The Story of Rocky (1999 2.5)

[Zoomaster]

(Edit: Figured out a name, story behind it is the rocky start we got off too, the rocky shape its in, and also the rocky mountains.)
So i finally found a monty and I didn't have to go too far out of state.
Its a 1999 2.5 model with the rear locking diff (yay), its a one owner car (I think) and only has 111k, but the problem is that its been sitting for at least 3 years and needs work to be completely happy.
I've got less than a month to get major work done to it cause i leave on the 31st to WV for a summer job. So I'm gonna be doing as much as i can before leaving for 3ish months.
Where would you guys recommend getting the timing belt kit? trying to stay OEM. And what other things do I need to get that aren't a part of the kit? It has codes for the 02 sensors (how many are there for the non-cali models?) and something about egr, what would that be? and also what else should i get done that isn't routine whilst I'm poking around in that area? a shop is gonna have to do most of the work since sadly i don't have all of the tools.
For tires what would ya'll recommend? Something in the mid-range of price and performance would be nice cause i don't need it to be that aggressive.
Oh and i noticed while i was driving that when i was at full left it would make a clicking noise from the left hand side, i thought it was the CV boot but it wasn't ripped when i looked, could it still be?
I'm not sure where to go on the shock/spring upgrades, i want a little lift but i don't need a whole lot. and what should be upgraded first, springs or shocks? recommendations?
What other upgrades would you guys suggest to do before i head out?
Can't wait to find out if this is gonna be a fun experience or another one of my mistakes.

Only pic for now

 

[Salonika]

How much? Yours is almost an exact copy of mine, except for the headlight washers.........and yours clearly hasn't spent 15 years in the rust belt. Man, I can see a trip out west in my future once I lose the rust war with mine. Looks like I can reset the rust clock if I shop out west!

 

[Zoomaster]

How much? Yours is almost an exact copy of mine, except for the headlight washers.........and yours clearly hasn't spent 15 years in the rust belt. Man, I can see a trip out west in my future once I lose the rust war with mine. Looks like I can reset the rust clock if I shop out west!

Paid 1800, yup not a lot of rust, there's still some but not enough to scare me off. Yeah the farther west and south you get the less there's gonna be lol

 

[WyoTero]

Paid 1800, yup not a lot of rust, there's still some but not enough to scare me off. Yeah the farther west and south you get the less there's gonna be lol

I saw this on CL haha. It was up for maybe a few hours but sold fast! Looks super clean

 

[Zoomaster]

I saw this on CL haha. It was up for maybe a few hours but sold fast! Looks super clean

Yeah it was up for about 30 min when I messaged the seller, I lost out on another montero cause I wasn't the first to respond so I took no chances this time.
I wouldn't say clean but for what it is shouldn't be all bad.

 

[Michael Brown]

Looks good on the outside, at least. Grab the FSM from my link if you haven't gotten one already. Can't help much with the OBD codes since I have not worked with that model.

Not sure about OEM timing kit supplier. Someone should be able to give you the part numbers, and I think there used to be a link (Found it Gen 2.5 PNs and Capacities). My reliable sources have stopped selling, so now i have to piecemeal OEM stuff together from Amazon/eBay. I have used the RockAuto kits with good success. Check the crank bolt and replace it when you do the timing along with the small o-ring in the back of the water pump housing.

I can recommend Cooper AT3 or Toyo AT2 tires if you want all terrains for a good price/mileage warranty.

Check the inner fender well plastic for cracks/broken sections. If it is not secured or is broken, then it may be contacting the tire.

Adventure Driven Design and OME have lift kits available. I would recommend saving until you can change both the springs and shocks at the same time, if that is your eventual plan.

Other than reliability/checking the fluids, I would drive it and see how it performs before buying any other upgrades. You will be surprised with how far it gets just on good all terrain tires.

 

[MrGalantguy]

Nice 2.5...looks clean, welcome to the club.

As far as the timing components...you can try this place Mitsubishi parts warehouse , the discount is good especially if you buy multiple stuff to take advantage of shipping. You can get a few things from Rock Auto and save some $$$ as they carry brands that actually supply OEM parts like Gates, Aisin, etc. I personally bought ALL the top end O-rings, gaskets, pulleys, tensioner, crank pulley and some hardware from Mitsubishi. Parts like the Timing belts and drive belts (Gates) and water pump (Aisin) I bought from rock auto.

Check your CV joints for the clicking...see if the boots are torn and leaking out. If not...inspect your upper and lower ball joints too and other suspension components with a rubber boot.

Depending on what you want to do with your Montero will determine what type of tires you want to run either A/T or M/T and more people can give you more suggestions and also on what you may want to do with your suspension. A stock suspension Montero is very capable for most road conditions unless you want to do more serious stuff in which you want to upgrade your suspension.

 

[Zoomaster]

So after an incredibly embarrassing and disastrous attempt trying to bring it home that I don't want to get in further other than my urgent need for proper working brakes.
It's at a shop now getting that and some other work done but i want to do the timing belt and stuff myself to save some money on labor if possible.
So i've got some parts together but there's a lot of information around and it's hard to keep track of what is needed/recommend to do.

