Frederic

Many of us Mitsubishi Pajero owners will face the dreaded orange blinking Center Diff Lock light sooner or later. All Mitsubishi Pajero Gen4 green lights for the wheels will be OFF, and only the orange center diff lock light will be blinking. There are a few reasons why this occurs. When the ECU notices a vacuum leak after 10-15 mins, it will engage the orange Center diff lock light and will start blinking. Restarting the vehicle mostly does the trick, but if this happens more often, you might be having an issue with either the vacuum hoses, or the solenoids. The first thing to check are the vacuum hoses underneath the car that connect to the freewheeling clutch actuator: This actuator is a small piston that is controlled by vacuum. Check if the vacuum hose is still intact and does not have any cracks in it. Pull back the rubber boot and remove dirt and sand that you will definitely find in there when you go for regular offroading. If all this is verified and found OK, but the problem still persists, move on to the vacuum solenoids, which are located in the engine bay next to the air filter box. Below you will see the set. Mitsubishi No. 8657A031 for a Pajero 4th 2008. Price is around 360 Dhs. Replacing the actuator set: (TAKES MAX. 20 MINS) With a 10mm ratchet you can easily unscrew the two bolts holding the unit in place. Remove the black vacuum hoses by twisting and turning them. They might be a bit stuck so you can use some pliers to twist them gently, and then remove them by gently pulling them. Now remove the 2 electrical connector (push the small lever on top, and pull). They might also be a little bit stuck with dirt and sand and over the years, just take your time and don't force it. Now install the new unit and make sure to put the electrical connectors and 3 vacuum hoses in the exact same way. You will see that there is a solenoid with a Blue dot and a solenoid with a Yellow dot for easy referencing. The old unit can be tested with an Multimeter with Resistance (Ohm) measurement setting, but will not give you 100% confirmation that they are defective or not. We have seen intermittent problems with these solenoids where they become sticky during hot weather only. With the multimeter, put it on Ohms, range 200, and measure the resistance of each solenoid. It should be approx 40 Ohms. If it is above or below, this is the indication that they need replacement. In my case this was an intermittent failure that would come up once in a while, especially during hot days, so i've decided to replace them as the vehicle is 12 years old.

No idea buddy. Haven’t used them myself yet. Maybe give them a call.

Found this on my community group page:

Drive Report The early morning always has something in store for us, when i left the house I felt a cool breeze and was excited to head out to Al Qudra for some morning exercises ! Our plan was to head out south to the long range dunes near Solar Park. A target we reached within the hour, which says a lot about the quality of drivers and support team. We passed by the little bowl we found several months back and both @Chaitanya D and @Mels Wolf made the perfect sidey from all the way around. Spot on ! I decided to cross the road and go to the other side, which I have explored in the past but not with a Newbie convoy. We all kept our momentum and passed some creamy but also technical dunes where we had to be very focused and rely on good communication. Thankfully with @Melenany in second lead that gave good tips and hints to the rest of the convoy, and @Chaitanya D that was super helpful as my center forward, we were able to put down 48kms in just a bit less than three hours. We exited near the love lakes entry and looking at the smiles of the drivers I felt it was another good drive. @Mels Wolf who brought his father in law to help shoveling could stay in the car most of the time today 😜 I thank you all for this amazing drive and was really impressed with all of you. Even the biggest cars were sliding through the scenery without any hassles. On to the next one !!

Ah yes the wonderful Salukis. I can proudly say that i am being owned by two of them. -Incredibly lazy during the day. - Incredibly fast once they get going. - Incredibly gentle, graceful, and often also goofy and playful in the case of my youngest Saluki, Reema.

Hi @Bassam Dayani welcome to Carnity Offroad Club. Please join in on the Absolute Newbie Drive tomorrow. This drives is already closed.

I agree. I was thinking by myself maybe the guy did some welding or quick fix while he was replacing the radiator and did not bother to remove the - terminal ? Just my guess..

RSVP IS NOW CLOSED I am blessed with such an amazing convoy again. With the amazing driving skills of @Melenany in second lead, the ever supporting center forward @Chaitanya D, and the skillfull recovery and sweeping duties of @Mels Wolf i am quite sure we will have lots of fun. The location pin is pointed on the road, but the deflation point is the gravel track the leads inwards (see red arrow below) You can easily drive inside and deflate once you're on that gravel track. After deflation we will head deeper into Al Qudra and go further south towards the Solar park, and eventually make a loop and drive back north to exit somewhere near Hamari well, which is only a few kilometers away from the Last Exit gas station. We will be using Carnity Channel #1, (446.00625 Mhz) so please turn on the radio when you arrive at the deflation point and we will do a radio check at that time and set up the convoy as per above numbering. Please take the COVID19 precautions seriously and stay in your vehicle, except during inflation and deflation where we are to keep enough distance inbetween the cars and not start gathering/socializing. See you tomorrow !

Thanks for informing @Biju Abdul take care of yourselves and see you soon in the sand !

Straight Up Straight Down !!

i'm inclined to believe that Montero Sport is not to be underestimated. It's relatively light (2070kg) , has 8 speed gearbox with around 215hp, and the 30 degree approach angle on stock version is also not too bad. I've seen @Szymon Stankiewicz taking it to Fewbie level without any hiccups. Of course it's not a contender against a FJ Cruiser, and the Prado 4.0 is far more powerful, but for this price you won't find anything in this league. It's indeed funny to see how Prado is keeping their value. Has to be together with the Batrol the least depreciating car in the UAE.

I was just about to say the EXACT same thing. I agree the Montero Sport ticks all the boxes. Fun to drive, modern, less bulky than the Pajero, good offroader....

@Chaitanya D i've added you to the drive. You can maybe take care of my big Xterra convoy 😁

I use to remove all my offroad gear during the week to reduce fuel consumption, but as Murphy's law goes i got called twice by some friends and neighbors that got stuck in the desert and in need of recovery but all my stuff was at home. Since then i keep everything in the car, but neatly organized.

- Keep it out of the sun during use. - Don’t overload it: inflate max up to 4 tyres and give it some rest. - Replace the hose if it’s leaking otherwise your compressor will have to work much longer and harder and will eventually overload. - Be careful with the unit, store it in a bag and don’t throw it around. With the Dragon Mart compressors you need some luck. Some will easily last a couple of years, others will fail after a few weeks or months.

Good choice. A Bushranger compressor will last many years if you take care of it, and will have a good resale value too.

Any idea how it compares with the Dodge Nitro that looks very similar ?

Hi @Joe Potter you can join in on the Absolute Newbie drive in Al Qudra where there are still some open spots.