Mitsubishi Pajero
Legendary 2.5-litre turbodiesel with timing belt — 90,000 km replacement interval must be observed. Two timing belts fitted (camshaft drive and balance shaft). Robust with proper maintenance but sensitive to short-trip use and poor fuel quality.
Indestructible diesel
The 2.5 turbodiesel is the classic Pajero engine — not fast, but indestructible. Character of a true workhorse.
Engine Weaknesses 4
The 4D56 has two timing belts (camshaft drive and balance shaft), both requiring replacement every 90,000 km. Failure on this interference engine means severe valve damage. Belt replacement including tensioner rollers costs around 600 EUR.
Symptoms: Engine no longer starts, metallic hammering noise, compression loss
The head gasket is a known weakness of the 4D56. In many cases not only the gasket is affected — the cylinder head itself must be skimmed or replaced.
Symptoms: Coolant loss, mayonnaise on the oil filler cap, white exhaust clouds, overheating on climbs
The turbocharger wears at high mileage or with poor oil supply. The VGT variant (Variable Geometry Turbo) is additionally prone to stuck vanes from soot deposits.
Symptoms: Whistling from turbo, power loss, black smoke, limp mode
The EGR valve and associated pipes block with soot deposits. The original EGR pipe has only a 2 mm bore — a known design weakness that Mitsubishi later enlarged to 6 mm.
Symptoms: Power loss, rough idle, check engine light, black smoke under acceleration
Vehicle Weaknesses 6
Severe corrosion of the underbody, sills and wheel arches, particularly on pre-2003 models. Cavities rust from the inside; brake and A/C pipes on the underbody are heavily corroded. Aftermarket protection strongly recommended.
Front and rear wheel bearings wear prematurely, sometimes from as early as 80,000 km. Multiple documented cases of driveshaft and wheel hub damage resulting from failed bearings. Off-road use significantly accelerates wear.
Rubber mounts on the front and rear trailing arms and control arms wear noticeably from 150,000 km. Deteriorated rubber bump stops on the rear differential mounting add to the suspension noise.
Synchro rings in the manual gearbox wear prematurely, especially in 3rd and 4th gear. Selector forks can become slack. A typical symptom is 4th gear popping out, which requires a gearbox strip-down.
The ABS and brake warning lights activate intermittently without an actual defect. Oxidised wheel sensor contacts or faulty speed sensors are usually to blame. The four-wheel-drive diff lock electronics also show failures.
The pipework for the rear air conditioning runs along the underbody and corrodes heavily. On older vehicles with rear climate control, these pipes are often nearly rusted through, leading to refrigerant loss.