Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

How can I improove the hp and torque on my Pajero V6 3.0 12v?
I am using the car mainly for off road driving and in winter, when it's full of snow and ice.
I was thinking about removing the catalytic converter and adding a less restrictive air filter, a K&N for example.
Are there any other methodes to gain extra power for this engine?
Maybe I should start by removing that 1000000 ton bonnet.
Any advice woul be of great help.

a free flow exhaust will release some ponies but the low down torque of that engine is fantastic. It pulls from near stall with ease from just a small dab of the throttle.

The engine is bullet proof. Don't tinker too much!

That is exactly what I need.
Low end torque!
What do you mean by "free low exaust"?
Should I remove all the silecers + cat?
I don't want to get hung up on rocks and stuff and than rip the exaust off the car.

Just returned from a 6000km trip through Kalahari and Namibia - the car pulled well BUT also noted that the power on the open road seems to be down - a large anount of gear changing on hills (down to 4th and 3rd regularly) and not able to cruise comfortably at 120km/h - speed loss.

I think it really became evident when a large (25-seater) minibus + trailer overtook me on a hill and accelerated away - showed me how little power there actually is with this motor. I know it is heavy but surely it should pull better than this? FYI - we had 4 adults, minimal roof luggage and minimal load internally! Already got a freeflow exhaust and UniChip installed.

At this point, I am seriously considering other options:
1. change to 3500 LWB
2. add low-pressure turbo

but don't really want to as grown to appreciate this vehicle off-road.

Anyone else out there that has noticed a lack of power on the 3l 12-valve and what has been the solution (if any)?

That engine is over 20 years old in design. When it first came out it was a monster.

The 3500 is a more advanced engine with more power. The 6g72 is however a reliable and uncomplicated gem with useful torque offroad.

I did however find my 3.0 v6 pretty sporty on the open road in 4th gear between 5000rpm and 5500rpm - I don't like redlining an engine.

Any serious gains in performance with a low boost turbo to do it properly will cost more than a 3.5 import.


Make peace with it's performance. It was quick for it's design time. If you want more speed, shell out a lot of money or get a smaller car.

I did however find my 3.0 v6 pretty sporty on the open road in 4th gear between 5000rpm and 5500rpm - I don't like redlining an engine.

Thanks - so running the motor for short periods at 5000 - 5500 rpm in 3rd or 4th is OK? Was running between 3500 and 4000 rpm through the gears as, given the age of the motor, didn't fancy overdoing it.

Mine was a fresh rebuilt and I cut no corners so I had a lot of confidence in my engine.

A good running engine should be happy at redline 24/7

The 6g72 is a robust engine and short of strapping on a turbo you are not going to improve the output significantly. As said a free flow and a chip are about your best bolt on upgrades and a turbo will come with reliability issues you don't need out in the bush

Upping the compression and playing with the cams can release a few more horses but the cost of these modifications are quite high

Upping the compression - how do you manage that? Cams = to cut camshaft stage 1 ??

Cobvs wrote:Upping the compression - how do you manage that? Cams = to cut camshaft stage 1 ??

Different pistons and/or crankshaft.