good order.

Look out for much the same stuff ???

yep

i have never had a problem with overheating in my challenger.
24v 3.0 V6 with lots of stuff in front off the radiator. a paj would have heaps more airflow then a challenger.

love_mud wrote:oooh .. I have found a 95 model (build early 96) 3.5 thats within my price range and seems to be in good order.

Look out for much the same stuff ???

Definitely go the 3.5 if you can find a good one in your price range. I would. It doesn't need to work as hard as the 3.0, so can use less fuel, but it's still not a particularly efficient motor.

Early 3.5 was DOHC, more power than later SOHC, but less bottom end torque. Those who have owned both have said the SOHC is more flexible to drive, and tows better. I think DIYers say the SOHC is easier to work on, both are 24V.

The 3.5 is NOT a free-spinner - a broken timing belt is bad news. Ensure the belt was changed on schedule, or factor in the change ASAP (allow $1000 in round figures, unless you intend to do it yourself.)

Bigger & stronger drivetrain, but ARB haven't released a rear locker for it - they've released the part number, but not the part. Front locker and (I think) crawler gears are available.

-Scott- wrote:

love_mud wrote:oooh .. I have found a 95 model (build early 96) 3.5 thats within my price range and seems to be in good order.

Look out for much the same stuff ???

Definitely go the 3.5 if you can find a good one in your price range. I would. It doesn't need to work as hard as the 3.0, so can use less fuel, but it's still not a particularly efficient motor.

Early 3.5 was DOHC, more power than later SOHC, but less bottom end torque. Those who have owned both have said the SOHC is more flexible to drive, and tows better. I think DIYers say the SOHC is easier to work on, both are 24V.

The 3.5 is NOT a free-spinner - a broken timing belt is bad news. Ensure the belt was changed on schedule, or factor in the change ASAP (allow $1000 in round figures, unless you intend to do it yourself.)

Bigger & stronger drivetrain, but ARB haven't released a rear locker for it - they've released the part number, but not the part. Front locker and (I think) crawler gears are available.

Cool Not to worried about the locker yet, cant go to far with a 2 year old and 4 month old ... decent rubber and a winch will get me by for a while.

Have factored in a timing belt DIY etc (did the magna ... and there has to be more room in the paj than the magna ... you can take the radiator out )

Hmm seems that in my price range there is only the DOHC motors .. bugger sping 15cents extra per litre.

3.0 or SOHC 3.5 only for me... or a 2.8 diesal if I can find one.

love_mud wrote:Hmm seems that in my price range there is only the DOHC motors .. bugger sping 15cents extra per litre.

3.0 or SOHC 3.5 only for me... or a 2.8 diesal if I can find one.

If you would accept a diesel, hang out for it. The 2.8 is not particularly powerful nor economical, but it's a solid and (mostly) reliable motor. And the block is essentially the same as the DiD, so a swap should be simple...

I have a second chance offer on a 99 model..
SOHC 3.5 for 6500 looks OK the bad bit is the K's at 290k

I am very very tempted. But I also know that at that kind of milage it may soon be in need of a clutch and will need a timing belt in a few months.

If those km's are genuine i would go for the NH. granted the engine is not as powerful but it would have a lot more life left in it than a 99 model with 290k. the manual gearbox shift can be cured by using redline MTL gear oil. expensive at $40 per litre but fixed my 93 triton V6 beautifully.

REgards

Epitrochoid

170000 km - that is low for that age. Be wary of that - even if it is true. If it is true, check the service history. Oil changes are essential for a long life engine - and not only by the distance covered between changes. Time is an important factor. I once bought a Range Rover which had its full service history. Oil change every 10000 km. The problem was that the oil changes were every 2 years, and the inside of the engine was all gunked up with solid sludge. There was no oil getting to he valve rocker gear. I fixed it but it was a lot of work.

I have a 2000 NL and the valve lifter noise worries me. I change the oil often but it still rattles like a machine gun on startup. As far as power etc, it is fabulous - it tows my caravan really well and does low range stuff nicely.

date wrote:170000 km - that is low for that age. Be wary of that - even if it is true. If it is true, check the service history. Oil changes are essential for a long life engine - and not only by the distance covered between changes. Time is an important factor. I once bought a Range Rover which had its full service history. Oil change every 10000 km. The problem was that the oil changes were every 2 years, and the inside of the engine was all gunked up with solid sludge. There was no oil getting to he valve rocker gear. I fixed it but it was a lot of work.

I have a 2000 NL and the valve lifter noise worries me. I change the oil often but it still rattles like a machine gun on startup. As far as power etc, it is fabulous - it tows my caravan really well and does low range stuff nicely.

Apparently the valave adjusters are hydraulic and not that difficult to replace.

"Apparently the valve adjusters are hydraulic and not that difficult to replace"

Would you care to do mine? Frankly, I am petrified at the thought of doing them. I have done the timing belts in both my wife's Magna and my NL Pajero (neither a nice job, but do-able), but to strip down to expose the valve adjusters, no thanks until they really need tham. Maybe in the 12 valve 3.0 L engines weren't so bad, but the 3.5 NL - hell you cannot even see the spark plugs, let alone get to them. Yes, I have replaced them as well and that wasn't as bad as the timing belts.

Well I have purchased a few mons ago an unseen untested ebay paj.

3500 for a 94 glx with ABS in what appears to be good order... I am happy to spend another 2500 on it to ensure it is reliable if I need to, otherwise new rubber, suspension and perhaps a winch.

Let the questions (from me) commence

Good work.

The cam belt is a bit of a job with the DOHC but otherwise 'I' think they are a good motor!

well after a false start with a dud seller I have purchased a 98 model escape SOGc v6 on gas full roady (new tyres shocks etc) 6 months warranty to run on the gas install very very happy for 5 and a half thou.

Cant wait to go pick it up on the weekend and slip a 4x4 back into low range again. It has been a while

OH yeah full service history and recent cam belt change.