Sepstero's 2003 Montero Build Thread

[Sepstero]

Hi everyone,

Bought my 2003 Montero in March and I’m getting it ready for a 9-12month trip across North America before I start grad school. Thank you so much to everyone who’s contributed to these forums – I’ve learned a ton.

Here’s my google sheet where I’m organizing everything:
https:// docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vgWXb0LTfz-dCXn01dgEQ5w-Aa7xPteKHkrIYo9BgfE/edit?usp=sharing

For my trip, I plan to spend the majority of the time out in the wilderness hiking/camping, but also visiting friends and spending some time in cities. I’m not looking to do hardcore rock crawling, but I do want to be able to get to interesting isolated spots and be able to recover myself while solo. I will likely be driving a ton of highway miles, so I want to ensure it's comfortable on the road. Guessing a percentage of 80% paved to 20% unpaved.

Originally purchased the Montero for $4500. 130,855 miles. 1 owner, and spent it’s life on the roads of LA. It has a rebuilt transmission and lots of service records. Three initial minor problems noted in inspection: leaking oil pressure sending unit, small seep on the passenger side valve cover gasket, and a cracking serpentine belt. Here’s a link to some pictures taken when it was up on a lift during the inspection:


Before this car, the extent of the maintenance I’ve done myself on cars has been limited to changing tires and air filters, but I’m hoping to learn a lot more. Thus far, I’ve changed the serpentine belt, fixed the sunroof (screw fell out), de-hazed the headlights, and drilled to open up the top glove compartment. Lots more to come.

In terms of trips, I’ve done a couple of medium-sized ones – driving it back from LA to San Francisco after buying it, taking it out to Tahoe for skiing, and then last week heading to the Sierra National Forest for some hiking and camping. (Got through some snow at 7000ft but decided to turn back after a little while)

Otherwise, it’s been fantastic for some local hiking, surfing, and small trips around and now has ~133k miles.

Some initial rough plans for the trip:

• Aug-October - Oregon (solar eclipse), Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Great Smoky Mountains, and Michigan.
• Winter – Baja for surfing at some point, likely Southern Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Southern California.
• Spring – Pacific Northwest, British Columbia, and New Orleans
• Late Spring/Early Summer - Alaska

I’ve got friends planning on joining for different segments, but a decent amount of the trip will be solo. I’ve done a good bit of hiking, camping, road-tripping, and backpacking but I’m just dipping my toe into off-roading and overlanding. A lot to learn, and a lot of debatably necessary gear to purchase.

My next big step here is to do some baselining of the engine and basic maintenance to try to bulletproof things to a reasonable degree. While I’m looking to do work on the car, I’m planning to get a mechanic to do a big first service that lets me tinker more around the edges for now, and focus on all of the liveability aspects. This weekend calls for an oil change (going with Rotella T6) and possibly a tire rotation if I feel ambitious.

If folks get a chance, I’d love some feedback on the list of parts to get (see: baselining tab of the spreadsheet, or I can post it here if that’s easier). Heavily based on some lists by Coffeegoat and EyeintheSky (thank you!), I’m hoping this sets things up in a good state for me where I can feel good about the overall starting state, while accepting inevitable repairs from use/time. Also, I would really appreciate any suggestions for a good mechanic in/near San Francisco.

Thanks again for all of the accumulated wisdom and looking forward to getting out there!

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Great find and an awesome deal, congratulations. Kinda jealous; at times I wish I went with the 2003+ with the 3.8L.

Thanks for the name drop, glad I could help.

I've skimmed through your doc, and man oh man, I thought CoffeeGoat and I were organized with our spreadsheets. You're next-level.

Some notes from what I saw:

Bookmark RockAuto's clearance page for your vehicle. You can get great deals (I've saved hundreds using that). There's a Beck Arnley valve cover gasket set on there for $3.47 currently.

Oil drain pan: Get one that seals up. They're cheap and so much easier to deal with. I bought mine from Napa ten years ago and it has served me well.

Sleeping: You're definitely going to need a RTT if you want to sleep 6' people w/o a tent. I'm short (like, average height for a woman in the US short) and I can't sleep in the back with the rear seats tumbled. For the price, however, I would make this low priority/farther down the line and deal with setting up a tent at night (gives you wiggle room for more important expenses).

