nwoods
Expedition Leader
Okay, so I got my new 1998 Gen 2.5 Montero. I intend this to be a trail rig in the near future, with plans for a suspension upgrade, body lift, and tires. Then sliders, bumpers, armor, etc.... But first, I am getting acquainted with the truck, and sorting through misc items, and seeking advice on basic mechanical maintenance for a rig with 180,000 miles.
It rolled off the delivery truck late a night, I drove it into the driveway, then parked it for the next day. Daylight comes and I look it over. Hmmm...some issues. Radio says "code" and won't play. Power antenna does not deploy. Sunroof doesn't open. Misc lights on the interior don't work, etc....
So I started with the battery. The terminal posts had some corrosion on them, so I disconnected the leads, and wirebrushed the posts and cleaned things up. That's when things went bad. As I reapplied the negative terminal, the car alarm went nuts. I put the key in the ignition, tried to start it, but nothing shut off the alarm and it would not start. So I pulled the 20 amp fuse under the hood and killed the alarm, but the truck stayed dead too... Not good. 12 hours into my ownership, and I bricked it.
So internet to the rescue, sorta. I learned to press this red button on the dash with the key in the ignition and "on". Yes! The alarm override worked! Sorta. Now I need to push the alarm override button EVERY TIME I WANT TO START THE TRUCK! This is not good. How on earth do I restore normal key based operation?
Experimenting further with fuses, I got the sunroof to work, and lubed up the tracks, blew out the drain tubes, and things seem okay there. I also got all the interior lights working again, replacing a few bulbs, but I cannot find replacements for the vanity lights on the visors. The bulbs for those were missing and there was no lighting in the manual or the catalog at the autoparts store. Anyone know what these bulbs are?
The manual had some helpful info on the stereo code issue. It seems that there is a 4 digit security code card that is supposed to accompany the truck. Nope. So I tried "0000". Nope. Only 2 chances left before it bricks itself. I tried "1234", No! Crap, feeling a bit of panic now. Later, reading the manual cover to cover paid off. The previous owner had scribbled the code in one of the margins in a section NOT related to the radio. I tried it, hoping that it was indeed the code....and success! Antenna deployed, and radio on. Hmmm... more money will be spent on new speakers sometime in the future. I think these are rotted out. Mushy mushy mushy, but loud
Questions: I am looking at the interior and seeing some possibilities for radio and storage options, but I just gotta know, what on earth are you guys doing with your water bottles and cell phones? Next, what can you do with this large dummy panel below the radio? How do you remove it? I tried prying it with a panel puller, and only succeeded in starting to delaminate the wood veneer. I'd love to learn how to tear down this interior, as I intend to install a CB and a HAM radio, and a dedicated iPhone charger/player.... which is my next question: HOW DO I CONNECT MY iPhone? I want to charge it and play it through the stereo, while controlling it on the iphone itself. I usually install something from Crutchfield made by USA Spec, but they don't support Mitsu's. So how do you do it? I refuse to use a FM patch to do this, they all sound like crap, and I need continuous power not on a switch (which it seems ALL of the 12v accessory sockets are switched).
Time to get under the truck. I read somewhere (4x4wire?) that there are 12 or so Zerk fittings underneath that need lubed up. I can't find them! I found two on the drivers side tie-rod, and one on the passenger side tie-rod, and I found 4 on the driveshafts, but that's it, 7, not 12. Where are these elusive zerk fittings? I did note that the zerk's I found had not been touched in a long time, and required a lot of clean up before I could even see them instead of a lump of greasy dirt shaped like a nipple. I pumped a LOT of grease through those, until I was seeing the results of old grease being pushed out.
Trouble! In my inspection underneath the truck, I found some components that were completely coated in engine oil, including a wiring harness and connectors. This is not good. I am not clear on the source, and I don't know what I'm looking at, but here are some photos. This is just to the passenger side of the oil pan plug, which was snug (I checked). Any ideas? Is this a big deal?
It rolled off the delivery truck late a night, I drove it into the driveway, then parked it for the next day. Daylight comes and I look it over. Hmmm...some issues. Radio says "code" and won't play. Power antenna does not deploy. Sunroof doesn't open. Misc lights on the interior don't work, etc....
So I started with the battery. The terminal posts had some corrosion on them, so I disconnected the leads, and wirebrushed the posts and cleaned things up. That's when things went bad. As I reapplied the negative terminal, the car alarm went nuts. I put the key in the ignition, tried to start it, but nothing shut off the alarm and it would not start. So I pulled the 20 amp fuse under the hood and killed the alarm, but the truck stayed dead too... Not good. 12 hours into my ownership, and I bricked it.
So internet to the rescue, sorta. I learned to press this red button on the dash with the key in the ignition and "on". Yes! The alarm override worked! Sorta. Now I need to push the alarm override button EVERY TIME I WANT TO START THE TRUCK! This is not good. How on earth do I restore normal key based operation?
Experimenting further with fuses, I got the sunroof to work, and lubed up the tracks, blew out the drain tubes, and things seem okay there. I also got all the interior lights working again, replacing a few bulbs, but I cannot find replacements for the vanity lights on the visors. The bulbs for those were missing and there was no lighting in the manual or the catalog at the autoparts store. Anyone know what these bulbs are?
The manual had some helpful info on the stereo code issue. It seems that there is a 4 digit security code card that is supposed to accompany the truck. Nope. So I tried "0000". Nope. Only 2 chances left before it bricks itself. I tried "1234", No! Crap, feeling a bit of panic now. Later, reading the manual cover to cover paid off. The previous owner had scribbled the code in one of the margins in a section NOT related to the radio. I tried it, hoping that it was indeed the code....and success! Antenna deployed, and radio on. Hmmm... more money will be spent on new speakers sometime in the future. I think these are rotted out. Mushy mushy mushy, but loud
Questions: I am looking at the interior and seeing some possibilities for radio and storage options, but I just gotta know, what on earth are you guys doing with your water bottles and cell phones? Next, what can you do with this large dummy panel below the radio? How do you remove it? I tried prying it with a panel puller, and only succeeded in starting to delaminate the wood veneer. I'd love to learn how to tear down this interior, as I intend to install a CB and a HAM radio, and a dedicated iPhone charger/player.... which is my next question: HOW DO I CONNECT MY iPhone? I want to charge it and play it through the stereo, while controlling it on the iphone itself. I usually install something from Crutchfield made by USA Spec, but they don't support Mitsu's. So how do you do it? I refuse to use a FM patch to do this, they all sound like crap, and I need continuous power not on a switch (which it seems ALL of the 12v accessory sockets are switched).
Time to get under the truck. I read somewhere (4x4wire?) that there are 12 or so Zerk fittings underneath that need lubed up. I can't find them! I found two on the drivers side tie-rod, and one on the passenger side tie-rod, and I found 4 on the driveshafts, but that's it, 7, not 12. Where are these elusive zerk fittings? I did note that the zerk's I found had not been touched in a long time, and required a lot of clean up before I could even see them instead of a lump of greasy dirt shaped like a nipple. I pumped a LOT of grease through those, until I was seeing the results of old grease being pushed out.
Trouble! In my inspection underneath the truck, I found some components that were completely coated in engine oil, including a wiring harness and connectors. This is not good. I am not clear on the source, and I don't know what I'm looking at, but here are some photos. This is just to the passenger side of the oil pan plug, which was snug (I checked). Any ideas? Is this a big deal?
