Hi there,

I bought a 2003 montero ltd with about 172,000 miles on it about two weeks ago. I’ve noticed that it takes a little longer to start than I feel like it should and it smells like fuel whenever I start it. It also whistles a little, but not a squeal. All of this stops after I drive for awhile. My gas mileage is also horrible, even for an SUV. I’m burning through a lot more gas than even a montero should.

I’ve looked for leaks and I don’t think it’s a leak since the smell is coming from the exhaust. My diagnosis would be the fuel injectors here obviously but I wanted opinions first.

another thing to note, I’m using regular 87 octane gas in Arizona. Could this be why it’s giving me these issues?

thanks kind strangers!

 

Full size Montero require psremium gas (91+), especially if you are at low elevations (majority of inhabited Arizona). Smell of fuel in exhaust might be an indication of not full/proper combustion. Do you have Check Engine light ON? If so, pull the codes and Freeze Frame data for each DTC. If the CEL is not on, see if you can "borrow" a code reader from an Auto Parts store. Ask for the code reader that is capable of reading Live Data. When connected, have vehicle running and check Fuel Trim levels (STFT B1, STFT B2, LTFT B1, LTFT B2). Getting that data is a good place to start

 

No check engine light, it was just the smell. I filled it with 91 octane and a two bottles of fuel additive within reason for the tank size and within two days the smell more or less is gone. So, it seems like that fixed the issue there. Is it normal for my Montero to crank a bit longer than a normal car would when starting up? It starts up fine and runs great but it always takes a few seconds to catch. I don't know if this is normal as I'm coming from a Hyundai that was simple as simple can be. Thanks!

 

Longer cranking is harder to diagnose or rather guess at the culprits. In general, cranking longer that you are used to with a newer car might be simply due to age and miles on the vehicle. It is possible that fuel system bleeds off fuel pressure when engine is not running. When you go to start the engine, it takes a second or two to build up pressure to where injectors can deliver proper fuel amount to the engine and engine starts. Compression can be near the low end of the specs as well. That will effect start up.

 

To further this, an aging battery or starter, bad ground(s), worn spark plugs, or ignition control module can cause long starts. If you are really looking to solve this issue I'd start with the cheapest / easiest things. You can get the battery, starter, and alternator tested at oreilly auto parts or auto zone for free at the same time, with this tester they bring out to your car.