Sixstringsteve's 2003 Mitsubishi Montero Non-Build Thread

[jentzschman]

 

[N-Smooth]

Unibody? Gross.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Unibody? Gross.

Seriously. Who would ever want a unibody?

 

[Stephen]

I give it six months. Max.

 

[sawtooth4x4]

I almost bought one of these a few weeks ago. but, i just couldn't pay what the dealer wanted.

There is a build somewhere that got me interested.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/25313-Montero-Build

Good luck with it. Try not to modify it, i dare you.

And if you get tired of the IFS IRS stuff, I have a set of solid axles that would work well under that thing.

 

[ttora4runner]

Should we start taking bets that you'll keep it close to stock.

I'll be interesting to see what you do with this rig.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I consider an ome lift close enough to stock as long as I don't go over 31" tires. I've learned my lesson about big tires. I'm confident I won't go above 31s. The lift could very well happen though.

 

[sixstringsteve]

If you read my last build thread, I stuck to my main goals. Hopefully I can do the same with this.

That being said, if I found a used front arb bumper I may not be able to resist buying it.

 

[RogueJeepr]

I consider an ome lift close enough to stock as long as I don't go over 31" tires. I've learned my lesson about big tires. I'm confident I won't go above 31s. The lift could very well happen though.

That being said Ive always thought bigger tires were over-rated and more exspensive . So what were these lessons you've learned ?

 

[sixstringsteve]

Bigger tires are one of the most important things you can do if you rock crawl, but they take away from freeway ability.

 

[TurboMinivan]

Exactly, that's a very fair assessment. It's bigger and beefier than a 4runner. It has way more power than a sidekick, way less power than a 100 series. Less luxury than a 100 series. It feels a little peppier than my 4runner.

For the curious (including myself), I went searching Car and Driver to see what they had to say about this generation Montero. They compared a 2005 Montero Limited to five other similarly-sized SUVs. Here is how they described the Montero:

There's something likable about this high-rider that's not decipherable from the test numbers. Close finishes can be inscrutable. Surely the attraction can't be the pug-nose front. Inside there's a perfectly bizarre Tokyo-by-night display for HVAC — it's blue. Nor can the appeal be caused by a tromp on the pedal; acceleration is nip and tuck with the slow-guy VW.

Subjectively, the high driving position is a winner, made even more appealing by the chair-height seats. An incredibly tall windshield gives a tour-bus view. The black leather trim of the test car produced a nicely formal mood as it contrasted with the wood-grain, most of it faux. Out of place, but appealing anyway, is the Jaguar-style wood-and-leather steering-wheel rim. Taken altogether, there's a luxury-excursion mood playing here; one staffer sees it as a "poor man's Land Cruiser."

The four-wheel-drive choices seem more complex than they need to be, probably because of the curious labeling of the lever's four positions. What you actually get is quite sensible. You can have the most-efficient-most-of-the-time rear-wheel drive, or you can send torque forward as well, through a limited-slip center differential, for all-wheel drive. For more serious going, you can also lock the center diff or change down to low range.

Out on the rocks, the Montero took a major ratings hit with its jumpy throttle; there's no easing it over Broken Arrow's boulders. Questions are raised, too, by watching these SUVs perform over obstacles. The Montero spends more time with one or more wheels off the ground than the others, with the Pathfinder a close second. The Grand Cherokee and the 4Runner maintain the best contact with the ground.

On the way down, the sound of old rocks scraping against young steel reminded that the Montero's 8.6-inch ground clearance was only 0.1 more than the Explorer's.

EDIT: the Montero reviewed has the larger 3.8L engine, which debuted around the 2003 model year. Is that what you have, Steve? Earlier Monteros made do with a weaker 3.5L engine instead.

So in other words, the motor is no rocket, but it's a 6000 lbs vehicle with a v6.

FYI: when C/D weighed their test car, it came in at 4,935 lbs.

These trucks aren't known for their suspension travel at all. I remember when they first came out and the were being reviewed. The offroad capabilities were pretty nice but I remember almost every single tester commented that they were constantly on 3 wheels on the trails.

Your memory seems to be spot on.

