SONICMASD's 98 Montero LS Build & Adventure Thread: Black Betty

[SONICMASD]

10/20/16: I drove Betty around in 4H for a few miles to circulate the new fluid in the transfer case. Then drained a quart of it because I still had a quart of new AMSOIL fluid, and replaced it. The new fluid had mixed with what remained in the Tcase from just doing a simple drain and fill and was a light grey color so adding another fresh quart should help out a bit. Obviously, you'd want to do this process several times until the fluid is perfect but you'd go broke first so this will do.

10/22/16: Went up to Flagstaff on Friday night and then on Saturday my buddy and I went exploring. I wanted to check out the area north of Flagstaff with dozens of ancient volcanoes. Total coincidence that someone posted about SP Crater in the AZ Crew thread a few weeks ago, we just stumbled upon it and decided to hike up.




You can see the Monty way down there at the bottom.



Then we drove down to the forest and explored some more and spent a few hours shooting. I'm happy to report that the Trasharoo/Shovel Mount did great, no issues and it helped me haul some trash out of the forest that I came across.





On the way home I decided to have some fun and drive through a couple 1-2 foot deep pools of mud and then my facebook post resulted:

"Yo guys, i was wheeling today and decided to have a little fun and hit 2 patches of mud at speed. Splashed all over, good times, and then after the 2nd hole the dash lit up like a xmas tree and the monty died. It wouldnt start up, it would crank but not turn over. So i popped the hood and the whole engine bay was covered in water which was surprising to me cuz these mud holes were only like a foot ir two deep. Battery cables were still attached (i thought maybe one was loose and came off during the impact), no obvious issues, let the car sit for a minute or two then it fired up, though the CEL is on now. Any ideas?"

No problems since, but the CEL is still on. I'll get the codes pulled ASAP and post back here.

 

[SONICMASD]

10/23/16: The next day we drove down to Fossil Creek and had a good time swimming and relaxing in the sun.





The drive home sucked because I forgot to check traffic before leaving Camp Verde and got stuck on the I-17 on the way back to Phoenix. The I-17 was closed because of a 20 car accident so after spending an hour to get off the interstate, I turned around, drove back to Camp Verde, then over to Payson, and down to PHX - 4 hrs in the Monty to get home...all with the CEL on, driving over mountain roads in between 3-5,000 RPM - no issues.

All in all, a great weekend.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Man, you AZ guys sure have some of the best waterfalls in the area.

 

[All-Terrain]

My '99 had a CEL recently --- I replaced one of the O2 sensors, and it was gone, hasn't returned. They are pretty cheap, about $30-40 each, so I have replaced 2 and will do the other 2 soon.

 

[coffeegoat]

I had a similar CEL when I was out elk hunting, it turned on the way out and there wasn't much I could do about it until I got back. I picked up a little bluetooth dongle OBD II reader for like $20. It read the issue and could clear the fault with no issues. For $20, and the size of the unit, I'm probably just going to pick up one for each rig so I can access codes whenever.

Eventually I'd like to get an android head unit and then I can keep the OBD II monitor up all the time and watch engine loading, temps, etc...

 

[Clutch Cargo]

Love this build! I've read a lot of stuff here that has helped with mine, especially about those sliders! Ever figure out why the Monty died when you went through that pit? And I was just curious, what are you getting for mileage with that 4.9/33s setup?

 

[SONICMASD]

Love this build! I've read a lot of stuff here that has helped with mine, especially about those sliders! Ever figure out why the Monty died when you went through that pit? And I was just curious, what are you getting for mileage with that 4.9/33s setup?

Heyo, thanks for the kind words.

1. I just got the code read tonight at Auto Zone: P0335 Crank Position Sensor. I unplugged the battery and depressed the brake for a few minutes to use up all the juice in the system. Hooked the battery back up, started Betty and the CEL is off. I'll take it for a few spins around town this week but if it doesn't come back on I'm going to consider it good to go until I do my timing belt job in 10k from now. My guess is that the impact of mud jolted the crank or cable of the sensor and caused the fault. Maybe the sensor even got wet for a few minutes and had to dry off before it let me start the car again. If I do decide to leave it as is, I'll have the part in the car at all times just in case.

2. As for mileage, it's hard to say because you have to adjust the mileage for the size of the 33s. My best guess is 16 mixed. Though I just filled up today and went 87 miles on 4 gallons which is about 20/mpg without adjusting for the tires but that was mostly downhill from Payson to Phoenix.

 

[SONICMASD]

10/24/16: Ok, time for another build post. This new mod/gadget has been in the works for the past couple of weeks but it's finally done.

Step 1.

Buy a roll of bug screen from the hardware store. I went with the thickest stuff possible, it's made out of a vinyl/plastic, and I figured it would hold up better to outdoor/camping use. The downside is that the thicker material necessitates stronger magnets than the standard thin fiberglass stuff. Buy some good ceramic magnets. [URL="http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAGNETS-ROUND-CERAMIC-DISC-MAGNET-GRADE-5-STRONG-PACK-OF-50-PIECES/370820224931?rt=nc&_soffid=5020168305&_soffType=OrderSubTotalOffer&_trksid=p5731.m3795" I ended up using 31 magnets for this project and here are the ones I bought.[/URL]

Step 2.

