I purchased my 2000 Montero Sport Limited 4x4 about a month ago knowing it had some minor issues for me to work on, but after a week had passed I then found many more. I would really like to put my all into this baby and bring her back to the condition she deserves to be in. While cleaning under the hood I noticed the Mass Air Flow Sensor wiring harness was not clipped in all the way. I plugged it in and then the car stalls when you give it gas- and will not take off and drive. I purchased a new Mass Air Flow sensor and it is still having that same issue. The car drives fine with the mass air flow censor Unplugged. We plugged the scanner in to check the cars computer and no issues popped up. Then we found out that the check engine light was somehow disabled. I felt like an idiot for not noticing this when I purchased the vehicle. Even when you put the key in the ignition under the "on" position, that light should pop up with the others. It does not. What do I do about that? The fuses are ok. Did the seller cut a wire or take out a bulb? I'm anxious to find out so I can fix this. This is also my first 4x4 and I am not very knowledgeable on how they work. I bought the car knowing it drove awesome but never tried to use the 4x4. The car drives excellent in its main gear but the 4x4 shifter vibrates. Is that vibration normal? I finally tried to use a different gear and the 4x4 shifter will not shift out... One thing I feared was buying some one else's problems, but now that I'm here I am willing to get my hands dirty. Anyone willing to start me off with some basics? I have the tools, I have the jack-lift and I have a driveway I can spend my free time in. I need some guidance. I have time to lift her up on Tuesday morning to see if the fuel smell is a hole in the exhaust or oil burning. I did see some build up. The smell does not leak into the car, only outside. What else should I look for while she's up there?

 

Man that sucks, sorry to hear about your rig. I bet the previous owner either black taped over the bulb for the service engine soon light or took the bulb out. Its weird that your not throwing any codes with the mass air sensor. For the 4x4 not shifting out it could be that those gears haven't been used in years and the linkage is frozen. I would climb under there and if the linkage is rusted. That happened to a rover I once owned.

 

Thanks for the advice! I'm going to search the net and get a heads up on linkage so I know what to expect. Was it a hard fix?

 

Mine was a b**** to fix because my 4x4 shifter was frozen and i tried to shift out of 4low and the linkage broke at the shifter. Once i got inside the trans tunnel i found out that everything rusted and self welded....like it had been at the bottom of the ocean for 10 years lol. Despite all that the repair was going good when the clevis pin that attaches the linkage to the transfer case lever snapped off. After a week of grinding and cussing and soaking in pb blaster I threw in the towel and had it towed to my mechanic. He had to drop the transfer case, put heat on the lever, and then punch out the pin.

I will look and see if I can find a service manual online. That will point you in the right direction of where to look.

Also pull your instrument cluster and you will definitely find out what's up with the service engine soon light. I am willing to bet they pulled out that bulb or black tapped over it, I've seen that happen before to someone.

 

Here ya go.

http://www.mitsubishilinks.com/

It wouldnt let me open it on my phone cause they are zipped files but it will work on your computer.

 

Thank you for the link! I am downloading 2 manuals as I type. I am pretty new to putting in mechanical work but I am willing to learn anything and everything. This will be the first car that I actually
work on and I cannot afford to f*** anything up so I will be sure to be very patient and read everything that will help me. With all of the videos online and forums like this, there is no reason a smart, willing person as myself cannot accomplish this work. Thank you again and I will be sure to keep this thread updated!