Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Guys

Thanks for all the advice .... I will start with the smaller cheaper options as suggested and then work my way from there.

Mike

Hi Mike,
I have the same model and year Gen4 than you, but with 326 000km on clock. Recently acquired a 2nd hand Jurgens Exclusive caravan. Pulled it to North Coast in December for 1st time. The car really battled on the passes and around the Pietermaritzburg uphills, with temps going close to red and battling to keep to 70km/h, eventually ending up in 3rd gear with black smoke visible. Consumption was +-21 litres/100km. I have a Racechip installed [after I got caravan] that feels great solo, but made no difference with van hooked. Other friends pull slightly lighter vans with the newer 140kW engines and is very happy. I thought that there would not be such a major difference between the 121 v 140kW engines.I just want to keep a steady 100-105km/h and major uphills +-80-90km/h.
I know the van is very heavy [1500kg plus load up to 1700kg].
Anybody else pulling such heavy vans and your experiences?

My old gen 3 runs up town hill from pmb to hilton at 100 with more than 1000kg loaded trailer and 500kg in car and 5 adults in. These pajero have plenty power and there seems to be something not good there. You are fairly local so give haydn a call on 0828213040 he is extremely knowledgeable on these and will fix it properly first time

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Thanks Allan, will give him a call.

Martin

I went from an old 2001 gen3 Pajero(Manual) to a newer 2009 gen4 Pajero (auto) and must say that the gen4 when towing the same Xplorer caravan, 1500kg, that the newer one felt decidedly less powerful than my old one. Both have the same basic engine, 4m41, but of course the gen4 make use of common rail diesel technology where the old one did not. Off course the gearbox also plays a role. In any case I can concur that I am experiencing the same lack of power that you are feeling when towing. I also registered a heat increase once on my last trip on a big hill, towing, aircons on at full blast and outside temp at around 40degC, which was worrying.

I will investigate the power on my vehicle over time to see if something is maybe restricting it in some way, but one must also accept that towing these kind of weights uphill that you WILL feel it , regardless of what you drive. By the way I also had horrendous fuel consumption on my last fully loaded towing trip.

CATS

Overheating of an engine is a net result of more heat being generated by the engine than the cooling system can dissipate. This means something(s) in the cooling system isn't up to scratch:

1. Thermostat not opening fully or at correct temperature - (not allowing enough coolant flow to radiator)
2. Coolant/Water pump faulty - (not pumping enough coolant)
3. Blocked up radiator (inside or outside) - have it chemically cleaned or rodded. (not enough airflow over or coolant flow though the radiator)
4. Viscous fan clutch not operating correctly due to loss of viscous fluid (silicone), faulty thematic valve or loose fan belt tension.
5. Faulty temp gauge or sender - has been know to be an issue on some of the gen 3 pajeros?
6. Head damage/crack. Early symptoms of this can also present as overheating of the engine - I highly doubt in your case though.

Start with the cheaper itema and work your way through until you resolve the issue. It must be one or a combination of the above issues.

Nick,
No faulting your list of elements re. cooling, but I would like to add coolant to that list. Wrong mix or wrong type and the Pajeros complain.

Roelf_le_Roux wrote:Nick,
No faulting your list of elements re. cooling, but I would like to add coolant to that list. Wrong mix or wrong type and the Pajeros complain.

Absolutely. As you say, if you add incompatible coolant types to the radiator they can gel and block up the system. Use good name brands (eg. castrol radicool or caltex long life coolant) or first prize OEM coolant. I don't trust any midas no-name-brand special, wynns, holts, or any other coloured water passing for coolant these days.

Coolant has a number of tasks to do.
Antifreeze
Anti-boil
Anti foaming
Lubricant
Anti rust/ corrosion of steel and aluminium
Wetter & sticker additives
Buffers
Etc..

Don't skimp on a good coolant.

An absolute must is to do a complete system flush before refilling with the correct coolant.

This is what I use Castrol Radicool OAT coolant (Organic Acid Technology), it has a minimum 3 year life but can go to 4-5 years or 150 - 200k km.
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That reminds me: I have a (almost full) 4L can of OEM Pajero coolant in my garage. Every Pajero that shows up for the annual TITD adventure will qualify for free top up while stocks last.

@MikeRo

Im intrigued.
What was the out come / culprit?