PacS14 Montero 2.5 not really a build thread...yet.

[PacS14]

Well I came to a point in my life where I needed a 4x4 vehicle and a backseat, I used to own a 2000 Isuzu Rodeo around 10 years ago and loved it, unfortunately it got totaled at some point so RIP. Anyway even though I loved it and it was really reliable and gas mileage was good, I was not able to find one 4x4 and in the condition I would have liked. So I started looking for other options, at some point I was set on a trooper, but then I heard about Montero's having a third row seat, plus better transmission (I did have the faulty transmission issue with my Rodeo but it was just a seal, easy to change), better engine in my opinion, but I was thorn between the gen 2 and 2.5, eventually I found this. :smiley_drive:


















More updates to come.

 

[MummifiedCircuitry]

Cool man, welcome! What are your plans for it?

 

[PacS14]

Cool man, welcome! What are your plans for it?

After I'm done replacing all the basic wear and tear suspension items, I want a roof basket, 33" tires, arb or similar metal bumpers, and update the interior a bit... I need cup holders! So far that is the only complain I have.

So first things first a tune up and fix the valve cover oil leaks.


One side almost ready


O rings were bridle just like the spark plug tube seals

Then came the shocks since it was riding like a boat so monomax with lifetime warranty it is


only one out of four shocks expanded after being compressed by hand and not with decent strength




Being from Texas ac was number one priority but due to shipping issues it ended up being number 3. A burnt fuse, turned into a burnt relay, to a burnt wire, which I finally found was a burnt wire at clutch caused by rubbing which the PO tried fixing with electrical tape and failed miserably.






Luckily only that was the only wire that was damaged. Surgery


All patched up and ready to go


Old vs new. Denso ac compressor


I was surprised by this harborfreight vacuum pump, works fast and doesn't need a huge compressor to work


Less than one minute at 100 psi and I got this much vacuum.


Decided I would replace the expansion valve too since I was replacing the compressor



Overall I like the ride with the monomax and with the ac fixed I can daily drive it now. Will update more as I go.

 

[BOPOH]

looks awesome and seems like you were moving pretty fast with all the repairs - good job! is it your koukie i spy

 

[PacS14]

looks awesome and seems like you were moving pretty fast with all the repairs - good job! is it your koukie i spy

Thanks! And yes, you have good eyes, it is a 97 240sx hence my user name which is the same as in h240, until I bought the montero that was my daily, family grew and so were my needs so far despite all the repairs I have done and the ones I have left to do I'm loving the montero. Rides good, feels way better than my old rodeo, and is paid for so that is the best part.
Something I forgot to mention is that I also replaced the alternator. When I bought it I knew the alternator was bad, that the driver side window did not roll up or down, that the suspension was shot, and that the ac did not work because there was no belt, and the PO assured me that the belt was the only thing needed... oh well I would have still bought it. Now I just ordered the window motor and hopefully I will have everything ready this week for a tint.

 

[KyleT]

So you are the one that bought that one... I assume off craigslist.


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[PacS14]

So you are the one that bought that one... I assume off craigslist.


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Yes that would be me, although there were two with the same color gen 2.5s, one a 2000 and this one a 1999 I chose the 1999 because of the air locker. I initially wanted to go to Dallas to pick up the 95 sr black that had like 80 k miles but I read somewhere here that it was a bad deal. I could have waited more and look for a better deal, but I did not see the point as this was the body style I wanted.

 

[All-Terrain]

Nice work - well done!

 

[JamesW]

Thats a very nice looking monty you have.

What kind of a job was it to change the expansion valve? Mine is stuffed and I wouldn't mind getting it sorted

 

[KyleT]

Nice. Well I can't remember if it was a 1999 or 2000 but do recall one window not working. Good deal man.


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[PacS14]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome.

Thats a very nice looking monty you have.

What kind of a job was it to change the expansion valve? Mine is stuffed and I wouldn't mind getting it sorted

The expansion valve itself is easy to change, the problem is to go find an ac shop willing to empty your ac system only, a couple of places I went to only offered to do the entire job and refused to just retrieve the freon.
1- empty the system
2- remove the bolts holding the ac lines against the firewall inside the engine bay
3- remove the glove box and the metal bar going across.
4- remove the ventilation fan/ac fan under the glove box maybe not necessary but I think it was on the way and I wanted to make sure there was no debris.
5- the part you want to remove is right next to the center once you remove the bolts and one nut just wiggle it down and it comes off.
6- remove the screws and retaining clips to split open, there you will see the small radiator looking thing (I can't think of the actual name right now) the expansion valve is attached to it.
7- remove the old expansion valve
8- install the new one along with new o rings and reinstall everything back in the opposite order.

 

[PacS14]

I changed the window motor today. Easy job just tedious to do at 4 pm with 100+ degree weather and the sun right on top. But now I'm finally ready for window tint.

old vs new I might try to open up the old motor and see if I can find the correct carbon brushes to make it useful again.


Also unrelated but Saturday I took the montero for a trip to Texas city dike to try to catch some stone crab and blue crabs... result was fun weather no crabs lol

 

[PacS14]

Well i decided it was time for new shoes fm for the monty and a few more upgrades so i went with the BFG 33x10.5r15 and i couldn't be happier not just with the looks but also how it performs on the road




Then I decided to buy these from amazon for a little over $100 a piece


I thought it was going to be an easy to install... now not so much because of this



So my question is do I simply replace the guts from the stock automatic hub? I tried looking for a write up since my truck is a 99 I read on one that supposedly there was a difference between 98 and 99 and that the hubs on a site said they only applied all the way to 98 models. I have more homework to do on this for sure. Any help is appreciated... maybe I need to search for pajero instead of montero...

 

[PacS14]

Ok so I found a video that answered all my questions regarding the manual hubs. Will be doing this over the weekend hopefully weather permit.

https://youtu.be/FktsHtaf8dg

honestly I thought removing the automatic hubs meant physically removing a similar piece to the aisin hubs... duh I thought about installing them the way the video explains it, but then I thought it would stick out too far and seemed wrong. Well good news is I got the answer I needed thanks for watching.

 

[mr_ed]

Looks good man! What kind of change did you see in hill climbing (highway, not off road) with the 33's? I have factory size tires on my 98 and I'm planning on either 32s or 33s, but I'm holding out for a good deal on a blown Gen2 SR to rob the 4.6's out of first so I don't lose out on the highway hills....also the current tires are still fairly new so my cheap-*** doesn't want to ditch em quite yet haha.