Subic Pajero & 2nd hand Myths, Experts & Shops

[billyjames]

I know there is an existing thread on Pajero or actually 2 threads merged but I feel that a separate thread specific to Subic or JDM Pajero might be helpful. In my case, I felt that of the P150,000 I already spent, about half of it sayang lang due to the mechanic's incompetence and/or high prices of the shop. May labor or service charge na malaki pa ang patong nila. A thread where other Pajero owners share their experiences and problems, and where they were able to have the problem fixed or find the parts might be helpful.

One problem I encountered kasi and I think this is unique to JDM owners, is that some mechanic, knowing that it is a JDM and some units are really a headache to fix, captilaizes on this and scares the hell out of the owner with tales of what could go wrong. Admittedly some are true but exaggerated.

1. Problems and fixes (more of DIY)
2. Problems and shops or mechanics who was able to fix it properly
3. Parts and where to look for them.
4. Myths and the truth about 2nd hand cars and converted LHD
others and in no particular order or format.

For me:

1. A/C. A shop along Reina Regente in Manila, near Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz (I forgot the name but the owner is Robert) was helpful in helping me find the freon leak. I went to MitAir in Paco and they wanted to replace the aluminum tubes with copper tubes because it difficult to check for leaks daw. They alsop wanted to replace the evaporator but they did not even took a peek at it.

I would say na tama rin ang palitan yung tubes siguro on the ground na mahirap hanapin ang leak especially kung sa may likod ng makina. But the shop along Reina Regente put some luminous liquid and together with the freon and after 2 weeks, found the culprit (of the leak) to be the compressor shaft seal. Now, why didn't the expert at MitAir, na may kayabangan magsalita, thought of that?

And another thing. Technicians at MitAir incorrectly guessed that the freon was an older type (R22 ?) and suggested I had it converted to 134a. Well, that shop at R Regente also presumed wrongly as the compressor was 134a type. However, they did not pretend to know everyting at a single or partial glance like MitAir did.

2. Now there is that a/c shop also at Reina Regente named celsius yata who was supposed to be an expert as recommended by someone I know. The owner either does not know or don't want my business kasi I first heard the words high pressure from him but he was not able to explain what it is except that it is a problem and the reason why my a/c is not cold. He offered nothing to check the leak (it wasn't fixed yet at that time) but when pressed for a solution to my a/c problem he offered to refill my 134a (P1500 yata) because the 134a used by the above shopo is fake daw. If that does not solve the problem then they suggest transferring (or was it adding) the cooling coil at the bottom of the Pajero (or something like that).

3a. Are their fake 134a? 3b Are all 134a the same? How much should a Pajero Full of 134a cost? What ship in QC, Manila, SJ or Sta Mesa charges a reasonable rate for 134a?

4. How do I know if my intercooler is "sira"? I already experienced "experts" being wrong with my A/T so I want to make sure na sira na nga intercooler ko.

5. A friend suggested I had my JDM streamlined. All wires are not changed but are checked and soldered. I had it done at Wizard along Tomas Morato and it seems worth it. I saw all the wires bveing pulled out and saw that almost all if not all wires cut and reconnected during the conversion are simply twisted together.

6. I had most of my electrical and a/c problems fixed by Wizard along Tomas Morato. A/C is listed as one of their specialty but I am not sure how specialized they are. They did solve most of my problems but was not able to give me the coolness I wanted. But no complaints really kasi I am satisfied so far.

7. After 2 years, I was finally able to enjoy my a/c when I had my new tint (Solarguard) and at the same time, an aircon technician named Tolits at the Autocentro in Cubao replaced a leaking o-ring. He first said that my thermostat was not functioning but made some adjustment and later said gumana din and asked me to observe as I may need to replace the thermostat. After the tint and the adjustment to the thermostat I found that the a/c is now cool enough meaning hindi na ako gaano pinapawisan. But I still trust Wizard more for my a/c.

