SOFpirate's 1996 Montero LS buildthread.

[Mephisto]

It's probably your CVs, but check to make sure cause last time I assumed it was just my CVs it was in fact my front diff, blew a tooth off the ring gear. Totally my fault, beating on it trying a rocky climb over and over, guess it couldn't quite take that kind of abuse with the 35s on it. CVs are easy to change and always keep on top of torn boots, although both mine have been torn for over a year now, but I always avoid mud and I don't wanna fix them since I have a solid axle to put in.

 

[off-roader]

It's probably your CVs, but check to make sure cause last time I assumed it was just my CVs it was in fact my front diff, blew a tooth off the ring gear.

on a montero?

 

[SOFpirate]

That's sounds like it's pretty difficult to do. I thought the drivetrains on these were indestructable.

 

[SOFpirate]

To clarify on the issue further, it doesn't happen until I'm on a loose-ish hill climb, and then it's clearly coming from the wheels. I can throw that puppy into 4WD all day long everywhere else (including freak thunderstorms and drive like a madman while everyone else does 10mph) and not have a single sound or issue. I'm pretty convinced its the CV joints. This weekend I'll get underneath it and look.

 

[Mephisto]

Pajero, so same thing. You can break anything if you're hard enough on it. It puts a lot of torque on your diff when a 35 inch tire is spinning freely in the air and it comes down on nice grippy rock. It didn't break off the tooth immediately, must have just cracked it, but it came off a while later and started making a clicking noise like cv joints do. I didn't do anything about it for a while cause I assumed it was just a cv, then it sheared off about 5 or 6 teeth, then I knew what had happened. That's the 4D56 Pajero, so it has the same diffs as a 3.0L, now I have one with a 4M40 which has the same running gear as a 3.5L montero, but with a manual gearbox!!

 

[SOFpirate]

Well ... it's been a while. Sorry I haven't posted in so long. Work has kept me rather busy ... along with life in general.

I've been too busy working on everybody's vehicles besides my own, that the poor Yamato has sat derelict and unloved. I feel like a jerk. Anyways, time to get back into it. I've got the CV half shafts on order, hopefully coming in this week. I can't seem to find a good repair manual anywhere, besides the 1,000,000 page one that we all look at online. Any ideas? Or should I go to the stealership (in which the GSM loves me btw)? Long story short, look for me to get back into this ... along with plenty o' pictures of again, our venerable Montero whooping up on some Jeep butt.

 

[Malern28us]

Have you found any performance mods worth doing? Exhaust or anything? I have the same year Montero and am enjoying your build. Now if I can find an SR rearend and someone that will help with the swap....

 

[MontyMcV]

Make sure you get a 97+ rear locker, and not from an earlier SR. (Different gear ratios.)

 

[Sabre]

Make sure you get a 97+ rear locker, and not from an earlier SR. (Different gear ratios.)

I thought that the early SRs had a 4.62 diff ratio and that they raised it to 4.27 in '97. Seems for most folks building a rig, those lower ratios (earlier ones) would be the ticket.

 

[GrassCat]

Have you found any performance mods worth doing? Exhaust or anything? I have the same year Montero and am enjoying your build. Now if I can find an SR rearend and someone that will help with the swap....

If you have a 96 you have 4.6x gears and you don't want the 97+ gears with the locker. You want the 94-96 SR pumpkin.