Offroad-Express

Got a 94 3.0 swb Pajero. Havent had it long but it seems to be running ok onroad but i went out to Muriwai the other weekend and found that it runs out of puff trying to get up the hills and dunes. It eventually just bogs down and cant get power to the wheels. It will hold revs around 2100 but it cant pull itself out (almost as though the torque convertors slipping maybe?) but then it should be noticeable while driving if i have issues eh? Ive done the stall test from the workshop manual and revs sit at normal limits

In comparison to my mates 3.5 swb, mine performs like a bag of shit. Its getting a gearbox flush tomorrow as its also holding the gears a little longer than it should and he can check the timing and maybe advance it slightly if its possible.

So does this sound normal? Pajeros known for these symptoms or does anyone have any info that can help me, im pulling my hair out over it. Ive been googleing for weeks. So pretty much my two questions:

1. Do the 3.0 SOHC underperform? Should they run out of steam trying to clime dunes? (engine temp stays the same. has a tranny cooler fitted)

2. It shouldnt just run out of puff to the point the wheels stop turning and it just sits there revving eh? So wtf (grrrr) is going on? Maybe stuffed torque convertor?

oh and 3. Any cheap performance mods or just cut my losses and get a 3.5? Or what about a 2.8dt?

Cheers for any help

Was that you fullas last Saturday rarking up the (unusually large) bank of the creek? Looked like fun...

I had a 3.0 and swapped to the 3.5 - more horsepower.
But...
You don't need much horsepower to dig holes in the sand. So you're saying you are stationary on a steep sand hill, and with the pedal to the metal, the wheels don't spin?

Are you in low range, 1st gear? Should rev to more than 2100 I would have thought. Stall speed on the torque converter is supposed to be 2100-2400 on yours.

If you've done a stall test on the torque converter, then either the transmission is slipping (unlikely) or the engine is way down on power. 5 cylinders maybe? Timing way out?

Oh, yeah, 3.0 should be plenty capable of climbing dunes.
And cheap performance mod: run 95 gas and advance the timing. But check all the cylinders are firing properly first, and get the timing right.

Hey, haha nah wasnt us the other weekend but keen to go thrash some woodhill jeep park tho

Yeh to explain, on the dunes it will just slowly run out of power until i lose momentum. Locked in low, foot to the floor but theres no power to the wheels. Even climbing the hills with a good run up, just hasnt got the power to maintain speed, usually end up crawling up at walking speed with foot flat to the floor and thats the issue on the dunes it just doesnt have the power to maintain momentum and once the revs drop and you stop moving then thats it. Not so much just driving up a hill (it can thrash a muddy hill but thats because muds slippery) but moreso thrashing through dunes or the Wilsons Road access trail and that massive hill to be more precise lol. Getting stuck in there and it wont dig ruts to get out, it will just sit there and rev around 2k. It runs smooth and all cylinders firing. Have replaced all leads/plugs/dizzy/injectors etc. Has good power on the street but it just cant perform on those hills. Even if it gets bogged, it cant pull itself out and it wont sit there spinning the wheels, just revs but wheels arent turning. Im pretty onto it when in comes to stuff but this has got me stumped.

Timing is getting checked today as it idles rough but i havent got my hopes up put it that way. On the street its solid, no trans slip, changes hard though. Feels tough throughout and engine compression is perfect so its been looked after i think.

I guess ill have an answer tonight when i get it back from the mechanic... if its the same then its for sale. Recomend a 3.5 or diesel?

Humm, still sounds like a bit of a power shortage. And sand needs more power than pretty much anything else. Keen to hear how it goes with the timing...

Mixed feelings about the 3.5. I ran a bearing on mine and discovered that the DOHC 3.5 engine is a bit rare, and people were asking 3k for a second-hand engine with 180kms and no warranty. So I had mine rebuilt. More top-end power which is nice, especially for on-road. Hoovers the gas, way more than my 3.0 did. So now I've got a pretty fresh engine with 2.5" straight through and it seems to be going pretty good. The newer pajeros changed to a 3.5 SOHC which is supposed to be a better engine. There's even some 3.8l's around

The 2.8 diesels are really good when they are running sweetly. Still not as much HP as the 3.0 I don't think, but pretty comparable, and easier on the wallet. The 3.5 and 2.8 have bigger drive-train components, which by all accounts are very robust.

Cool bro cheers for the input, makes me feel a bit better. Got it back from the mechanic yesterday, says timings advanced as it can be. Trying to con me into a $400 dollar scan to see if theres anything else we can do but its a bit like trying to polish a turd eh. Tranny flush hasnt seemed to change anything either. Heading out to Muriwai on Sunday so that will be the test, maybe the mudders and sand is just too grippy.

Seriously looking at the 3.5 but ive heard of alot blowing engines although to contridict myself my mates has taken a beating over the years and still going strong, diesel is looking pretty attractive from the fuel cost side of things but if it has less power than the 3.0 ill be in the same position. Just have to Trademe whore it some more and see whats out there...

somethings wrong with it, persevere. something stupid like a blocked up exaust as in muffler fallen apart. the scan isnt such a bad idea. check fuel pump pressure. He said timing advanced as much as it can be.....well thats not saying its right. maybe a mechanic that wants to help

ive been telling Jamie to cut the cat out of the exhaust, will that help?

Im heading out Muriwai at the weekend too in my gen 1 3.0L V6 Pajero. Also running MT tyres, so Ill see how mine goes there. If woodhill was anything to go by then should be all good, but will let you know.

Yeah, check exhaust, intake (filter), fuel filter...
My old 3.0 had no trouble digging holes on 33"s

OK so just an update. It performed really well yesterday, a tank of 98 and the tranny flush seemed to do the trick. Might get the exhaust done in the future but overall im pretty happy with it now

Thats good, didnt see you at the end to ask how you got on. Thought I may have done something to mine on the return to the beach but came right after 5 or 10 minutes.

89pajero i saw you airborne and few times! then almost ran into Jamie at the end....

but we got off at wilsons road to play some more on the hill on the access road part...

apparently theres cord you can get to plug your iphone(if you have access to one) into the obd port and an app that lets you run your own scans.i think you can get the cord from repco.better than 400 for one scan

awwwww yeh? Thats good to know... might do some research on that. Cheers bro

I found the iPhone software called rev but really don't think I'd b able to find a cable that will connect to the obd port to iPhone as rev software says there's a cable with wifi

WHOOPS wrote:89pajero i saw you airborne and few times! then almost ran into Jamie at the end....

but we got off at wilsons road to play some more on the hill on the access road part...

Ok. I wasnt airborne that often, but anyway thats half the fun of it, the truck still goes and I didnt need to be towed home.

I had a similar problem, strong motor with man box but no go at low revs. Mechanic said they're like that, all revs, but gutted the inside out of the cat anyway and it transformed it.

I got a cable, plugs into the laptop - runs EvoScan. Can pull out some useful info, and shut down cylinders etc.
Dunno if it works on the 3.0 ECUs.
Feel free to come round and have a jam on it (north shore).
Won't lend it out in case I don't see it again!

Can u do anything fun with it? Lol

Yeh bro keen to take a look eh.. pm

Haven't had it for very long, and just haven't had the time to mess around with it...