8. Earlier, after having my injection pump recalibrated, I started experiencing hard starting problems. Sometimes, my JDM simply won't start. Brought it to a number of mechanics here and there and no luck. The person who recommended me to wizard used to be in the buy and sell business so my impression is that wizard fixes mostly buy and sell cars or puro remedyo lang. To a certain extent that may be true kasi the mechanic who attends to me susually suggest low cost alternatives and surplus. However, he was also able to correctly identify the problems (albeit after 3-4 takes).

9. I am not recommending Wizard because I felt I am not in a position to judge if they are good or not. I think others with more kinowledge about cars should comment on this. But for one thing, and at least in my case, hindi sila sugapa sa pera(vs others) and was patient enough to try find the problem unlike others who are very quick to comment that this or that is defective and as quick to recommend the part replaced.

10. How can I make sure that the conversion done to my JDM is OK. Is there a way of double checking what a mechanic says?

11. Is the kayaba shock OK? What other brands are OK for a smoother ride and aside from the 8k or so OEM?

12. I heard that it is the practice of some people to replace the air filter at the same time they has their oil changed? Cleaning daw is not enough and a new air filter is more fuel efficient daw lalo na sa 2nd hand cars like a JDM.

13. Where can I find surplus shops in QC, Banawe, Pasay or nearby areas?

14. Which talyer are experienced in JDM? Aside from Mr Joseph Atututbo in Multinational Village. I haven't tried his service though (bec I can't find time to go to pque) but he seems to be the acknowledge Pajero Expert. His cel is 0917.8405.942

15a. What is the best tire pressure for normal load (say, 4-5 people on board) for the front and rear tires? 15b. What if nitro?

16. Where can I have my steering gearbox repaired? May leak kasi and "hinang" is required.

Iyan lang muna. I hope others share their experiences, problems, finds, suking talyer or mechanic, suking shops, tips, and whatever info may be useful

[testament11]

bro, nasa kabilang thread ka din di ba? same here, jdm user here. try ko sagutin mga tanong mo as much as i can ah...

1. r134a ang jdm pajero. nakalagay naman yan sa hood eh, kitang kita.

3a. i dunno bro kung may fake

3b. i think it is yes, pare-pareho lang yan. sabi nung pinaggawan ko ng aircon, 1.5k ang full refill ng freon

4. hindi ko pa alam ang sagot sa tanong na yan

5. may problem din ako sa electrical ko pero it is on the minor side lang. ang navigation gauges ko eh hindi gumagana at walang ilaw. gusto ko sana matrace kung nasaan ang putol.

10. happy ako dahil very good ang conversion ng jdm ko. paano i-check? visually, dashboard. check mo kung putol o hindi. check mo pitman arm, tie rods at ang ilalim kung may putol, welding. pag wala, malinis at good conversion yan

11. kyb or kayaba ang shocks ng pajero ko ngayon. they are in my opinion ok. gas-a-just na model yun

12. twice na ko change oil at sa huling change oil ko lang napalitan ang air filter ko. ang diesel eh usually every other change oil ang palit ng filter

13. i cannot recommend any shops pero recommended, banawe, evangelista, capalangan sa apalit pampanga

14. 2 talyer palang pinasukan ko, ang casa ng mitsu sa marilao at ang speedyfix. ok naman sila

15a. i use 26 psi sa harap, 28 psi sa likod. pansinin mo sa passenger side yung tire pressure settings na naka kg/cm2. convert mo lang yun sa psi, yung ang correct settings

15b. mahal ang nitro filled, hindi naman pang karera ang pajero natin. normal air lang.

16. paanong leak bro? baka mamaya eh o-ring lang yan

bro, mind you pala, anong type ng jdm pajero ang sa yo? 2.5 o 2.8? mine is 2.8 kaya andun ako nagpopost sa fieldmaster thread. pasensya ka na at yan lang maisasagot ko sa mga tanong mo

[billyjames]

1. walang nakalagay kasi sa akin kung 134a o ano. Pinapaint ko na lang sa may intercooler at sa may harap (near radiator) ang words 134a

3a/b. fake 134a. Yung shop malapit sa parents ko 800 lang charge dati full. Yung 2 blocks away 1500 at sinasabing fake daw sa kabila. Most others puro P1200-1500k up. lately, an a/c technician offered 900. So, narefresh lang sa memory ang sabi ng shop na may fake.

