Hello all,

I own a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport Limited 4 X 4 with a 3.5 V6 engine.

So....I have an issue with the way the Montero shifts while it is in drive. It accelerates off the line just fine but once you get to between 35 - 45 MPH it tries to shift into overdrive and it can be a very violent transition into overdrive, as if it is trying to go into overdrive way too soon.

How I have been handling the situation is to drive around in 3rd gear or start out in 3rd and wait until my speed is greater than 60 MPH and then shift into drive, back off the gas, let it shift, then hit the accelerator and it drives just fine.

I am not aware of a O/D switch but other than that is there a common cause that I may be able to fix without spending a lot of money?

Sorry if my description is somewhat vague, I can clarify if needed.

Thank you in advance,

 

Vehicle:1999 MITSUBISHI MONTERO SPORT LS/XLS

VIN:JA4MT31HXXP024414

Greetings everyone and thank you in advance for any input you can provide!

Basically I am looking to check on the reliability of the specific model of Mitsubishi. A friend of mine is Has an opportunity to purchase an inexpensive Montero and I know nothing about Mitsubishi's.

Here's what I know about this car:

1. 116,000 miles, two owners - Cost: $1600
2. The current owner changed the struts and the brakes, that is all.
3. The vehicle currently exhibits some shaking in the steering, is this a known issue?

Other than that I do not have any additional history on the vehicle. I imagine it is due for a timing belt change (cost?)

I am also weary of this vehicle because I do not see many of them on the road, How long do they typically last? At what mileage to catastrophic issues begin to occur?

Bonus: if this truck is a money pit, What SUV would you recommend for less than $2000?

Thanks Again, Adam!

 

Posted in wrong spot, and there is no delete button...

 

I bought my 2000 Montero in 2012 with 147,000 miles on it. It now has over 180,000 and I have been driving it every day will only the occasional issue, but I will cover what I have worked on since I bought it. But I won't list items generally expected to be replaced, like brake pads, rotors, hoses, belts, etc.....

In no particular order:

Radiator
Right steering linkage and wheel alignment (My youngest smacked the curb pretty hard during drivers training)
Starter
Idle Air Control Valve (IAC) 17 bucks (ebay) and three screws to install
Battery
Brake switch
Front wheel bearings and brake rotors (not expensive but hard work)
Radiator cap
Edit: Time to add more items:
Idle Air Control Valve (had to groove the valve so the Montero would Idle until the new part came in)
Throttle Position Sensor (this solved a butt load of issues like acceleration problems and horrible shift patterns)
Yet another Batterey


For a vehicle with that many miles put on it, I consider that to be pretty much normal high mileage repair items.

I have used in some off road applications and it performed wonderfully, fairly easy to get it in and out of 4 wheel drive.

The important part is that the vehicle so far has not left me on the side of the road and the diagnostic tool has been helpful in determining what part was defective (IAC in this case) You can pick up a Blue tooth scanner that works with a free smartphone app for about 8 bucks off ebay, well worth the expense.

Now that you mention it, I should look into whether or not my Mitsubishi has a catastrophic timing belt/valve engine. Best to replace the belt, but I generally wait until I have another repair like a waterpump to save on labor cost and then get it replaced at the same time.

Good luck.