Isuzu Axiom

sbcooke

I did a quick search. The actual product is the Hunter GSP9700.

http://128.242.141.111/

This couldn't be used on my A/T tires because the tread pattern was too "groovy". Should be fine for regular highway tires.

paisan

IMHO. I've had tire mounted and balance on non hunters and they've been fine before.

-mike

rcopa2

I had a burned out fog lamp and after reading scoobyax post thought I would give it a try. Pep boys had the bulb for $3.99. I was unable to replace or work from the "top down" as scoobyax did. I unscrewed the two side screws and pulled the circular assembly forward. I only had to unscrew two screws and did not need the hood open to do the work. None of it was easy to do. The outer screw hit up against a piece of the bumper and the circular housing is just a little to large to be pulled forward through the bumper without some manuvering. The outer screw dosen't need to actually come out, it just has to be loosened from the unit. Once the the outer screw is loose and the iner screw is removed the whole unit will pull foward and out. You have to push down on the bumper while pulling the whole unit forward to make the opening large enough. To replace one light took about 30 minutes. And, FYI make sure when you push the unit back in that its right side up. After I replaced I realized I had replaced it upside down. Had to redo Ahhhh.....

I'm glad I replaced the bulb myself. It's one of those things that will be much easier the second time around.

bsmart1

likely a problem with the brake rotors. They are probably warped. I had this problem with my 1988 Trooper, and they replaced the rotors and the problem was GONE!

scoobyax

Just got my truck back from the 30k service, Monday using it going to work start it up and the gas gauge starts to drop from just over a 1/2 to empty. Low fuel gauge goes on and the
"miles to empty" display on the MID changes from 170-something to low fuel.

It reset itself after driving and didn't happen again the next day. Wednesday it does the same thing, drops to empty then resets.

Thursday driving home, Check Engine Light comes on, solid not blinking. Made one stop, go to restart truck and the gas gauge does its drop to empty routine again.

Truck is running fine, no hesitation, no misfire. Checked gas cap, fine, OEM cap, and I always tighten at least 3 times.

The gas drop to empty only seems to happen when I am at 1/2 tank or less.

Before I stop by the ONLY dealer left in my area and waste my time just to get the "problem not found" or "unable to duplicate" typed on the service ticket, has anyone here ever heard of this? Maybe a fuel presure sensor? EGR valve? Have to check to see but I think part of the 30k service was something for the EGR cleaning.

Any help would be appreciated.

Have a great weekend everyone!

paisan

Even if you tighten the cap, it will not re-test the tank til after it hit's 1/4 tank. So you may have the CEL on til then. My guess is it's some kind of evapo-canister-gas-cap failure thing.

-mike

scoobyax

Thanks Paisan. In other posts I've read some mention that it re-tests after 4 or 5 starts, some say the next day, still others say it's when you drop below a 1/2 or 1/4.

Just to confuse matters even more I filled it up for the weekend Friday morning, in the afternoon on the way home, made a stop, restarted the truck and the CEL was off. That was exactly 24 hours later AND the 4th start... go figure!

I'll keep an eye on it when it drops to 1/2 a tank and see if the gauge drops to empty like before. If this happens again and I get a CEL I'll plan on a quick stop by the dealer to have him pull the code.

sbcooke

I had a similar experience, a week after my 30K service, my catalytic converter went, check engine light came on, etc. Brought it back to have all repaired. Picked it up a few days later to have my CEL come on again, took 4/5 more trips to the dealer to find out my intake manifold gasket went (I told them about this the first trip in).

So in my case the preventative maintenance at 30K seemed to cost me a lot more money/problems than it was worth.

There was an article in the paper this weekend about Isuzu and its current dealer and future. Interesting, and Isuzu is still looking to cut its dealerships down a significant amount (something like 400 down to 250).