5. Same din non functional navigaton bars. Maybe post mo kung nakita mo na problem

10. Sa pagkaalam ko no welding sa akin. Pero maybe ipacheck ko uli

11. Nice to hear naman na Ok ang kyb or kayaba na shocks. P1300 lang kasi sa El Dorado and I was thinking maybe 200-300 pagkabit so P1500 x 4 = 6,000 for 4 shocks mas OK na kaysa 8,000+ 1 OEM kahit na may adjsutment siya of H, M & S

12. Try ko palitan every other change oil. Due for change oil ako this May.

15a/b. Nitro naman sa akin P200 1 time lang. Subsequent refill free kaya walang problema dyan. Hassle nga lang you have to go there every time you want a refill kahit na malapit lang sa shop ko so there are times na iniisip ko ibalik ko air na lang para masmabilis magpakarga ng hanging kung kulang. 35psi ang kinarga nila sa akin nung una so ganun ang pressure ko ever since. Siguro try ko babaan ang psi.

16. Sabi ng tumingin sa may hinang daw ang leak ng steering gearbox ko. Maybe ipa 2nd opinion ko sa speeedyfix.

JDM ko 2.5 na 2-tone. 2.8 kasi nakikita ko noon puro exceed na striped.

[billyjames]

sorry double post

[testament11]

bro, kung titignan mo yung profile pic ko, yun ang pajero ko. 2 tone striped yung sa akin pero pinili namin ang white silver combination para maganda tignan. yang picture eh nung time na bagong kuha siya sa bilihan last year

[voltscastillo]

i've owned a 96 pajero, and while mine was not converted (ex-Dubai), i'll offer some things ive learned along the way. like the ts, madami rin ako nasayang na pera sa trial and error mechanics...

1. aircon. always a tricky subject. still best to find someone you can trust, as 50% of all shops do engage in some bullshit or another. lalo na pag naka paje ka (uy mayaman, kahit magkano bayaran nito).

3. just looking at the pipings, it's nearly impossible to tell if its r12 (or r22? i forget) or 134. some say you'll have to change the evaporator lang when you convert. others, the whole thing including the pipes. if it were me, i'd just get a 134 sticker and tell the inspection guys its 134. like they're gonna take the the thing apart to know for sure diba? hehe. that said, there are diluted 134 freon gas. diluted with what? i don't know. but it's sold by weight kasi, not pressure. so if they decide to dilute it with whole milk, who's going to know? cost is not a guarantee of authenticity.

4. the intercooler, apart from the cooling fan underneath, has no other moving parts. it's the fan the gets busted, and based on my experience, malaki ang difference bet a dead intercooler fan and a working one. the fan cools the charge air, giving more horsepower. i have no dyno figures to prove this, but when i discovered i was running around with a dead intercooler fan, i had the thing repaired and the engine pull felt better, more torque.

minsan scam yung fuel injection calibration na yan. all they'd do is sharpen (?) the injectors and then clean them then set the fuel rotary pump to transmit lean. tapos singilin ka 6k for a job done less than 3 hours. real calibration is a very technical process daw, and involves small adjustments, cleaning, and more adjustments. thats why expensive.

other issues related to conversion, aren't applicable sa akin kaya no knowledge.

[testament11]

maganda ang dubai version na pajero. bukod sa left hand drive na siya, eh mas konti ang sakit ng ulo mo.

kung bakit ba naman kasi, ang local pajero, sobra mahal compared sa import pajero

[badsekktor]

1. A/C. A shop along Reina Regente in Manila, near Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz (I forgot the name but the owner is Robert) was helpful in helping me find the freon leak. I went to MitAir in Paco and they wanted to replace the aluminum tubes with copper tubes because it difficult to check for leaks daw. They alsop wanted to replace the evaporator but they did not even took a peek at it.

