Parts swap from SR to 99 Montero

[evomaki]

Hey Guys,

I am a rare poster but do enjoy reading the forum. I purchased a 99 Montero yesterday, to add to the 00 and 96 SR I have. The 96 SR was going to be my project car that I was going to turn into a spare car / weekend wheeler. It was a $500 purchase earlier this year and has what I think is a spun rod bearing. Anyway, I started getting a bit spooked about the engine build and the hassle I'd have to go through from reading this site and 4x4 Wire. I've built engines before, so it's not that so much that but time, complexity and cost, on that thing. The parts bill really adds up.

So found a clean 99 yesterday for a reasonable price. I'm thinking I'll move parts over from the SR, such as rear axle and front pumpkin, for the 4.67 gearing and air locker. Unfortunately, no locker on the 99. It looks like the axle housing on my 99 does not have the fitting for the air locker hose, so the whole axle assembly might need switching over. What will I find wiring harness wise in my 99 to support the air locker? Is it in there, or will I need to take those parts off the SR too? That axle swap might be a drag. Break an ABS sensor or two in doing so, and I am a good bit of the way to an ARB locker. You guys have any thoughts on that as well. Do the swap or hunt down some 4.90's from a Montero Sport and just get an ARB locker? Thanks for the help,

 

[Eric M]

You can just swap the third member if you use the axle shaft from the locked axle, from what I hear. Wiring harness to plug in the locker ECU should be there.

 

[nckwltn]

All the wiring is there for the locker, you just need the switches and pump.

I highly recommend getting those gears in the 99, but I'm pretty sure that the non-locker rear axles in the 99 isn't the same length as the locker axle, so you can't just swap out the 3rd with out replacing rear axle. (I think just the passenger side, but do both to be safe)

Do a little searching, someone recently ran into these same problems. And I think that the 96 might not have the same rear axle as what you'll need in the 99... Something about the abs not being the same.

 

[evomaki]

Thanks Eric, good to know I'll find some wiring in there. The axle housing has me wondering. The non-locker housing appears to be lacking the barb, or fitting for the air hose. Maybe I need to crawl under my SR to recheck, but I could have sworn I saw to fittings on the axle housing itself. Maybe it's on the front cover. That would be sweet, and avoid swapping axles housings.

 

[evomaki]

Oops, now I'm confused again. I should be good with the wiring and the pump. I already have the pump and wiring for it should be there already on the 99. I just crawled under the SR and I see the air banjo fitting is on the third member cover, not the axle housing itself. So that is good. I am hoping to not have to swap the entire axle housing assembly. I did not realize that the axle shafts are different from the SR to the 99. nckwltn, do I understand correctly from your post that I may need to swap axle shafts from the SR to the 99? Or do I need custom axle shafts? I will search around and see what I find.

 

[evomaki]

I've been searching around for the past 40 minutes or so, and it does appear to be more difficult when the existing axle assembly is not already locker equipped. My 99 does not have an existing air locker. The short side shaft appears to also need replacing. I can't use the part off the 96SR, as there appears to be some difference with the area near the ABS sensor. If I have this right, I wonder if I am back to considering just swapping the entire axle from the 96SR into my 99.