Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi guys!
im looking in to buying a 3.0l swb Paj. NH or NJ i think?
But my major concirn is the drivetrain strenght, ive heard rumors about rear axles snaping in the rough stuff....Is this a common problem? and is there any other isues that arise from heavy of road use which i should know about?

any feedback would be great! Thanks in advance
Matt

gday matt,

having only just purchased my SWB NJ 1994, 3L V6 probably about 5/6 weeks ago now, i would have to say it is one fot he best cars iv had so far. its only got 31" cooper st's and recently a 2" suspension lift, but iv found that on more than one occasion the little paj has been effortlessly where other, much larger trucks, cough*yotas/nissans*cough, have struggled. it takes a different approach and iv found that instead of following some fo the larger trucks, pick your line, stay straight and bounce up onto/over the rocks instead of trying to climb them, im not saying to just smash into shit, but cos of the IFS iv found you need to bounce up onto stuff, but the other week near sugarloaf, i found a few times that some of the 80 series and patrols with your 6/7" lifts, 35" tyres and shit, took a few goes at a couple of sections where i drove it somewhat smoother. the other thing iv found is that u need to drive the jabbers with your right foot, plenty of the go pedal once again im not saying to go out and thrash your rig, but definitely u need to give it some more often than not, as far as the strength concern, iv found it to be rather good, i cannot really be the best judge as iv only just pruchased recently, but it certainly does rather well, and puts many a shocked face on some. in the sand the other week, the paj drove up a few hills tyres @ 15psi, and so many times the larger trucks got stuck and bogged and even this massive hill only me and a guy in a GQ with 7" lift, front locker, 35" made it up, and a GQ 2.8td, front and rear lockers, 35" didnt, a GU 7" lift, 35" f/r lockers didnt and a 100 series 6" lift 33" didnt. all in all, im having sooooo much fun and the guys on here cannot be more helpful, its awesome, good luck with your purchase, the SWB 3L V6's seem to be taking over of late

Yes the 3.0 V6 has been known to break rear axles but mostly with difflocks.
I've broken 3 in 5 years with some pretty abusive stuff
The rest of the drivetrain is pretty strong especially the front diff.
If your only running up to 33" tyres the IFS is fine but will need more maintenance (replacing idler arms, balljoints & tie rods).
Properly maintained they are very good.
The 3.5 V6 is a massive upgrade in strength and equivalent to a Patrol or Cruiser. Huge rear 9.5" diff and axles, massive Patrol sized t/case and 5sp gearbox. They run the same IFS as the 3.0 V6 and the same 8" front diff.
So in terms of outright strength the 3.0 V6 is good but the 3.5 V6 (and 2.8TDI) is very strong.

ive got the nj 3ltr swb with 32" tyres and had no problems, and i keep up and pass the so called big boys (patrols) .
Remember the SWB is also 250kg lighter than the LWB which would mean less stress on working parts.Does the axle problem asociate with LWB and SWB.
How far are u thinking of moding the car? Pajeros are a little limited in this area.

All in all the SWB is a brilliant truck. I just wish it had a bigger fuel tank. You can sink the slipper and they go pretty well in most going but a bit of extra out of the 3 litre would sure be good. They have got enough power to leave the ground on occasion, and to lift the inside front wheel without to much problem either. Easy to compression lockup going into a corner fast and drive right out the other side with ease. Come to think of it, it's pretty good off-road too.

Thaks for that!
some very helpfull info there.

Im jut after a truck that is stonger than my frontera, im sick of breaking diffs ....and power would be nice as well, lol
I dont plan to modify it to the extreames , just thinking of ,31"muds , rear locker and 2inch lift.

you wont be beaking diffs with those mods on a swb, and for a rear locker, forget it ,you will not need it with a pajero. Pajero has one of the best LSDs out there. Go for a front locker first if you want to get a locker.
Locker was at the top of my list but I have put in down the list as I have notice for the stuff I do (medium to hard stuff) I keep up with the others I go 4x4ing with and I get further than them sometimes and other times they get further than me.
I find my car does well up hills, I think because, swb(lighter car)+great LSD + v6power =does the job. Ive also notice that being a little narrower than the likes of cruises and patrols has helped as well.

I got up a hill with another patrol but which had a front locker,and 2 other patrols couldnt make it , one had no locker the other had a double diff lock. I think he might have had trouble cos the scrub bars were rubbing and he has ticked every ARB box of accesories(too much weight).