el_freddo

Try cleaning the idle air control valve (IACV). This could be causing issues with idle when cold. Not could be a number of other things too: - coolant temp sensor (*should* throw a check engine light) - dirty throttle position sensor contacts - dirty injectors Check the ECU for any stored codes. Find out what these relate to and investigate one by one. Fuel pump or dirty/poor fuel quality could cause issues too. Cheers Bennie

On the RHD vehicles there’s two on the RHS and one on the LHS from memory. They sort of look like an accordion tube with a metal rod on the back end that pulls on the lever. On LHD vehicles these might be swapped around. Remove the kick panel above the driver’s feet and pull the glovebox out - this will allow maximum access to both sides of the heater box. From here you can work out where the bits are that you need to mess with. There will be a vacuum hose from the intake manifold to the vacuum canister that DaveT talks about. Check to make sure this is still connected at both ends and doesn’t have a split in it. As Steptoe said, I’ve not had a problem with the vacuum switch panel in my L series. The fan could be a series of things - fuse? Check first! Next would be the resistors in the air duct for the different speeds. But if these are the issue you’ll usually have off or full speed without one or all other settings. Or your fan is toast. Or there’s and issue with your fan switch. Or there’s another issue at play. All the best with it mate. Cheers Bennie

I’ve not heard of anyone replacing the diff stub axle due to a leak. There’s no reason to. Oil seals will eventually fail due to age, going hard etc. If there’s an issue with the stub axle this will be part of something larger, which you’ll be more concerned about since there will be nastier symptoms! Cheers Bennie

From memory there are three vacuum actuators on the heater box. Two on one side and one on the other. Make sure the vacuum line is connected at the engine and it isn’t split. As for the fan issue, I’ll leave that one to someone else - I’ve got an L with the same issue but can’t work it out either. Cheers Bennie

With that block/head combo you’ll more than likely lose the non interference “feature”. That’s nothing to be scared of - just do your timing belt kit in the given intervals and use a quality kit. The 2.5 heads on a 2.2 block will create that funny mushroom combustion chamber to cylinder wall shape. I don’t fully understand why it’s an issue though. Cheers Bennie

That’s correct DO, and those little black boxes die from time to time. I’ve been lucky with these so far my self. Nice thread dig too do you have a similar issue to this? Cheers Bennie

My first thoughts were bearings too. Did you spin the hubs while both rears where in the air without the brake disc on them? Perfect time to listen to the bearing - any noise or feelings of vibrations would give you a good indication of the bearing’s health. Cheers Bennie

You don’t need a reader to find the codes. There are two black connectors above the driver’s feet. Connect these, turn the ignition ON and watch the check engine light - long flash = ten, short flash = one. So if you had two long, three short, two long, four short, two long, three short, two long four short - you’ve got two codes - 23 and 24. Look those up and you’ll have your offending sensors. Sounds like an O2 sensor I reckon. Cheers Bennie

Ahhh... the ABS thing makes sense now. I was thinking of the steering knuckle/extension and couldn’t work out why the ABS would be an issue! I should get more sleep! All the best with it! Cheers Bennie

Clip from inside the door. There could be some glue but that wouldn’t be doing much since it’s so old. Cheers Bennie

So you want to swap between a ‘99 and a 2000 model. Is the ‘99 double overhead cam or same as the 2000 model as a single overhead cam? I’d pull the two off and physically measure them. Same length and you’re good to go. Cheers Bennie

Probably none left as it seems many spare parts for these were wiped out in the tsunami near Fukushima... that’s what the rumour mill says anyway. Cheers Bennie

Doesn’t your brumby have one Jonno?? Mine does - but from a touring wagon or coupe Cheers Bennie

Does look mint! I hope you keep it out of the salt! Good score I think!! Cheers Bennie

@rae houghton - look up Dom’s motors in Griffith NSW, ask for Andy in the parts department and tell him Bennie recommended him. He’ll find what you need Cheers Bennie

Have you got one of those IACVs that has the little rubber O ring like rubber gasket in the shape of two rectangles (from memory, I haven’t had much to do with this IACV setup)? If so, check that it’s not cracked. If it is, replace it. Cheers Bennie

Have you checked to ensure the sensor isn’t damaged? I noticed in a YouTube video on a Gen2 that the abs sensor has a little flat pin like piece to read the ring tone. Apparently it’s really easy to break these while doing work on the driveshaft and it’s recomended that you remove the abs sensor before doing any work in this area. I’d confirm that the sensor is not damaged. And my experience of worn wheel bearings on the EJs is that they don’t necessarily have that slop in them that allows you to wobble the wheel. But they will have noise in them, that’s a confirmation of a dead bearing if there’s any rumbling in them. Cheers Bennie

