lets talk honestly about 1990 montero

[1morebike]

so lets talk about a 1990 montero. i have a line on 90 lwb 5sp with 217,00 on the truck and 80,000 on rebuild. now my question is this. what would it take to make this a dependable truck meaning able to get in turn the key and drive 600 miles or something like that. i know all about it not being the most comfortable and all that but i love the simple utility of it. also what kind of mpg would i be looking at? would make a difference to go with manual hubs? also what about desmoging it? i really want a fun adventure rig that i dont have to worry about leaving me stranded and im willing to spend the money and do the work to make it dependable just looking for some honest answers.

thanks

 

[lordtrunks]

Well age and mileage are the enemy most would say just drive it i just came back from a couple thousand mile 4x4 trip in a friends rusted out 89 2dr without any major issue's(using a bit of oil) tranny got hot a couple times but didn't stop us. Anyway to really cover your bases you can either replace or carry the following: distributor, coil, power module, fuel pump, ecu, mpi relay, spark plug wires, cap/rotor, spark plugs, fuel injectors. Since you just had the engine rebuilt and given the miles and age as stated above i do recommend sending the injectors out for flow testing and matching along with a new high quality fuel pump old pumps can give you issue's and sticking fuel injectors can ruin a trip. To be honest carrying the about parts doesn't take up much room and if you know how to change them your self it can save you along of time(walking for help) and money. Also as for comfort my old 89 is very if yours isn't my guess is you need new seat stuffings which can make a huge difference in a long trip.

 

[Mudrunner]

As far as a desmog effort is conerened check with local DMV and DEQ I know Oregon and Arizona have areas that don't have to get checked every so often. Pretty much ever. If the vehicle needs to be Checked than pretty much you are screwed, unless Washington is different. Even if it is CA you have to leave it for testing purposes. Unless that is however often your checks are you want to put that stuff back on.

 

[rxinhed]

Make sure you have bouncy seat bases for both front seats.

 

[we18fi]

when you say rebuild do you mean engine and transmission?? and/or diffs.
i dont know usa so good but what states are deicing roads with salt?

 

[yugo308guy]

I have had my '91 going on just about a year now and using it as a daily driver. Mine has 207,000 on the odometer and, honestly, I am very happy that I got mine. It has never left me stranded (one exception, which was my fault. Low coolant which caused me to overheat. No damage done, caught it in plenty of time). I never question, when I turn the key, if it is going to start, and I would not hesitate to take it out on a 600 mile trip. I would, during that trip, check the oil often, as my Valve Stem Seals do need to be replaced, but I could drive it like it is forever as long as I keep topping off the oil. I might use a 3/4 quart every 1000 miles or so.

It has a few minor irritations, which any 25 year old truck would. It creaks and moans a bit when I hit a bump too hard with my steering turned ll the way. Something I'm sure, the cause of which, a good inspection of my suspension system would reveal. Also, my turn signals do not blink correctly every time I use them, most of the time they are OK, but not always. But I am completely content driving it just the way it is.

I do little projects to it all the time, but it is not my intention to sink a crap top of money into a $2000 vehicle. I just want something reliable, that is cheap and easy to maintain. My entire situation is going to be rethought though, as I will be receiving a brand new Ford F150 as a company vehicle in the next month or so. I never intended to sell the Montero, but it may be on the horizon.

ETA: Almost forgot. I consistently get about 16mpg with mine with mixed highway and city driving. Although, I have to do a lot of 25mph driving, and without that, I think it would go up a bit.

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

Whats to talk about? if it's not modified it will go anywhere, I bought one after inspecting it for 20 minutes, then proceeded to drive it from LA to Michigan, the vaccum system is retarded but the engine basics are pretty reliable.

 

[1morebike]

Yeah I think there are better ones then the one I'm looking at but the body seems nice and I want the 5 sp who know maybe ill throw diesel it down the road.

 

[1morebike]

Also how hard is the rear axle swap? Lets say I came across 95 rear axle with a locker? Is the gearing the same?

 

[off-roader]

I don't believe it's identical but it's close enough IIRC. Swapping out the rear end is straight forward however it's possible that the U-joints won't fit exactly. In some cases you can swap the u-joint components between the 2 driveshaft's to get it to work. In other cases you'll need a shop to take off your old U-joints and put in the other one from the 2nd driveshaft. In most cases that I've been familiar with or read about, driveline shops will not have a part in stock that will fit the Mitsu U-joint so plan for a potential wait if they need to order parts.

HTH.