Opinions on 3500 GDI?

[TooSteep]

Hello all:

Newcomer here. My all-time favorite car was an '88 3-door Montero that I bought from salvage with 20,000 miles, had repaired, and drove for 11 problem-free years.

I am once again looking to pick up a used Montero/Pajero. There is a 1999 3-door Shogun with the 3500 GDI engine listed fairly local, in Sooke, with reasonably low km:

http://victoria.craigslist.ca/cto/5132950454.html

The GDI scares me off a bit, because I found several threads suggesting it is a high-maintenance item. Does anyone have any strong opinions on it? Or suggestions on how to go about getting the most likely reliable 3-door Montero?

Thank you.
I am in Vancouver, B.C. Anyone near me with a Pajero/Montero?

[Big-Bird]

It has impressive torque spec's (1999-2001 data) and so-so on the horse power from the engine...but the tranny makes great use of that power. Its not a racer but it will pull like crazy!

Cylinders V6
Displacement 3497 cm3
Power149 KW @ 5000 RPM
202 HP @ 5000 RPM
200 BHP @ 5000 RPM
Torque235 lb-ft @ 4000 RPM
319 Nm @ 4000 RPM
Fuel SystemDirect Injection FuelPetrol

The GDI is found in numerous USA sold Montero's. Parts are easy to get and can be had at your local Mitsu dealer if needed. If you buy a JDM Pajero you can even get the MOntero Headlights out of the USA which makes them light legal in Canada due to the DOT rating in the lenses!


The real authority on this platform is the crew on 4x4wire.com. They know the Pajero/Montero/Raider line better than most forums.

Personnally I would be slightly more cautious if it were the Pajero EVO which is a real animal of a mini-monster. Lots of fun to drive but the top end of this engine was only made for a few years and only for the Pajero EVO platform. The bottom end of the Paj-Evo 3.5 is supposedly the same as the lower powered GDI version.

[Growlerbearnz]

I work for a large, nation-wide breakdown service and, while I'm not supposed to be disparaging towards any particular brand or model, let's just say I'm *very* familiar with GDI engines from the late '90s and early 2000's.

A non-GDI engine injects the fuel upstream of the valves, and the mixture of air and fuel keeps the valves clean. A GDI engine injects the fuel directly into the cylinder, and the valves can quickly get clogged up with recirculated exhaust gases and crankcase sludge. If you mostly drive your car long distances- a couple of hours on the freeway or similar- valve buildup shouldn't be much of an issue. But if you drive mostly around town, do short trips, or lots of low-speed driving, (or buy a vehicle that has been used like that) then you're asking for trouble.

The injectors and fuel system are also very fussy about fuel cleanliness, and can be expensive to fix- you must use genuine Mitsubishi parts if you want any chance at reliability, and change the fuel filter(s) regularly.

I'd be suspicious of a GDI engine that had smoke from the tailpipe, didn't idle absolutely smoothly, or looked black inside the rocker cover (take off the oil filler cap- the mechanical bits inside should be clean, or at worst light brown).

[TooSteep]

Thanks! So if I want a reliable 3-door from that era (must be 2000 or older to get a JDM car here), I should be looking for a Di-D?

I see there is a base 3.0, a 3.5 GDI and a 3.2 Di-D:
http://www.automobile-catalog.com/make/ ... /2000.html

[Growlerbearnz]

I don't know much about the 4M41 3.2 litre diesels. This could be seen as a good sign

[Big-Bird]

I would buy a 4M41 equipped Pajero over the 3.5GDI without hesitation. The 4M41 is based on the 4M40 with better performance, electronic fuel injection and a tiptronic tranny. This combo has been called the freight train of 4 Cylinder diesels and if time/money were no obstacle I would stuff that drivetrain into my L400 cuz I really like my van.

I like the 4M40 so its not a stretch to like its bigger brother too.

[TooSteep]

This is probably a stupid question, but I'm curious why the 'direct injection' Di-D used in the 4M41 diesel Pajero engines doesn't suffer from the same clogged injectors of the GDI equipped engines?

Anyhow - there was a low km 5-door, 2000 3.2 Di-D Montero on my local CL this past weekend for $12,000 CDN. It sold in 2 days. Now I understand why.

One final question - on the jdmconnection auction site, 4M41 is not one of the 'model types'. Instead, they list models such as TA-V65W (http://auctions.jdmconnection.ca/auctio ... 33854028&s).Where would I go to see, for example, if a TA-V65W is a 3.2 Di-D or a 3.5 GDI?

Thanks for the help!

[Big-Bird]

I called my Pajero Guru friend and he tells me his 2003 Montero isn't a GDI (this is where I get to take back things I thought were true!)...he has a few 4x4wire.com forum folks around the world who are having problems with their GDI fouling just like Growler stated. Engine Parts are hard to find as well and the GDI was never sold in North America...the regular 3.5 gas engine was sold in the USA Marketed Monty)

[Growlerbearnz]

I don't know for sure why GDI engines clog up more than diesels, but I believe it has to do with the kind of exhaust circulating through the EGR. Internally, petrol engines can produce a kind of varnish which is very adhesive and hard to shift, while diesel engines' byproduct tends to be a kind of black, sooty oil. Diesels with EGR *can* clog up a little (one of the reasons for the EGR delete modification) but it's nowhere near as prevalent as on GDI engines.

The injectors on GDI engines are a much finer tolerance than older diesel injectors, presumably because petrol is less viscous than diesel, and maybe because injecting petrol safely requires more precision than injecting diesel.

[PHIL]

As always, I'm late to the party. Growler, it's great to hear actual experience about the GDI beyond just what you "hear" on the net. Your explanation makes sense too. My impression of JDM imports (backed up by owning several of them) is that the type of driving they generally get is the opposite of what a GDI likes... ie Frequent start/stop, low speed driving.

BigBird's correction is right on the money: USDM Monteros did NOT get the GDI. We got the 3.5 in SOHC and DOHC variants, non-mivec in the truck applications. This is not to say I wouldn't necessarily buy a GDI. But I'd certainly do my homework as Growler has suggested. Lots of us have run engines that never officially appeared in our domestic market, and with great success. But proven reliability makes this less of a gamble, such as what you generally get with a 4M40.

Opinions are everywhere, but now you've got some anecdotal evidence courtesy of Growlerbearnz to help you decide...

[PHIL]

One final question - on the jdmconnection auction site, 4M41 is not one of the 'model types'. Instead, they list models such as TA-V65W (http://auctions.jdmconnection.ca/auctio ... 33854028&s).Where would I go to see, for example, if a TA-V65W is a 3.2 Di-D or a 3.5 GDI?

Thanks for the help!

Missed this question...

The pajero with the 3.2 was only available from Sept99->. And only in the curvy third gen body style, with independent rear, monocoque body. It could be had in a three or five door. Three door is chassis ID V68W and five door V78W. The other chassis numbers starting with V6 or V7 are gas models.

Don't assume that a 99 is a third gen. The late second gen also was made in early 99 up till the third gen came out. It had the 2.8 or 2.5 as the diesel option. Chassis IDs for the second gen started with v2 or v4.

(There was a third option in the second gen: the V55W. But I'll let you figure out what that option was. ;) Here's a hint: "Dakar") :D