I would say na tama rin ang palitan yung tubes siguro on the ground na mahirap hanapin ang leak especially kung sa may likod ng makina. But the shop along Reina Regente put some luminous liquid and together with the freon and after 2 weeks, found the culprit (of the leak) to be the compressor shaft seal. Now, why didn't the expert at MitAir, na may kayabangan magsalita, thought of that?

And another thing. Technicians at MitAir incorrectly guessed that the freon was an older type (R22 ?) and suggested I had it converted to 134a. Well, that shop at R Regente also presumed wrongly as the compressor was 134a type. However, they did not pretend to know everyting at a single or partial glance like MitAir did.

I got 2 of these surplus pajeros for quite some time now and issues resulting from converting are quite common. I advise you to replace the hoses like brakelines, aircon, and power steering hoses too. dual airconditioning is quite a pain. you should check if the secondary aircon line has leaks(the one leading to the evaporator at the back)

2. Now there is that a/c shop also at Reina Regente named celsius yata who was supposed to be an expert as recommended by someone I know. The owner either does not know or don't want my business kasi I first heard the words high pressure from him but he was not able to explain what it is except that it is a problem and the reason why my a/c is not cold. He offered nothing to check the leak (it wasn't fixed yet at that time) but when pressed for a solution to my a/c problem he offered to refill my 134a (P1500 yata) because the 134a used by the above shopo is fake daw. If that does not solve the problem then they suggest transferring (or was it adding) the cooling coil at the bottom of the Pajero (or something like that).

the cooling coil or the thermostat i believe is the one that they are talking about. transferring it at the bottom would not resolve your airconditioning issues. It just acts as a cutoff switch to the compressor if the desired temperature has been attained. I have come across with shops telling me that some 134a being offered are fake. just check for the container, they say that good ones come from something like a bubble green color tank and has markings of 134a at the side(according to reputable aircon techs that fixed my rides)

or are they refering to the expansion valve? but expansion valves cannot be transferred since they are attached to the evaporator.

3a. Are their fake 134a? 3b Are all 134a the same? How much should a Pajero Full of 134a cost? What ship in QC, Manila, SJ or Sta Mesa charges a reasonable rate for 134a?

Last time i checked, it would cost you around 1500 to 1600 to have your rig refilled with 134a gas, i get mine around 1200 since i'm a regular customer. by the way, you could recognize r134a compliant airconditioning system by the fittings being used. r134a compliant has one big hole and one small while the old freon type uses only 1 hole(that's what the tech told me and that is what i have seen when he converted my other rig)

4. How do I know if my intercooler is "sira"? I already experienced "experts" being wrong with my A/T so I want to make sure na sira na nga intercooler ko.

intercooler or turbo? intercoolers have no moving parts other than the fan underneath.

if you are talking about the turbo then i can't share you anything since i havent experienced it myself.

7. After 2 years, I was finally able to enjoy my a/c when I had my new tint (Solarguard) and at the same time, an aircon technician named Tolits at the Autocentro in Cubao replaced a leaking o-ring. He first said that my thermostat was not functioning but made some adjustment and later said gumana din and asked me to observe as I may need to replace the thermostat. After the tint and the adjustment to the thermostat I found that the a/c is now cool enough meaning hindi na ako gaano pinapawisan. But I still trust Wizard more for my a/c.

check for leaks bro, if it does not make you feel the coldness, then probably there are still leaks or faulty tubes ("ipit"). mine can make the windows moist from the outside especially if it is the rainy season.

