Keithryan

UPDATE: So these bad boys were put in during the weekend. The holes on these did seem bigger, in which the tip of a ballpoint pen can fit easily. I will be picking up the car from the garage today so we shall see if this is the end of this issue.

UPDATE: Work on this finally began 2 days ago. The mechanic started by draining the oil and to his surprise, this is what greeted him: I got a call from him informing me about this creamy discovery. I then reminded him about using Liqui Moly Ceratec during the time I was throwing everything at the car hoping something sticks (or un-stick the sticky lifters...) but apparently seeing the actual oil still startled him. I assured him that this is normal and I even sent him videos of Ceratec users showing their oil mixed with Ceratec which were similar to the above. They then finally opened the valve covers yesterday and confirmed that it was indeed the lifters causing the noise as almost all have collapsed and all other parts looked ok. He explained that this is a classic case of neglected maintenance in which the previous owner probably used cheap oil or didn't perform oil change at proper intervals (or both). So next step is parts sourcing which was supposedly done yesterday as well and should be going in by evening. I will get an update later this afternoon so here's hoping that it is done by then.

@RohanH Did you already get a garage to check this?

Awesome detailed write up, especially for the non-technical person (i.e. myself). I am just curious as to how RTA view this modification. Is this acceptable come renewal time? Ok I just read the other thread where this was already answered... Please disregard my question.

Screw all your practical and logical reasoning, this by itself makes bigger rims worth it!

Hope you don't mind, but I would rather not share their details yet at this stage. The job is ongoing and if the final result falls short of our expectations (worst case), it will unintentionally give them bad PR in the end. But once job is completed and successful, I will surely share their details and even promote them here.

UPDATE: I've finally bitten the proverbial bullet and left the Pajero to a garage to get this thing over and done with. I've opted for a garage where I felt most comfortable (especially with their technical expertise and experience with Pajeros). So I'm really hopeful that this issue will be resolved by them. The plan is to get the valve covers off first and assess what's going on in there. I was advised not to buy any parts yet until we can determine the actual cause of the tapping/ticking sound. I will post updates every now and then as this progresses. So watch this space.

I came across this from another group which is worth a try. It's in arabic so I am not sure exactly what is being said, but we can see clips that need to be pressed firmly which can possibly minimise the vibration. Side-Mirror-Vibrate-Fix.mp4

Hi @Sunit To add re: servicing, since you are at 116k kms, your next major service should be done @ 120k kms. Habtoor estimated for me costs of approx Dhs 2600 for this service. I've asked a couple of garages and all have provided me a quote ranging from Dhs 1400 - 1700 for the same job. Also, did you check with the previous owner if he has already changed the timing belt and spark plugs? These are supposed to be done @ 100k kms. You'll need to check with Habtoor since he's claiming to have done the 100K service there. Because if not done yet, then you are looking at another Dhs 2-3k to spend, depending on which garage you'll get this done (Habtoor is not an option, unless you have an extra Dhs 4-5k burning a hole in your pocket...).

For a 2008 model, your premium seems to be very high. My 2014 Pajero's insurance is Dhs 2K, full comprehensive from RSA. Just out of curiosity, what is your car's insured value?

Well, that (budget) escalated quickly...

And here I am thinking that this is a thread about the ongoing flood of welcome threads to new members... LOL.

Hi all. To update you on this - tappets have not been replaced yet. And with the 120k major servicing looming ahead, it may be another 2 months (earliest) before I can get this done. Unless something major happens (Big Ticket FTW!)... Although I did manage to personally go to Habtoor in Sharjah to get a quote on the tappets. I got a better rate than what Habtoor Garhoud told me over the phone. Habtoor Sharjah guy said he can give me each tappet for DHS 43 (x 24pcs). The price difference between Habtoor and Divya has now narrowed down so I will surely get them from Habtoor instead. I wasn't able to get photos of the tappets from them as they didn't have them there and had to be requested from Dubai warehouse. Either that or the Habtoor guy was just lazy to get one from their stock room. Anyway, what I've done for the mean time is to change oil (again). I am now trying a heavier oil 10w40 Liqui Moly Leichtlauf (not to be mistaken with the Super Leichtlauf). It was changed yesterday and surprisingly, no change on the sound. I still was hopeful that it will lessen the sound, but once again disappointment prevailed. So between 2 oil change in the last 2.5 months, I've spent a total of DHS 600, which is more than half of what the tappets cost. But yeah, no regrets babyyy! Going back to tappets replacement, it will be approx DHS 1,600 to get this done. This is the same cost to get the 120k major service done. The Pajero's current mileage is still at 115k, so basically I can consider doing the tappet change first, then do the major service after 2 months since the Pajero has been promoted to weekend car... Hmmm..

Yeah, I realised that I didn't take a photo of the tappet itself right after leaving Divya.. Anyway, next stop is Habtoor probably this weekend so I will take a photo of the tappet then.

UPDATE: So I've started with the legwork and visited Divya (or Dhanya, I'm confused which one I entered...) and checked out the tappet in the metal. Actual pic below: One would think that a product labeled genuine (and Made in Japan!) is actually genuine. Seems legit? Seriously though, isn't Divya an authorised genuine Mitsu part dealer? And yet the price difference vs Habtoor is so significant that gets you to think twice. I actually asked the sales guy in Divya about this to which he said Habtoor doesn't give discount, hence the price difference.

Given the demographics on this site, I'm surprised none have mentioned 'Black Mirror' as a recommended series. Interesting takes on technology and its effects on social issues. If you have short attention span (aka no time to invest in a long series) and is interested in the dark side of technology, I would recommend this as each episodes are stand alone/anthology (or are they?).

