Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Hi to all Fellow Pajero owner,

2012 has started afresh and my Paj.2800 Blister has started being reluctant to start - again. Now I know this sounds familiar (pump seal leak) but that was sorted last year, so off to SAC Centurion for a check-up.

Symptoms - when engine is cold it will take 3 - 6 cranks before motor coughs to life, not "firing" on all cylinders, motor shaking due to misses & some white/grey smoke. this all clears before a minute is over, motor then settles to normal idle & away we go. When the engine is hot it usually takes on second crank, misses a bit & then all is ok.

So, after a day in SAC workshop, the prognosis - "Suspect Turbo & Pump faulty, (apparently on the dyno the turbo wasn't giving the correct boost ! ? !),"Injectors Faulty" (i can accept that) the compression test is a bit hard to make out (very small card with tiny lines) but the Blow By reads as follows - No.1 35%, No.2 30%, No.3 28%, No.4 38%. This doesn't tell me if compression is being lost due to rings or valves. If the rings are past BB date surely there would be constant smoking, high oil consumption and excessive crankcase pressure (ie. oil would bubble up dipstick pipe) Not sure what the symptoms would br if the valve aren't setting correctly.
I'm not convinced about SAC findings on turbo & pump either - once this baby is up & running she goes (boost can be felt from 1800rpm up)& I pulled my caravan to Warmbaths from Pretoria in DEC. Did some off-roading, water & thick mud (hub deep)
- no problem !

Anycase, what to do now: To re-condition the current motor (+ R25 000) or replace with Jap import (R17 000), or, use the opputunity to change to 4M41 or V6 Petrol motor - can this be done ? Is it worth considering ?

Any advise, suggestions or feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,

My very first thought was either
pump seals
or
glow plugs.

A engine that runs well once it has heated up, most likely does not need a re-build !

Since you have had the seals done, why not replace the glow plugs and check their operation?
Better still, check the operation of the existing glow plugs, before anything else.

If the engine needs to be re-built, the glow plugs need to be replaced IAC.

i would get a second opinion from a diesel specialist without a reputation (other than for good service)

If the oil consumption is within limits I can see no reason why the engine must be replaced or re-built. The symptoms is typical that of warn fuel injectors. If those fuel injectors was not replaced at least once in the life time of that engine it is the time now. Most injectors starts to say good buy as from 100 000km. If the engine is rebuilt it will be a good thing to replace them in any case. Faulty injectors can cause over fueling and that can do serious harm to the engine.

Start with new injectors and see if that solves your problem.

Regards,


Waldo Fourie

Sounds to me more like glow plugs . You probably got a couple not working . And she's starting on the couple working and once eng running the other cyls with faulty glow plugs start to fire . That smoke would be unburnt fuel from the cylinders with the suspect glow plugs . 1 faulty glow plug is enough to cause this problem . Did sac not test the glowplugs when they removed to do the comp test . If glowplugs all good and heating for the correct length of time . Injectors would be next step to check . Dont think pump or turbo at fault if it runs well when hot .

why dont you look at replacing it with an did 3.2 import,

Hi, thanks to each one of you that have responded to my post.

I have personally checked the glow plugs & replaced two recently. I re-check every now-and-then (using a test lamp) just incase.

I will definately have the injectors checked & replaced if need be, but this was done (I hope - ) when the pump was over-hauled. But I'll re-check.

Next Question - what are your opinions concerning the "blow-by" test? (as mentioned in my original post) Should I get a second opinion on the results ?

marsharo wrote: Next Question - what are your opinions concerning the "blow-by" test? (as mentioned in my original post) Should I get a second opinion on the results ?

Yes.

Hi, once again, to all the Pajero owners - Happy Easter !

I must firstly apologies for not giving feedback sooner on my previous posts concerning my vehicles engine.

I took 4e's advise and went for two more opinions on the motor condition after SAC had given a 'grocery list' of problems & repairs needed.
The second check was done by Tony of Airosa Truck & Car in Jhb, who confirmed a lack of compression. The third check was done by Freek of Mitspro in Centurion, who confirmed what Tony had found. Compression on all 4 cylinders was below 24.

So, on 20 Feb. I handed over my vehicle to Freek Snr. at Mitspro to do the necessary to get the 4M40 back to good running order. His initial quote equalled a replacement Jap motor. So i've opted for a re-con instead of re-place.

To-date the cylinder-head has been serviced, block re-bored, diesel pump re-calibrated etc, etc, just waiting for the injectors now. My only concern so far has been how long it's taking to get the job done !
I'm busting to drive my Paj again, it's like having a member of the family missing !

I have some thought, lessons learnt & additional feedback about this whole saga that I will share once my vehicle is back on the road.