Your problem is probably much different than mine except for the common factor 30K service and then problems afterwards. Very frustrating.

socalsteve

We had a CEL come on at about 9300 miles on our '04. Took it to the dealer; they pulled the codes and said the coil had gone out, causing the catalytic converter to go out. Both parts are on order, so we're still driving it with the CEL on for now.

parallaxiom

Mike,

Does the vehicle shake all over, or just in your steering wheel? If it shakes in your steering wheel, look to the front of the vehicle. If you feel it more in your seat, you will want to look to the rear.

Also, check the wheel weights on the wheels after they have been balanced. There should only be one weight on the outside and one weight on the inside of each wheel (2 wheel weights per wheel total). If you see more than one weight on any side of any wheel, take it back and tell them to do it right. I'm in the tire business and you would not believe how many times tire techs just don't know how to balance tires properly. Slapping an additional weight on a wheel "fools" the machine into thinking the tire/wheel assembly is balanced and gives it a "zero" reading but in fact it is not balanced and will continue to shake.

Hope this helps

scoobyax

Follow-up:

Got my truck back on Friday after 2 days at the dealer. They replaced the fuel pump because it had a bad control module. I was told I was very lucky they had the pump in stock at the dealer, in fact it was the last one. Not sure how long it would have taken otherwise but with the ever shrinking dealer network, I'm not real thrilled with the future of owning an Isuzu. I know there will be parts available for some time but since this is my daily driver I need parts READILY available for same day service. As it is now, bringing the Axiom in to the dealer is starting to feel like the "ugly step-sister" syndrome.

Anyway, I'll keep an eye on it and see if this fixed it.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

axiomlover

I saw a couple of new Isuzu commercials on major TV network last night that features all Isuzu vehicles (including a black Axiom). Honestly, I wasn't impressed with it, but I am glad Isuzu is doing something to boost their sales.

scoobyax

Unfortunately for Isuzu it amounts to a "Going Out of Business" Sale

eeparkinson

just bought a 2002 Axiom with 22K miles on it. interesting car, haven't been able to figure out the garage door buttons on the rear view mirror. Any help would be appreciated (and what are the other 2 buttons for???)

tig2002

Congratulations on purchasing Axiom! I own the Axiom for 1.5 years, and am pretty happy with it. I realize that for the money I paid, I could not find anything that could look, drive and make me feel better.

When following instructions in User's Manual on how to program garage door buttons, make sure the ignition switch is turned on (all lights are on). As I remember this step is either misprinted or not mentioned in User's Manual. The other two buttons - you can program them for other garage doors.

cptsesso

Just finished up most of the required items. I had the tranny fluid exchange done at the local AAMCO shop. Local dealer dropped Isuzu.

Anyway, the service guy was ex Isuzu and very knowledgeable, but this was his first look at an Axiom. His thoughts were very favorable. He definitely likes it and said it is a shame they did not do more to promote it.

Tranny fluid was a little dark but much better than most he sees at 30k miles, for those of us who do bring them in at 30k miles. His thoughts on the GM 4L30 tranny are that as long as you do a fluid exchange every 30k miles or 2 to 2.5 years and drop the pan and do the filter at every other exchange (60k), this tranny will last a very, very long time with no problems. For the price $94.00 exchange and an additional $30.00 to do filter, it is cheap insurance.

Other items of interest were the front and rear diff. Fluid was a bit more metallic than was expected, but nothing out of the ordinary. The next service should be much cleaner.

