Parts for your 1988 Mitsubishi Pajero-Camshaft sensor

1988 Mitsubishi Pajero Camshaft Sensor — What Owners Need To Know

Short answer: a separate camshaft position sensor isn’t used on the 1988 Mitsubishi Pajero. Factory documentation for the period shows these engines didn’t run a stand‑alone “CMP” sensor on the cylinder head like later models. References include the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Factory Service Manual (1988–1991, Engine Electrical), the Mitsubishi 4G5‑series and 6G72 petrol engine workshop manuals, the Mitsubishi 4D56 diesel engine service manual, and the Haynes Montero/Pajero 1983–1993 manual.

Why’s that the case? The ’88 Pajero engines were either:

• Petrol with a distributor (2.6L 4G54, and early 3.0L V6 6G72). These use a pickup/trigger inside the distributor to tell the ignition and, where fitted with EFI, the ECU when to fire. It’s often called an ignition pickup or crank/cam angle sensor inside the distributor, not a separate cam sensor on the head.
• Diesel with a mechanical injection pump (2.5L 4D56). No cam sensor is required because fuelling and timing are handled mechanically.

Back in the late ’80s, most Pajeros used batch‑fire injection (if injected at all) and a conventional distributor. Sequential injection and OBD‑II era strategies—where a true camshaft sensor became essential—arrived later. So for a 1988 model, if a “cam sensor” is being hunted, the real target is usually the distributor’s internal pickup or the distributor itself on petrol variants.

What owners usually want when they search for a cam sensor on this model:

• Distributor pickup/trigger assembly (sometimes called CAS, ignition pickup, or optical/Hall sensor) on petrol engines
• Distributor cap, rotor, and leads if there’s a spark issue
• General wiring checks to the distributor plug and ECU (on EFI versions)

Common symptoms that feel like a “bad cam sensor” on a 1988 Pajero include hard starting when warm, random stalling, no‑spark/no‑start, a jumping tacho, or an intermittent misfire. These often trace back to the distributor pickup, a worn distributor shaft, oil ingress under the cap, or crusty wiring under the bonnet.

1. Inspect the distributor plug and loom for brittle insulation and green crust on terminals.
2. Pop the cap and look for oil, tracking, or a loose rotor, replace cap and rotor if tired.
3. Check for shaft play in the distributor, excessive wobble upsets the trigger signal.
4. If EFI, retrieve blink codes from the ECU (where applicable) and verify base timing.
5. If the pickup is faulty, many techs replace the whole distributor—quick, reliable fix.

Parts note: if a catalogue lists a “camshaft sensor” for a 1988 Pajero, it nearly always maps to the distributor pickup or a complete distributor assembly. Quote the VIN and engine code (4G54, 6G72, or 4D56) to get the right bit first go.

Popular questions

Does a 1988 Mitsubishi Pajero have a camshaft position sensor?
Not as a separate, head‑mounted sensor. Petrol versions use a distributor with an internal pickup to provide engine position and timing signals. Diesels are mechanically governed and don’t need one. That’s backed by the Mitsubishi factory manuals for 1988–1991 models.

Which component does the cam sensor’s job on EFI petrol models?
The distributor’s internal pickup (often optical or Hall effect) provides the reference signals the ECU needs. If that pickup fails, it behaves like a dead cam sensor would on a newer vehicle—no start, misfires, or random stalling.

How do you diagnose a no‑start that seems like a bad cam sensor on a 1988 Pajero?
Start at the distributor: check for spark, inspect the cap/rotor, look for oil contamination, and test wiring continuity to the ECU (on EFI). If spark is missing and power/earths are good, suspect the distributor pickup or a worn distributor. Many workshops fit a replacement distributor rather than rebuild the pickup on high‑km vehicles.