Hi,
I own a 1990 Montero, and absolutely love it! But it's getting a little long in the tooth. So, I went and bought a newer one! Yay for me! It's a 2002 Montero Sport XLS 3.5L.
Anyway, I have a couple of questions for the experts -

1. I understand this an interference engine. This vehiclehas 100,000 on it, and the previous owner doesn't think he did the timing belts, and that's enough for me to want to do them. I've done the belts on my 1990 a few times, not a big deal. How difficult is the 2002?

2. I got this car for a very good price, because the transfer case was shot. Is this a common problem for this vehicle?

3. To go along with question #2, what are the common issues with this vehicle? What issues have other people had with this model?

4. I can't find a paper manual for it, they all seem to be on CD / DVD. Is that all there is, or does anyone know of a good paper manual resource?

Thanks in advance!
Jared

 

i know nothing on the belting.

on the transfer case,it is common if the 4wd is not use for a long time.
there are other thread in this forum which discuss about the problem.
it is a good practice to use the 4wd once in a while to move the parts in the transfer case.

u can try www.mitsubishilinks.com for the full service manual.

 

The timing belt on the 6G74 will be different, compared to the 12 valve 6G72 you had in your '90. There are four camshaft sprockets located on the top of the engine instead of two, and there is an auto tensioner as opposed to a tensioner spring on the 12V 3.0L.

 

a lot of incorrect data here.

first, transfer case failures NEVER, EVER occur. On any montero. Ever. A failure would probably indicate incorrect servicing (i.e someone drained it and didnt refill, etc).

second, the car is not a DOHC design. Its a SOHC with 4 valves per cylinder.
And the timing belt is nearly identical to the one on your older 12 valve. servicing it is actually quite a bit easier! It is interference, so if you dont know what you're doing you're gonna wreck it if you screw something up.

Finally, the only real problems are few. The rear camshaft "plugs" have a tendency to leak oil... Mitsu redesigned the "o" rings (which are easy to replace) to fix that.
The 2/4WD switches often stick if not used regularly, preventing 4WD from engaging. replacing the switch (or often just shifting in and out of 4WD several hundred times) fixes that.

really, thats about it. They're tanks, like all monteros.

 

Manybrews, I'm not sure if the 6G74 3.5L V6 in the US was an SOHC design...over here it's a DOHC 24-valve motor.[sm=burnout.gif]

 

the DOHC engine was only available in the U.S Montero from 1994 to 1996. Since then its been a SOHC 24 valve engine in 3.0, 3.5, and 3.8 liter displacements.
All of them basically UNBREAKABLE.

 

Thanks for the info, never knew that! The 3.5L DOHC was available in the Middle East market as an optional engine up until the 3.8L made its debut in 2004 IIRC. The 3.0L V6 was the 12-valve model up until 2001, when the vehicle was redesigned and it was replaced with the 24-valve model.

 

Manybrews,
I didn't want to hijack a thread here, but this is my first post, and using this site. You mentioned that transfer cases never, ever fail...I hope thats true, maybe there is info on here somewhere already to my problem, and that be the case, an easy fix too!. My 2002 Montero Sport recently had the transfer case shifter just lock up,,,it's in the 4H position,,,,but in AWD judging by the handling when tested here in the snow. I have no 4H light blinking or anything, and the shifter is rock tight.
I went to the Mistubishi dealer today, and they said the linkage is fine, so it's $1000 to drop the case and go from there, parts not included. Any help?...
It made no funny sounds, it drives fine, I was just trying to go to 4H, and thats where it stands. They said the oil is fine ( not burnt) and all appears OK.

Sorry if I am not in proper protocol here, I will get the hang of this shortly .....Dan

 

the 4H high light may not work due to the fact that the switches often stick (as I stated previously).
the switches on the AWD case are the same as the ones on the part time 2/4WD case.
the difference, though, is that your truck does NOT have a front axle disconnect. The reason the switches were a problem on the 2/4WD cases is that the switches not only controlled the light, but the axle disconnect system, too. If they didnt activate the light, they did not activate the axle disconnect.
But on yours, even if the lights dont work due to failed switches, the car WILL be in 4WD lock (barring some major mechanical failure).
so if you're correct and the lever is in fact stuck in 4High, you probably are in 4High.
However, there has been a time or two that Ive seen someone forcibly shove the shifter linkage right out of its tracks! The only way to know that would be to pull the shifter assembly off (not a real tough job, but I dunno what your capability is).

If you drive on dry pavement in a circle, the truck should "crab" and "scrub" as you make a tight turn. That would indicate you are in 4High. If that doesnt happen, you're probably in AWD.

 

Thanks for the answer, I drove it today, and tried it on dry pavement, it doesn't "crab"...so I will assume it isn't in 4H at this time. Is there somewhere I can get an exploded view of the transfer case online, so I can better understand what I may be looking at?. If it is electrical switches, or mechanically activated linkages? Is it posible to do any further checking while it is still installed on the truck, or MUST the transfer case be dropped to go any further, as Mitsubishi has told me?. I really appreciate the help! Thanks