Pajero Engine Specs

[Gaurav]

On 5/19/2025 at 4:31 PM, Kashx2 said:

Or am I still a Newbie and with better technique i can make up for the power?

The first step in off-roading is to know how to drive in the desert.

The second step is to know which lines to follow, match to an inch with perfection. Lines are everything in the sand, inch wrong line and you will still struggle with most cars.

Watch every move of the lead car carefully and make a conscious effort to match those lines. If you can't make a second or third attempt until you perfectly match those lines.

Try this first in the next few drives, and then decide whether to change the car or not.

[Mike M.]

On 5/19/2025 at 4:31 PM, Kashx2 said:

Thanks for this topic. I recently purchased a 2015 SWB 3.5L. Was loving it for the first 3 drives until last weekends drive. On two occasions both hill climbs I felt very under powered. Coach telling me gas gas gas, and I had not taken foot off of gas.  Im now evaluating selling this and buying a 3.8 or if I should modify this one because I think I bought a nice clean one. 

ive just installed the extra fan, rear plate and flag holder which I can replace onto a new one if I buy. But I need to make this decision because this week I wanted to buy the front plate, install the ABS kill switch and trim the front bumper. 
 

I thought buying KN air filter and cleaning the cat converter, possibly better spark plugs would help, but I read here KN filter is not a good idea for sand.

So here is my question: is there a huge difference between 3.5 and 3.8? Enough to sell and buy another one? Or am I still a Newbie and with better technique i can make up for the power? 
 

Thank you 

The best thing you can do to yourself is to learn how to offroad with a Pajero. You master that and you will be able to fly through any track in any possible car. What @Gaurav mentioned to you about lines are the key and the secret ingredient. I used to have a Pajero and I was able to stay very close with the best of them. In the 2.5 years of owning the Pajero there was one or two hills i was not able to do. The pajeros are usually underpowered vehicles relative to their weight. What that means is that you have to compensate in skills what you lack in power. Once you become a true Pajero driver, you will see lines that no other driver can see. Remember me on this statement while it sounds too philosophical: "Not every Pajero Owner, is a true Pajero Driver". After some time and as your driving skills get sharpened, you will see lines that no other driver will see. This is unique only to "Pajero Drivers". Enjoy your discovery journey to mastering driving and not relying on machine power. Hope this helps !

Edited May 22, 2025 by Mike M.

[Frederic]

On 5/19/2025 at 4:31 PM, Kashx2 said:

Thanks for this topic. I recently purchased a 2015 SWB 3.5L. Was loving it for the first 3 drives until last weekends drive. On two occasions both hill climbs I felt very under powered. Coach telling me gas gas gas, and I had not taken foot off of gas.  Im now evaluating selling this and buying a 3.8 or if I should modify this one because I think I bought a nice clean one. 

ive just installed the extra fan, rear plate and flag holder which I can replace onto a new one if I buy. But I need to make this decision because this week I wanted to buy the front plate, install the ABS kill switch and trim the front bumper. 
 

I thought buying KN air filter and cleaning the cat converter, possibly better spark plugs would help, but I read here KN filter is not a good idea for sand.

So here is my question: is there a huge difference between 3.5 and 3.8? Enough to sell and buy another one? Or am I still a Newbie and with better technique i can make up for the power? 
 

Thank you 

In my opinion, the 3.5 is definitely not underpowered if it's in a SWB model. Of course, the 3.8 will give you that extra punch.

If you have purchased that Pajero recently i would recommend to verify a couple of things which might optimize your power. It could be that some horses are sleeping in the car.

1. All fluids (transmission, differentials, engine oil, coolant). When were these last done?

2. Injectors. Have they ever been cleaned? This can transform many sluggish cars back into their previous power specs.

3. Spark plugs. When were they last replaced? The original ones are fine.

4. Tire pressure: better flotation on the sand will mean less power needed to climb. Get some AT tires which are not too heavy and drive on 10-11psi. It will definitely improve.

5. Use of D vs Tiptronic. I always found the D setting on the Pajero transmission to be slow. Once i moved to using Tiptronic and especially when climbing, it kept the car in the same gear and i could go full out, while in D it decided to upshift or downshift at all the wrong possible times.

6. Cold air intake makes more noise, not a lot more power on Pajeros. If there are any gains they will only appear on the top end range and will be marginal in my opinion.

7. Car could be lazy from previous owner. Drive it more in the sand and make it stretch its legs  

 

 

 

[Kashx2]

7 hours ago, Gaurav said:

The first step in off-roading is to know how to drive in the desert.

The second step is to know which lines to follow, match to an inch with perfection. Lines are everything in the sand, inch wrong line and you will still struggle with most cars.

Watch every move of the lead car carefully and make a conscious effort to match those lines. If you can't make a second or third attempt until you perfectly match those lines.

Try this first in the next few drives, and then decide whether to change the car or not.

