Modest 2002 Montero Build

Offroadmuch

Explorer
Quick diy guide time!

Coolant tee replacement (tees only if you have a rear hvac unit, otherwise you may have a straight coupler or nothing at all).

Tools needed: pliers, screw driver (or suitable tool for worm gears), large container to catch coolant, funnel.
Parts needed: 2 or 3 gallons of coolant, 6 Hose clamps (worm gear style). 2 replacement tee fittings. Brass fittings will work, but if your coolant isn't in good shape, you risk galvanic corrosion in the coolant passageways. Aluminum and plastic are the way to go. Fittings are 5/8". I picked these up off of EBay for $10/pair.
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First up, make sure your engine and coolant is at ambient temperature.

Grab your large plastic container and pliers. From the passenger side of the car, just behind the passenger front tire- slide the container under the car behind the front passenger wheel.
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With pliers in hand (and some towels to clean up), lay down next to the car with your head towards the front tire. I had to partially slide under the car to have enough room to work. A pad or some cardboard would be good to lie down on. You will find the heater core hoses just behind the passenger side tire, between the engine and the passenger side frame rail.

The assembly of hoses looks rather complicated, but it's fairly simple. Just think of the system as a feed side and return side. The system tees (splits) for each heater core, and the task is to just swap one part at a time. Use the pliers and loosen all factory clamps. Then just pry the hose from the coupler away from you if possible. Coolant will of course be rushing out, so plan to allow it to drop into the large container.

Coolant will stop in a minute or two. Completely remove the single tee and then the hose clamps. I urge you to replace the hose clamps as the OEM ones may not be so elastic anymore and you may get leaks after the install. Assembly is the reverse steps. Just place the new hose clamps on the hose, then install the new tee. Set the new clamps in place and tighten. Repeat for the other tee, noting that there will again be coolant in the other side.

Remove everything from underneath the car and fill radiator until full. Once full, turn engine on. Its ok to have the cap off still. Crank your hvac controls to maximum heat and return to check coolant levels. You have a few min to bleed the system before it gets hot. I tend to 'burp' the system by grabbing onto one of the two radiator hoses and gently but firmly squeezing. Cap the radiator.

That's it!

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Just did this exact same job with the same aluminum T's I ordered from the link. Just a few words caution or advice I would offer:
The two ends of the T that are in a straight line (the top of the T) are the exact same size as the orginal plastic. The other leg of the T is smaller on the original plastic T by about 1/16th so when using the aluminum you will find that it is extremely tight to get the new piece in place. I sanded down the aluminum pipe where it goes into the slightly ly smaller line and it was much easier. Also, the plastic was very brittle and crumbled with finger pressure. Be careful not to get these sharp plastic particles in your coolant lines. I had to dig out the broken ends of the old plastic T's from the rubber hoses. I used about 1 full jug of coolant plus about another quart. Finally, if you have skid plates your coolant lines should be protected and the delicate plastic T's should not be an issue however one of mine was so brittle I am glad it is off my truck and I do have better peace of mind.
 
Last edited:

eyehate

Member
For some reason the post deleted :( Do you think you could fit a 275 or 85 series tire with those same wheels and offset? A few other posts on here say you can fit the 285/75/16s stock, but with the 0 offset that may contact some fender.
 

zerodrift

Adventurer
For some reason the post deleted :( Do you think you could fit a 275 or 85 series tire with those same wheels and offset? A few other posts on here say you can fit the 285/75/16s stock, but with the 0 offset that may contact some fender.
Those sizes will certainly fit on the wheels themselves, but an unsure if they will for on the car. I think with the trimming I did and a +10 offset you should be ok fitment wise. A lift kit will certainly help fitment wise.

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
 

zerodrift

Adventurer
Been enjoying the Montero for the most part, but wear and tear is taking is toll on the vehicle.

Parts broken over the last summer:
-Front left CV joint
-Inner and outer tire rods on the passenger side
-Skid plate mount up front (worn threads won't retain bolts to hold the skid plate sufficiently)

So far all have been fixed with exception to the skid plate mounting points. Going to learn how to weld and will try to reinforce the mounts and use a larger captive nut.

Upcoming issues and plans:
-Coolant hoses are starting to show signs of fatigue and a few have started leaking.
-Cooling issues have occurred in the past and we are getting some typical head gasket symptoms showing. Going to start planning a minor rebuild to address the coolant hoses and head gaskets.
-Right rear suspension area had just started to develop a new rattle. I've yet to inspect the suspension, but will do so this weekend.

Anyways, here are a few pictures from our adventures.


The top three pictures are from Rollins pass today. Very rough road and snow started at the end of the road! Winter is coming.

Rest of the pictures are from our trip to Wyoming for the eclipse.
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haolepinoy

Incomplete Idiot
Zero...could you let me know the details on the cast coolant crossover pipe from post #5? Is that from another 6G75 vehicle?
 

zerodrift

Adventurer
Zero...could you let me know the details on the cast coolant crossover pipe from post #5? Is that from another 6G75 vehicle?
To my knowledge this is a factory replacement part. I believe Mitsubishi just updated the design for that part. The old part was really corroded inside and would eventually fail from the looks of things.

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk
 

okcnate

New member
Cool GenIII I have a similar Montero. I really like the yellow fog lights. Did you treat the OEM to look like this or are these aftermarket?
 

zerodrift

Adventurer
The yellow tint is a term often referred to as 'frenching' and is just a tint applied to some OEM light housings. We opted for some fairly cheap self adhesive tint from Amazon as I recall- just something with a few good reviews as I recall. We also opted for an LED light for the fog light. It was a 'Xprite A1 Series Philips Luxeon LED Headlight Bulbs Conversion Kit' per the Amazon listing and so far they have been working flawlessly - though we don't use them unless conditions are poor. The light output is very noticeable and very vibrant. Will be doing this on the new Gen 2.5 Montero once the replacement fogs come in.

Quick edit: It is significantly easier to tint the lights when they are out of the car. You may have some luck if the light trim is removed, but wouldn't recommend this route.
 

zerodrift

Adventurer
Finally got around to replace the back brakes today. The rear passenger side caliper was acting up and the pad was not wearing evenly. Decided to overhaul the rear brakes in their entirety today. Stoptech pads, rotors, Raybestos parking brake shoes and reman calipers. Thought about replacing the lines, but my time was about up for the project so that was deferred.

Not much else going in with this build but putting miles on it and some basic maintenance. I'll have to do the valve cover gaskets again here soon one of them never really sealed up well when I did the job last time. That's it for now!
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Tliska10

Active member
Thanks! That will fit and I think I'd opt for that route if I were to do it over again.
Awesome, thank you man. I've been back and forth on offsets, I'm guess since the stock rims we're +46 a +10 makes a big difference from a +0
 

Tliska10

Active member
Crap I just realized, the wheels I'm getting have 106.20hub bore not sure if that will work either lol
 

zerodrift

Adventurer
Time to give an update to this build thread. The other day our area was hit by a storm that produced some significant sized hail. This Montero (gen 3) was the only vehicle parked here during the storm and had to suffer damage. Thankfully there is no broken glass and we have a contingency plan for such events.

The game plan is to repair the dents and we will bed-line the body, much like we did with my Gen 2.5. This will have to wait till later on this year, but we will stick to the Raptor Liner tintable product and apply it with the factory tint.
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