From RockAuto:
FEL-PRO VS50461R (Valve cover gaskets that includes the spark plug gaskets, this or Mits OEM)
GATES TCKWP287B (timing belt kit w/o housing, do i need the housing or just reuse)
TIMKEN 710302 (rear camshaft seal x2, couldn't find it on Mitsubishi parts)
got the spark plug (NGK 7090) and wires (NGK 7005) from here

From Mitsubishi Parts:
Tensioner Part Number: 1145A070 (use this or the gates tensioner?
Got the new crankshaft pulley bolt and washer
Camshaft Seal Part Number: MD372536 x2
Front Crank Seal Part Number: MD372249
Return Pipe O-Ring Part Number: MD030763 (it says that this is for the Diamante but im guessing it works cause the part number is what was referenced in that thread)
Housing Gasket Part Number: MD308723
Egr Valve Gasket Part Number: MD119127
Manifold Gasket Part Number: MD199282


Probably missing something here but is there anything that im missing/recommend to do?

Also thanks mrgalantguy and michael for the infos

 

[Zoomaster]

Got it back from the shop today, and the brakes work now. One thing im mad about is that the shop had to ask me to cut the wheel locks cause they didn't know where the key was and i didn't either so i had to pay them to do it, well today i found it by the jack
On a good note it still has a lot of the original stuff, the flashlight, cargo cover, and even has the original window sticker. Still a good bit of work to do and some other stuff to pass my states inspection.
One of my problems is that the pass window doesn't go down but makes a noise when i try to use it, that would mean the motor is bad correct? Also i'm missing a sway bar end link for the rear, should be easy to replace?
Also I've got some check engine light codes, P0141 (Oxygen sensor heater, circuit bank 1, sensor 2, is this upstream or downstream?) P0403 (EGR control circuit, what should i look for to replace?), and P0173 (Fuel Trim bank 2, Could this be caused by the bad O2 sensor?)
Just waiting on my tax refund to hit and then i can get everything i need done, especially new tires! Things are looking good i guess.

 

[TheMole]

Congrats looks like a pretty clean car! A lot of info on this forum on what to replace when doing the spark plugs and timing belt, but here are some quick notes off the top of my head.

-Timing belt tensioner should use OEM as recommended by the Montero gurus here. Aftermarket ones have been known to fail and can cause further damage.

-Spark plugs on this car are such a pain to replace so might want to look into using the longer lasting OEM NGK (4642) PFR5J-11 laser platinums or even iridiums.

-When doing spark plugs you should also replace the intake manifold gaskets and EGR tube gasket. FEL-PRO MS95709 includes upper and lower manifold gaskets.

Checkout the sticky below for part numbers. Also gives you an idea of what is usually replaced.
https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...part-numbers-and-specialty-tools-list.114855/


Regarding the other issues.

-Window doesn't go down could be a weak motor. Does it move at all if you hold the button and manually push down the glass with your hand? If not could be the regulator is messed up. Aftermarket regulator/motor assemblies aren't too expensive, but you can take off the door panel to verify first.

-Rear swaybar link consists of bushings, washers, and a bolt unlike your typical balljoint type. I would take a pic of how the OEM pieces are assembled before removing. Resting a jack or stand under the arm helps to line up the bolt with the holes when installing.

-P0141 should be the downstream oxygen sensor

-P0403 manual lists it as being an EGR solenoid malfunction. Not surprised as the car was sitting for so long. I would check the hoses and connections before replacing the part.

-P0173 bank 2 fuel trim might be related to the oxygen sensor, but that was for bank 1. Check the easy stuff first like vacuum hoses, intake tube leaks, maf, etc.

I bought a car that was sitting for a year and that was a minor headache to make it run good. Can't imagine a car sitting for 3 years, but just take your time and do it right the first time. Good luck!

 

[MrGalantguy]

-Window doesn't go down could be a weak motor. Does it move at all if you hold the button and manually push down the glass with your hand? If not could be the regulator is messed up. Aftermarket regulator/motor assemblies aren't too expensive, but you can take off the door panel to verify first.

Try to spray the tracks with silicon spray. It could be as simple the tracks are too dry and causing heavy resistance for the motor to push the glass back up.

 

[Zoomaster]

Got it back from the shop today, timing belt/water pump all done (whew). And as usual with cars I own Murphy's law strikes again, my postive terminal connector basically started to peel apart so I had to spend a day and a half trying to find one that worked, and now the negative connector isn't tightening down properly but i'll get to that eventually. Did the oil today and wow was it easy, last one i did i basically had to destroy the oil filter cause that last person didn't lube the seal.
Last things left to do before i head out to West Virginia is fix the passenger window and new tires, might pick some up from discount tire cause of their sale(Anyone have first hand experience with them?). I might also have a problem with the alternator (typical oil on it) but the in car volt meter shows that after start-up its charging or at least keeping it at 12v, I guess i can look into this later on lol
Officially T-minus 1 week!

 

[Zoomaster]

Figured out why the window doesn't work


sigh was hoping it was gonna be simple but not this time. Seems like the motor went bad and they decided to just prop up the glass with the stick of wood, now time to find a power window assembly! and of course i have to order one when theres a holiday and time is important!

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

seen that trick done on almost every montero i've ever purchased. it's not a bad job to replace it and that works until the replacement comes in. You'll work it out.

 

[Salonika]

If you heat the glue strip with a hair dryer you won’t need to cut the plastic.