I agree, walk away. Find the right vehicle and be patient! Or the other way around really Choose what you want to do, find one that needs the HG and timing done - barter with the seller (private or used sales) to being the price down, then either DIY the work if you’re able to or have a reputable subi mechanic do the work that will give you piece of mind with your purchase and its ongoing reliability. Cheers Bennie

Small things and larger, more annoying things. The L series has a push forward low range lever. The brumby and later EJ models all have a pull up/back lever. The L series has a poor engine design, most likely a reactive move due to the 80’s marketing catch cry of overhead cam. In my opinion it was a rushed design and should’ve been dropped for a small EJ engine that would’ve been a thousand times better in the L from the get go. The EA81 was bullet proof and they had EFI versions of this ready for the L series (In my opinion; many manufacturers will put the next updated engine into the higher end model before it’s released across the board in the next model, it helps with R&D of final real world bugs and builds consumer confidence). On the other side of the EA82 is the sturdy EJ22, just as bulletproof as the EA81 and if not, almost twice as powerful. The larger, more annoying issue as the black sheep is how people and parts catalogues can often mix the L series/Leone with the MYs and the Liberty/Legacy models. I’ve had times where I was sold Liberty tie rod ends and ball joints etc because the updated parts catelogue change the part numbers to that of the Liberty/Legacy. Some things (well, one actually) that do carry on from the L series is the gearbox layout/design. There are changes to the back of the box for the AWD but the general front cases layout hasn’t really changed in the 5spd setup. Cheers Bennie

Did you check your other fuses? Does the CEL illuminate with the ignition key ON, engine OFF? Cheers Bennie

As for the fluid left in the the torque converter you can either do a series of fluid changes in quick succession to rid the trans of old fluid. Or another method that might work is one commonly used by Pajero owners but requires two ppl. Firstly, work out which line on the oil cooler is the OUT line, disconnect this and hang in a collection bucket/pan. Have the second person start the engine and let it run, the pump in the trans will pump out most of the fluid. Once the flow reduces/splutters the first person yells out to the second person to shut off the engine. Drain the rest of the pan, replace filter and refill with the given amount of fluid that came out. Check the levels again after a short drive. Now with all of this, I am yet to do this with our Pajero, but it’s on the list since I don’t know the history of the fluid in the trans. Let me know if this method won’t work or will do detrimental damage to the trans (looks @GeneralDisorder and @FerGloyale) Cheers Bennie

It depends on the ambient air temperature as to how long they run for. I’ll have to time it next time it’s warm If you’re going to do a flush it’d Ben a good time I have your radiator professionally rodded, unless you’re good with solder and heat. They’ll pop an end tank off and carefully insert a rod down each channel to remove any crud or build up. Once that’s finished they might push some water through each channel to get any loose stuff out. Then the end tank goes back on, pressure checked and the whole thing flushed. This will ensure the radiator is using all of its cooling area as effectively as possible. Cheers Bennie

Do a search about rebuilding. Common consensus is don’t split the block unless you really have to (or you’re dropping in a mid cam). No worries about the info, it can be confusing when new to the game. Cheers Bennie

@Ellaurance - NO TIMING BELT. Single, dual or otherwise on the EA81. The EA81 definitely has a set of gears at the back of the engine as mentioned previously. No need to touch these! Just keep the oil and coolant in the right places and enjoy the ride. They’re a tough little engine the EA81. Now EA82 on the other hand, this thing has dual cam belts/timing belts. A rubber band could be better... they’ve got black cam covers on the front of the engine and look very different to the EA81. EA81 has dizzy at the front of the engine, above and to the RHS (vehcile’s RHS) of the crank. EA82 hasthe dizzy at the back of the LHS head. Hope this clears up any confusion. Cheers Bennie

You’re talking about 4wd bind. Since there’s no centre diff to allow differences in front and rear axle rotation, the gearbox and pinion shafts are effectively working against each other. With all four wheels on the ground the inside wheels will try to spin to reduce the stresses on the drive train. If you try to drive up an obsticale that compresses the suspension ina diagonal fashion - eg: front left and rear right, the front right and rear left will loose traction and both wheels will spin, losing much of not all of the vehicle’s momentum. This is due to two open diffs and a locked centre between the two axles. If you have an LSD in the rear, you’re more likely to power over the obsticale until a rear wheel is lifted, at which point the LSD won’t be useful. Cheers Bennie