To GDI or not to GDI...

[BAUSHOG]

I am looking at a 1997 mitsi GDI 3.5 177km for around 3.5-4k to be mainly used offroad.

Heard mixed opinions of GDI one guy said "dont touch it otherwise you will be in the mechanic more than the mud". And anothers think it is the bees knees.

Apparently they are hard to work on?
Just after opinions and if anyone has had any bad experiences?

Hope this doesnt open a can of worms

[crazee]

Have one gdi myself and find it great only thing i have heard is a gdi pump will cost 1100 if you need to replace one other than that i did 3500 ks for 800 dollars and thats not bad mine sit on 2000rpm at 100ks

[CLUMZ1]

SAY NO TO GDI.

[89pajero]

Dont know about the Pajero GDI, but have had no issues with the GDI on my car.

[CLUMZ1]

x-post http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/Forums/ ... 1&p=350898

[Weemsy]

buy a gdi,

the problem with 'gdi' motors is the build up of carbon deposits in the intake manifold because its a direct injection motor, so the fuel isnt injected into the manifold, 'washing' the carbon deposits from the intake.

the best thing to do is blank off the egr and put the crankcase ventilation to a catch can so the oily vapours arent being put through the intake manifold.

audi's do the same thing (i will be in trouble from my old job saying that )

the 'cure' is a fluid that gets sprayed into the intake that clears away the deposits, and with the blanked off egr & breather, doesnt return. cant remember the name of the stuff, but it does work.

i wouldnt worry about a gdi motor. buy one with the engine light on and do an easy fix! the intake manifolds just fill with coke & it puts the light on.

weemsy

[OVOXO]

GDI = Gaurenteed Dealer Income

[CLUMZ1]

GDI = Gaurenteed Dealer Income

[Tarmac]

Have a inlaw who worked for a mitsy dealership - has moved onto "better" dealers, reckoned the GDI's arnt worth a cup of cold sick....

You can all go on about "if its well maintained etc" which is fine if you buy new but apparenly most (which have a few hundy on the clock) are a hand grenade with the pin half out

[TD power]

wouldnt go there with a 10ft barge pole

[tweake]

mate just got the bill for his GDI (not pajero).
looks like injector driver module was failing, 2 injectors where dripping causing soot built up in the cat. module and injectors replaced/fixed.
intake and heads removed and cleaned.
injection pump had the little filters replaced.
a coby to replace the cat.

no change out of $3k.

[Highway]

Owned a LWB '97 Pajero. We put nearly 100k on it. Great vehicle on and off road, loved it. The 3.5 V6 has plenty of grunt.

They are gas guzzlers, may as well own a V8. Anyone who says they aren't has never owned one. The 90L tank would get 500km of city driving if we were very lucky and 700km of open road driving if we were similarly lucky.

The real stinger was once it hit 180k, it all of a sudden got very difficult to start. Injectors and injector pumps (both low and high pressure pumps) needed replacing. Quoted $7k through Mitsi dealer, probably half that for sensible price if you were to do it yourself.

GDI engines of that ilk need to be run on High Octane petrol ALL THE TIME. And not just 98 octane... but 100 octane ("Premium") like they have in Japan. That's what a Mitsi mechanic (and google) told us anyway. Had we known that prior to buying it, we would have saved up and gone for a more expensive Prado.

And this was maintained well.