I just bought a 1989 Montero, 2.6L, 5-speed, 4wd, a couple of weeks ago, has 153K miles, in great shape, everything works (except the inclinometer), for $1100. I've put some bucks into it already (new front shocks, rear air shocks, rear window, K&N air filter, 16x7 Tacoma steelies, 265/70 Sumitomo AT tires, removed the faded/cracked/bubbled window tint, etc), and have a front steering stabilizer and bracket on order from Amazon.com.

Anyway, I'm glad I found this forum, because I've got some questions on this '89. For example, the "maint reqd" light was on, but despite what I've read about resetting it (pump the gas pedal three times, disconnect the negative battery cable for a few minutes, reset a switch on the back, etc), the only way I was able to get rid of the light was to remove the bulb itself. I looked behind the gauge cluster, and didn't see ANY kind of blade-type switch, or any other kind of switch for that matter.

Also, this thing gets AWFUL mileage, and can barely get out of its own way. I'm averaging 14-15 mpg, and this thing runs out of steam just above 3000 rpms. ANY kind of incline and it starts to slow down. It's not misfiring, but there's a slight stumble between 2400-2800 rpms, especially in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. It's not fuel-injected, but has a 2-barrel carb. With 150K+ miles, could there be something wrong with the carb? I replaced the air filter with a K&N, put in new plugs gapped at .040, and the wires look fine. There are no fluid leaks underneath the vehicle, so I'm at a loss.

I hope this isn't common to these 4-cyl Monteros, because at 15 mpg and being so slow, it's not going to be my daily driver. I'll drive my '94 Taurus SHO instead!

So if anyone has any direct knowledge on these things, let me know!

 

I'm sorry to tell you that your '89 Monty is running like an 89 Monty.
These rigs were made for low end torque! Wait 'till you get it off road on a fun, challenging track, you'll really see it shine.

 

That's what I've heard, regarding their off-road capabilities. They're like a Suzuki Samurai, they'll out Jeep a Jeep, Hummer, Land Rover, etc. Great 4wd system combined with relatively light weight and small wheelbase, lets them go where others can't, and not get stuck in the process.

But the mpg and slow as all get out is normal for these things? Yikes, I had no idea. I mean it'll do freeway speeds and such, it just needs a lot of pavement to get up to speed.

If this is "normal", I'll just get used to I guess. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something wrong with the rig. For example, I know switching to a Weber or Holley downdraft carb is a popular upgrade to a Samurai, but have no idea about doing that to this Monty.

 

that 2.6 motor was dependable, but very slow. back in the day i saw a few that had a new intake with 2 weber carbs on it, just like was done to the samurai. did give it a little more power, but still not enough

 

Hmmmm....so maybe fitting a turbo from a 2.6L Starion might be the way to go? I've heard that as long as the boost is low, say under 8-9 psi, you don't really need an intercooler. But it would seem to me that an intercooler could fit on the back side of the front skid plate?

I'm just putting that sticky on the wall, see if that would work...'course there's also the option of a bigger engine, say a V6 from the bigger Monteros, so hopefully that won't have drivetrain to transfer case issues? I realize that just about anything's possible, if you throw enough money at it, lol! But for ease of installation, I'm thinking either a turbo from a Starion, or a V6 from a 4-door Montero should give the added power I'm looking for, without requiring a degree from MIT to do it...

Or should I just accept the fact that this Monty is what it is, and just deal with it?

 

Checked the local Pick n Pull inventory, and they had a '90 Montero in the yard. I went there this morning, and pulled a bunch of stuff from it: factory box speakers, visors, grab handles, defroster and gate lock switches, side view mirrors, black center console storage cubby, black storage cubby under the arm rest, antenna, shifter/4wd boots and the plastic thing they're attached to, and a front skid plate with the mesh at the top (mine is solid).

Replacing the antenna was an absolute nightmare, and in the process of moving the antenna cable from the old antenna to the new one, I stripped something off, so the reception is really bad now. I had to remove several bolts and pull away that inner fender liner, in order to get to the antenna mast from under the fender. I'm probably going to have to replace the antenna with something more modern, but I'll check the stereo to make sure it takes a "standard" antenna cable.

So I wirebrushed the new front skid plate, put down some bedliner coating with a roller and paint brush, then went to remove the old one. The front two bolts came off, but the two underneath just spin around in the nut. That's probably not a good thing, and I'm not sure how to remove those two bolts. Since I have a new steering stabilizer and bracket waiting to be installed, I just might let a local offroad shop install that, and they'll figure out a way to remove the front skid plate!

I'm planning on going back to the Pick n Pull tomorrow, and pull the trailer hitch off the back. It looks like it's a factory one, because it looks like a plate with four holes in it that bolts to the rear, and the receiver part is under the bottom of the bumper. I tried taking it off with a socket and ratchet, but couldn't get the bolts to budge. So I'm bringing my 18" breaker bar and 3/4" socket, which I also use on the wheel lug nuts, and hopefully that will break them loose.

 

Went back to the Pick n Pull today (Sun), and removed that hitch plate from the '90 Montero 4-door. Amazing how much of a difference a breaker bar can make! I did a search on the internet, and this same part cost over $120 new, and they only charged me $10 for it. So it was well worth the 20-mile trip back there to get it!

Took it home, roughed up the surface with a wire brush, wiped it down with some acetone, then put some bedliner coating on it. Let it dry for an hour or two, then installed it. Had a small hitch cover for it, so she's all done. I have a hitch/ball from a previous vehicle I used to have, but now have to get those big wrenches to tighten up the ball. Not in a rush, because it's not like that 4-cyl can tow a whole lot. But for $10, I couldn't resist going back and getting that part!

 

Sweet deal!
Those kind of deals can't be turned down...

 

I've got a line on a turbo system from a Conquest. I sent the list of parts from the seller to the guy who can install it, asking him if there's anything else on the list that he'll need. To me, the list seems fairly complete: exhaust manifold, turbo, intake manifold, throttle body, MAF sensor, injectors, injector resistor, piping, intercooler, ecu harness, ecu, etc. I think these should be most of the hard parts that he'd need to do the swap. Anything else he could probably fabricate himself (he installed a fuel-injected 1.6 16-valve motor into a Samurai, added a Saab turbo, fabbed up the piping and intercooler, etc). So I think if I provide him with these parts, he can make it work. And I can get these parts for $400, cheaper than a set of tires! Not sure what he'd charge to install the turbo system, so that'll be the next hurdle.

 

I played around with mounting the FMIC on the front, and figured out a place that doesn't require any drilling, and only needed to slightly bend the FMIC mounting tabs and fabbed up a short bracket out of aluminum strap:





Have an idea of where I'm going to mount the oil cooler, which will be on the upper back side of the front skid plate, towards the mesh top. I'm hoping to get that done this weekend. I cut the metal lines a few inches away from the oil cooler banjo bolts, and am planning on using rubber lines and clamps to connect the cooler to the other metal lines that will be attached to the oil filter adapter plate. Using rubber lines from the oil cooler should make it a LOT easier to route the lines into the engine compartment.

I also used some roll-on bedliner coating and painted the lower panels on the sides and the side steps. I cleaned the surfaces, wiped them down with rubbing alcohol, let them air dry, then painted them with the bedliner coating. I think it turned out pretty decent:





I should have the modded downpipe by Friday, and will bolt it up to the back side of the turbo, to make sure everything fits as it should:






I'm getting anxious to start this SQ turbo install, but need to be patient and assemble all my parts first. I have a replacement Mikuni carb on the way, and will use the old one as a template to try and figure out some kind of "bonnet" to attach on the top, and feed the FMIC outlet hose to it.