Help please!! Gen 1 pajero 4d56t swb 1988

[Lifted Pajero]

Hey everyone,
I have recently bought my first 4wd which is a 1988 4d56t 2.5l td swb pajero mine has 243,000kms and I have a few questions about it. These are:
1. Are these cars reliable and what are some common problems
2. I have broken my front passenger side brake line and was wondering if anybody has one or knows where to find one
3. What are some relatively cheap performance upgrades
I would really appreciate some help on these few things and any other information that will assist me in the process of building my 4x4. Thanks guys please pm me or add to the thread

[pharb]

Rubber brake line?

Available from auto parts store - Autobahn, Repcp, supercheap etc, or probably online. Also wreckers, but I have found small "consumable" parts like that are sometimes dearer at wreckers. I think they must assume if you are buying off them they aern't available new.

Peter

[Lifted Pajero]

Hey pharb thanks for the reply. I'm actually looking for the whole left hand side brake line. The metal part especially. Thanks for your tip about the wreckers I'll keep that In mind

[Daniels_Paj]

Hey mate. Nice choice of car, I've got a diesel gen 1 shorty too and love it

To answer your first question, they are reliable cars, so long as you're kind to them. Things you'll want to watch out for though is blowing the head gasket by pushing it too hard (speaking from experience )

Also, watch the temps and consider getting custom gauges... I blew the engine in mine by trusting the factory temp gauge which read just under half when it overheated so badly that one of the pistons expanded and bit into the wall of the cylinder. Now that it's fully re-built, I have aftermarket water temp and EGT gauges which I watch carefully. I make sure water temps stay under 95 degrees and EGT's never go beyond 500.

Looks like Peter has answered your second question so I'll jump on to number 3, the fun one!
1. Simple mod if the intake is factory, swap it out for a pod filter, even if it has a snorkel you can get enclosed pod units (that's what I'm running).
2. A new exhaust makes a big difference to any turbo diesel but might be a bit pricey...
3. If you haven't serviced it yet, do so and change the fuel filter! Mine hadn't been changed for a long time when I bought it and changing it made a surprising difference to performance.
4. Get it tuned, shops like United Fuel Injection can tweak the fuel and turbo to give you a bit more power, and you'll get a dyno sheet so you can see what she's got. I recommend doing this after all other mods.

Hope this helps.

[TheBanana]

+1 For exhaust had a 2.5in custom made using the factory dump pipe for $600 which was pretty good, then I got a 2.5in dump pipe which blew me away the difference it made! Gets full 14psi boost at 1800rpm. Low down torque is great has no problem pulling up hills in 5th.
Also custom made a water to air intercooler setup for it which wasn't exactly cheap but another great mod for low down torque and power
The one cheap mod I did was pull the restrictor ring out of the boost compesator on the fuel pump, so it gets a bit more fuel on boost, had the pump tweaked too for a bit more fuel, she's pretty sooty but egt's aren't too bad considering.

All that makes for a pretty quick Paj, won't win many red light races but still pretty good for a 30yr old diesel

[wazza87]

Paj

Nice stuff mate.

This 90 swb import I have was my first diesel vehicle i've owned. I love the simplicity pf the motor and the injection pump are all mechanical amd for which doesn't require a pesky computer to run. It wont let you down - if you're good to it.

I got mine at 195xxxks and changed the whole front end basically straight away along with a few hoses. Definitely check your timing belt. If it looks old, rebuild the front end. it took me about 3 days to get it all done. Nothing will stop you quicker than snapping a T belt.

Regular oil changes, 5k oil 10k filter or more frequently. Most my research tought me delo400 mutigrade is the best motor oil. Also you should swap out all the fluids/oils when money permits.

Ive modded the little rig tons but so far best performance mod was turbo back exhaust. Untuned still but I have a boost tee and wound psi up to 12psi(post intercooler) so around 15psi at the turbo. Makes full boost by 1800rpm but im holing the tune speeds that up a bit.

Best off road mod probably a tie between 2" lift and 33" tyres. Both is better.

Best other nods are probably my 3 gauges. Oil pres., boost and pyro. These 3 things can be utilsed well to look after your engine better than standard gauges.

I get 500ks out of my swb tank, but fuel usage I average 10.5L/100kms. Not bad for an old donk. On the beach and fully loaded i get around 12.5.

There is plenty good info on this page, can spend countless hrs here reseaching! Good luck

[Lifted Pajero]

Thanks everyone for the replies I really appreciate the help. I have recently tested the car off road stick and I'm very surprised with how well it performed. I have done a basic oil and oil filter change. And my next mod will be a 3inch dump pipe. Any ideas on where to get these or do I need them custom made?
Also I am thinking about buying a 31x10.5r15 wheel and tyre are these a good choice or should I go bigger?
Thanks in advance

[TheBanana]

Will need to get them.custom made, any decent exhaust shop will be able to help. Personally I think 3in is way too big for a dump pipe one these 2.5in will be more than enough. Mine goes perfectly fine off road with 31in tyres, 33's would be nice though.

[Lifted Pajero]

Update!!

Hey guys really appreciating all the help and feed back. Today I installed a boost gauge and manual boost controller. The boost is peaking at around 13pound can I go more on the stock engine and what is the max psi i can go to. Tomorrow I will be getting a quote for a 2.5inch down pipe.
Also on another note I have started to notice a leak appear. It looks to be coming from the rear of the engine or start of the gearbox. Any common problems with these pajeros that would help me in diagnosing this leak?
Thanks guys

[Daniels_Paj]

If it helps, my 84 model with the 4D55 has the older model turbo (TC05 non-wastegated) and it boosts up to 18psi

[wazza87]

33's are great, but need a 2" lift.

Need to extend the dump pipe to the back. I got custom 2.5" turbo back for $1200. Made a huge difference.

Most of the literature points to 14psi max. Depends where u measure from too. The stock cooler drops 3/4 psi. I have a boost tee and set to 11psi max (manifold). If it hits 12psi sometimes the over boost valve pops. When I get around to putting it on the dyno i will have that sealed and run at 13psi manifold pressure to keep some sort of longevity in the motor as well as not losing too much reliability.

Great little motor. Gets me up most medium hills at 95ks 5th gear 550C max. Steep stuff 4th gear 90ks. Would like the extra boost and fuelling just to give it more kick up the hills/soft sand but im worried the EGTS's will sky rocket. Pretty small turbo really.

[Ran]

Hey mate, the leak will be your rear main seal (happens when the seal dries out from being left in one place too long). Mine has leaked for as long as I've owned the vehicle - about 50 000kms

Options:

- leave it and check your oil level regularly
- leave it and run "seal reviver" every time you do a 5000km oil change (extra $25 every change adds up pretty quick)
- replace it which requires pulling the gbox and while you're at it do a bunch of other stuff that will need attention eventually (+effort or $$$)

If it isn't your daily I wouldn't bother changing it - think of it as rust protection.
The seal reviver has the added benefit of tightening up your valve stem seals, bringing oil pressure up quicker on startup.