Montero Questions

[scrubber3]

1.every 90,000 miles and yes they are an interference engine

2.The spark plugs are a pain compared to most vehicles considering you have to remove the upper intake plenum. Depends on what kind of plugs are used to determine how long they last. copper core=30,000 at most, platinum=60,000, and iridium=80,000 to 100,000 if you believe the hype.

3. yes, overall they are a piece of cake to work on

4.I have heard that they do have a butterfly issue, but I have the 3.0 so I don't have to worry about it. I also installed a rear air locker off of a SR to get the best of both worlds.

5. Usual maintaining consist of basically the same things you'd do on most vehicles with common components. See an owners manual for more details. I'd say change out everything every 30,000 to 40,000 miles depending on usage. Except motor oil. ~5,000 miles or less depending on usage.

A gen 2.5 probably has the best engine of the gen II genre. SOHC engine that doesn't have the issues of the DOHC and makes about the same power. Only downside is the gearing isn't as good as the regular generation 2 LS and SR. Also, the 2.5 has larger wheel wells to handle wider tires from what I understand.

Maybe someone can post up a PDF of the owners manual. I think that 4x4wire.com has a FAQ segment that could be very helpful in your quest for information. I absolutely love my Montero LS with the Installed SR rear end. I honestly feel as if I can go anywhere and it drives great on and off road. When you start to upgrade it for off-road use, it will become very unique as you will have to become innovative as there is not much in aftermarket support compared to toyota and jeep. In stock form they are extremely capable vehicles that really do not need much improvement.

Cheers,
JW

 

[Allof75]

So really then, maintenence doesn't sound too bad. I might just look for a 1997 Winter Package, just to make the DOHC less of an issue.

What is the usual price of replacing the timing belt? Can I do it myself?
And I've heard it's normal to replace the water pump at the same time, how much does that usually run?

Thanks for the response!

 

[scrubber3]

So really then, maintenence doesn't sound too bad. I might just look for a 1997 Winter Package, just to make the DOHC less of an issue.

What is the usual price of replacing the timing belt? Can I do it myself?
And I've heard it's normal to replace the water pump at the same time, how much does that usually run?

Thanks for the response!

It's really up to how much experience you have turning wrenches and if you've actually replaced a timing belt before or not. I wouldn't really recommend starting on a montero. Pricing for parts and labor seem to vary tremendously depending upon where you are. I recommend replacing the water pump, cam seals, crank seals, pulleys, and tension-er at time of timing belt replacement. Also wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and put some NGK platinum or iridium plugs and denso wires in it as well as a new thermostat and coolant flush. It will save you time and money in the long run. It really isn't all that hard but just make sure you have all the tools and time. Not to mention the skill set to do it.

 

[m3at333hp]

what brand parts

I need to do my timing belt because I have no clue whether it was done or not. Do you guys strictly recommend Mitsu parts or are NAPA parts ok or any other recommendations? I usually like using OEM but the water pump is about $200 alone.

 

[4D55 Performance]

I only use OEM parts. All the aftermarket parts I have ever used on Mitsubishi's are junk. More often than not, I have found that the OEM parts are very competitive price wise.

 

[scrubber3]

I need to do my timing belt because I have no clue whether it was done or not. Do you guys strictly recommend Mitsu parts or are NAPA parts ok or any other recommendations? I usually like using OEM but the water pump is about $200 alone.

:lurk: This should be good.....

 

[tdesanto]

Go with the Mitsubishi parts. Considering the effort to get to the water pump, would you want to do it twice? The Mitsubishi parts are usually very good and worth the $. And, as was said before, the pricing is competitive if you know where to buy.

 

[m3at333hp]

Go with the Mitsubishi parts. Considering the effort to get to the water pump, would you want to do it twice? The Mitsubishi parts are usually very good and worth the $. And, as was said before, the pricing is competitive if you know where to buy.

Thanks for the reassurance and the tip. Sorry if this question has been answered multiple times. I have spent hours on different forums and the brain can only consume so much while at work. :ylsmoke:

 

[scrubber3]

I bought a timing belt water pump set complete with all the seals, gaskets, and pulley from Ebay for 99 dollars. Been on my truck for a year and have worked perfect.

 

[4D55 Performance]

Believe it or not, many parts sold by vendors are NOS parts. I have heard time and time again, don't buy the fram oil filters because they are junk. While that is usually the case, it is not always true. When ever I buy a fram filter for my Mitsubishi Pickup and open the box it has an OEM filter from Mitsubishi inside. Same goes for the $6 idler arm I bought from RockAuto.com a few months back. It was an NOS part as well. You just have to know what you are looking for when buying OEM parts. The stamps and part numbers are very tricky. But there are lots of tricks you can learn about NOS parts. Like, you can tell when a part was made because the color of the gold plating. Parts older than 2007 have more of a gold tint than the new ones do. The K number on a part is just as telling as the Mitsubishi part number because fake Chinese parts dont have a K number. Because the aftermarket was sooo poor for Mitsubishi vehicles, many parts you will get from places like Autozone will be NOS parts. Their suppliers bought all the old Mitsubishi parts when Mitsu cleared out the warehouses a few years back because the 10 year grace period was up. So basically a Beck & Arnley water pump could be an NOS Mitsubishi part. Just look at it and if it's not, put it back in the box and try a different supplier or try the dealer.