Now I have a question for you all:

I think I read about this somewhere before but can't remember where. After having the coolant done, I get a sort of swooshing sound coming from the passenger side dash area. Possibly the heater core or something? It does not last for long. It almost sounds like air and coolant are going through the lines at the same time. It does not do it all of the time, just after starting and reving the engine a little and then seems to go away. I checked the coolant level and it is full. I tried running the heater for a while to circulate everything but still hear the sound. Any thoughts on what it is?

tig2002

I also noticed this interesting sound coming from somewhere in dash board, and it sounds only while driving, especially on acceleration. First I thought that this has something to do with valves, but could not hear anything when opened the hood. I asked local Isuzu dealer to check where the sound is coming from when I stopped for regular 3K oil change. He could not confirm any unusual sounds coming from the Axiom. However, I noticed that the sound went away after oil change (weird). 2K miles after oil change, and I think the sound is coming back...

makaye

I believe you will find programming instructions for the buttons here:

http://www.homelink.com

dgluth

How hard is it to change out the whole tape player, ac control thing. I have seen some on Ebay and it looks like a simple pull one out and plug the new one in. Any insight would be appreciated. Mine is missing the little button to turn the fan off and Isuzu's famous customer service makes me think it might be easier to buy a used one off of e-bay and pay a car audio place to put it in.

Thanks in advance.

Dennis P.
P.S. Still love my Ax but isuzu needs to tighten up their customer service.

axiomlover

I also get the swooshing sound as of late but only after I have driven my Ax for several miles at highway speeds. I can only hear it while accelerating. I remember that my friend's JGC was doing the same thing. I don't consider this being a serious issue.

Did any of you try to bring your truck to the dealer and ask to have the brake rotors replaced due to warping? I am planning a trip to the dealer and address the issue of vibration at braking. Did any of the dealers replace the rotors under warranty?

twocar

My brake rotors were replaced at around 23K for "excessive wear" under warranty. Only the fronts though. I figure since I use the soft setting...it causes the body to thrust forward and puts most of the load on the front brakes, anyway. Oh, and they put on a softer pad obviously because I had brake dusts issues afterward.

axiomlover

Thanks Twocar, I will take the issue up with the dealer. If they weren't to cover the repair under warranty, I would get one of those performance rotors and pads (with holes and groves) so I didn't have to worry about the performance of my brakes anymore.

This weekend, I replaced the rear axle oil as well as transfer case fluid. Both were really easy and cost me just $6 for oil - a fraction of what a dealership would charge. However, I couldn't figure out how to drain the front axle oil! There is just one large bolt on the front side of the axle, but no plug on the bottom for drainage. Does anybody know if I need to pump out the existing fluid through the side plug? I am confused. Also, I could not find the "shift-on-the-fly" plug, which is illustrated in the manual, but I couldn't locate it anywhere. Any help would be appreciated.

annejoe1668

I hope you have figured that out by now. If not, let me know and I can scan the page from the owner manual to you.

Just a reminder, I had a hard time to re-program the homelink buttons after I changed our garage door opener to one of those which needs to "learn" the signal from the remotes on its first use. Let me know if you have the same situation.

Joe

df2000

"There is just one large bolt on the front side of the axle, but no plug on the bottom for drainage. Does anybody know if I need to pump out the existing fluid through the side plug?"
Look from the back for bolts(13-14mm) what hold front diff housing together. The bolt on 5 or 7 o'clock position is your drain bolt, it sometimes
fill with some gasket stuff so use drill bit and try to clear it.If all this doen't work, yes, you can pump out old/pump in new fluid.

cracovian

...rebate on Axioms? The other option is 0% for 5 years AND $1000 off. Wow! Now, that's what I call a sale! Hopefully, it's not the "going-out-of-business" sale :-)

I must say I'm tempted though Mazda6 wagon is a bit more tempting right now and it's in the same price range.

P.S. The rebate is $6500 on Rodeos and $5000 on 7-pass. Ascenders.

axiomlover

Thanks df2000, that was helpful. I remember seeing the smaller bolts, but did not think any of them were for drainage. Will try to work on it this weekend.

eeparkinson

2002 Axiom 2wd, 32K miles, my a/c is shot, no cold air at all, went and got a recharge kit, but since I have no owners manual, I don't know where anything goes... Any help would be appreciated

axiomlover

How about warranty? There is a reason why there is no cold air, perhaps you have a leak in the system. You don't want to replenish your system just to see the refrigerant escape again.

cracovian

I know you got your Axiom from Schaumburg a couple years ago and you got a good deal... They just quoted me $23,680 which seems to be 1K below the invoice on top of the 5K rebate. It's a good price, I'm still undecided but, honestly, how can they afford it? 3% holdback is less than 1K. I wonder if they're getting other incentives that we don't know about...

