New member and first post, so this is part introduction and part a cry for help.

After researching the ideal year / model of Montero and conducting an exhaustive search to find one for sale in my part of the world (Minnesota), I picked up a rust free '95 Montero SR w/ a 3.5L and rear air locker for $2k. Pretty cool I thought.

I didn't have a whole lot of opportunity to drive it around or look it over in great detail, and while there was plenty that I saw wrong with it (leather seats and steering wheel are thrashed, sunroof won't open, stereo inop, etc.), I felt it was a good enough deal, so pulled the trigger and trailered it home 4.5 hours.

Once I got home and had a chance to really dig into it (like I should have in the start) what felt like a good deal is now starting to not feel so good...

The issues:

- Oil pressure gauge reading 0 (I put a new sensor in and this was fixed, feelin' pretty good)
- Again, sun roof does not open, thought it was a fuse but the motor actually runs and linkage begins to actuate, but doesn't retract...
- Stereo inop, not a fuse, it illuminates, just no sound (oh well I tell myself, I'll just go aftermarket)
- Speedometer inop (Hey, I can just use the GPS)
- Tachometer inop (Hey, maybe it's a related issue, can't be the end of the world)
- Fuel gauge inop (okay, this is getting frustrating...)

So I took it for a drive with the family...

- 3/4 of a mile into the drive at 30 mph the A/T light starts flashing on the dash (I look it up in the manual, oh [censored]. The transmission is overheating...)
- Go to accelerate and the engine bogs horribly. Just totally flat on it's face until it kicks down into another gear and still just feels like it's sucking air (I had another car that felt similar and that was a fuel pump)

So, that's where it sits right now. I'm pretty unhappy and feeling like the guy who sold it to me knew all about everything and just screwed me over. Yeah it's a $2000 vehicle and I have realistic expectations, but come on, he knew the tranny was having issues and he told me the car "has a little sputter periodically", yeah okay.

So I need some help and encouragement. Looking over the vehicle it appears the previous owner tried to address the bogging issue with random maintenance items. The air filter is new, the fuel filter is new, the lower O2 sensor is new...

I've searched the archives and haven't found help on much of this. I did find a post on the transmission filter and a few others on adding coolers, etc. One strange thing about the AT light is that it turns on in well under a mile. More like a half mile at low speed, and if you turn off the vehicle and turn it back on, it goes away for another half mile. That said, the pan feels pretty hot compared to my silverado after driving, so maybe it really is overheating.

Need help!

Not forum savvy, but I'll attempt to link a photo:

[img]http://i.imgur.com/AbhY9Rd.jpg?3[/img]

For the transmission have you checked the condition of the fluid? It's the rear dipstick.

I would start by changing the transmission fluid and filter. I'd stick w/ the dealer part since it's critical and rarely needs changing. Be sure you use 100% compatible fluid. If you don't, you'll really ruin the transmission.

The dash issues could simply be a bad fuse. Worth checking out.

Thanks. I had a thought to pull the pan to check the filter which would in turn result in changing the fluid. I've pulled the dipstick and it's at the correct level when hot and cold and looks pretty clean. I just took it for another short drive tonight (like a mile at no more than 30 mph, and the pan is extremely hot. I can't leave my hand on it without scalding. Also, all the fuses are new.

Also, what is the right transmission fluid for this year Montero? The manual says Diamond ATF SP, but I can't find that for sale anywhere. Just SP II or III...

And on that note, does Chiltons or Haynes not make a manual for the '95+ Montero? I can't find one.

If you find a Haynes or Chilton 's manual save them. It is really important up there in Minnesota. The pages make great Firestarter. Look up mitsubishilinks.com that will get you the proper Mitsubishi manual. With troubleshooting guides and all. And if you can, leave the Webmaster to the site a little PayPal love. Take a look through that manual and get back to us. Good luck, and May The Force be with you. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

Mootspoints,

Hey dude, don't despair about your purchase. You came to the right place and for $2,000 even with some issues, you still got a more capable off-road vehicle than just about any jeep out there. We'll get you sorted.