 

[Rock Taco]

Nice! I call dibs when you sell it in a couple of months!

 

[TJDukit]

It's too bad there aren't any good options for light mods to my Santa Fe seems 2008 is the cut off at this point. It'll be cool to see what you do with this thing, hope I can get out and check it out this weekend.

 

[ttora4runner]

Stole the image from Pirate4x4, a little too much chrome though:

 

[sixstringsteve]

That almost looks like an iceland truck.

 

[sixstringsteve]

The Montero reviewed has the larger 3.8L engine, which debuted around the 2003 model year. Is that what you have, Steve? Earlier Monteros made do with a weaker 3.5L engine instead.

Yes, that was the main draw to the 2003 model year. That in conjunction with the M_ATC traction control is why I went with this particular vehicle.

FYI: when C/D weighed their test car, it came in at 4,935 lbs.

Good to know, thanks. Edmunds quotes the 2003 XLS at 4700 lbs. I'm betting the limiteds weighed more with more soundproofing.


Edmunds didn't love these either, but their users sure do.

http://www.edmunds.com/mitsubishi/montero/2003/

4.7 stars out of 5 with 91 reviewers.

So far I'm liking the visibility, transmission, turning radius and upright seating postiion the most.

 

[TRD270]

Stole the image from Pirate4x4, a little too much chrome though:

That looks like a rig that could do 95% of everything in this state

That almost looks like an iceland truck.

Says Arctic Trucks on the front bumper, think that's the same company that did the Tacoma's the real Top Gear fellas took to the north pole

 

[sixstringsteve]

One common problem with monteros is a temp sensor issue. It pretty much just shows whatever temperature it feels like. My monty has an aftermarket temp gauge that the PO put in. However, it's in a tough to see location and I'd rather have the factory one working. I followed this video for instructions.

[video=youtube;HTqxmSLe92U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTqxmSLe92U[/video]

It turns out the the resistor R10 wasn't soldered well in the dash circuit board, so it needs to be re-flowed. I've done a lot of soldering so I figured I'd give it a shot. Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for whatever you do to screw up your truck. This is just a guide. Don't follow it or you might screw something up. Now is a good time to replace any burnt out bulbs you may have in there.

Here it is with the key on after sitting for several hours.

Step 1: Unscrew these two screws

The bigger bezel is now ready to come out. There are two spring-loaded clips at the bottom. Lower your steering wheel to the lowers position and give a firm tug (not a yank) at the mid section of this. It should come out.

To access the instrument cluster, remove these 4 screws being careful not to drop them behind the dash.

Dash removed.

As explained in the video above, pull the plastic faceplate off (it's required for reinstall).

Front cover off.

This is what the back of your instrument cluster will look like. There are 5 screws to remove to access the PCB for the temp sensor. Remove these.

5 screws removed.

On the back of that you can see resistor R10 (toward the top left)

right here. It's a tiny thing. I wish I had measured its resistance before soldering so I could know what to replace it with.

Then I hit it with the soldering iron and added a tiny bit of solder.

I put it all back together and went for a test drive. Now the dial is all the way to the bottom, so it was definitely the R10 resistor that made a difference. However, after driving around for 10 minutes, my aux temp gauge went up, but the stock gauge didn't move. I must have fried that resistor. I took it out again and re-flowed the solder, and same result. In other words, the only thing this procedure did for me was further break my gauge so it doesn't move at all. I wish I knew the value of that resistor so I could take it in to an electronics repair shop and swap it out. It kinda looks like I burned the trace to the right of R10. Oh well, it's not like it was working before...

Here are more threads on the subject:

http://www2.pajeroclub.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=7613&page=3

http://www.pajeroclub.co.za/forum/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5333&p=33918

 

[sixstringsteve]

So, not wanted to be defeated, and wanting to do SOMETHING to improve the vehicle, I lubed the door handle mechanisms, lubed the rear hatch slide, and replaced the rear windshield wiper. Isn't it funny how fun these tasks are the first week of ownership, but then they feel like a chore after month two.

 

[Kiel]

3 pages and you replaced the the rear wiper. Most epic build thread ever!