Awning: I agree with your note, you can make one for much cheaper. Shade cloth or a tarp and extendable aluminum poles (or even conduit like me, though I'm a bit redneck) will be way cheaper, plus you can customize it however you want.

Water storage: Consider getting an exterior jerry can holder. I've seen a couple that mount to the exterior of the rear door that hold two cans and can lock them in place. Saves you interior room.

Skillet: Cast iron or stay at home. :-D

Skid plates: Check Adventure Driven Design's skid plate. I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but I love that they're Montero guys who saw a niche and are working to fill it.

Rock Sliders: Rocky Road Outfitters have sliders for $448 shipped to me in SoCal. Get a ballpark quote for the fab work and see which is a better deal.

Tires: I'm really happy with my Kumho Road Venture AT51's. They're E-rated AT tires. Decently low road noise, great traction, awesome price.

High Lift: You can get one used (or a "farm jack") for cheaper, but remember, you won't really be able to use with without a Wheel Mate or the sliders installed.

GPS Communicator: I have an InReach and it's awesome. Since you'll have a tablet, as long as you have the maps downloaded already, GPS will work fine. Well, same goes for your phone actually. So I wouldn't worry too much about the standalone function.

Timing belt tensioner: conventional wisdom/forum advice says go with OEM for that. Buy now cry now. Also, my Aisin TKM0005 kit did not come with a tensioner.

Transmission flush: I notice you have 12qts but no shop cost. It was $200 or so out the door at the dealer for me (including fluid and filter).

Thermostat: I was cautioned by others against going aftermarket on this. OEM or bust was what I was told.

Diff Flush: No need for a shop. This is very simple. Just get a cheap manual fluid pump and make sure you open the fill plug before you open the drain plug.

Rope/String: Get 550 cord (also called paracord). Since you're already familiar with AliExpress, start there. That stuff is great. Little tip I learned in the Army, if you don't have anything sharp to cut it, have someone hold the strand to be cut tightly, then saw across it with another strand.

Clothing: Make sure to layer and try to get dual-use clothing. Zip-off pants may be super nice in the field, but you look really dumb wearing them at Starbucks. :-D

If you don't have one, go get yourself a tool kit.
Metric socket set
3/8 ratchet
Full size torque wrench (doubles as a breaker bar in a pinch)
Wobble adapter
One short and one long extension (you'll thank me after removing the bolts from the underside of your LH exhaust manifold)
Regular, needle nose, and channel lock pliers
Adjustable wrench
Phillips and flat screwdrivers
Zip ties
Bailing/mechanic's wire
22mm and 24mm sockets (most metric sets only go to 19mm or 21mm). One is for your lug nuts, the other is for the diff drain plugs (can't remember which is which, and double check my measurements).
Voltmeter
Replacement fuses
Rags
A metric wrench set (preferably ratcheting wrenches) would be nice, but not necessary.
A large box end wrench. The real mechanics here may get mad, but oh man, sometimes a bolt is super stuck and you can't get a breaker bar in and your only option is the dreaded "two wrench trick".


Overall, this is very meticulous planning, and makes me believe the execution will be much smoother thanks to your pre-work.

Again, congratulations, and good luck with your work.

 

[Michael Brown]

I concur on the thermostat. I had a generic replacement for a while, but switched back to an OEM. $20 vs $10 is not that much of price difference for OEM. The Mitsubishi also has much larger springs and seals. Overall a much more durable part.

For what it is worth on the transmission fluid change, you can do it yourself in the driveway with a second person.
https://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=15879

Check the color of the fluid on the transmission dipstick, though. New fluid will have a deep red tint. Old fluid looks brown or black.