Thanks @Gaurav. Always appreciate your help and advises. @Rahimdad despite being here (virtually) for only a month, the regulars have been very helpful. I definitely look forward to updating this thread with the results once completed. So watch this space!

I used to have a 2011 Pajero which had the same issue. The driver side mirror would shake especially at high speed but it wasn't that bad that I managed despite daily travels at 130kph at that time. But since I also got that used from Al Futtaim, I did bother to ask them for a solution to which they said I need to replace the entire side mirror assembly. My current 2014 Pajero driver side mirror does vibrate a bit (I may be nitpicking) but not similar to my previous Pajero. I guess this is another Pajero thing. So yeah, I am also curious to hear from anyone who had had this problem and managed to resolve it (without changing the entire mirror assembly as suggested by the experts at Al Futtaim).

Hi guys. Just wanted to update this thread - I've seen 3 more mechanics (thanks @Carnity, the 'Get Quotes in Minutes' feature works) and all 3 have basically confirmed that the tappets are to blame. Although 1 of them said that this is normal and I should just put thicker oil (no, not Saleem). Anyway, I'm saving up for parts as each tappet/lifter is Dhs 30 from Divya and Dhs 54 from Habtoor. Replacing all 24 will add up so I guess its a no brainer where I should get them. I've been quoted no less than Dhs 500 for labour in several garages (a whole day's work) so I guess it will take time before I update this thread again with an 'after' results. But once done, I will surely post the results here.

Thanks @Barry very informative and helpful as usual. It's becoming clear that finding a trustworthy garage will be a challenge. By any chance, do you know of any garage or have any recommendations where I can get this done the right way?

Ok so I finally found time to actually have this issue checked by a mechanic. He checked and even used a stethoscope like tool to confirm if the ticking/tapping sound was indeed coming from the engine. Long story short, he was confident that this IS a tappet issue, even letting me hear it using the aforementioned tool. Both left and right part of the engine had the tapping sound. So naturally my next question was can they do it (change the tappets) and what would be the approx. cost. The mechanic assured me that this is not an urgent issue that needs to be addressed asap, but asked me to observe if the sound becomes louder over time. I also told him the steps I've done trying to resolve this to which he said it might still yield results after some kms/usage. He suspect that the previous owner did not regularly change oil. So here's hoping for a minor miracle. But this didn't stop me from asking the worst case scenario - what if I do need to change the tappets, how much are we looking at? Understandably, he didn't have any figure yet but was told that the gaskets alone would cost approx. Dhs 1-1.5K. What more when you add the tappets and labour.. And it will take 2-3 days to do the job. Does this sound about right @Barry @shadow79?

Thanks for the suggestion @shadow79, but isn't this counterproductive? In theory, the reason for the noise is due to lack of oil/lubrication that fails to reach the lifters. Having a thicker, heavier oil will just exacerbate the problem, wouldn't it? Also, the sound itself is indeed bothering me but knowing that this is not normal and is a result of a mechanical issue somewhere is concerning.

Thanks for the update @hAwX. I've already done the engine flush with Liqui Moly Engine Flush Plus and have put Liqui Moly Lifter Additive after oil change (although I only put 1). I'm just at 300-400kms / 3 days after oil change so there should still be hope since you realised 'results' only after driving 2000kms... @nutbolt thanks, I will try and do as suggested. But how can I know if the ticking sound goes away while revving to 3000 rpm when the engine roar/noise will just drown them? Anyhow, will still try this later. BTW, I found out that Habtoor will charge Dhs 525 just to check the car....

@Gaurav I have the same reservations about "official" agencies here. You tell them something out of the ordinary (anything outside of oil change), they then give you a puzzled look as if your'e crazy... Ok so I managed to take a video of the car during start-up and after 40mins. During cold start-up, just your usual engine noise with high rpm (especially from 0:49 onwards). Bonus points if you spot the faulty fog light (ref: my other thread): But 40 minutes and 45 kms later, the rattling party has ensued: Sound is not heard while inside the car so that's a positive. But dropping off the car for valet in a snobby hotel would probably make heads turn (not in a good way though)...

Hi all. Just to update you on this issue - I have done the following on Friday: Bought Liqui Moly Engine Flush Plus and used it prior to oil change Changed oil to Mobil 0w40. I've been using this before (different car) and was suggested here Added Liqui Moly Hydraulic Lifter additive Said a little prayer prior to starting So I then started the car and to my surprise...... the sound was still there. I then said to myself, ok let's give this Dhs400 additional unexpected unplanned expense some time. Miracles do happen, I told myself. So by now the car has ran 250+kms since the oil change.... and the sound is still there. The issue with my car is not really consistent with what I've been reading about. During start-ups in the morning, the ticking sound is non-existent. As in none, no trace of it whatsoever. I warm up the engine for a good 5 minutes and still no sound. Only after reaching work (45kms and 30mins drive) do I notice the sound. For sure it started earlier, but obviously I can't stick my head out and listen to the engine while driving just to wait for the sound to come. In short, perhaps its something else? The lifter theory makes sense but is the complete opposite for my car as it only comes AFTER the car is warmed up. But the sound it makes is identical to what a lifter tap tap sound should be and comes from the top of the engine (70% sure of this). But then my expertise on this is only based on what the interwebs tell me. And despite good offers from guys here in Carnity to check the car, I can't seem to find time to take them up on their goodwill as my schedule doesn't permit. I've gone to lengths such as when I see a Pajero on the street parked with engine running, I walk near it to listen if it has the same sound. Fortunately (or not), some have them in varying tunes/pitch and some don't (mostly the new ones). So this is still a head scratcher for me. Should I go to Habtoor and bite the bullet and have this checked? I am ok to pay them just to check as long as the amount is reasonable and the diagnosis is correct. I can then get it fixed outside. What say you?