The Mitsubishi Pajero Owners Club®

[diggerdave]

Hi everyone, could you offer some advice to help decide whether to buy a Shogun Sport?

I currently own an excellent but rather old and cranky Isuzu Trooper 3.1d and am under a degree of girlfriend pressure to upgrade.  About the only thing that seems to fill the Trooper's shoes is a Shogun Sport.  I need something capable of motorways and lots of green laning (got to be able to keep up with the Defenders, which the Trooper does very well) as well as potentially for off roading trips to the Pyrenees/Alps etc.  I feel that a full-fat Shogun is just a bit too big and the Sport seems well sorted... and girlfriend likes the looks (training shoe rather than welly boot - I can see where she's coming from!)

However, I'm really worried about the head gasket/head issues that seem to crop up on all the Mitsi 2.5s.  Can anyone tell me:

a) Is it like buying a petrol Rover (i.e. a matter of when rather than if) and is it as bad on a Shogun sport as the L200 ( same engine?)?

b) Is it really more common on 2003 reg vehicles?

c) If it does go, what is a ball park figure for new head plus labour and is there anyone you recommend in Yorkshire?  I can do a bit of mechanical work, but this would be well out of my comfort zone!

d) Are there any other major faults that i should be looking out for (e.g. diffs/gearbox/transfer box/axles)?

I'm currently looking at a 86.000 mile 52 reg one for 2500, but there are others out there.

Thanks in advance, Dave

[Google]

[Simon_W]

Hi Dave and welcome!

I'll kick this off for you.  I've been running a Challenger (aka Shogun Sport) for the last 18 months and love it. Mine's got the 2.8 engine with an autobox.  Also be aware that unlike the 2.8 Challenger and the Mk2 and later Pajero,  the Shogun Sport doens't have full-time 4WD. It's part-time, for use off-road or on slippery surfaces only as there's no centre diff.

There's no doubt it's a bit agricultural on the road, but to me it's perfectly acceptable once you get used to it. It's solid, well-built, and mine at 16 years old feels like it's got many years life ahead of it still.

As for off-roading, it's probably not going to complete with a well-driven Defender. But very often it's more about how you drive that what you are driving.

As far as I'm aware, cylinder head issues are more common on the 2.8 than the 2.5. They seem to be often the result of cooling problems and very inaccurate coolant temp gauges which don't seem to give adequate warning of temperature rises. By the time the gauge moves, it's too late. So the general advice is to look after the cooling system and fit an aftermarket temperature guage - which I have to admit is still on my own job list.

If you want an idea of the cost of replacing a cylinder head, I'm sure that V8rick (mobile Mitsubishi mechanic on this forum) would give you a price if you sent him a private message. Or maybe he'll see this and send you one.

There's a very useful checklist here for Pajero/Shogun purchasers. Buyer's Guide  Not all will be relevant, but most is.  

And of course don't necessarily buy the first one you look at....

[diggerdave]

Thanks for the feedback Simon_W, and great to here from a happy owner.  I'm happy with the 4wd system being part time - I'm well used to it in my Trooper, which is also pretty agricultural! And I fully agree about the off-roading comments!

[Simon_W]

No problem.  
In fact mine is 18 years old not 16 - time flies!  This is what she looks like: 1996 Challenger
You'll see that it's pretty much identical to the Shogun Sport apart from the front end, which has had a 'facelift'.

Do please update this thread if you get a Sport!

[diggerdave]

That's a great looking truck. Shogun Sports/Challengers really do look good! I like the idea of de-cluttering.  Taking off the side steps was the first thing I did on the Trooper, followed by a 2" lift and 31" tyres.  All of which I understand are pretty straightforward on the Shogun Sport as well (longer springs and shocks at back/crank torsion bars at front?)

I am dead concerned about the head/head gasket issues on the 2.5td though, so any input on that issue will be appreciated.

[Simon_W]

If no-one responds to your requests, have a search in the forum for "2.5 head failure" and "2.5 head gasket" if you haven't done so already. It might give you a feeling for the scale of the problem.

[Iceman151105]

I have a w reg 2.5 sport which has had welding work done underneath to get through an MOT a couple of years ago (wasn't mentioned in advisories in last MOT so assume all good however it does need a bit of welding done on the rear arches. When I was looking at the shoguns I was overwhelmed with the amount of comments from previous owners and mitsi specialists mentioning underneath them as they rot boxes apparently so if you do go looking at a few of them get on your *beep* and check the sills and arches before hand. Hope you find a better one than I did.

[diggerdave]

Thanks for the input.  I searched the forum for head issues as recommended and decided against a shogun sport for now... now the proud owner of a cheap land cruiser instead (for better or worse!)

Good luck to all in the quest for cheap 4x4ing!

[jimmybond]

The 4d56 engine is chocolate from 2001 on.
The 2.5 2001 on suffers duff fuel pump, very weak crankshaft, turbo problems.
head cracks or the tappets fall off.
for a mitsubishi engine its very poor.
If you walked around my workshop you will no end of 2.5s in pieces and more of the later ones.
they are chocolate!

[diggerdave]

Jimmybond, that's exactly the impression I get from reading around on this site and others, and is why I've gone down the Land Cruiser route.

It's such a shame because otherwise they seem like such a well-sorted vehicle.  This head issue (and other engine probs) has blotted Mitsbishi's record almost as much as later 3.0 Troopers did for Isuzu!

[jimmybond]

Yep, I found the isuzu 3.0 with the bosch vp44 pump on it quite tough.
the 1 I often repair is the 2.8 or 2.5 common rail.
isuzu thought as there engine was so tough, a 500,000 mile engine when on fuel pump, they used that engine but made it common rail.
all the parts inside were to small.
thats why they made the 3.0 so people knew they had the better engine.
but now even the new rodeo common rail to me seems pretty tough.
I find more the nissans gone down hill, especially when you need strip engines out to fit cups in cylinders or it dies.