The Mitsubishi Pajero Owners Club®

[Carnutbmw]

Hi all,

I am considering to buy a 4x4 vehicle for greenlaning, and the Pajero/Shogun/Montero (with petrol engine and auto gearbox) is one of the candidates. Given my budget the V20 (1991-1999) and V60 (1999-2006) are the obvious generations to look at.

Having read various buying guides I found a lot of useful information, but so far I haven't quite managed to make a sensible comparison of both generations in terms of reliability and longevity. A few negatives I found regarding the V60:

1) they rust quite badly;
2) gearboxes tend to wear quickly (I read that replacement is frequently necessary at 60.000 miles or so?);
3) suspension parts may wear early as well;
4) changing plugs is a hassle because the inlet manifold has to be removed.


> On the above, and other aspects concerning reliability/longevity, how do both generations compare?
> The V20 being older, is it worse? Or maybe it is better, as cost cutting has become more common in later years?
> In terms of rust resistance, is the fact that the V20 has a ladder frame and the V60 does not of any relevance?


I'd be very interested to hear your opinions!

[Google]

[Carnutbmw]

Is there nobody who has experience with both generations?

[peteinchad]

I like the MkII - simpler than the MkIII.

Other people like the MkIII but I would never have one - but that is just my opinion.

[helijohn]

[Carnutbmw]

Thanks helijohn, that's useful information!

How many miles do your Pajero's have on them, and have they been free of problems? I guess you had them rust proofed after importing?

Did you buy the cars in the UK, or did you use an agent in Japan to buy them for you? If the latter is the case, I'd be interested to know what agent you used, and whether you recommend them.

As for the transmission, an automatic gearbox is what I'm looking for. What I read about gearboxes wearing early - I'm not sure whether this applies to auto- or manual gearboxes, or perhaps both.

[helijohn]

[assassin]

Total rubbish about the gearboxes as they are well above average build quality and the Pajero/Shogun was originally designed for an auto box and a manual was an afterthought, who claims these boxes are weak? because if you look at the Aisin auto box it is one of the strongest and most durable around and due to this many were abused by owners running on a shoestring or lacking the essential maintenance they need, although this is minimal; despite this they are still strong boxes after years of abuse and certainly far superior to other 4X4 offerings from LRJ and other manufacturers.

What goes wrong with them:

Mainly abuse from inexperienced owners.
Failure to change the auto transmission fluid as it isn't a scheduled item due the wide ranging way the vehicles are used, mainly by companies towing heavy weights, and it is a visual inspection of the ATF.
Failure to use the correct ATF as the MK III only uses Dia Queen SP III and this is vehicle specific, some users think they can use anything, they can't, they can only use SP III and many people see III and use Dexron III instead, if it isn't SP III then don't use it.
Failing to cycle through the various gear modes periodically as they can become sticky through lack of use, many people switch from 2H to 4H and never lock the centre diff or go into low range.
Gearbox switches need periodic cleaning to prevent crud building up around them.
Failing to learn and use the correct selection procedure.

Solutions:

Change your ATF periodically and examine it regularly, pull the transmission dipstick and smell it, if it has a sweet smell then it is on its way for changing, similarly, if it is anything other than cherry red then change it.

Only use Dia Queen SP III and nothing else, this is backwards compatible and can be used in earlier auto boxes on the Mk II models and is a useful upgrade, many of us use Millers Millermatic SP III WS.

Find a piece of grass and exercise your transmission, go from 2H to 4H and let it engage, then go to locked centre diff position and let it engage, then go into low range and let it engage, then reverse the procedure and repeat it several times as this exercises your selectors and motors. Do this monthly if possible if using off road regularly, or quarterly if using solely on road.

Keep your gearbox switches clean, never make the mistake of blasting them with a jetwash as the pressures from these force water past the seals and into the switch, only use a hosepipe to do this, let them drain and spray them with WD40 as this is a water displacer and this removes the water from the switches, leave to evaporate and spray liberally with a good maintenance spray as this helps the rubber seals and prevents crud sticking to them.  

Learn the correct procedure for checking the ATF level which is simple, run the vehicle until the transmission is hot, stop your vehicle and LEAVE THE ENGINE RUNNING, go through all the gear positions with your footbrake fully on to prime the circuits, then get out WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING and pull your transmission dipstick and wipe it, insert fully and pull straight out to check your level: NEVER DO THIS WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING AS THIS GIVES THE WRONG LEVELS and top up with small amounts of ATF to get it close to the top mark without it going over the top mark.

How long to these gearboxes last? I regularly see auto boxes exceeding 500,000 miles with nothing more than a little care and the ATF will generally last around 5 years between changes under average circumstances, often much longer.

[helijohn]

[alienidea]

I,ve owned both the first was a mk2 lwb diesel pajero1994 and now a mk3 lwb diesel shogun2004 .If i had to choose between the them the mk2 would be my chose simple to fix /well built /parts can be cheaper .So why did i buy a mk3  it has sub 60k clean /toys   and was already fitted with a towbar .If i could have found a mk2 in the same condtion i would have got that instead ..but thats not easy as there getting a lot older now.And yes pajero over shogun ,FYI the mk2 was a manuel gearbox but now auto all the way  

[Carnutbmw]

[Carnutbmw]

I was also wondering whether parts are still readily available for the 2nd generation Pajero. Are there any problems on that issue?

[NJV6]

That’s because the auto is not a aisin, it’s a jatco in the gen 3 and the 1st gen 4’s.

Also, where did the idea that the Pajero was designed for the auto and the manual an afterthought come from????

[assassin]

Its Aisin, but some were built under licence.

Straight from Mitsubishi themselves as they were designed and a complete power pack of engine and transmission and this was an auto, they fitted the manual as an afterthought to cater to various markets.