New Gen 2.5 Member - Lots of Questions...

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.

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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?
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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).
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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?
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off-roader

Expedition Leader
Nothing goes in that dash panel. theres already electronics directly behind it...You need to do more reading in the FSM for the zirks. If you have a shop doing you oil changes, bring them the FSM page showing all the zirks.... Need to clean up the engine to make it easier to determine where that oil is coming from. Remember that oil can be wind blown so it may be coming from a leak forward of the bulk of what you're seeing... or have a decent shop do an oil change for you and they may be able to determine where its coming from.
 
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bpgt

Member
Oooh... looks like Eurosonic's rig he had for sale. Congrats on the purchase and I look forward to the build!
 

SoCalMonty

Explorer
One of those plugs is an ABS sensor, one of them is the front diff switch (free wheel switch)...can't recall the 3rd. Might be the adjustable suspension. At any rate, the plugs are weatherproof, no worries. Spray em down and wipe them, and for good measure you can disconnect them and spray them clean, let them dry, then reconnect. ;)

Storage solutions...not sure yet. I'm seeking a solution here too. Do you have the drawer under the passenger seat? I do, but I can't slide it because the seat is bent from an accident. I am thinking of adding some sort of basket to the passenger "oh ********" handle on the dash. I use the glove box a lot, and I'm a big fan of those little zippered canvas tool pouches - I throw them behind the seat. I use one for my "wallet," one for first aid crap, etc.

At least you've got a radio! Mine is busted...if anyone has THIS radio and wants to sell it, PLEASE tell me!

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off-roader

Expedition Leader
It's not from the owners manual. It's in the FSM.

The mitsubishilinks website has been around a long time actually. A lot of these 'resource' links including this one are in the FAQ thread on 4x4wire. A good read for a crash course on your Mitsu. HTH.
 

nwoods

Expedition Leader
It's not from the owners manual. It's in the FSM.

The mitsubishilinks website has been around a long time actually. A lot of these 'resource' links including this one are in the FAQ thread on 4x4wire. A good read for a crash course on your Mitsu. HTH.

yes, I read about 200 threads on the FAQ/Archive section of 4x4Wire, but missed that one I guess. I am still waiting for the owner of that site to approve my membership request.
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
I'll let them know. PM me the email you used and when you registered? I'm the moderator on their Mitsu tech section.
 

nwoods

Expedition Leader
Yes, not in the spam folder. I did get the "click here to complete your registration" email, and then I got a response saying that an Admin would have to approve the request
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
I asked and he said he didn't see a message from you but he said he'd doublecheck once it's safe to do so (he's travelling).
 

nwoods

Expedition Leader
I just re-registered. It accepted my same username, so clearly it didn't go through the first time. However, I am back to where I left off the other day:
Email Verified:
Thank you for verifying your email. Your account needs to be approved by an Administrator before you can login. You will receive an email once this has been done.
 

SoCalMonty

Explorer
I'll let them know. PM me the email you used and when you registered? I'm the moderator on their Mitsu tech section.

I hope they upgrade the software on 4x4wire soon...my searches by "title" come up as *every post in a given thread.* So if there's only 1 thread titled "Goober," and it has 200 replies, I come up with 200 hits even though I search by "title only." It makes it SUPER hard to find things. I've got a number of questions to ask but I don't want to hear "...search first..." because I already have. lol.

I messaged a KF6ZPL about it, I think there's gonna be an update relatively soon.

Anyway, that's a nice G2.5! Hope we can get you in the dirt with it soon! :)
 

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