Just order 12 qts of SP-iii transmission fluid. It takes about 10 qts to fully flush out the old fluid and I use the last 2 to set the level on the dipstick. Mitsubishi/Hyundai/Kia SP-iii will work. Do not use any other type of ATF that is not SP-III.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Quarts-Genuine-for-Hyundai-ATF-SP-III-Automatic-Transmission-oil-Fluid-/351600963051?hash=item51dd0cedeb:g:T2QAAOSwc49Y6z9u&vxp=mtr

Toolkit Info:
I recommend the Kobalt 227 piece set when it is on sale ($100-150). It only needs a few pliers and a reach/access kit added to be a complete mechanic's set. The HF Pittsburgh set is also not bad and includes almost everything you could need. The Husky set is also good.
http://www.trucktrend.com/news/1213tr-best-mechanic-tool-set-under-200/

 

[coffeegoat]

My Notes:

Maintenance - Refurb your injectors, if there is one thing I didn't do that I wish I did during my extensive refurb it was send the injectors out to be serviced and cleaned. It's not very expensive, there are lots of vendors (people can chime in with their preferences) but I didn't do it and now i'm bitter.... It's one of those things where you get a bit more performance, but really you just get peace of mind that they're in good shape to start with. Also, my timing belt kit didn't come with a tensioner. I used the two person transmission flush method and it worked great - after I tried the one person method and made a huge mess. It's still the best performance mod you can do.

Coffee - Let's be honest this is super important, that said, I'd lean towards a french press for camping, mostly because you can do other things while coffee is going. I have two little girls, and a wife who expect breakfast and standing around making coffee for 4-5 minutes is a luxury I just don't have.

Stereo - I'm currently researching this more as well, there are a lot of different routes here, thus far I haven't been really excited about the full android units due to reliability issues (early reviews tend to be great, then later reviews mention bad QC). I'm starting to look more into using a Pioneer with AppRadioOne which allows you to do full screen mirroring (with a rooted phone), because that might get me everything I want without putting a fragile, software intensive unit in the truck.

Protection - Second vote here for Adventure driven designs, as soon as I have money I'll be ordering my stuff, but again, two little girls and a wife means spare money for fun things is hard to come by...

Recovery - Look into BubbaRope, never used them, but I hear good things

Roof Rack - As soon as I get my act together, and some cash, I'll finish up my 8020 extruded aluminum top rack, it's currently priced out much cheaper than alternatives...

 

[Sepstero]

Awesome, thanks for the thoughts!

EyeIntheSky - appreciate all of the advice there. I've already actually gone ahead and bought the oil drain pan (likely a mistake), skid plates from Boos Bash Plates (ordered before I realized ADD had some ready), awning for rear (got a solid deal and decided to save hassle there)...but otherwise, I'll definitely take your advice into account.

I like that toolkit list - I've got a toolkit my dad gave me a while ago that has most of that stuff, but I might need to supplement a bit.

For sleeping - I'm planning on going with that FSR rooftop tent, and picking it up and attaching in Bend before I head out to see the solar eclipse. I'm right there with you vertically (5'7) but don't want to make those tall friends too, too uncomfortable

And man - I hear you on those zip-off pants. I have a few friends who swear by them, but, while there are things I'll do for comfort/practicality...there are things I just won't do.

MichaelBrown - Appreciate the confirmation on thermostat, changed that one up, as well as the link to the transmission fluid change. Not sure if I'll end up tackling it myself, but good to know that it's reasonably straightforward.

Coffeegoat- I hear you on the coffee. Was thinking of switching from my normal french press to pour over to save on water/cleaning but...I may end up sticking with the normal. Maybe a collapsible filter holder that I can use while backpacking to give me the flexibility.

On the injectors - I need to do more reading and research there - sounds like a great thing to do, but I'm a bit worried about adding a bunch of time to the overall baselining/out of serviceness of the montero while I get those shipped and refurbed. My cursory glance through the FSM makes it look like things will need to be pretty disassembled to get at them, but any chance that's a decently simple process to get to them post the major service?

Interested where you end up on the stereo...I'm going back and forth over whether I just want to go simple single-din or to a double-din tablet-style system. The idea of knocking that out + backup camera all in one package is tempting, but I'd hate to regret it and have to swap it out down the line.


Other than that, any other advice on things I should add on as part of the major baselining/any parts that I should switch to OEM? Thanks!

 

[unplannedbbq]

Thinking about picking up a Monterro for myself, so following along.

I had my VW's injectors rebuilt - well worth the $17.50 per. I sent mine to Mr Injector - happy with the results. Clean, fast work and he gives you before and after flow reports. I think my rebuilt Bosch injectors are way better than what I could buy on the aftermarket. Good luck with your build and trip!

