Mitsubishi Pajero 2.5 TD starting woes.

[Tetleysmooth]

Mrs Tet has a 1993 Pajero 2.5 TD auto. She's had it since 2009.

Up until now, or should I say a few weeks ago, it's been a brilliant starter. I noticed one day when she started it, the batteries (yes, it has 2 batteries) sounded a bit down. Very unusual for this car.

To cut a long story short, one morning last week, it refused to start at all. I've now replaced the glow plug rail ( a copper one, very expensive compared to the normal ones), and glow plugs. The new plugs are 11 volt. I've since found out that Mrs T's car has the 6.2 volt system, with 2 glow plug relays.

Having been searching the web for clues until my eyes are popping out, I'm none the wiser really. Some say it could be the water temp sensor, some say it could be the glow plug resistor, some say it could be the ecu.

It's an absolute nightmare to buy parts for. A set of green top 6.2 volt glow plugs from Mitzybits is just shy of 82 quid. Apparently, anything other than the green top plugs, the ecu doesn't like.

 

I'm on the verge of buying a new temp sensor, but there's so many different types, as said, a nightmare to buy parts for.

There doesn't seem to be many Pajero breakers round my way, so does anyone know of a breaker with an L reg or older Pajero for breaking? I want to try a correct set of plugs just to eliminate them.

Apparently, Delica 2.5 diesels use the same plugs with the green top.

If anyone has a spare set of these plugs lying around, used or not, I'd gladly buy them. Process of elimination, expensive, ain't it.

 

Any help/advice welcome.

[spartacus]

At the risk of stating the obvious, have you checked both batteries, my Toyota van had three same sort of set up, each battery needs to be individually drop tested, not as a pair.

[Tetleysmooth]

I've had the batteries off and charged them both. They are holding up well.

May do away with the back battery entirely, as it's not needed in this climate.

It was a winter pack for the north Japanese market.

[Flossy]

Give saunders brothers in stourbridge a ring, tons of stuff and I can help if you need them posted or anything EDIT https://www.yell.com/biz/saunders-bros-stourbridge-1570131/

[Tetleysmooth]

Ta.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Try it on some starting fluid and see if it fires.

My old 2.5 suffered with air ingress and was a bastard to start in the morning untill i replaced all the fuel lines, would flatten the batteries cranking and still not start.

I do remember glow plugs being a bitch to find but Milner Off Road cater for everything you need and are reasonably priced.

[D Spares & Tyres]

My shogun has always suffered from poor cold starting. No idea why. Swapped ECU and glow plug relay from a known good starter. New glow plugs. Good battery. Still won't start in the mornings. It gets a quick squirt if easy start in the air filter every morning now and then its fine all day ( or did until the fuel pump went, and now its laid up )

 

I suspect the fuel pump had been going for years and may be the cause of the problems. I put an inline one which gave it a couple more years.

 

Mine is a 1999 2.8 but same basic engine I think?

[D Spares & Tyres]

Oh and Saunders Brothers are money grabbing Clints. Used to charge a fortune for everything. I know a good small Shogun breaker / enthusiast in Bromsgrove who knows his stuff. PM if you want his number

[Tetleysmooth]

Try it on some starting fluid and see if it fires.

My old 2.5 suffered with air ingress and was a bastard to start in the morning untill i replaced all the fuel lines, would flatten the batteries cranking and still not start.

I do remember glow plugs being a bitch to find but Milner Off Road cater for everything you need and are reasonably priced.

 

It is starting. Nowhere near as good as it used to though. She's took it to work today.

I'm wondering if a set of 6.2 volt greentop glowplugs will sort it.

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

Have you given Fils Pajeros a try? He's a club member and a bit tasty with these apparently..... I'm looking at Delicas through his place regularly.

 

On a side note - that Mk1 V6 petrol jobbie I bought from you many moons ago did sterling service for 5+yrs!

[Tetleysmooth]

Bloody hell, I wondered what happened to that. Was it on this site you bought it? Did the smoking stop in the end? Is it still abroad?

[Lacquer Peel]

Batteries can hold a charge but be shit at cold starts.

[forddeliveryboy]

Yup, worth having the batteries drop tested.

[andy18s]

Try it on some starting fluid and see if it fires.

My old 2.5 suffered with air ingress and was a bastard to start in the morning untill i replaced all the fuel lines, would flatten the batteries cranking and still not start.

I do remember glow plugs being a bitch to find but Milner Off Road cater for everything you need and are reasonably priced.

I had the same on a 2.8 Exceed

Would start and run for 10 seconds or so then die

The front seal on the injector pump was allowing air in so the fuel ran back to the tank

What a bastard of a job that was to change

Everything had to come off to get the pump out,with hands getting cut to ribbons on brackets

A good 9hrs to swap a £2 rubber seal..

[D Spares & Tyres]

Yep that's what's failed on mine

[Tetleysmooth]

I know a bloke round the corner to me who specialises in pump seals for these.

PM me if you want his number.

He travels all over the country fixing them, so I suppose he has a reasonably set price.

[alf892]

Are the glow plugs getting volts?

 

If yes take them out and test one at a time.

 

If not is the relay getting (switching and main) power?

 

Shouldn't be too hard to check and tie it down a bit

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

Bloody hell, I wondered what happened to that. Was it on this site you bought it? Did the smoking stop in the end? Is it still abroad?

 

Italian tune up - service and the odd bit - it ran like a champ and flew through tests....... sadly stolen (probably shipped out to Africa - a lot went in a spate of thefts apparently) Loved that thing. Still got so many spares for it I'm still looking for another to take on!

 

Best of luck with the starting issue........ air ingress sounds the likely culprit. A rotten Delica had the same symptoms (that one I actually drove to Africa myself on a drive/fly home adventure holiday with a mate from here)

[Tetleysmooth]

Sticking my neck out here, but it looks like it's job done.

It was a combination of things. I'm pretty sure a dying aftermarket alarm took the batteries with it. The alarm is dead now and the batteries are holding up well.

The buzzbar was pretty well shot, so I fitted an uprated copper one. The Paj has a button on the dash for pre-heat, and I found out that owners do this conversion when the glow plug control unit is goosed. It also does away with the need for the 6.2 volt green top glow plugs. So, at 8 o'clock this morning, I was out fitting a set of 12 volt plugs. Result: it started first shot and ran like a dream, well, as dreamy as a 2.5TD Paj can run.

Relieved - I'd bloody say so.

Thanks for the replies to this thread.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Good news.

I had the manual preheat button in 2 of the 3 2.5s i owned.

I am about to part with my 2.8 Exceed after 18 months of owning it. Probably the best one I've had but it's not doing it for me anymore. If i ever have another one it will be manual, I'd keep this one if it was.

I find the autobox too slow up hills and a bit of a chore to tow with sometimes. The manual 2.5 I had was better to tow with and probably just as easy to drive, the hyro clutch is so light.

[Tetleysmooth]

That glow plug control unit looks to be a common failure on the 2.5's.

 

I've had to do an incredible amount of web searching to come to the correct parts to fit to this Paj.

 

It's all I've done for the past fortnight or so, apart from working all night. I hope it's sorted now. I can whip the intercooler off and change a set of glowplugs in record time now.