Bit of a long story, I got my Pajero/Montero in June '08 off my father, who is the original owner. It was dealer maintained, and only had one accident in its life at the time, which was when my father was rear ended at a stop sign. Nothing major, just a dented bumper which was replaced. I took the time and pretty much dumped a majority of my savings on this vehicle, replacing everything I could. I also got the hood repainted, because of all the chips on it. I was also hit in a parking lot last summer, so my right rear quarter panel was painted. Other than that, the paintwork is all original. Looking at my maintenance history, I spent $2,200 on this truck in June '08 replacing everything from lubricants to tires to timing components, right down to tie rod ends, shock absorbers and brakes. Wasn't too knowledgeable back then, yet I switched all lubricants to Motorcraft, and now I'm running European synthetics in the engine. Certainly better than the poor quality 20W-50 syrup the dealer was running.
The truck had a vibration issue back then, and nobody has been able to diagnose it to date. So I ended up throwing money at it, replacing evaporative emission solenoids, ignition components...the lot. I also had the notorious oil burning issue to deal with at that point, and reckoned my vibration issue was related to a gap in the valve guides. I replaced a whole lot of parts during the time the head was removed and sure enough, the vibration went away...until December. I also started hearing ticking noises from the hydraulic lash adjusters, so I decided to replace them. When I took the valve cover off, I was surprised to find the tops of the new Beck/Arnley valves I bought were hammered with just 25,000 miles on them. So there is a gap between the valve stem and the HLA, and the ticking is still there, even with the new HLAs. In fact, it's now gotten worse! I still have the OE valves, and they haven't suffered from this problem. So now I need another head job, but I won't be doing it until I'm due for the next timing belt replacement if I decide to keep the vehicle.
Back to the vibration issue, I have the service manual and I've pretty much narrowed it down to three things: TPS, EGR valve and IAC valve. Except the TPS, the other two have to be ordered as they are not available in stock. EGR costs $120, IAC $300. But that isn't the problem.
I just cannot find a qualified mechanic who knows what they are doing. Nobody here has an oil pressure gauge, hand operated vacuum pump or anything of the sort. Heck, when I had a minor coolant leak, I had to order a pressure tester from the States to locate the source! To find out if the EGR is faulty, I need a vacuum pump. Instead, they pour water over the EGR and tell me there isn't a leak, and it is fine. Even back when I had charging issues, nobody was able to perform a leak down test to determine the cause of burnt out cut off switches in the alternator. The truck is not OBD-II compliant, so it requires a Mitsubishi MUT-III scan tool if I am to go down that route. With a $5,000 price tag, it's just not worth it to purchase it only for one vehicle.
As it stands, I'm really ticked off. Total spent to date on this vehicle is $7,900 and I seem to be having the worst luck ever. Doesn't get the best fuel economy at an average of 18 MPG, nor does it perform well compared to other trucks, but it carries sentimental value and I'm attached to it. I was working as a professional detailer in the UK, so I even take the time to fully detail it every 3 months...even kept my fuel receipts all the way back to June '08. For the first time ever, I allowed it to idle for 25 minutes today, whilst I was waiting for my father to leave work, and drove it like an arse.
As it stands now, I need to redo the head job, find out what the cause of the vibration is (still no luck), replace upper control arm bushings and get another set of Pirelli Scorpion STRs. I also have a squeaky brake issue to resolve, because that's getting my nerves now. Mitsu pads are supplied by Sumitomo and are absolute rubbish. I always have to turn my rotors to resolve vibration issues. The last set I had were squealing like mad, and I replaced them with a set of Bendix pads I ordered from the States. The squeaking never went away, and I was told its because my front rotors need to be turned. Did that and now they're blaming it on the Bendix pads.
I don't mind paying for someone to diagnose a problem properly, but again it goes back to mechanics learning on the job and not being properly qualified.
I just cannot make up my mind as to whether I should keep it or not. Heck, I even did a compression test recently and it's 178-180 in all cylinders. What's keeping me back is what it's worth to me and knowing it won't be properly taken care of.
The truck had a vibration issue back then, and nobody has been able to diagnose it to date. So I ended up throwing money at it, replacing evaporative emission solenoids, ignition components...the lot. I also had the notorious oil burning issue to deal with at that point, and reckoned my vibration issue was related to a gap in the valve guides. I replaced a whole lot of parts during the time the head was removed and sure enough, the vibration went away...until December. I also started hearing ticking noises from the hydraulic lash adjusters, so I decided to replace them. When I took the valve cover off, I was surprised to find the tops of the new Beck/Arnley valves I bought were hammered with just 25,000 miles on them. So there is a gap between the valve stem and the HLA, and the ticking is still there, even with the new HLAs. In fact, it's now gotten worse! I still have the OE valves, and they haven't suffered from this problem. So now I need another head job, but I won't be doing it until I'm due for the next timing belt replacement if I decide to keep the vehicle.
Back to the vibration issue, I have the service manual and I've pretty much narrowed it down to three things: TPS, EGR valve and IAC valve. Except the TPS, the other two have to be ordered as they are not available in stock. EGR costs $120, IAC $300. But that isn't the problem.
I just cannot find a qualified mechanic who knows what they are doing. Nobody here has an oil pressure gauge, hand operated vacuum pump or anything of the sort. Heck, when I had a minor coolant leak, I had to order a pressure tester from the States to locate the source! To find out if the EGR is faulty, I need a vacuum pump. Instead, they pour water over the EGR and tell me there isn't a leak, and it is fine. Even back when I had charging issues, nobody was able to perform a leak down test to determine the cause of burnt out cut off switches in the alternator. The truck is not OBD-II compliant, so it requires a Mitsubishi MUT-III scan tool if I am to go down that route. With a $5,000 price tag, it's just not worth it to purchase it only for one vehicle.
As it stands, I'm really ticked off. Total spent to date on this vehicle is $7,900 and I seem to be having the worst luck ever. Doesn't get the best fuel economy at an average of 18 MPG, nor does it perform well compared to other trucks, but it carries sentimental value and I'm attached to it. I was working as a professional detailer in the UK, so I even take the time to fully detail it every 3 months...even kept my fuel receipts all the way back to June '08. For the first time ever, I allowed it to idle for 25 minutes today, whilst I was waiting for my father to leave work, and drove it like an arse.
As it stands now, I need to redo the head job, find out what the cause of the vibration is (still no luck), replace upper control arm bushings and get another set of Pirelli Scorpion STRs. I also have a squeaky brake issue to resolve, because that's getting my nerves now. Mitsu pads are supplied by Sumitomo and are absolute rubbish. I always have to turn my rotors to resolve vibration issues. The last set I had were squealing like mad, and I replaced them with a set of Bendix pads I ordered from the States. The squeaking never went away, and I was told its because my front rotors need to be turned. Did that and now they're blaming it on the Bendix pads.
I just cannot make up my mind as to whether I should keep it or not. Heck, I even did a compression test recently and it's 178-180 in all cylinders. What's keeping me back is what it's worth to me and knowing it won't be properly taken care of.