 

[EyeInTheSky]

For your stereo, here's an option so you don't have to choose!

I'm considering one of these where the screen stows either automatically or manually and doesn't need to be open for the radio to work.

I plan to add some cameras to my rig (front, rear, underside) so I'd like a system with a screen. Pic is just for representative purposes, haven't decided on a model.

You are correct on the injectors, they are a bear to get to (well, everything is on the 6G7* engines).

The service I used for mine was through Ebay and was based out of Phoenix I believe. $10/ea and they replaced seals, filters, and cleaned them out. I sent them 8 injectors and had them rebuild the best 6. To be honest, I didn't see much gain from it, more of a peace of mind thing. Search my build thread for the actual percentage results from their flow testing. I wouldn't classify it as necessary, but a "while you're there."

 

[coffeegoat]

On the injectors the tricky part in my mind is the "what if" factor. Maybe they're in great shape, maybe they're middling, unless they are really bad, you just don't know without some really advanced diagnostics. It's the kind of thing that could lose you 10's of HP and several MPG and on our trucks we need all we can get - if you don't do it you'll always be wondering....

As far as access, there isn't an easy way to get there but to pull the plenum, however, if you're already in there doing the major service (water pump, timing belt, etc) they are very accessible. Eh, I just know after investing $1500 in maintenance and days of work, if I had been slightly more patient and spent $50 I would know I have good injectors. It's not super common, but every once in a while you'll see someone with a weird engine problem in a rig that's 10-20 years old (all of our trucks) and it takes forever to track down, and it's the injectors, I regret not buying that little bit of peace of mind...

On the coffee front, for backpacking I'll often go with either concentrated cold press, double or triple strength and dilute with hot water, or use my GSI H2JO it screws into a Nalgene. I'm not a huge fan of making coffee in plastic but sometimes we sacrifice for our drug of choice.

 

[Sepstero]

Very cool - now you're getting me interested in the single din to make things easier and cheaper, and potentially leave room for some power outlets in the future...

And that H2JO is cool! Thinking of if I should get a wide mouth metal bottle and that guy to have an easy coffee setup. I'm now convinced on the french press for car camping (once I find a good plastic/shatterproof glass one) to keep up the habit


Otherwise, managed to get to the oil change this weekend. Overall pretty smooth for the first one I’ve done by myself once I managed to get the extremely rounded off drain plug broken out and loosened. Getting a new plug for the next change to replace it.

Question for you guys – do you normally change every 3k, 5k, or a different interval?

Had less success trying to recharge the AC (AC has been inconsistently cold, and not keeping up well when I was in the central valley, so figured it could use some more refrigerant). Eventually I’ll investigate to see if there’s a leak, but figure for now I’ll just throw a couple cans at it. Attached the can and device to the “L” capped valve but no dice – gauge didn’t show any pressure and it didn’t seem like it was doing anything. Planning to stop back by the autozone to see if I’m missing a piece (as California ones may require some type of adapter). Hopefully it’s just something dumb I’m doing.

Getting closer to ordering parts for the baselining – hopefully will get that done this week, and am now convinced that I need to get the injectors done for peace of mind.

I’ll be dredging up an old thread looking for mechanics near San Francisco, but here's one that I’m looking to contact right now to get pricing and timing figured out:
- APlusJapaneseAutoRepair in San Carlos (won't let me post link)

Next things to focus on:

• Checking/changing some fuses to see if I can get my clock and front 12v plug working again (CD player and center console 12V work so hoping it’s just a fuse)
• Building out the rear door drop down table
• Thinking through the sleeping platform build
• Planning out the electrical system
• Taking off the side steps

 

[Offroadmuch]

Reference:

•Taking off the side steps
- I took mine off for some additional clearance. They do offer some protection for the truck body, kind of like rock sliders if you are willing to use them that way, otherwise pulling them does make more room for bumps on the trails. The reason I am writing is that if you decide to make your own sliders later on you may choose to use the factory running board mounting arms. I cut mine off with a saw for later use. It may make the job easier and save you some time and money if you have to pay a fabricator. Some say you should weld directly to the frame and others have used the arms as I have described and said they work just fine. Just food for thought. Your build and planning looks great. Good luck.