8. Earlier, after having my injection pump recalibrated, I started experiencing hard starting problems. Sometimes, my JDM simply won't start. Brought it to a number of mechanics here and there and no luck. The person who recommended me to wizard used to be in the buy and sell business so my impression is that wizard fixes mostly buy and sell cars or puro remedyo lang. To a certain extent that may be true kasi the mechanic who attends to me susually suggest low cost alternatives and surplus. However, he was also able to correctly identify the problems (albeit after 3-4 takes).

maybe there are other issues other than the injection pump, we are driving an old car (and reconditioned one) so blaming shops would just make your head ache. Have you tried checking the fuel filter? how about the diesel that you feed your rig? how about your tank? does it have holes that might have introduced moisture to your fuel system? have you checked other culprits like battery? starter? glow plug perhaps?

9. I am not recommending Wizard because I felt I am not in a position to judge if they are good or not. I think others with more kinowledge about cars should comment on this. But for one thing, and at least in my case, hindi sila sugapa sa pera(vs others) and was patient enough to try find the problem unlike others who are very quick to comment that this or that is defective and as quick to recommend the part replaced.

i suggest you look for a "suking mechaniko" look for the one you could trust. This would help you understand more about your rig.

10. How can I make sure that the conversion done to my JDM is OK. Is there a way of double checking what a mechanic says?

well you could start with the steering system by replacing them one by one.

11. Is the kayaba shock OK? What other brands are OK for a smoother ride and aside from the 8k or so OEM?

i think it is ok, the OEM shock absorbers are too wobbly for me. I preffer a stiffer ride especially the front for additional stability when turning.

12. I heard that it is the practice of some people to replace the air filter at the same time they has their oil changed? Cleaning daw is not enough and a new air filter is more fuel efficient daw lalo na sa 2nd hand cars like a JDM.

if you have the cash then replace, but i prefer to change them when they are already worn out, since im not using my rig for racing. About the air filters, be careful when buying them. a lot of shops along banaue that i checked out quoted me not lower than 2k for the filter but i got mine from another shop around 800 only

13. Where can I find surplus shops in QC, Banawe, Pasay or nearby areas?

i'm a bargain hunter so what i do is to ask every shop about their price and go the shop with the cheapest one. just be patient when searching for parts.

14. Which talyer are experienced in JDM? Aside from Mr Joseph Atututbo in Multinational Village. I haven't tried his service though (bec I can't find time to go to pque) but he seems to be the acknowledge Pajero Expert. His cel is 0917.8405.942

i would advice you to study more about your ride. there are a lot of forums about pajeros that would gladly help you for free! so the next time you visit your "suking mekaniko" you would just need to tell him what to do and thus lessen the chance of being overcharged. Know how much those parts costs and know how much the labor your mechanic is going to charge you will help you save in repair costs

15a. What is the best tire pressure for normal load (say, 4-5 people on board) for the front and rear tires? 15b. What if nitro?

i havent checked mine lately. I used to have 40 psi at the front and 45 at the back but i think the tire shops puts around 36 to 37 psi. I just check my tires visually if they seem to be running low of air then inspect them for any holes.

16. Where can I have my steering gearbox repaired? May leak kasi and "hinang" is required.

"hinang"? when there is a leak, you would need a repair kit to change the gaskets inside your gearbox. I dont know any "hinang" procedure needed to fix steering gearboxes.

Iyan lang muna. I hope others share their experiences, problems, finds, suking talyer or mechanic, suking shops, tips, and whatever info may be useful

[badsekktor]

other things to watch for converted pajeros would be headlight orientation (replace the headlight housing), sidemirrors (replace or realign) position of wiper stalks and headlights stalks are interchanged, wipers on reverse orientation, sunroof/moonroof tends to leak, shifters are on a reversed position, handbrake on the passenger side, no footvents on aircon,power window switches are interchanged, dashboard have cracks, engine number on the driver side (which makes it harder to get the stencil for registration)

[d.drifter]

Does anyone need a pair of KYB front shocks? I'm willing to trade them for a pair of brackets of the sensors on your shocks (brackets lang hehe 'di ko kelangan ng sensor or shocks). 'yung akin kasi naka-cable tie lang eh.

Good condition pa 'yung KYB ko, less than a year used, matigas pa, you can test it