Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

I have been struggling with a smoking idle for quite some time and have exhausted a few options including valve stem seals, dirty filters etc.

Today I decided I would have a look at the pump timing.

Mitsu East Londond refused to do the check with the MUT-II tool performing actuator test 43 and checking the pump squirt timing so I decided I'll do it by feel.

I disconnected the battery tray, diesel pump covers and electrical connections to gain access.

I had to fabricate a custom 14 spanner to get to the nut at the back of the pump (a real PITA)

I tilted the pump away from the engine (and then assembled enough to start) and it smoked more.

Disassembled again and tilted towards (don't know if that's advancing or retarding) the engine (marked the pump housing and tilted it about 1.5mm from that mark)

assembled and she wasn't smoking anymore. Woop Woop. Now to see what happens when the ecu settles from the disconnected battery and whether my fuel consumption will drop (as I think it was a bit high at 13.5-14l/100km)

Contrary to popular belief the pump can be advanced or retarded even though it's an electronic injection pump (NOT common rail - common rail will need purely electrical adjustment if I'm not mistaken)

The mitsu procedure is outlined in the 4M41 11C manual on pages 11C-9, 11C-10 & 11C-11.

I believe this slight compensation can nullify the tiny wear in the pump if the history of the fuel through the pump may be suspect (although I believe more and more my engine has been worked on before and the pump was never set up properly - my CAT hid the smoke until I removed it a while ago)

So why does EVERYONE say there is nothing to adjust on 3.2Did. Even spoke to the guys at Mitspro. Nothing to set. My Pajero is giving only 7.5km/l on the open road and I know something is not right. although she does not smoke to much - my friend gets 11km/l. Any advise on setting - as I know setting it to lean can cause damage??

I have gone through various other alternatives to eliminate my smoky idle problem as there are many things that cause it. I only had 2 things left on my list (pump advancement and injectors) - from a financial point of view I tried the pump first.

I suspect my car has been worked on with a previous owner and that the pump wasn't timed correctly on install but if the car has been untouched I would advise to check all other items first.

Too much advancement will cause pinging and can destroy an engine pretty quickly.

Do you use oil? - valve stem seals
Do you get black smoke under certain conditions? - injectors
Do you use coolant? - possibly headgasket
Does it start rough? - injectors/headgasket

If all of these check out and you suspect the pump has been touched before then you can try the pump advancement.

I did it at home but would suggest having it done by the dealers.

The hook up the MUT-II tool and do a nr43 actuator test while connecting a pipe to no1 pump exit (that usually goes to no1 injector)

They then turn the engine (to turn the pump) until diesel stops flowing out of that pipe and times the pump so that instance is at 4BTDC.

I have the workshop pages if you need them.

That 14mm nut at the back of the pump is a real pain. Took me 45 minutes to loosen it 2 turns so pump can turn and 30 minutes to tighten.

I do not really have black smoke. Mitspro said the Injectors are fine, as is the turbo. No problem with water disappearing - all tough I had a short rise of temperature a while ago while pulling heavy trailer on steep incline - but the bad fuel consumption has existed.

I have the full workshop manual - but currently has time constraints (no time to turn a nut for 75minutes! Also no patience at this time of year - will ask dealers for a quote and se who can do the job.
(Maybe I will replace injectors also - as they have done 219000km...)
According to the previous owner the motor has been replaced under warrantee - so I suspect the pump could have been removed at some stage....

4ePikanini wrote:That 14mm nut at the back of the pump is a real pain. Took me 45 minutes to loosen it 2 turns so pump can turn and 30 minutes to tighten.

I am trying to get to that third (red one on image). I am guessing this is the one you are talking about.



As you mentioned getting to that nut is a pain. I tried various approach but can't get to it (one of them is the grey pivoting spanner that is schematized on image). There is this bracket that triangulates the front plate, some kind of stiffener, that really is in the way (top right of image, red rectangle on schematic). Do I have to remove it? There is this other bolt that holds in place that is hidden behind the pump, not easy to get to either...

I also tried coming in from the back since the flange is somewhat protruding, but to no avail.

Getting a look at this custom tool you mentioned or giving me some hints on how to get to it would be appreciated.

Pajero 1999 3.2 Diesel Turbo
4M41
V78W-0004329
V60,70#
Pump: Zexel 479778-2221