 

6 hours ago, Frederic said:

In my opinion, the 3.5 is definitely not underpowered if it's in a SWB model. Of course, the 3.8 will give you that extra punch.

If you have purchased that Pajero recently i would recommend to verify a couple of things which might optimize your power. It could be that some horses are sleeping in the car.

1. All fluids (transmission, differentials, engine oil, coolant). When were these last done?

2. Injectors. Have they ever been cleaned? This can transform many sluggish cars back into their previous power specs.

3. Spark plugs. When were they last replaced? The original ones are fine.

4. Tire pressure: better flotation on the sand will mean less power needed to climb. Get some AT tires which are not too heavy and drive on 10-11psi. It will definitely improve.

5. Use of D vs Tiptronic. I always found the D setting on the Pajero transmission to be slow. Once i moved to using Tiptronic and especially when climbing, it kept the car in the same gear and i could go full out, while in D it decided to upshift or downshift at all the wrong possible times.

6. Cold air intake makes more noise, not a lot more power on Pajeros. If there are any gains they will only appear on the top end range and will be marginal in my opinion.

7. Car could be lazy from previous owner. Drive it more in the sand and make it stretch its legs  

 

 

 

Thanks @Gaurav @Frederic @Mike M.  

I definitely have more learning to do. Specially about the lines. I kind of see the lines like snowboarding. I like to drive on un touched/un driven sand. Am I to drive on the tracks of others? This I dont know.

I drove at 14 psi the first two times. Last time I went down to 13.5. should i keep going down .5 each run till I hit 11? 

Ive been driving on tiptronic when climbing and D when we are cruising. 

The previous owner gave me pretty good paper work and introduced me to his mechanic which knows the car for the last 4 years.  Ill get new fluids, i agree on spark plugs and new air filter. I also got a quote for cleaning the cat converter. Good idea? I feel the car doesn't breathe and exactly like mentioned feels sluggish. Starts pretty tough, but just gives up near the end of the run/climb. 

Ive decided to keep her and master driving it. 

Thanks guys.

[Frederic]

8 hours ago, Kashx2 said:

 

Thanks @Gaurav @Frederic @Mike M.  

I definitely have more learning to do. Specially about the lines. I kind of see the lines like snowboarding. I like to drive on un touched/un driven sand. Am I to drive on the tracks of others? This I dont know.

I drove at 14 psi the first two times. Last time I went down to 13.5. should i keep going down .5 each run till I hit 11? 

Ive been driving on tiptronic when climbing and D when we are cruising. 

The previous owner gave me pretty good paper work and introduced me to his mechanic which knows the car for the last 4 years.  Ill get new fluids, i agree on spark plugs and new air filter. I also got a quote for cleaning the cat converter. Good idea? I feel the car doesn't breathe and exactly like mentioned feels sluggish. Starts pretty tough, but just gives up near the end of the run/climb. 

Ive decided to keep her and master driving it. 

Thanks guys.

That's great. Don't give up on her. 

You should indeed always follow the lines of the vehicle in front of you, but during a climb you can deviate a little bit (20-30cm to find fresh clean sand). 

If you have HT tires, better not to go below 13psi. If you have AT tires, you can go a little bit lower up to 10-11 as long as you don't steer agressively. Always make smooth turns. Double check you tire pressure as well with a second pressure gauge (different brand or type) as we have seen up to 1.5psi deviation amongst many models.

I would not clean the cat converter yet, this is not so common and would only be potentially useful for a car with very high mileage (how much is your mileage)? Try to get the spark plugs replaced and injectors cleaned. That usually helps a lot more.

Also, keep an eye on other 3.5 Pajeros in your convoy, and have a chat with the owners. Perhaps even a small test drive in their car can reveal if there is really something wrong with the power. Yours is a SWB so it's already 250kg lighter than a LWB. @Mehmet Volga used to lead drives even in Sweihan with a LWB model, and that car was amazing (and stock).

Apart from that.... momentum....momentum......momentum.... Build up speed to climb hills. It will never be a Raptor, but in the right hands you will drive in Liwa without issues.

 

 

 

 

[Emanuel]

She will come around in parallel with your skill development. I got all the way to intermediate with my 3.5 LWB and she was brilliant once I learned how to drive her in the desert. She was stock except for the front and rear skid plates and AT tires.

One point I noticed from the 2013 3.5 and switching to the 2020 3.8 is my 1st gear has a shorter range and I've had to relearn how to time shifting, extra momentum at the bottom of a hill climb, and to time a shift to 2nd or ease up on the gas just a bit to prevent the system from kicking in to dial back the power. Having spoken with @Aser about his diff gear change I will research if this is possible for my Pajero to give me more power on the low end of 2nd or a bit more runway at the top of 1st.

