Modest 2002 Montero Build

[zerodrift]

Picked up a 2002 Montero for winter duty and to haul car parts a few months back. Since we picked up the car, we're slowly going over the car and sorting out all the deferred maintenance. We've also been going camping with the car a bit and getting used to what the car is capable of actually going over.

In either case, I'll be making additional posts with more pictures and likely some questions.

 

[Inyo_man]

Picked up a 2002 Montero for winter duty and to haul car parts a few months back. Since we picked up the car, we're slowly going over the car and sorting out all the deferred maintenance. We've also been going camping with the car a bit and getting used to what the car is capable of actually going over.

In either case, I'll be making additional posts with more pictures and likely some questions.
View attachment 358859

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Great looking Gen. III.
Welcome, I hope it brings you many miles of adventure.

 

[zerodrift]

Few pictures of several projects that we've done on the vehicle since picking it up.

Installed some hood vents the other weekend. Found the car would get quite hot when cruising with the ac on while in 4wd-lo. The vents are stainless vents found in the marine world and are very affordable.

 

[zerodrift]

When we first picked up the Montero, it would hardly idle and had numerous issues caused by a severe lack of maintenance. We tore into it straight away to bring maintenance items up to par.

Cleaning headlights, plugs, wires, compression test, coils, igniter and a few other odds and ends...

 

[zerodrift]

Next few projects are still in the works, but a few more pictures...

Rear struts have yet to be installed as I'm hoping to get matching boots.

Did a quick repay with a rattle can to mend the missing paint on the sides.

 

[TheMole]

Welcome and nice work so far! How do the bilsteins ride?

 

[zerodrift]

Welcome and nice work so far! How do the bilsteins ride?

Thanks! I've only installed the front struts so far and they are certainly better than nearly blown struts, which is my only composition. They display typical mono tube strut design where the is a little 'sticktion' with the first movement, but great control and feel once on the move. This gives them a bit of a harsh sensation initially, but I'm finding I like them for surface roads as they have a nice linear feel as opposed to a SUV that originally wallowed about. I've no experience with the car prior to these new struts on washboard roads, but will say they seem a little harsh when going certain speeds.

I'm likely just going to install the rear struts as is in the next week or two and will report back.

 

[Inyo_man]

The hood vents are a nice addition.

If possible, let us know how much it brought your engine temp. down.


Edit: What type of radiator did you install?

 

[bikerjosh]

Nice job on installing the vents. Have you noticed any difference in engine temps, since installing?
BTW-what did you use to cut the slots in your hood; looks clean.
Josh

 

[zerodrift]

I've yet to do any low range driving while it's hot, but I can certainly notice heat escaping from the vents while stopped.

I used an air powered reciprocating saw for the cuts. They aren't perfectly straight, but good enough. Just drill pilot holes on the corners, and a large starting hole to insert the saw- then just a steady hand for the rest.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

 

[Offroadmuch]

Very nice work.
Do you like how the yellow lights work for visibility? I think they look cool on your truck.
Are the new Philips bulbs a big improvement over original?
Good to see everyone who is doing some work on Gen 3's. Very helpful for those of us that need to do the same.

 

[zerodrift]

Very nice work.
Do you like how the yellow lights work for visibility? I think they look cool on your truck.
Are the new Philips bulbs a big improvement over original?
Good to see everyone who is doing some work on Gen 3's. Very helpful for those of us that need to do the same.

The lights have great output and the color is very intense. The output is good for a drop in led kit, however this is my first experience with a led retrofit bulb. I've honestly not had functional bulbs prior to this as the car had a bad relay and bulbs when purchased.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

 

[122andy]

Nice start on your build! I did the same thing to my fog lights, much better look and I like visibility better at night too.
To those asking about vents in the hood affecting engine temps. It will only help keep engine compartment temps down. The thermostat is for controlling engine temps, doesn't matter if it's a 100 deg out or 0 degrees out, it will still be the same temp that the thermostat is rated at.

 

[Snowrydr01]

Nice start on your build! I did the same thing to my fog lights, much better look and I like visibility better at night too.
To those asking about vents in the hood affecting engine temps. It will only help keep engine compartment temps down. The thermostat is for controlling engine temps, doesn't matter if it's a 100 deg out or 0 degrees out, it will still be the same temp that the thermostat is rated at.

Thermodynamics are not my strong suit but aren't those two very closely related? Once the thermostat opens at its designated temp, the air movement through the rad and into the engine bay is what is removing that heat from the engine via the coolant until below that thermostat open temp. So i imagine the hood vents intent is to aid in returning to that temp as quickly as possible. Its not like an engine bay is air tight but but in a slow moving scenario it is likely that engine bay temps are rising since there is no vacuum pulling the now heated air out like at speed. And since we all know heat rises, in theory at slow speed that hot air would be escaping more easily through the hood allowing outside air to travel through the rad without having to try to push that building hot air down and out from the engine bay. From there the conversation could turn to the effective CFM of the rad fan and the seals around it and to a lesser extent removing that hot air permeating into the block of an engine is letting the coolant work fractionally more efficient.

Again, all in theory and could be miles off from reality but after 4 years working in a company that designed very large HVAC units for rail cars i had it beat into me by the engineers that ANY and EVERYTHING that helps in air movement does help in how quickly temperatures can shift, its just the extent of that help that can be argued about.

 

[coffeegoat]

I'll chime in on the thermodynamics perspective, basically you're both right.

The thermostat opens at a specific temperature (usually it's a single temperature) which allows coolant to circulate to the radiator where it can release heat into the air moving through the radiator, so the engine temperature is regulated by the thermostat.

But here's the tricky part, if there isn't enough (or too much) heat rejection from the radiator, which can happen due to extreme ambient temperatures, clogged radiator due to internal calcification/external application of mud, or lack of air flow due to slow speed or broken fan blades the coolant loop can't reject enough heat to keep the engine in the desired operating zone.

This is why in very cold climates you often see big rig trucks put a blanket over their grill because the cold airflow through the grill at highway speeds never lets the engine reach proper operating temperature even with the thermostat stuck closed. The same basic principle (but in reverse) occurs at high ambient temperatures with low airflow (climbing mountains slowly in Arizona in August). Because your fan is driven by the engine belt it's linked to engine speed and goes no faster if the engine is too hot and furthermore because the thermostat is already wide open coolant can't flow any faster.

By reducing the pressure drop across the radiator you can get more airflow with the same fan speed, and the easiest way to reduce the pressure drop is give the air an easy way to escape from the engine bay - hence big holes in the hood. While technically "heat rises" due to density changes which cause convective currents, if the engine is hot the fan is on and convection contribution is small comparatively to the blasting fan. Alternatives could be a bigger fan (more required HP), a bigger radiator surface (aftermarket unit), higher coolant flow (bigger water pump), or something more exotic like a secondary cooler or intake water injection.

I like the cheap-n-cheerful improvement due to the hood vents, also, they look cool so that's a plus. I've been playing with the idea of installing a methanol/water injection system - but to be clear it's mostly for kicks and giggles and probably totally unnecessary...