Trace out the shape of your rear sliding window onto a piece of paper:


Step 3.

Calculate how much extra material you need for the magnets to contact the metal around the window. Then don't forget to add some more material so that you can fold the screen back over the magnets to sew them in. As you can see in the photo, I added 3.75" on the front side, 2.75" on the top, 5.25" on the rear side, and 5.25" on the bottom. These turned out to be overestimates but better to have too much material which can be trimmed at the end than not enough.


Step 4.

Trace the paper outline onto your screen (I used white crayon), add your extra buffer measurements, and cut out.


Step 5.

Then put the cut out piece back on your vehicle and mark the exact position for each magnet.


Step 6.

Glue the magnets to the screen with a strong glue, I used loctite heavy duty power grab construction adhesive.

 

[SONICMASD]

Cont'd

Step 7.

The construction adhesive is not a permanent fix. I think that overtime the magnets will fall off with the stress of repeated removal to the car's metal or to other magnets. So, that is what the extra material on the edges is for. Fold the material back over the magnets and sew it down. Then sew perpendicular lines on both sides of each magnet to trap it in place. That way, even if the magnet separates from he glue, it will stay in it's little sewn pocket. I don't know how to sew so I had to drop this off at my Mom's house and have her do it Then you can trim any excess material.


Ta-da - that's it you're done:



On our last trip to Sedona, we really wanted to open up a widow to let some fresh air into the car when sleeping back there but couldn't because of the bugs. This window shade will be rolled up and always kept in the Monty in a poster tube and only takes 2 seconds to install. It can go on either rear window since they are the same size. The other nice thing about going with the thickest bug screen is that it should cut down on the amount of light that comes into the rear window significantly though at this time I've only built this one and don't have plans to do the other side.

Now, I'm sure there is a better way to do this. If you wanted to attached the screen to the inside of the window with adhesive velcro that would proabably be much easier but then you wouldn't be able to open/close the window easily and dead bugs would accumulate in the glass track/gap. Or if you want an even easier solution, check these out. My only cost was the bug screen for $14 because I already had the magnets leftover from a previous project but going with that premade unit on ebay Japan would probably be the better way to go.

We're going on a 3-4 day overlanding trip in 2 weeks, so I'll be able to test this new bug screen out. I forgot to remove it today and didn't notice until a mile down the street. It had not moved and I had gotten up to 45mph. The magnets hold it pretty good and I'm sure it would stay on up to 60mph at least.

 

[jaccox23]

Just food for thought: I hope the crank position sensor light was due to hitting the mud and it just splashed the connector on top of the engine. But if it were to come back on it may warrant an early timing belt interval based solely on the fact that it is almost impossible to change that sensor without removing the timing belt. I wouldn't carry and extra and consider it a trail fix for sure. Unless you plan to carry all the nessessary tools to change a timing belt. That crank sensor is buried DEEP lol. Fingers crossed it was a wet connection and you can enjoy the rest of the autumn season CEL free, love everything being done so far

 

[Jeff V.]

But if it were to come back on it may warrant an early timing belt interval based solely on the fact that it is almost impossible to change that sensor without removing the timing belt.

I know it's not a Montero, but I was able to change the crank sensor on a 3000GT in a parking lot with minimal tools. All the non-distributor 6G7 engines I've seen are similar in that area. We left the timing belt in place.

 

[briandam]

Very nice thread and awesome build, lots of inspiration for me! I was caught in that traffic jam also, except I was trying to get to work! Ended up using a vacation day and heading back home.

 

[PA_JERO]

Just food for thought: I hope the crank position sensor light was due to hitting the mud and it just splashed the connector on top of the engine. But if it were to come back on it may warrant an early timing belt interval based solely on the fact that it is almost impossible to change that sensor without removing the timing belt. I wouldn't carry and extra and consider it a trail fix for sure. Unless you plan to carry all the nessessary tools to change a timing belt. That crank sensor is buried DEEP lol. Fingers crossed it was a wet connection and you can enjoy the rest of the autumn season CEL free, love everything being done so far

This is very true. Also, if that sensor completely fails, the truck won't start at all, leaving you stranded. Make sure to cycle the truck really good to be sure. If by chance it does come back on, really consider doing an early timing job.

 

[SONICMASD]

All good stuff guys, I really appreciate it. Can any of you tell me where the sensor plugs in on the top of then engine so that I can check that connection?

 

[SONICMASD]

10/29/16: 3 things worth noting today:

1. I've 100% decided to remove the front Detroit locker. I can't get used to the way it changes the steering on dirt roads and I don't really ever go on trails that gnarly where being fully locked up is necessary. Stay tuned for that.

2. I got new bushings and end links and reinstalled the front sway bar today. I was okay driving Betty with both sway bars removed but didn't feel comfortable letting people borrow it, especially my wife because it can get away from you on sharper turns on the highway or if you have to swerve. It's amazing what a difference just having the front on there makes.

The end links were on closeout at Rock Auto and I got them for like $2 each. If they last a year or two I'll consider it a win.



3. It's been really warm in the Southwest lately, I think it hit 100 in Phoenix yesterday. And while that sucks, it means that I can go to Zion and some other Utah parks next weekend. Because instead of those parks being in the 30s at night, it's looking like high 40s.