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Post by chrisho on Oct 13, 2014 21:29:42 GMT -5
Hi all,
Been a long time since i've posted anything here. I need to pass California smog. Took my Montero to a local shop and I need a new Cat, that's connected to my manifold. Apparently, I have 4 cats installed. Also, I have a thermostat issue thats causing my check engine light to stay on as well. They are repairing both for $1,600 bucks. Wish me luck I pass SMOG after that! The repair shop let me borrow their vehicle for free though!
Any thoughts?
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Post by jay4x4 on Oct 14, 2014 23:55:31 GMT -5
Hi all, Been a long time since i've posted anything here. I need to pass California smog. Took my Montero to a local shop and I need a new Cat, that's connected to my manifold. Apparently, I have 4 cats installed. Also, I have a thermostat issue thats causing my check engine light to stay on as well. They are repairing both for $1,600 bucks. Wish me luck I pass SMOG after that! The repair shop let me borrow their vehicle for free though! Any thoughts? Wait what? 4 cats? Umm I've only got one, and what code is popping up? A stuck open thermostat will effect smog, not sure about it throwing a code. They probably lent you the car for free because they're ripping you off. I can't imagine the thermostat being more than $20 and an hour labor. A cat can be pretty costly but I don't think you should be paying that much....I just don't trust it since they are saying you have 4 cats |
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Post by ES_97Sport on Oct 15, 2014 14:05:21 GMT -5
.... Wait what? 4 cats? Umm I've only got one .... Jay, its a CA vehicle. Extra do-dads.  Edward |
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Post by jay4x4 on Oct 15, 2014 14:17:42 GMT -5
.... Wait what? 4 cats? Umm I've only got one .... Jay, its a CA vehicle. Extra do-dads. Edward Gotta love California. I live in so cal, in fact I just did my smog 10mins ago...but also my sport originally came from Montana and when I smog it the paper says federal smog lol. guess I lucked out I don't have to worry about so many cats. Disregard my last reply. |
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Post by jkdv8 on Oct 15, 2014 19:47:55 GMT -5
Jay, its a CA vehicle. Extra do-dads. Edward Gotta love California. I live in so cal, in fact I just did my smog 10mins ago...but also my sport originally came from Montana and when I smog it the paper says federal smog lol. guess I lucked out I don't have to worry about so many cats. Disregard my last reply. Do you live outside city limits. Thought that was mandatory throughout the state. Maybe age and mileage. Interesting tid bit. |
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Post by chrisho on Oct 15, 2014 21:30:59 GMT -5
Well I hope I didn't get ripped off, but I'm no mechanic. If I lived about two miles NW of my town I would NOT need SMOG. California is one expensive state to live in. But gotta' keep my Montero running. |
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Post by jay4x4 on Oct 15, 2014 23:15:19 GMT -5
Me? I live well within city limits. A decent size ones actually. I get smog every year. My sport is Originally from Montana so extra emissions equipment weren't installed. So they just see if it passed federal specs is what I'm guessing. I have a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero sport w/245k so very similar.
Edward is extremely knowledgeable about sports but honestly I just don't see how 4 cats could be put in there. I'll try take a look at some around here when I get a chance. I suggest you crawl under yours and look.
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Post by chrisho on Oct 16, 2014 0:05:05 GMT -5
Me? I live well within city limits. A decent size ones actually. I get smog every year. My sport is Originally from Montana so extra emissions equipment weren't installed. So they just see if it passed federal specs is what I'm guessing. I have a 2000 Mitsubishi Montero sport w/245k so very similar. Edward is extremely knowledgeable about sports but honestly I just don't see how 4 cats could be put in there. I'll try take a look at some around here when I get a chance. I suggest you crawl under yours and look. I will check under the body when I get my rig back. I've been told two cats in the front and two in the rear. Apparently, two cats off the manifold? About three years ago I had an aftermarket Cat installed and now CA legislator does not approve of after market cats. |
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Post by chrisho on Oct 16, 2014 0:07:05 GMT -5
.... Wait what? 4 cats? Umm I've only got one .... Jay, its a CA vehicle. Extra do-dads. Edward Guess it is for cleaner air for all of us hippies in California! Even though I'm not one!! |
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Post by jay4x4 on Oct 16, 2014 10:27:51 GMT -5
That could be it, one off each header then two on the Downstream pipe. I'd like to see a pic either way, CA laws do seem a bit excessive but if anyone remembers what the smog looked like in LA about 18 years ago or so then it'll make sense.
