Offroad-Express

Hi All

Ah the reliable Pajero strikes again
I thought I would ask some basic stuff and see if anyone has come across this.

Coming into winter and colder temperatures i noticed each and everyday when I start my (2.8TD 4M40T) SWB 94 Paj I billow clouds of dark smoke everywhere! If i wait 8-10 seconds and give it a bit of a rev (1100) it seems to straighten out, but still a bit rough as its cold.

I thought I must be burning oil, however my oil level hasn't moved since I last did an oil change 4 months ago! Ive even have been on long journeys and it still is the same. So no oil use...

I talked to Mr Mitsi and he reckoned, my glows might be wrong ( i did get them changed last year... but was told I bought the wrong plugs, so they got some themselves ) or enough voltage is not getting to the glows. He reckoned otherwise compression might be getting low and engine is stuffed. Ok it does have 214,000kms on the clock, but the diesel pump is done ( by me) and I have never had the excessive smoking until the weather got colder...

I dont see any other signs of age in my motor, when warm it goes great, doesnt smoke much on a warm start ( small chuff), no water or oil is being used...

Im a bit worried because does that mean I should sell it quick? I am a student and cant really finance a new motor

Hey ! Get ur nozzles & plungers checked ... I reckon thats where the problem is ...

will blow smoke if the glows havent heated up enough.. or could be filthily fuel filter... but my guess would be your plugs arent heating up enough.. i had that problem with my pajero (had a dead plug or 2)... ended up replacing the plugs then hardwiring a switch to the glow relay so now i have to hold down a push button for about 10secs before i start mine when cold... if i only hold it down for say 5seconds.. it starts but with a lot of smoke and a bit of a splutter til it heats up

mine used the 12v plugs from memory.. maybe yours uses the 24v and you only have 12vs n them (therefore taking longer to get to temp - complete guess) or maybe your glow relay isnt leaving the plugs on for long enough.

gotta love mistys... my radiator has decided it no longer wants to hold any fluid... hoping it is something simple like forst plug seizing or a hose popping off... but probably something along the lines of the water pump im thinking.. will find out more when i take a look in the w/end

anyway best of luck

4M40's eat Glow plugs, sorry its a fact of life!

my old mans one does exactally the same, its a 1995 2.8L, i will try get a video of it starting up and then you will know what we mean by clouds of gas. it has about 230,000kms on it, but has done that since 100,000kms.

had it professionally checked and tuned and check and tuned and checked and swapped, lots and lots of glow plugs, a new set will be good for 3 or 4 days and then back to the same old, so many times by mechanics, he has given up, and just lives with it. its sweet except for the smoke on cold start up , i mean the thing still pulls 170km/h, not that i would know or anything

How do I check nozzles and plungers? is that injectors?

I looked up my haynes manual on how to check the glows, so I can give that a go

But as gary says it might be a mitzi thing, I was planning on videoing it with my cam and throwing it up on Youtube. It happens when the engine gets stone cold, so it can happen twice or a more a day depending on how much I let it sit.

I was pretty worried about it, thought I might have to sell my much loved Paj, but luckily it sounds as if its just another Paj thing!

Ill keep you guys upto date with what i try. She is in need of a little attention this month anyway, warrant and oil change pending.

ppl who do injection pumps r the ones who calibrate nozzles-injectors...etc
hope this helps

here we go, got it on tape>> only smokes on start up from cold, as previously described.

I jumped in turned ignition on, waited for glow plugs, you can here them clicking away, then started...



It doesn't even smoke that much when your giving it stick up hill or anything...