New Gen3 Montero Owner...2001 XLS

[SCgen3Monte]

Hello, All; new Gen3 Montero owner and forum member here. Bought a 2001 XLS with 139k miles on it from VA off FB Market place in January...had been looking for a farm/weekend truck, and had always liked the Gen3 Monteros. I like the cosmetics of the early Gen3s...red diamonds, six spoke wheels, rectangular vents/fogs, etc., plus the simpler mechanics of the transmission, transfer case, and engine. It's the green/gold combo, and the overall condition was very good, especially the interior. Paid just under $5k for it, immediately had my cousin's shop up there install the Luso timing belt/water pump kit, as well as a(nother) new thermostat (it works most of the time; I now have learned from here it's likely the bad solder/contact behind the dash). I flew to VA on a $5 sky miles ticket and drove it home with no issues. As y'all know, the 4 speed doesn't like high-speed cruising from an RPM standpoint, but I've found it pretty snappy around town. Been dailying it a good bit since I got it to feel it out/see what else needs sorting. The good news is, it's done great overall. The bad news is, I've barely had it 5 weeks, and some doucherocket backed into the front bumper in my work parking lot and left/didn't leave a note or anything...not terrible, but did crease the gold bumper/cause some flaking.

So far, I've done the key mechanicals above, replaced the air filter with a Wix dry, replaced the wiper blades, replaced the top glove box clasp, done the cabin filter mod (all from Luso), refreshed the headlights with the Cerakote kit, and added Gen3 a rear tire cover off Amazon. I also have the replacement center tray from Luso with the dual USB, but haven't done that yet. Upcoming in the short term are the lubricants/preservation stuff for the rubber trim and sunroof, etc. I don't think I'll go full overland, but I will likely make some mods to make the truck look and perform better, inside and out. I am in South Carolina, as my handle suggests, so no major rock crawling...just some standard off-road mud, etc. Here's what I'm thinking/would like some experienced feedback on...

1. Wheels/Tires/Suspension. I like the six spokes that come on the early Gen3s, but not the stance...too narrow. Is there any decent/non-detrimental way to just kick these out a bit with spacers, or is it better to just do new springs/shocks with a 2" lift and new wheels/tires? The original shocks/springs still appear to be on the truck, and actually ride/rebound OK. I just hate the stance, and I'm sure even new shocks would help out (Bilsteins?). I wouldn't mind new wheels, especially a gold/bronze to more closely match the paint. It's got some decent Fuzion tires on it now, but they seem noisy, like the tread compound has hardened. I've had KO2s and Toyo Open Country AT2s on my last two trucks, and liked both.
2. Transmission/other fluids. I did an oil change and coolant flush with the timing belt/water pump work, but not transmission/diff fluids. How often should this be done? The transmission works/shifts well (better than the last 3 10sp Fords I had), and the only issue I've had so far was a reticence to shift into drive once or twice when it was very cold. It eventually did from Low, and then worked fine after that. Any other fluids/mechanicals I should pro-actively service?
3. Headunit. Truck now has an older Clarion single-DIN unit, which is not bad...high power, decent sound. It also has a rear DVD player, which I was able to jerry-rig my iPod through its AUX input to play through the headunit. However, we are all spoiled by Bluetooth, etc., and the Monte is a bit noisy for regular hands-free phone use. I made an impulse buy of a Nakamichi double DIN headunit with Car Play, etc, off woot! for a whopping $90, in part because I'd seen folks mod their dashes/relocate the climate controls to accommodate a double, and in part because I thought it would be funny to have one formerly huge Japanese brand in another (yes, I know Nakamichi is now a shell selling sometimes questionable Chinese stuff). Then, I saw some of the threads on here about issues relocating the wired climate controls in earlier Gen3s, so now I'm not sure if I really want the double DIN, or just get a good single DIN unit with BT, etc. I had a high-power Sony single DIN that I liked/bought to put in a Lotus Esprit I had, but I sold the car before I installed it/gave it to the buyer. Is the juice worth the squeeze to do the climate relocate in the older model or not?
4. Front push/bull bar. Is there any simple option short of the ARB/full bumper kits? I would like something for a little protection/to keep ************** from backing into my painted bumper without dropping $1k+.
5. OEM front skid plate. Mine is there, but pretty thin and rusty compared to the rest of the truck. Do folks just re-paint, or worth it to replace with a a Boo's Bash plate or the like?
6. Front fog lamps from Limited. The jackazz who backed into me broke one of the clips on my front bumper vents, and I was planning to try and add the fogs later, anyway. Has anyone had success with some of the aftermarket kits out there for $100 or so on ebay and elsewhere? Or is it better to try and find some OEMs?

