This video nicely illustrates how picking the right line can make all the difference.
Archives for category: —Montero
For the last couple years or so my 4-wheel-drive system has been engaging intermittently. Normally I’d shift the transfer case lever into 4 High and the green lights in the instrument cluster, indicating the status of the front wheels, would blink (four-wheel drive engaging), then go solid (in four-wheel-drive). In the last couple of months though, the lights wouldn’t stop blinking, a sign that the system wasn’t able to engage the front axle.
I had ordered the factory shop manuals for the truck a while back, so I decided to see if I could fix it myself. Also, my mechanic explained to me that my Gen 2 Montero engages 4-wheel-drive by connecting the right-front axle shaft to the front differential by means of a vacuum-powered actuator. (That’s different from the Gen 1, which has auto-locking hubs.) Armed with that knowledge I looked up the actuator in the manual and noticed that it recommended greasing the actuator rod.
I got under the truck, removed the skid plates, pushed aside the rubber boot and saw that the grease, where the rod entered free-wheeling clutch housing (red arrow), was old and jelly-like. I cleaned out the old crud, packed it with fresh grease, reattached the boot, and left the whole thing sit while I reinstalled a pair of marker lights in the bumper.
When I took the truck for a test drive an hour later and shifted into 4 High, the indicator lights flashed briefly, then immediately went solid. Whoo-hoo! An easy fix!
I recently had a set of ARB locking differentials installed in the truck and it was irritating that I had this great new gear and yet the basic four-wheel-drive system wasn’t working. That made this quick fix all the more satisfying.
A few months ago I thought it would be cool to convert my turn signals and brake lights to LEDs. I had seen them on my friend Greg’s truck and I liked the crisp on/off quality. I thought it updated the look of the truck and, of course, LEDs use much less power and last practically forever. In this post I’ll tell you everything you need to know to make the switch to LEDs, and I’ll also tell you why I opted not to do it, for now. Read the rest of this entry »
I drive about 20,000 miles per year and my 1995 Mitsubishi Montero gets about 18 mpg. At current gas prices, which hover just over $4 per gallon in my neck of the woods, that’s a fuel bill of about $4500 per year.
I recently saw that Smart Cars are available for lease for $99 a month. This got me thinking. If I leased a Smart Car, which gets about 36 mpg, and drove it most of the time, say 18,000 year, at current gas prices the fuel bill would come to $2025 per year. Add in $1200 for the lease, and $450 for the remaining 2000 miles of fuel for the Montero and the total is $3675. I’d come out almost a $1000 ahead for the year, use less gas, and save wear and tear on the truck to boot.
If we weren’t buying a sailboat, I’d seriously consider it.
I came across this recently. Quite a nice drawing of an early Land Rover.
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