I live in portland Oregon and just bought a 97 montero sr. Its my daily driver and my off roader ( i only drive 5 miles to work) Im super excited about this car, it really holds its own against troopers and jeeps, and i loved how every dirt biker at browns camp said " you drove that up here?" Rear locker is sweet and really makes up for poor off road skills.

The car has 170k on it an i bought it from the original owner for 2k. Car looked like poop on the inside, but overall it runs smooth


1.) Can anyone recommend to me me a good tec manual ? Is Haynes the way to go?

2.) Car burns oil on acceleration but it seems to stop when the car is warmed up. Im thinking valve seals. Is this a common problem? Ive never worked on a Mitsubishi engine before, but i was not excited to hear i need to remove the plenum to change the spark plugs. Shop wants $1200 for new water pump, timing belt, valve seals, and all the other random gaskets involved. I think its a fair price, but im not excited about not working on my car. How tough is this job? Can you do it in a weekend?

3.) Overall the suspension seems solid, but that might just be because i have nothing to compare it to. Looks like the only real upgrade left out there is the OME upgrade, its $800+ with a new torsion bar. From what I've read online people who do the upgrade are happy. Any other options out there i dont know about or anyone thinking its not worth the upgrade?


4.) My car came without a spare tire, he said it was stolen off. So i had my room mate pick me up one off of a junker in corvallis, OR. But they guy did not include the bots to hold the tire on. Are they just 3 bolts that hold the tire on? What is the point of the handle and spring behind the spare tire mount? and did something bolt on to the holes on top at one point?

5.) Front bumper options? Looks like ARBs are hard to find and roughly 900 new for a gen II montero. Ive seen some people use ARB's off of XJ's and i think something else. What works best ? Anyone keep those silly windshield cleaners?