[Andrew John Melvill]

@Kashx2, there is already some excellent advice on this thread. For my 2 cents worth, I have been driving a pajero for just shy of 18 months now. I can confirm the following:

1. Tire pressure is critical; the car needs to float over the sand and not drive through it, suggest that you go down to 11 - 12 on your next drive and I promise you will feel a change. Once you are comfortable at those pressures you can drop to 10. 

2. Throttle control is a vital skill and can only be learned by seat time in the car. Knowing when to give a burst of power to "pop" over small obstacles and how early to go full throttle on longer climbs will come with time. Just as important is to know when to throttle back to keep your momentum at a safe level. It is all about managing your momentum.

3. The comments about Pajero lines is very true, some points on this. Keep high on ridges when climbing, buy this I mean try keep the car off the side slope as gravity will rob power. This little tip when at Iftar bowl a few months ago got me to climb to the top 3 times in a row when on my 1st two attempts I only made it about 70% of the way. Also search for slightly flatter ground or follow the contours to give your car a chance to get its momentum back. 

4. Engine maintenance is also critical to keep power level optimum. When I had injector cleaning and new plugs done at the last major service, I could really feel the extra grunt from the engine. If you drive a lot in the sand shorten the service intervals as every 10 000 km if far too much for the amount of work the engine does in the dunes. Also check your suspension and wheel alignment on a regular basis.

Most of all have fun and enjoy the learnings that this car will give you!

[Kashx2]

Thanks @Andrew John Melvill Car is getting fuel injectors cleaned right. One of the reasons I want to keep this car is the previous owner gave me all service records since March 2023 and all majors are done. I wanted to get new spark plugs but they were changed 16,000km (6 months) ago.  And I saw the air filter was a bit grey so had that changed too. 

Throttle control, Ill need to focus on.  I read on a Facebook group that they install Throttle booster for 250 aed, Im not sure if I want to get into that yet, did you need to install one of those or heard about it? I want to learn as much as I can with stock car. 

My front and rear tires are different brand/pattern and not old enough to be changed; however, since they are HT I think my next upgrade should be AT Tires since I was suggested by @Frederic above not to go under 13 psi, I had an eye on my steering last drive when i went to 13.5 to make sure I don't steer aggressively. So tomorrow I'll go down to 13 and keep my focus on throttle and steering. 

I grew up in Canada and outdoor fun was in snow so driving in the sand is a new fun which Im experiencing and to be honest the time I drive just takes my head out of this world and for those few hours I feel like a kid. So rest assured the enjoyment I have it covered! Thanks to all of you and Carnity team. 

Edited May 23, 2025 by Kashx2

[Kashx2]

@EmanuelThank you for the reassurance. Yes I started with Tiptronic last two drives, I'm not sure if its good practice to go to second gear and then back to first when needed. Because if I don't go to second gear my speed (momentum) doesn't grow, if I go to second, after a bit of travel I have less power, so I got to go back to first.  Is this ok to do for the car?  If yes i think i need to learn when to bring it down to first gear so its not too late to lose momentum and its not too early to get a high rev. 

I only had the rear skid plate and am getting the front one installed today, besides these two I added a fan as suggested by the team and I think my next move with be AT tires. Will gladly take any recommendation on size and models if you have. Thank you. 

Edited May 23, 2025 by Kashx2

[Kashx2]

On 5/22/2025 at 8:28 AM, Frederic said:

That's great. Don't give up on her. 

You should indeed always follow the lines of the vehicle in front of you, but during a climb you can deviate a little bit (20-30cm to find fresh clean sand). 

If you have HT tires, better not to go below 13psi. If you have AT tires, you can go a little bit lower up to 10-11 as long as you don't steer agressively. Always make smooth turns. Double check you tire pressure as well with a second pressure gauge (different brand or type) as we have seen up to 1.5psi deviation amongst many models.

I would not clean the cat converter yet, this is not so common and would only be potentially useful for a car with very high mileage (how much is your mileage)? Try to get the spark plugs replaced and injectors cleaned. That usually helps a lot more.

Also, keep an eye on other 3.5 Pajeros in your convoy, and have a chat with the owners. Perhaps even a small test drive in their car can reveal if there is really something wrong with the power. Yours is a SWB so it's already 250kg lighter than a LWB. @Mehmet Volga used to lead drives even in Sweihan with a LWB model, and that car was amazing (and stock).

Apart from that.... momentum....momentum......momentum.... Build up speed to climb hills. It will never be a Raptor, but in the right hands you will drive in Liwa without issues.

 

 

 

 

It has 210k on it now. Thanks for the advice. I am looking forward to seeing other 3.5 Pajeros but mostly on the fours drives I went I saw 3.8 and LWB.  I will start looking for HT tires. Will take any advice on size and model which team may recommend. 

I think one of the reasons i had to attempt twice last drive on a dune was I was worried when obtaining momentum the front of my car would hit the ground hard before climbing up. Hence why I'm getting the front skid plate to reduce damaging components down under and not have to worry about that. I kept imagining my radiator hitting the ground