Opinions please

[Cuccamonga]

Need opinions what to do…

1989 Montero LWB. Gotta do something with my old Montero. Loved it in high school and college. Then I left and parents used it. They’re 4 hours from me. Dad said it developed a knock and he parked it in 2012. Gees, time flies. I totally forgot about it, and didn’t have time back then.

He had one local guy work on it. definitely had fuel issues. Old fuel pump laying in the back. And of course he broke the fitting where the lines hook to the assembly. Spark plugs, Ignition switch is all mangled up. He Put on a new distributor and wires.

A year ago I started working on it. Drained nasty gas, dropped the rusted fuel tank. Needs a new one. Plus needs all new fuel/brake lines. Put new fluids in it. Checked each cylinder with a borascope. 1,2,3,4 look good. 5,6 a little rusty with some pitting. #6 spark plug was super crusty and hard to remove.

Took off intake and cleaned fuel rail and injectors. One injector is hung open.

Filled the cylinders with marvel. New oil and filter. Old oil had some water in it, and stunk. Turned over by hand. Real Struggle at first but finally started turning. Pretty smooth mostly, but one cylinder’s not happy.

Compression test “cold” was 125- 180 on 1-4, 5 & 6 have rusty valves and not seating. So compression was n/a.

I could just do the heads and see. I could pull the motor and rebuild. Maybe do a shadtree hone on the rusty bores. Not sure how to clean the rust off the valves w/out pulling the heads.

I dont really love this motor. More of an older Yota guy. But I think I’m stuck with it. Haven’t found a really easy swap, except for using the same motor. Maybe sell it for parts. I DK. Parents wanting it gone in January

 

[MuckSavage]

Seems like you've 100% diagnosed it. You loved it back then, love it now. Monteros are great vehicles

 

[GrantC]

*IF* the body and interior are in good shape (no rust), it’s worth saving. The Gen1 LWBs are increasing in value much more so than the SWBs, and clean running examples are getting harder to find.

Were it me, I’d clean it up, pull the heads and fix the valves, and hope for the best. Worst case, you have a clean shell for someone to build on.

 

[Cuccamonga]

Seems like you've 100% diagnosed it. You loved it back then, love it now. Monteros are great vehicles

Yep. I did. Thanks. I’ll put another chalk mark on the rebuild list. And start seeing how much it’s gonna cost.

 

[Cuccamonga]

*IF* the body and interior are in good shape (no rust), it’s worth saving. The Gen1 LWBs are increasing in value much more so than the SWBs, and clean running examples are getting harder to find.

Were it me, I’d clean it up, pull the heads and fix the valves, and hope for the best. Worst case, you have a clean shell for someone to build on.

Yeah, body has faded paint and a small spot on rocker that has rusted thru. Chassis is good, just surface rust. Interior is in good shape. No mice or leaks. You gotta good point. Seeing prices for Gen 1’s on marketplace are kinda crazy. Leaning towards pulling the heads when I go home over Christmas and bringing them back. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Michael Brown]

As much as I love my Monteros, the engines were always their weak spot. Needed to be a little more reliable and a few less gremlins to deal with.

The frame and running gear are usually great. A common option is engine swap. Maybe not something more desirable, but maybe a manual swap could be done with another engine. A cheap 4 or 6 cylinder engine could be found and fitted with some fabrication work.

The coolest swap would be to convert to diesel. Also the most expensive. Doesn't need to be Mitsu based, but it all depends on your level of commitment to the project.

 

[Cuccamonga]

As much as I love my Monteros, the engines were always their weak spot. Needed to be a little more reliable and a few less gremlins to deal with.

The frame and running gear are usually great. A common option is engine swap. Maybe not something more desirable, but maybe a manual swap could be done with another engine. A cheap 4 or 6 cylinder engine could be found and fitted with some fabrication work.

The coolest swap would be to convert to diesel. Also the most expensive. Doesn't need to be Mitsu based, but it all depends on your level of commitment to the project.

Yeah, never liked the motor. I’m sure there’s been some upgraded parts for it like valve seals and things to combat oil consumption. Would love to do a diesel. Got a 12v Cummins dodge also. Love that truck.

Searched a bunch for engine swaps. But can’t figure it out. Need a list that will directly bolt to the tranny. I could handle mounts, oil pan changes and simple swapping parts overs. But not interested in changing out the entire drivetrain and I hate dealing with electrical. So I’ll keep searching.

 

[Toasty]

If you hate electrical and want ease, Hyundai 4DBH is a really nice diesel that will mostly bolt up. You'll need a 4 cylinder bellhousing and to move the mounts. The radiator outlets are in the wrong place too so, you'll need a diesel radiator and a few other diesel specific Montero bits. Depending on which engine you get you may need a Pajero oil pan because most of the new 4DBH's left are for the van and have a front sump. They're really nice engines and have a lot more power than the old 4D56, pretty affordable as well.