Are you still happy with your Axiom? As I recall, you had a major 4WD part replaced soon after you bought it. Any other problems? How many miles do you have now? How's the dealer service? And would you buy it again?

axiomlover

Indeed, I purchased my Axiom from Schaumburg Isuzu. The buying experience was average, no surprises and no hidden fees, though. I am still happy with my Ax with 24K miles on it. I think it is a great truck for the money and it is aging well so far. No vehicle is perfect, so of course I have some issues, such as unrefined suspension, warped rotors and below average fuel economy not to mention oil consumption. However, if you can get an XS 4WD with 250HP for $23.6K then you have a KILLER deal and the truck is definitely worth the price. I still love the power, handling, room, looks, TOD and interior finish. Keep in mind that this is a TRUCK and it drives differently than a car-based SUV. The issue with a chattering drive train has not yet been resolved although I had the truck in the dealership way too many times. I finally gave up, it wasn't worth my time and inconvenience. There is no impact on drivability, it just chatters annoyingly. In fact, I want to give it another try and made an appointment with the Schaumburg Isuzu service dept. for the first time. I used to take my truck to a different dealership, closer to my home, but they had only one Isuzu mechanic who must be deaf as he couldn't hear the chatter. I now found a way to let the mechanic hear it loud and clear - I lift the truck by rear axle and let the rear wheels spin freely. This way you can "put your ear" to the source of this annoying noise.
Anyway, if you can get the truck for the price they quoted you, you will have an awesome vehicle and money leftover in your wallet. How are you planning to transport the Ax to Georgia?

cracovian

Thank you for your response! I will actually be in Chicago next month and plan to stop by the dealership. If I decide to buy it I'd just drive it back to Atlanta (if we fly) or fly one-way to pick it up next time (if we drive the Trooper) I'm not sure on the mode of transportation yet... I like buying office furniture at IKEA, so driving is always a good, though time-consuming, option. We'll have our own IKEA here next year (the biggest one ever) and I can't wait!

sbcooke

I think it is selective hearing...they cannot hear anything related to a warranty claim.

cracovian

I don't get it though - They still get the money for the repair from Isuzu, so why wouldn't they fix it?

sbcooke

The dealership I go to say it is next to impossible to get reimbursed by Isuzu for repairs, parts are getting harder to comeby, customers are not happy by the process...so they would almost not rather have the business. The service rep said though they like the Isuzu Brand and hope it gets better, etc. He told me this last time I was in the shop for a warranty repair so that I would understand their dilemma.

paisan

Same problem with my dealership where I'm getting my cats replaced at. Explained how Isuzu didn't pay one of their recent claims and had to eat $1500 in repairs.

-mike

axiomlover

I did not realize that Isuzu had problems collecting warranty claims. With my experience, the small things were replaced/repaired within a day and the big-ticket items, such as a transfer case, had to be approved by Isuzu prior to dealership replacing it. The approval came through within a day and the transfer case was in the next day. Of course, this was a year ago and things may have changed since, but if Isuzu wants to remain in the US market, they'd better shape up or consumers will completely turn away from this brand. The biggest issue for me is the fact that Isuzu does not give out loaner cars and their service dept. is open only until 6pm. It is an issue for me every time I want to bring the truck in for service. When I am looking for my next car of truck, the first thing I will look at will be the service hours and loaner policy. For instance, our local Honda dealer is open 6am - midnight and they give you a free loaner if you need to leave your vehicle for longer than 3 hours. Do you think that those of us who have a 120,000-mile warranty will be able to get a new transfer case if we need it at 115,000 miles? I doubt it.