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Post by ES_97Sport on Oct 16, 2014 15:16:01 GMT -5
... I just don't see how 4 cats could be put in there. I'll try take a look at some around here when I get a chance. I suggest you crawl under yours and look. I will check under the body when I get my rig back. I've been told two cats in the front and two in the rear. Apparently, two cats off the manifold? About three years ago I had an aftermarket Cat installed and now CA legislator does not approve of after market cats. The CAL vehicles from '97-'05 have one CAT on each down-pipe, and one O2 sensor before and after each down-pipe CAT. They have AT LEAST one under the body. I'm not aware of a fourth - I'm not even sure where you'd fit it, but it wouldn't surprise me. I haven't seen any documentation to support a fourth. The FED vehicles from '97-'99 with the 2.4L and 3.0L have one CAT only after the two down-pipes merge and two O2 sensors - one before the CAT and one after. The FED vehicles from '00-'05 have have one CAT on each down-pipe, and one O2 sensor before and after each down-pipe CAT, and one CAT under the body. The FED vehicles in '99 with the 3.5L have two configurations -- Through mid/late-ish '99 they have the same configuration as the FED '97-'99 2.4L and 3.0L. One CAT and two O2 sensors. Late/very late '99 3.5L vehicles have the same configuration as the FED '00-'05. One CAT on each down-pipe and one under the body after the pipes merge, and four O2 sensors - one before and after each down-pipe CAT. For reference and as an obnoxious piece of trivia -- 1) The 3.0L and 3.5L down-pipes pipes are not interchangeable - no matter what the exhaust guys or exhaust pipe companies or parts manuals say. The 3.5L manifolds are spaced just a bit wider apart. 2) The 3.0L and 3.5L cast exhaust manifolds, however, are the same. They're physically identical (I checked and I currently run my '97 3.0L manifolds on a '02 3.5L) and Mitsu lists the same part number. 3) Mitsu generically shows the down-pipes for the 3.0L and 3.5L as the 'same', but if you dig deep into their parts catalogs the 3.0L and 3.5L down-pipes have different part numbers. If you ever have to deal with down-pipes on a 3.5L MAKE SURE you get it through their heads - THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. 4) As noted above, the FED 3.5L in '99 has different configurations. You MUST supply a correct VIN OR make absolutely sure they get the right PN - and its a real PITA to figure out from Mitsu which are the correct PNs. You CAN NOT interchange CAT down-pipes with non-CAT down-pipes and you can not use CAT down-pips on a non-CAT down-pipe vehicle or the other way around. 5) FED early-mid '99 3.5L down-pipes WITHOUT the CATs are NO LONGER MANUFACTURED by Mitsu (and there are none left in warehouse). 6) Walker claims to sell the non-CAT down-pipes for the '99 3.5L but the PN is for the 3.0/3.5L. See #1. These PNs are for the 3.0L - so effectively there is no drop-in replacement from anyone for this 3.5L (US or non-US). 7) The 2.4L is a completely different engine from the 3.0L and 3.5L. Nothing is interchangeable. Except maybe the rubber hangers. Edward |
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Post by chrisho on Oct 17, 2014 21:39:32 GMT -5
Edward,
You are a wealth of information! Thanks. My rig is a 2000, but technically isn't it a 99'? I will take a pic under the body when I get it back to see how many cats I have. You must be a Mitsu mechanic at the dealer? Can I hire you to work on my rig? Ha!
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Post by ES_97Sport on Oct 20, 2014 14:16:19 GMT -5
Edward, You are a wealth of information! Thanks. My rig is a 2000, but technically isn't it a 99'? I will take a pic under the body when I get it back to see how many cats I have. You must be a Mitsu mechanic at the dealer? Can I hire you to work on my rig? Ha! Yea, I just wish I didn't have to learn this stuff the hard way. Nope, but I live at one. I have two '97 LS Sports - my big SAS'd crawler with a '02 3.5L conversion and 5-speed M/T -> Jeep NP231 dual t-case setup, and the '97 LS sister of my big Sport, and a '03 Limited 3.5L AWD. Our '99 3.5L Limited went with my X. And, I've worked on others and driven a dozen more. Spent the last 16 years picking the brains of every tech and parts manager that's come into the dealership I deal with. Build something like my big Sport and you'll learn stuff you NEVER wanted to know. Oh, good God no! LOL!! My days as full time mechanic are long gone. Unfortunately. I run a tech corp full time - I don't even have time to work on my own. Its the model year that counts, not the manufacturing date. AND, now that I've said that, now I can say that's not always true. :rolleyes: Case #1: My '68 Firebird is a late '67 build (Oct). The entire timing cover assembly as well as pulleys and brackets are totally different than the '68 builds. Nothing is interchangeable. Why? Who knows. But it's documented - or was back in the day. Case #2: Both my '97 LS Sports are from Japan - as in came over on a boat. There are several differences between the actual '97 Japanese manufactured Sports and the US manufactured '97 Sports. Some wiring is different. Some trim pieces are actually from the '96 Montero (yes, the Montero, not the Sport) - the Sport pieces don't even fit. The alarm system is different as was some trim/tinting options. There are a couple other things that I don't remember off the top of my head. Case #3: There are some wierdnesses with the FED '99 3.5L as well. AFAIKT, they're limited to the ECM/PCM. I've found evidence that the '99 3.5L model may have came with a ECM originally and then switched to a PCM. Again, AFAIKT, the '98 run came with a ECM and the '99 runs came with PCMs. I THINK the CAL came with a PCM for all runs. I've tried to track this down but without VIN for this vehicle its really hard to get straight answers from Mitsu. The FSMs don't always show everything - such as the differences between the JP and US Sports. edit: Case #4: I forgot until I was getting gas last night - the filler assembly where you put the gas nozzle is different. I don't know if this is a JP vs. US thing or just a '97 thing but I haven't seen on any but my JP '97s. Mine have a strange anti-rollover thing built in that prevents gas from draining out the fill assembly. At least I PRESUME that's what it is. I can't imagine it being for anything else. Edward |
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Post by jkdv8 on Oct 20, 2014 19:30:11 GMT -5
We just need to call him Mr. Montero or Montero Man.  As well as the wealth of automotive knowledge in general. |
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Post by chrisho on Oct 20, 2014 19:50:28 GMT -5
Well I picked up my rig today and spent $1,600 bucks! whew. Drove it about two miles and BAM check engine light turned on. Was upset so I drove back to the mechanic and had them pull the code. They THINK, its a faulty thermostat that they just replaced. I just want to pass SMOG!
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As well as the wealth of automotive knowledge in general.