I recently got my ônewö æ95 Montero LS licensed and on the road. Recently, when accelerating to 60mph on the freeway, the engine has started to bump, lurch and hesitate. About every 2-3 seconds it will jar itself. Slowing down to around 55mph, the truck drives normally. The engine only acts like this at around 60+ mph. Any thoughts on what would cause the high-speed s-s-s-stutters?

Also, the center console clock no longer lights up and the compass/thermometer gauge blinks on start-up until I press the thermometer button. Then it works normally until the next time I start the engine.

I also noticed that the interior dome light does not work anymore, even when switched on manually.

The clock, compass/temp gauge and interior light worked normally until a week ago.

I would appreciate any troubleshooting insight, including performing an exorcism.

Welcome to 4x4wire's Mitsu tech forums. Arguably one of the best resources for technical info on Montero's as they relate to general use as well as off roading.



In terms of the engine stumbling, when was the last tune up?

In terms of the electrical issues have you checked your fuses? With so many things dying at the same time it's likely related to fuse or two going out.

If it's not the fuses then it is possible (albeit improbable) that each happened to go out at the same time.

There are light bulbs in the center console & it's possible that yours have simply burnt out.

As for the compass, when it's blinking does it tell you which way is north? If not, have you done the procedure to re-orient the compass? You need to press the reset button and drive in a circle until the compass orients itself. The procedure is in the owners manual.

Have you checked the bulb on the interior dome light? There may be built up oxidation where the bulb connects to the bulb socket. Try 'turning' the bulb in the socket to maybe scrape off & 'clear' the oxidation.

To perform an exorcism, please consult your local Roman Catholic Diocese. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Off Roader:

The Montero received a complete tune-up (new plugs, wires, etc.) about 200 miles ago. It's a new vehicle for me, so I hadn't driven it much at 60+ mph prior to recently.

I will check the fuses. Likely that's the issue regarding the interior lights.

I did the "reorient the compass" procedure when I got the vehicle and everything worked normally. Just recently the compass flashes between N and S and the thermometer flashes and won't display the temp on start-up until I press the thermometer button. Then it works normally. I'll try the "reorient" procedure again.

None of the interior lights (center dome AND lights above the windshield) work when the doors are open or even if I flip the switches, although they worked normally last week.

I'll give your fuse suggestion a try this weekend. I really appreciate your reply.

Rick1013

Replacing a fuse solved all of my interior lighting and compass problems. Easy. Thanks for the recommendation.

As for the "stuttering" as 55 mph, that is still going on. The Montero runs great from 0-40 mph (standard city speeds), but once on the highway, it acts up.

Plugs, wires, battery, alternator are all new. Any thoughts on why it would stutter, lurch and throw a Check Engine light only when running a higher speed?

It's going to a mechanic soon, but I would love to give him some possibilities to troubleshoot. Thanks!

If it's throwing a CEL, first thing is to pull codes. You can get a basic read in the form of a blinking like on the dash, when you jump the connector under the steering wheel. How-to is in the factory service manual (available via the link in my sig). Not sure how long it stores the code if the light goes back off...