Hello,
Okay, to catch you guys up.

My girlfriend has been driving our new Montero for almost a week now. Its a 2001 with almost 169k miles on it. When we test drove the car it had a very slight noise in the head. I imagine it hadnt been driven much. Now my girlfriend has been driving the car for over a week now and the sound is VERY loud and it seem to be getting worse. I have done my research and I feel like I can fix the car but the problem is I cant seem to find the exact issue.

VLA's (valva lash adjuster) -- I tried to bleed down the VLA's and after 30 tries with no luck I gave up. Plus it sounds so bad Im affraid im hurting the motor.
Here is a link I found for the process http://www.4x4wire.com/mitsubishi/te.../lifter_noise/

As I slowly rev up the engine it seems to be the worst from idle to about 2200rpm then it almost goes away as I rev up the motor. However as soon as I release the gas and the revs drop to idle the noise comes back again. The noise never seems to go away.... I dont think its a bearing since I can rev the motor and it goes away.

I have heard of the timing belt causing loud knocking or slaping sounds, any input?

After trying the bleed down the VLA's with minimal results I poped the hood to make sure the noise was from the VLA's and it seems that the noise is coming from the front half of the motor but its so loud I cant narrow it down past that. It sounds like a loud knocking or ticking. I do mean LOUD. It could be any thing in the fornt of the motor. Im pretty sure its the VLA's but not positive. Its alot for me to open up an engine on an assumption.

I am going to change the oil to mobil 1 20w-50 and a good filter after a flush. Im also going to sea foam the motor to try to burn off any crud in the VLA's. Hopefully this works, if not then Its back to square one. or its time to just crack her open.

Please help me narrow down this problem, my girlfriend is a single mother with a 6 year old and she needs a reliable mode of transportation.

Thanks
Alex R.

 

My man, it's the timing belt! I know exactly what you are talking about, except I don't know anything about bleeding down the VLA's; sounds like you've done some research. Check this out, the noise coming from my 2001 Limited was so loud, the guys at the repair shop could here, it inside the shop, over two other running Mitsubishi engines that had worse problems than mine. Trust me, eveything you've just described is the timing belt. Don't know how much of a mechanic you are, but here's a good link from another one of our fellow Mitsubishi posters:

http://www.mitsubishiparts.net/cart/...19022+MD979171

Apparently, there is a huge diference between a timing belt replacement at 70,000 and one at 140,000 miles. I here the first replacement is gonna run anywhere between $500-800. While the one that I am getting done currently at 140,000 is running me $1,800. I'm not a big, "Take it to the dealer" person, but I have had bad luck with taking foreign cars to repair shops, while all my older built American made cars do well at the repair shops. The dealer informed me that things like the water pump and the tensioners should be replaced at the 140,000 mile mark.

You appear to be good under the hood, so hopefully that parts link will help out. Doing it yourself may keep you under $500.

 

If the Monty has never had the timing belt replaced, it's a fairly good bet that it's your issue.
Here is a link from the FSM that has come in handy for me.


Timing belt replacement/inspection:

http://www.pajero4x4.ru/piii/GR00003800-11B.pdf

Good Luck

 

Does the noise seem to come from one side or the other? or is it too loud to narrow it down that far? If it is the latter of the two, it's not the timing belt, but the timing belt tensioner. Mine did it on my Monty limited at 100,000. The noise I have just addressed recently was a cracked exhaust manifold. The sound didn't make sense to me. Didn't quite sound like lifters, valve train, or a gasket. I pulled the heat shield and there it was plain as day. But if it sounds like a deafening rattle, I would blame the timing belt tensioner.

 

If you are going to pull the front end apart to get at the timing belt and/or the auto-tensioner or its pulley at the 100k-120k service, I've heard it's recommended to replace the water pump. This isn't mentioned in the FSM, but IMHO it makes sense if you take your rig into the back-country. Getting stuck with a broken water pump can really ruin an adventure.
Good Luck

 

if the timming belt was making noise, the more rpm's the louder the noise would get. lash adjusters are sounding like the culprit. as you raise the rpm's the oil pressure rises and quiets the tap. as the rpm's decrease oil pressure goes down, tap gets louder. 99.9% of the time at that mileage a hole has formed where the lash adjuster rides on the cam, and will not hold pressure and has collapsed causing your tap. i would bet there is more than one too. best to replace all of them. that is a big job. replace the valve cover gaskets while you are there, also plugs, wires, and the tube seals. they all have to be removed anyway. good luck!! the montero has been a very dependable vehicle if properly maintained. she should still get lots of miles out of it once these repairs are made.

 

The timing belt definitely causes a loud knocking/slapping sound, likely due to a tensioner that is going out as mentioned, because the belt can then hit the cover. The sound will change with the RPMs, too. In fact, I had this same issue fixed this week at the shop on my 03 Montero (~154K mi), inc the water pump, seals, etc, and it was a minor miracle the belt didn't go out causing a $$$ fix. cbose was spot on. Good luck, but be prepared to put some $$ into it if it's the tensioner, etc.

 

I was just gifted a 2001 montero limited and it is making a loud loud knocking/clicking noise. It has oil no leaks all fluids are in order. I was wondering if you guys could help me out figuring out this problem.


Thanks

Is this noise the timing belt also?

 

I agree with most of the posts on this thread - it is a failed timing belt tensioner. The noise is worst at idle and goes away as you rev the engine. The noise is due to timing belt hitting the cover. It sounds is very scary - like the engine is falling apart. Easy repair if you have done timing belt work before. If not, have the shop do the work.

 

I have same 2001 montero, the information I got is that it's the rod bearings