axiomlover

I got my Axiom back from Schaumburg Isuzu service today. I have to say they were pleasant and polite and fixed by warped brake rotors under warranty (a $550 job)(replaced the rears and reran the fronts) and breaking is 100% better/smoother. However, as sbcooke pointed out, their selective hearing did not detect the noises coming from the drivetrain that I have been complaining about. Oh well, I guess I will have to live with it. Otherwise as I am approaching the 25K milestone, my Axiom seems to be running better and smoother and I have registered better fuel economy than ever before. Actually, if I were to set the cruise control at 65 mph, my avg fuel economy would be at 24.5 mpg. City driving is a different story, though!

danz

I have had my Axiom for a little over a year and have had a continuing problem with the front brakes. When applying even pressure (not quick stops) the brakes sound like they are wet, you know the groaning sound without any rain or puddles in sight. This is ALL THE TIME. One dealer turned the rotors and resurfaced, didn't fix it. They then blamed my aftermarket rims for the problem (same size as original with original tires) yeah right. Went to another dealer who said the front brakes are over heating a little but they could not hear the groaning noise (selective?). Love the Axiom but this is really bugging me. All your advice would be appreciated. Stopping power doesn't seem compromised so it isn't a safety issue, but it sure is annoying. Anyone else have a similar situation? Thanks

axiomlover

If they turned the rotors, you could replace the pads for a premium brand, which should take care of the problem.

johnnylunchbox

As far as I'm concerned, every GM product that I've ever driven has had brake rotor problems. If our axioms have GM brakes, then I expect nothing different. I have only 4000 miles on my 2003 XS and my brakes shudder, vibrate, grind, take your pick. When I go back in for my next oil change you can be sure I am going to ask for replacements, not resurfacing. At this mileage it should be warranty work. I'll see how that fix works, and then the next time I'll buck up and get aftermarket rotors.

lovinmyaxiom

Hey all,

First posting, been following this forum for along time. I just got my 02 (35K) axiom back from Bill Stillwiell (sp) in Downers Grove IL. I had the problem with the moaning/vibration in my from right side when hitting the brakes. Talk to Dave in the Isuzu Service Dept. He is familiar with this problem, and has dealt with this on other vehicles. They replaced both front rotors and the problem is gone. It was covered under warranty. He said that they haven't had a problem with Isuzu covering warranty work, just that Izusu is a bit more anal about having all your I's dotted and T's crossed. I had to have a head liner kit installed because of recall on the axiom for Front Crash Impact. He said that Isuzu wouldn't cover the rotor problem if they hadn't done the recall work. (things like that.)

Love the forum. Its been great, and very helpful.

axiomlover

This is a great forum, but recently people haven't been posting too much. Perhaps it is because Axiom is such a perfect vehicle that there are no problems to report.

johnnylunchbox

Perhaps since the weather is so nice we are all out enjoying our Axioms!!!!!!!

tig2002

I am thinking about trading my ’02 Axiom with newer SUV, mostly because the warranty on my Ax has expired. Thinking about Murano, but it is expensive. Test drove Kia Sorento - nice SUV with great warranty, but I didn't like the ride comapred to Axiom, and it is underpowered with same (or may be even worse gas mileage). I will test drive more new SUV's, but there is a possibility of staying with Axiom and trading with 2004 model. I like my Axiom very much. The main drawback of Axiom for me is a noisy engine and shaky ride in Comfort mode (don't like the Sport mode either). I wish there was a mode between Comfort and Sport. Is there anybody on this forum who traded '02 Axiom with '04 one? What improvements have been made in 2004 model? Is Direct Injection engine is as noisy as the '02 engine? To be honest, sometimes I hate to start my Axiom's engine when it is cold and people are around staring at the beauty. Also, does newer '04 engine have better gas mileage? I know it has more power (250HP).