Thank you in advance for your input.

Oh, also, there is one thing on my truck I've never seen on one before...on the dash to the left of the climate controls/below the vent is a circular rocker switch (pic attached)...I have no idea what it does/it's not in the manual at all. The LED lights up when it's activated, so it's wired in. It's not an aftermarket addition. Anyone know what it is? The twin of my truck is now for sale on Cars&Bids, and it doesn't have the switch, either.



Thanks again, and I look forward to learning from y'all/enjoying this "underrated platform".

 

[MontySquareo]

change your transmission fluid with only spiii fluid (can be bought from Hyundai dealerships) some people on Facebook say Valvoline maxlife works but i'm a skeptic. it will help it be smoother.
what size tires are you running? wider tires make the wheels look less sunken.
the only way to get a cheap bumper is to make your own. i think mine cost me about $100, and a few weekends. on gen 2.5 monteros me and my dad have cut down bumpers from full size trucks and made them fit, but the gen 3 is unibody so it's a little harder to bolt stuff to because the "frame horns" are thin and have lots of welded seams instead of being a big square tube.

 

[SCgen3Monte]

change your transmission fluid with only spiii fluid (can be bought from Hyundai dealerships) some people on Facebook say Valvoline maxlife works but i'm a skeptic. it will help it be smoother.
what size tires are you running? wider tires make the wheels look less sunken.
the only way to get a cheap bumper is to make your own. i think mine cost me about $100, and a few weekends. on gen 2.5 monteros me and my dad have cut down bumpers from full size trucks and made them fit, but the gen 3 is unibody so it's a little harder to bolt stuff to because the "frame horns" are thin and have lots of welded seams instead of being a big square tube.

Thanks...will look for the SP-III fluid. What about the Mitsubishi Diaqueen SP-III? Can get that via amazon...

I'm currently running the stock size tries which came on the truck...265/75/16 Fuzions...still have good tread on them, but feel like the compound has hardened. How big/wide can you go on the stock rims?

 

[MontySquareo]

Supposedly 285/75/16 will fit. The diaqueen fluid is supposed to be good stuff

 

[Michael Brown]

Hey all. The Mitsubishi Diaqueen, KIA, and Hyundai SP-III fluids are all supposed to have the same specification. I have used all 3 in my Gen 3 when changing fluid. IIRC it takes about 10 quarts to fully flush/fill using the cooler line method in a driveway. I bought the fluid in cases from eBay.

The original fluid spec is from Aisin who makes the transmissions for many brands. Aisin ATF SP-III will also work. These transmissions use a modern multi-disk clutch and mechatronic valve body. Their system is very sensitive to the fluid. Putting in fresh SP-III should not cause any issues. Using any other ATF can cause the valve body to behave badly.

 

[epyonxero]

Wheel spacers work but make sure you use hub centric and not lug centric. My 2002 XLS came with stock wheels and had a lot of vibration at highway speeds; It turns out that there were lug centric aluminum spacers installed. I replaced the stock wheels with 17 in 4Runner take-offs and the vibration is gone. The offset of the Toyota wheels is about the same as the stock 16s with 1.5 in spacers.

I put a double DIN head unit and I like it a lot but its definitely a pain to run cables, I had to drill a hole in the steel dash frame. I posted details here, the photos dont show up but if you click the links you can see them.

 

[MummifiedCircuitry]

Check prices on stmtuned when you're ordering fluids. They were cheaper when I last did my trans, diffs, and t-case.

 

[Inyo_man]

I found that stmtuned often had the best price for OEM ATF as well.

Cheers

 

[Michael Brown]

I swear I've seen that button before. Someone else on the forum had it, might have been the same rig.
It is not OEM for anything. You can check FSM to confirm that.
You'll have to trace the wire to see where it leads.

I vaguely recall it being used for a power antenna in the past. Flip the switch to lower it while the radio is still on. Gen 3 Monteros/Pajeros have 2 radio antennae. One on the fender that may or may not be powered and another built into the rear side window. It was supposed to use both to get better signals from opposite corners of the car.

 

[plh]

Supposedly 285/75/16 will fit. The diaqueen fluid is supposed to be good stuff

285s are most likely going to rub hard. They did on my '05 until I lifted.