Symptoms
Usually none before it fails. A whirring from the belt area can mean an over-tight belt or a failing idler. Australian owners change it about every 100,000 km and warn that the 3.5 has no valve clearance if the belt breaks, while the 3.0 does. Treat those as owner reports and check your engine.
The fix, step by step
- Set the engine at TDC and remove the accessory belts, fan and crank pulley.
- Replace the belt, idler and tensioner pulleys, and the water pump while you're there.
- Owners describe a spring-loaded tensioner on the 3.0 they worked on and a hydraulic one on the 3.5.
- On the 3.5, they compress the tensioner ram slowly in a vice and pin it, then preload the offset tensioner pulley before pulling the pin.
- One owner sets the preload with a torque wrench at 25 in-lb (SOHC) or 50 in-lb (DOHC); confirm the figures in the factory manual.
- Another rotates the crank two turns, waits a few minutes and checks that the pin still slides freely.
- Check the hydraulic tensioner for leaks and fit a new genuine crank-pulley (balancer) bolt, because owners report reused bolts breaking.
- A loose crank-pulley bolt is also the subject of NHTSA recall 00V311001 on 1992–96 3.0 Monteros.
- Montana Montero has a video walk-through of the job on a Montero.
Tools & part numbers
- Crank-pulley holding tool
- torque wrench (inch-pound range)
- vice to reset the hydraulic tensioner
- pin or drill bit to lock it
- gasket scraper
- coolant.
Where to buy the parts
Engine parts (timing belt, tensioner, idlers, seals), 1995 Montero 3.0 V6RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Engine parts (timing belt, tensioner, idlers, seals), 1995 Montero 3.5 V6RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Cooling system (water pump, thermostat), 1995 Montero 3.0 V6RockAuto ↗Amazon ↗
Hunting a used or discontinued part? Search eBay Motors for Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero (Second Generation) parts →
Rated for a competent home mechanic with a decent tool kit. Confirm torque figures, fluids and procedures against the factory service manual for your VIN, support the truck on stands rather than a jack, and work at your own risk (disclaimer). Some parts links are affiliate links, which pay us a small commission at no cost to you.