 

[Sepstero]

Thanks!

I'm currently thinking of getting the 67 inch trail sliders off Amazon, and having a fabricator weld them onto the mounting arms. I'm not looking for mondo clearance, but i want to avoid crushing the door panels, and give myself a place for the hi-lift. I need to look back through threads to confirm what others did with those trail sliders, but if anyone has a strong opinion - would love to hear it.

One minor victory - changed out fuse 4 of the interior fusebox (the one indicated for cigarette lighter in the owner's manual) and bingo - cigarette lighter and clock are back in action! For others who may be looking to grab fuses, make sure to get mini-ATM/APM Blade fuses.

Otherwise - did a bit of research on propane tanks, and think I'm settling on the 5lb Manchester tank so I can get a cheaper off the shelf bracket to mount it to the rear door. Still figuring out how I want to arrange things to hopefully get a jerry can + hi-lift + possibly shovel on the back in addition to the propane tank. Ideally - I'll be able to get EuroSonic to build me something cool via StellarBuilt...

 

[EyeInTheSky]

Thanks!

I'm currently thinking of getting the 67 inch trail sliders off Amazon, and having a fabricator weld them onto the mounting arms. I'm not looking for mondo clearance, but i want to avoid crushing the door panels, and give myself a place for the hi-lift. I need to look back through threads to confirm what others did with those trail sliders, but if anyone has a strong opinion - would love to hear it.

One minor victory - changed out fuse 4 of the interior fusebox (the one indicated for cigarette lighter in the owner's manual) and bingo - cigarette lighter and clock are back in action! For others who may be looking to grab fuses, make sure to get mini-ATM/APM Blade fuses.

Otherwise - did a bit of research on propane tanks, and think I'm settling on the 5lb Manchester tank so I can get a cheaper off the shelf bracket to mount it to the rear door. Still figuring out how I want to arrange things to hopefully get a jerry can + hi-lift + possibly shovel on the back in addition to the propane tank. Ideally - I'll be able to get EuroSonic to build me something cool via StellarBuilt...

Check out my build thread for my ghetto shovel/splitting maul mount using chain link fence clamps from Home Depot.

There are some really cool racks people have made using the spare tire holder, but you're pretty limited until you spend the bucks on a custom bumper with a swing arm.

 

[Sepstero]

Definitely going to check that mount out EyeInTheSky, thanks!

Long time since last post, but a few things coming together now:
- Got a Dometic CF-040 off a guy in the forums, been working well thus far
- Got the AC recharged. Turned out the hose I bought was defective, so after swapping for a new hose, 2 minutes and 2 cans of R134a later the AC is blowing nice and cold
- Built a sleeping platform:




Got a big piece of 5/8 48x96 plywood cut into 4 segments, of which I used 3 - 34x48 (main trunk piece), and 2x 17x48 (for the folding parts). Covered those in speaker carpet (linked in the spreadsheet) and then used a 48" piano hinge on the first part, and 24" for the second fold. Ended up going with 18" pipe segments and top and bottom flanges, and then 1" screws to keep it together.

Overall - should have measured more effectively, ended up having to use a keyhole saw to cut off corners to get it to fit. The upside is that it's super snug in there with no creaking/movement and no need for tiedowns.

Other big development - Thursday I drove up to Sacramento and dropped off the monty with Eurosonic at Stellarbuilt. Super nice guy and really excited to see the final work.

He's doing a bunch of stuff for me:
- Installing a second battery box under the hood
- Putting on the suspension (OME HD + KYB Gas-a-just)
- Fabricating a winch plate and getting the winch on without a bumper
- Putting on sliders
- Attaching a 5lb propane tank and mount for a NATO Jerry can

Can't wait for the results.

Next step is to finalize who's doing the baselining (have all the parts and got a few quotes out) and get that taken care of. I head out for first part of the trip on August 18th and time is flying by...

 

[Sepstero]

Got an update pic from Eurosonic:



OME HD springs + KYB GAJ shocks on, and beginning to work on the winch plate mount

 

[jaccox23]

Oh that's your Monty he's working on. I don't believe you'll be disappointed with anything he does.