I’m a bit overdue on an update on these two. Let’s fix that, and also break the oddly Ford-heavy news cycle at the moment.
The Jag
My 1986 Jaguar XJ6 is running …well, ish. The engine makes decent power and it’s a great highway cruiser of a machine. Oddly though, the other night I was returning from a work trip and picked up my car from a parking lot near LAX. I fired it up and set off down the 405 Freeway back towards Orange County. During that trip, and ever since, my oil pressure reads uncomfortably low. As in, the needle is basically at zero when I’m at idle. It rises a bit underway, but not to where it usually sits. The car has oil. There are no drips or terrible noises from the engine. I’m hoping it’s just the gauge going bad. That gauge is, after all, from the Jaguar side of this vehicular marriage.
Other than that, the car seems happy. I want to address the transmission still, as the tv cable needs love. A shop told me it was adjusted as far as it could be, but I’d like to take a look and see what’s happening there. If I drive the car in D, it shifts far too early. So I put it in 2, then shift up into D as needed. It’s much happier that way.
Additionally, I’m not in love with the cheap Continental head unit I had installed. It looks fine, but it doesn’t turn on when I turn the car on. I have to press the power button each time. And it doesn’t display track info, and overall seems pretty damn cheap… which, to be fair, it is. I may swap it out for the same Clarion head unit I have in my Montero, as I’ve been totally happy with that one. Or, I could be a complete dope who hates money and find one of these: https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.com/jaguar-classic-infotainment-system-black-usa.html
Stupid expensive… but I want it!
Tony Montero
My 1991 Mitsubishi Montero continues to be a tank of a machine. The only recent incident involves me losing the snorkel air pre-cleaner while en-route to a 24 Hours of Lemons race. I have since replaced it with the same shape mushroom-style cap that I ordered from an eBay seller in Russia. I also just received some new brake and clutch pedal pads as mine had worn down and were falling apart.
The next big thing I want to do with the Montero is to add a rear storage and sleeping platform to the rear cargo area. My plan, if I can’t find someone to build it for me, is to attempt to build this one myself. In my head, it will sit at a height just above the height of the wheel wells. And it has to be usable when the second row is in use. So part of the platform will be hinged so that it can be folded up or down depending on the position of that second row. If I have enough room, I’d like to use part of the storage area for slide-out drawers and one part for a real-deal fridge. That means I’d also add proper power in the form of a deep-cycle battery. I’d also find some portable solar for use during camping trips as well. And I’d make the platform removable as well, just in case.
As for maintenance, the Montero will likely need a clutch soon. I’d like to upgrade to the Gen 2 hubs to add the slightly larger and better brakes. I’m going to have the shop that installed the suspension give it a good eyeballing to make sure nothing has shifted or moved since that work was done. But otherwise, the Montero runs as well as you can hope for something with well over 300,000 miles on the chassis.
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