You talked about the transmission overheating. Simple things, I'd check to make sure the transmission cooler isn't plugged up preventing flow. Also, could be the sensor is going bad. Do you have an infrared thermometer you can point at the transmission pan when it says it's overheating?

As far as the engine bogging down, I'd think fuel pump unless you are losing compression somehow.... Does it idle fine? Can you rev it in neutral and it not bog down?

If you haven't already, hop on over to mitsubishilinks.com and pick yourself up the factory service manual. We can go from there.

Also, expeditionportal.com has a mitsubishi forum, lots of members from here post over there regularly so.

If the trans pan is too hot to touch after a mile of driving, there is definitely a problem. I would pull off the transmission cooler return line, point it into a drain pan, have someone start the engine, and see if there is fluid being pumped through the cooler. That transmission is nearly bulletproof, but with serious abuse or a lack of good fluid it can be damaged.

The issue with the gauges is almost certainly a lack of power or ground to the cluster. Studying the wiring diagrams in the factory service manual (FSM) can help you figure out where the gauges get power from and where their ground points are at, so you have an idea about where to start diagnosing.

The sunroof issue is likely the tracks needing to be cleaned and lubed - I have the same problem with mine and haven't found the time to dive into it yet. I'm pretty sure there's a how-to write-up somewhere on this site, some searching should turn it up.

The lack of acceleration could be from the timing belt having jumped a tooth. Do you know how long it's been since the timing belt was replaced? If not, it's something that you should be planning on doing in the near future. You'll want to replace the water pump, timing belt pulleys and tensioner, and crankshaft front seal at the same time. Replacing the other engine belts makes sense if they're showing any signs of aging. You'll also want to check to see if your engine has the most recent updated crankshaft bolt and install the updated part if it hasn't already been done.

Thanks for the good input. I ordered a trans filter and pan gasket that will be here tomorrow. I live in the middle of nowhere, so after the drive to pick it up I won't have time to install. Will have to be Friday. Pulling the return line sounds like a smart check. Which is the return? The top or bottom? I did check after it overheated to see if both lines were warm, which they were, with the thought that there may not be flow.

Regarding the timing belt, I guess I didn't mention in the original post, but the bogging is not constant, it comes and goes, but the duration is long (minutes). To me that would indicate the belt hadn't jumped. The guy told me the water pump and belt were recently replaced, but he also told me some other things, so...

I'll check the tranny flow through the cooler and replace the fluid and filter, if that doesn't solve the overheating problem and I'm faced with a tranny rebuild / replacement, at that point I'll probably just pull the engine / trans and do a full rebuild.

Also found the drivers side CV boot torn today...

I have what sounds like a similar issue with my 95 - it will occasionally bog like you're describing, but it's only for a few seconds after it's completely warmed up and when it's really hot outside. I'm thinking it's a heat soak issue with an ignition component (coil or ignition module) but it's very intermittent and impossible to duplicate it for diagnostic work, so the problem remains.

If your trans cooler lines feel warm then you should have good fluid circulation, but it won't hurt to check anyway. I'm not sure which line is the return - maybe the FSM will have that info. If it ends up being an internal transmission problem, I'd recommend finding a good used one in a wrecking yard rather than trying to have yours rebuilt. I've not heard of anyone who's had good luck with a transmission shop rebuilding one of these - they almost never break so most shops have no experience with them.

Unless your engine has extremely high miles on it or poor compression numbers there should be no reason to rebuild it. I've got 255K miles on the untouched bottom end of mine, and the only reason the heads came off was to replace the leaking valve stem seals (common Mitsu problem) at 120K miles. Other than doing the timing belt and associated parts as maintenance, the valve stem seals and the variable intake butterflies are the only common problems to this engine.

Here's a good write up on performing an ATF flush that shows the return line from the cooler.

http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showf...3&an=&page=&vc=1