Hi All,
I have a Drk seafoam green '97 SR in mostly stock condition. I am the original owner. The vehicle has been well maintained but well used. Bought new from the dealer in S. FL, now residing in N. CA. Not much offroad but a good bit of towing, roof top hauling, camping (desert and mtns) and of course daily driver.
Current mileage sits at 242,000. Here is a breakdown of recent maintenance and the problem that I'm now facing. Any advice is appreciated.
Rebuilt engine at 190,000
Repainted by MAACO to factory color at 200,000 (though still some small body imperfections)
Rebuilt transmission at 235,000
Also within last year:
new idler arm
new timing belt and cam seals
new waterpump and tstat w/coolant replacement
new alternator and battery
upgraded sound system (Pioneer AVH carplay)
dynamat insulated roof and installed new headliner
recovered front leather seats (back seat factory leather still good condition)
replaced carpet and dynamat insulated floor
all door actuators and windows lubed and smooth, doors dynamat insulated
replaced all interior lights with LED
Currently riding on 50% to end of life bridgestone AT revo2 31x10.5 on new KYB Monomax as my previous KYB Gasadjusts were getting sloppy.
Other immediate mechanical needs in the wings:
Valve cover gasket and plugs seals (they are currently leaking)
New AC compressor (it died) and blower fan (it's noisy beyond normal)
Clean tracks on slow sunroof which is currently too slow to consider operational
Other than the above issues everything else on the vehicle works. So ends the rundown...now to the Advice:
After rebuilding the tranny with a local reputable shop the car starting throwing intermittent p1750 errors (which points to solenoid trouble). After several attempts to diagnos and repair- including swithing out solenoid packs, replacing TCU and ECU they gave up and refunded me partial.
The local Mitsu dealer has it now but after ohming the wires (all ok) and cleaning a gunked wiring harness and confirming harness pin tensions are good, the car is now consistently throwing p1750 immediately after the engine light is reset AND we now have new error codes 54 and 39.What the heck is going on here? Only time and dollars will tell...Thoughts?
And the bigger question:
I've really enjoyed the last 20 years but am getting a bit worried about the overall prospects of keeping the vehicle going strong- in terms of both parts availability and downtime- for at least 5 more years. Cost is also a consideration but I assume I can almost always stay ahead of the carpayment+insurance curve of ~$5k a year for newer comparable rig.
I'm already 'in' quite a bit on both keeping the car in fully functional state (1st priority) and improving it (cosmetics and functional- again for desert camping, hauling family, and light offroading).
One more thing: I can do little stuff but won't ever be a grease monkey. I am a woodworker and restoring my 1897 home keeps my car tinkering time down to a minimum, so as you reply please keep in mind that unless someone wants to be my new montero repair friend I'll be getting everything done by a professional at premium bay area hourly rates.
Thoughts? Advice?
Since you'd read this far here is the what's next on my roadmap:
As funds permit I'd like to try to get out of the keeping it running game and start improving it for more adventurous use.
Other anticipated improvements in next 12-18mo:
new tires and alignment
new brakes and slotted rotors (+flush fluid)
wheel bearings rebuild (it's been a while)
coolant flush
Various mounts and bushings (been looking at the A.D.D. lower and upper control arms, front and rear trailing arms, torsion bars upgrades)
Perhaps a small lift ?
front fog lights (suggestions)
upgrade backup lights (LED)
I'm also on the hunt for:
both front door interior panels (brown) (both are a little rough)
rear chrome bumper (dented)
rear L bumper plastic trim cap(dented)
replace front L bumper trim cap (cracked)
I have a Drk seafoam green '97 SR in mostly stock condition. I am the original owner. The vehicle has been well maintained but well used. Bought new from the dealer in S. FL, now residing in N. CA. Not much offroad but a good bit of towing, roof top hauling, camping (desert and mtns) and of course daily driver.
Current mileage sits at 242,000. Here is a breakdown of recent maintenance and the problem that I'm now facing. Any advice is appreciated.
Rebuilt engine at 190,000
Repainted by MAACO to factory color at 200,000 (though still some small body imperfections)
Rebuilt transmission at 235,000
Also within last year:
new idler arm
new timing belt and cam seals
new waterpump and tstat w/coolant replacement
new alternator and battery
upgraded sound system (Pioneer AVH carplay)
dynamat insulated roof and installed new headliner
recovered front leather seats (back seat factory leather still good condition)
replaced carpet and dynamat insulated floor
all door actuators and windows lubed and smooth, doors dynamat insulated
replaced all interior lights with LED
Currently riding on 50% to end of life bridgestone AT revo2 31x10.5 on new KYB Monomax as my previous KYB Gasadjusts were getting sloppy.
Other immediate mechanical needs in the wings:
Valve cover gasket and plugs seals (they are currently leaking)
New AC compressor (it died) and blower fan (it's noisy beyond normal)
Clean tracks on slow sunroof which is currently too slow to consider operational
Other than the above issues everything else on the vehicle works. So ends the rundown...now to the Advice:
After rebuilding the tranny with a local reputable shop the car starting throwing intermittent p1750 errors (which points to solenoid trouble). After several attempts to diagnos and repair- including swithing out solenoid packs, replacing TCU and ECU they gave up and refunded me partial.
The local Mitsu dealer has it now but after ohming the wires (all ok) and cleaning a gunked wiring harness and confirming harness pin tensions are good, the car is now consistently throwing p1750 immediately after the engine light is reset AND we now have new error codes 54 and 39.What the heck is going on here? Only time and dollars will tell...Thoughts?
And the bigger question:
I've really enjoyed the last 20 years but am getting a bit worried about the overall prospects of keeping the vehicle going strong- in terms of both parts availability and downtime- for at least 5 more years. Cost is also a consideration but I assume I can almost always stay ahead of the carpayment+insurance curve of ~$5k a year for newer comparable rig.
I'm already 'in' quite a bit on both keeping the car in fully functional state (1st priority) and improving it (cosmetics and functional- again for desert camping, hauling family, and light offroading).
One more thing: I can do little stuff but won't ever be a grease monkey. I am a woodworker and restoring my 1897 home keeps my car tinkering time down to a minimum, so as you reply please keep in mind that unless someone wants to be my new montero repair friend I'll be getting everything done by a professional at premium bay area hourly rates.
Thoughts? Advice?
Since you'd read this far here is the what's next on my roadmap:
As funds permit I'd like to try to get out of the keeping it running game and start improving it for more adventurous use.
Other anticipated improvements in next 12-18mo:
new tires and alignment
new brakes and slotted rotors (+flush fluid)
wheel bearings rebuild (it's been a while)
coolant flush
Various mounts and bushings (been looking at the A.D.D. lower and upper control arms, front and rear trailing arms, torsion bars upgrades)
Perhaps a small lift ?
front fog lights (suggestions)
upgrade backup lights (LED)
I'm also on the hunt for:
both front door interior panels (brown) (both are a little rough)
rear chrome bumper (dented)
rear L bumper plastic trim cap(dented)
replace front L bumper trim cap (cracked)
