Hey, guys. New here. My old 93 S10 Blazer got totaled in an accident last month so I've been looking for something else for a while. I finally found a decent white 1991 Montero RS with great interior except for a small rip on the driver's seat and the body is in decent shape. I'm going to see it Tuesday.

However, the seller says it smokes sometimes at startup which sounds like the common valve stem seal issues that these Montys have since I did a little bit research on these cars. The timing belt also hasn't been changed recently and it's at 198K miles.

If I get it, I plan on addressing the valve stem seal and timing belt issues first. I just wanted you guys' opinion on if it's worth the price and if the issues sound correct. Also, I'm not experienced enough to do the valve seal myself so does anyone know how much it'd cost for a shop to do both the seals and timing belt? The kit itself is very affordable, it's the labor hours that I think will be expensive. I can replace the power windows myself so I'm not worried about that.

The owner is asking $1,400. Here's the Craiglist ad. What do you think it's actually worth, taking the condition and issues it has? One more thing, does anyone know of a reputable Montero mechanic in the Triad, North Carolina area?

1991 Mitsubishi Montero RS 4x4


I've attached photos of the interior he's sent me. Thanks for looking!

 

Just got done changing my valve seals,water pump and timing belt in my 95 and lemme tell you it was a pain but not to bad. Not sure how much difference there is between engines but im sure the procedures pretty close to the same. My uncle is a certified mechanic and his shop book quoted a 14 hr. job at $1100 bucks.So decided to do it myself. As long as you bag and label all your nuts and bolts and write down everything you do in detail and make side notes of things you might forget and of coarse follow the book it makes the job alot easier because you can just reverse the step you wrote down and wont miss anythng. I say a pain because of the heighth of the rig so alot of times i was on a fold out steppin stool which made it alil akward at times and kills yur back when not using it. Id talk him down a few hundred considering the work its going to need and price of shop labor.

 

Bought it!

I've decided to try doing the timing belt and water pump on my own since this is a non interference engine so there won't be any consquences if I do mess up the timing belt. The smoke isn't as bad as I thought as it was. My Blazer used to belch worse smoke occasionally too. The car came with receipts dating back to the original owner who got it new in 1991 so maybe one of the owners did the valve seals. I'll have to check. Thanks for the information and response!

It runs very smoothly so I'm happy with it so far. There are a few things that need replacing so I'd like to know how to get new parts if there's a site somewhere.

Pics -

1. The metal panel under the grille is bent up and I was wondering if that can be replaced or not. If not, I guess I'll get a body shop to straighten it out.

2. I just noticed the emblem broke off this morning from the grille but I was thinking of debadging it anyway to keep people guessing about what exactly kind of car it is. I don't know if the side "Montero RS" badges are bolt ons or just held on by an adhesive. Anyone know?

3. Both headlight surrounds are cracked. I found replacement ones on eBay for $25 each. Is that a good price? I also saw these and kind of liked them so I wondered if they'd fit on the 91?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Front-Cr...cc39e6&vxp=mtr

4. You can see the side mirrors have been pushed by the wind from being on the highway, causing me unable to see who's behind me. Are there other side mirror options? I'm also considering getting this -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/WRX-STI-5-PA...235ca5&vxp=mtr


5. The left driver's side turn signal lens is broken and I'm a bit concerned about water getting inside it so are there different options for the turn signals? Smoked ones, maybe?