1. I'm assuming you mean valve ticking, not knocking, as that would indicate a more serious issue. Ticking lifters are common on these and many other Japanese engines of the same time period that used a similar lifter design - the oil passage holes are small and get partially clogged over time. You could retrofit with newer 3mm oil hole lifters, but it's somewhat pricey for what is essentially just an irritating noise. Using quality oil and filter seems to help, and people have had luck with adding ATF or Seafoam to the engine oil a few hundred miles before changing the oil in order to help unclog the oil passages.

2. Could be symptoms of an idle control valve that's failing - not uncommon on these engines - or a vacuum leak (vacuum line or lower intake plenum butterfly shaft are the likely candidates).

3. KYBs are popular on the Monteros and seem to work nicely with the stock spring rates. I've got OME shocks and can't recommend them highly enough - I've beat the crap out of them with rock crawling, high-speed rally style driving, and street driving for 100k miles now, and they are still in good condition. They cost a bit more, but I'll buy them again for my SR when my current set is worn out.

4. Get some fresh shocks on there, that should help. If you still have issues there are aftermarket springs available which can give you additional lift and more spring rate to prevent bottoming - airbags are another option but can restrict the amount of suspension travel you have.

5. Not a good thing. In order to replace the studs, the axle shaft has to be removed, the bearing retainer has to be cut off in order to disassemble the axle shaft and replace the studs, then a replacement bearing retainer has to be pressed on. Mitsubishi dealer for the part and a machine shop for the labor. Don't ask me how I know this.

6. If your Montero has or had it, you'd have a selector switch on the center console. Only the factory shocks are adjustable (there's a round electric actuator on the top of each OEM shock) and they are $$$ - you've got KYBs on the front already so if you had them they've been replaced already.

7. The lower plenum issue has been beat to death on this forum - use the search function to read up on it. The short version is that if you have a loose butterfly shaft you need to address it soon or you could suffer significant engine damage if one of the butterfly valves gets swallowed by the engine.

8. Again, the search function is your friend (maybe not a good friend, but a friend nontheless) - read the info post on how to use it first and you'll get much better results.

9. Whatever kind of serving woman you have in your home is your own business, but if you're looking for a winch then you just need to use the internet. There are numerous options and quality levels limited only by what your budget is. There's a nice space on your Montero behind the front bumper that you can mount a winch via a plate welded between the frame rails. Off-road bumpers for the Montero are very limited and fairly pricey - I'm not even sure if the ARB is still available for them amymore. The most common method is to find a used one from a Jeep or other SUV with similar dimensions and fabricate some custom adapters to make it fit the Montero.

10. Search for Scottie2113 - he's done some extremely nice fabrication to set his Monteros up for expedition-style wheeling and camping.


Saying that this Montero is your "first real 4x4" is a statement that many Jeep owners would concur with if they were to break away from the overly-hyped "trail-rated" vehicles they own. The fact that a virtually stock Montero can do some serious 4 wheeling without breaking drivetrain or suspension parts is something most other 4x4's know nothing about, and you've got arguably one of the best model Monteros to start 4 wheeling with. Get some pics posted up so we can all see what you've got. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />