Looking at Monteros'

[Triji]

Hello all, new here been around exploring and general wilderness expedition for awhile Ive had a few vehicles geared in the general direction too!

I live in PA, 6 months of road salt and 6 months of clouds and rain, I used to wheel in a 94 Toyota Pickup which was my goto. Had a 99 cherokee sport for a bit. Dumped both off ( I regret selling the yota). At any rate I now have a family want an SUV thats not a nightmare jeep, When growing up my dad had 5 or 6 raiders, loved them a friend recently bought one and i started searching around. Four doors is a must with a young one. Ive been looking at Gen 2 and 2.5 I havent ruled 3 out yet but im not overly fond of the looks. Anything i should look for issue wise with these?

EDIT: Realised i hadnt stated this im looking at NON sport models there is an SR locally that i stumbled onto i plan to look at in the next few days

 

[TheMole]

This recent thread is a good start:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/167257-Couple-of-questions-about-Monteros

 

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

There's a buyer's market in CA, especially. Owners don't want to spend the money to make older vehicles pass emissions tests and are selling off really decent, completely rust-free examples for cheap. We bought an excellent example, a '99 Montero with all the options at 160,000 miles, five good tires and a recent dealer documented timing belt change for $2500. Looked at it for about 20 minutes and drove it five hours from San Diego back to Phoenix without any issues. I'm from central IL originally; I know and detest rust. Get one from a rust free area and drive it all the way back home, enjoy a vacation, get a great vehicle.

John B.

 

[plh]

Just remember that the newest Gen 2.5 is now 17 years old.

 

[jaccox23]

Just remember that the newest Gen 2.5 is now 17 years old.

So much of this!!!! Better order everything rubber on the vehicle because it's gonna need replacing if it's still original. Nothing is terribly difficult on these vehicles but they are older so they need much more personal love because mechanics usually know nothing about them and they have mostly been neglected by PO who just drove them and did nothing more. But the silver lining is this community exists and there are several helpful people that can walk you through any fix possibly between here, 4x4wire, and the Facebook group. Hardest thing about working on one of these things for me is trying to decipher the factory service manual for repairs. I'm much better visual learner (see it done and can do it myself) rather than being able to look at prints in a book and relay that to actual parts on the vehicle. That being said there are several good people that have documented most every crucial repair with videos or pictures so no worries. While searching for a montero you may want to start familiarizing yourself with maintenance your likely going to be doing shortly after purchase.

 

[Triji]

Just remember that the newest Gen 2.5 is now 17 years old.

I worked for Mitsubishi for a short time before my daughter was born and now work for honda, the newest vehicle ive ever owned is a 98. I was a technician for 13 years gave it up because i hated working on my own car. I left Mitsubishi on good standing ( theyll let me borrow special tools) and have access to all-data to the specs, procedures and a place to do all the work i need are all accessable to me.

More so Im wondering quality of trans, engine things like that. Im trying to look on all data but apparently its down for us right now.

 

[RyanY]

More so Im wondering quality of trans, engine things like that. .

The major mechanical components are comparable to the best in the industry as far as quality goes, although they have a few common problem areas as most manufacturers do. The differentials and drivetrain components are significantly over-engineered for the size of the vehicle (Ford 9" rear axle? HA! The Montero has a 9.5"), and the suspension can withstand far more abuse than it has any right to.

I purchased my 95 SR over 12 years ago with 128K miles on it. It had the typical Mitsubishi oil smoke from bad valve stem seals, which I replaced when I did the timing belt, cooling system, and 60K mile service a few months later. I also replaced the lower intake plenum due to the common issue of loose bushings on the variable intake butterfly shaft. I now have 264K on it and have needed only minor repairs to keep it running (EGR solenoid, starter contacts, idler pulleys, etc.). I'm in the middle of another timing belt/cooling system/60K mile service right now and am replacing the hydraulic lash adjusters with the updated style, had my original injectors cleaned and blueprinted, and am replacing the spark plugs and all 3 ignition coils. The bottom end of the engine has never been opened up. The transmission has never had anything more than fluid changes and the filter replaced once. Once I finish this current service, I'm expecting another 100K miles of nothing but oil changes and minor repairs.