sbcooke

Wasn't there something like a 10yr/120K mile warranty on the '02s? If you purchased it second hand you still get 5yr/60K or 1/2 of the original warranty. Now getting warranty service since the dealer network is shrinking is a different story, but your warranty shouldn't be expired.

cracovian

They have more power, better gas mileage (about 10%), more chrome, and a new heavy-duty Japanese made transmission as opposed to the GM one made in Starsbourg, France used in earlier models. Oh yeah, most importantly, it finally has a dipstick right next to the one for the engine. The XS is still loaded up with goodies (the cassette player is missing, so no more soup or books-on-tape for you!) and it comes with a spoiler to make the Axiom's rear end look so much better. The S doesn't have much and it doesn't come with the "intelligent suspension" which might be a good thing.

Bottom line, even with the rebates, it's still an overpriced vehicle. It will take a few more thousands to lure me in.

tig2002

Thanks for your feedback!

sbcooke: I purchased a used '02 Axiom back in 2002 from local Isuzu dealer. The Ax is made in April 2001, and was placed in service in June 2001. Dealer said that it was a fleet vehicle (I believe used by government or private company for a year), and therefore only basic 3yr/50,000mi warranty applies to my particular Axiom, which expired in June of this year. I also checked Isuzu's website, and it states that 10-Year/120,000-Mile Powertrain Warranty "excludes commercial or fleet vehicles".

cracovian: as I stated in my previous post, one of my main concerns is noisy engine. Did Isuzu improve its engine in 2004 model? I agree that sticker price of over $30,000 is too much for Axiom, but they have up to $5,000 cash back by August 2nd for all 2004 Axioms, so I may visit my Isuzu dealer and see what deal I can get with trade-in. The other concern is: even if I get another 3-Year/50,000-Miles basic warranty and 7/75,000 powertrain with new Axiom (vs. 10/120,000 for 2002 model), the number of Isuzu dealers is shrinking, and I heard that Isuzu may pull its products from US market because of poor sales. What am I going to do with my warranty?

And, of course, it doesn't make any sense to trade-in my Ax with new one only because of warranty concerns. Instead of paying the difference, which I am sure is not going to be small, I can buy an extended warranty and continue enjoying the Axiom. I just thought that there are some improvements that will make me go for it...

socalsteve

I've got an 'O4 Axiom, which I like very much. I don't know how noisy the engine on an '02 is, but the '04 does have a distinctive sound when started because of the Direct Injection.

I've got the S model, but it's 4WD, so it has most of the options on it. It has great acceleration and I've had no problem towing my pop-up trailer with it. It hasn't really been off-road much, because I haven't had the time, but I hope to try that soon.

I don't know if it would be worth it to trade it in, but I can tell you that they have pretty good deals on them right now. You would probably take a hit on your trade-in value though.

lsloan

I don't think you are a "nut". I'm a police officer, and I would like the think that I have have an above average understanding of different driving conditions. But, while driving my 2002 Axiom, upon its current Goodyear Integrity tires, I've hydro planed twice so far. Once while entering the on ramp of the interstate and another while negotiating a curve,at 40 to 43mph, on the interstate.
I really think there should be some sort of investigation or recall of the tires.

icedog97

I couldn't agree with you more.

My 02 has about 14,500 miles on it (low, I know) and recently, under wet road conditions, I have fishtailed (while going up hill/right hand turn) and slid sideways while negotiating an on ramp.

The fishtail was in 2WD mode...the sideways slide was in 4WD high.

No doubt -- these tires CANNOT handle the weight of the vehicle and/or it's higher center of gravity. I keep them at the manufaturer's suggested pressure (26 I think) and I have uneven wearing on the edges (I had them rotated at 7,500 miles).

I know these tires are standard on other SUVs (Honda Pilot to name one)...I can't see how they should be on any mid sized SUV that is over 2 tons. It just seems like an accident waiting to happen.