Isuzu Trooper

jimmyp1

Based on how I've seen you react to other prices, I worry we might have a problem. The deal is that my loan (not the original loan obviously, we transferred the balance of our Jeep to my Subaru in order to buy the Trooper) is around 5k, a little over, in fact. I want to walk away from the Subaru and the loan at the same time. You could write the check to the bank as far as I'm concerned. It goes down about $200/mo after interest, too, FYI. That's the meat of the issue. Lemme know. It's a sweet example of that year. I have all the maintenance records. Just received a piece of weatherstripping and the cover on the engine that says Turbo 2.2l Subaru (dealer mangled it at the 60k service) from SubaruParts.com, but haven't put them on yet. It goes to the dealer on Monday to get this seatbelt thing fixed. Paint chips on the front end typical of a car in Colorado winters. Otherwise, excellent condition.

Jim

paisan

Yeah that's a bit much, priced it out on edmunds around $2k. I'd be willing to go $2k, maybe more if I could get $2k for my MX6, but anything over that, and I'd be in over my head... It's too bad, cause I'd love that car. What year again? milage? Hmm, too bad I couldn't take over the payments on it...hmm e-mail me, maybe we can work something out. mike@iace.com

-mike

sbcooke

I disagree. I think with some effort and adjusting rotation schedules you should be able to fix improper wear. My truck went out of alignment when new and the front tires had an uneven wear (we discovered the problem on a long trip). Needless to say after an alignment and letting the tires run for a while the uneven tread wore off.

bpm81

Got a 98 Trooper with 34000 on it and recently the instrument light went out (speedometer/tach/etc). All other lights work- think its the bulb or a fuse. Owners manual doesn't mention. Anyone else experience this?

99trooper

hey jimmy..I'm in Austin...but get this, I may be keeing the Trooper along with my Montero now because my girlfriend wants to get the Trooper from me. So I'll know in a day or so if I'm going to sell it. I'll let you know as soon as I am. It is in perfect shape! I'm pretty much secretly glad that she wants it as now I'll get to drive it when I want! The 2001 Montero is much nicer on the highway, and the seats and AC much better than the Trooper, but the Trooper has that commanding view of the road and gives me that feeling of "I can go anywhere"...anyway if you want to email me at notesdeveloper@hotmail.com.

cwmoser

well just a couple of folks. Maybe everyone was watching Big Brother or in a trance at the nakednews website:-)

lovingpc

When I bought my 00 Trooper Limited (2x4) in May 00, I got names and phone numbers of every Isuzu dealer within 3 hours of Nashville, TN - about 10 if I remember correctly. I used the local dealer to test drive until I found the exact one I wanted. I then called each dealer, got the name and fax number of the general manager.

I addressed a fax to them stating exactly the model I wanted, any of 3 colors, <300 miles on the odo. I had my spreadsheet laying out their cost, less holdback. I gave them back a 3% profit, and I was willing to take delivery Saturday (this was on a Tuesday). I also told them I had my own financing arranged, and no trade in, and the final deal was subject to my inspecting the car.

4 of the dealers ignored me, 4 called or faxed - wanting to "sit down and talk", and 2 faxed me offers (out the door, sales invoices). One of them met my price, so I signed it, faxed it back, and took delivery Saturday. Took about 25 minutes at the dealership.

I had to drive about 2 hours to pick it up, which I calculate saved me $2,000 over the Nashville dealer. I ended up getting my first color choice too - Moonmist grey mica.

Long story short - never sit down with a salesperson. They'll win if they can wear you down. I came to these dealers as an easy sale - I wasn't going to tie up one of their salesmen for 4 hours, and I would take a truck out of inventory that they might be having trouble moving. Isuzu is usually not a fast moving inventory, so you should be able to pull a major deal without spending the afternoon tearing your hair out.

I'm still loving my truck, now with almost 24K miles on it. I'm changing oil and R&B the tires religiously. I would love to see 200K out of it before it goes. We'll see!

Michael

enphan

I have a trooper 99, it runs great. However, when I turn on the fan, I heard a buzz from the far right (passenger side close to the door).
The mechanics, at trooper dealer, said this truck has a fan in that area so the noise is normal when I turn the fan on.
Is any one noticed this noise when turn on the fan?

paisan

It's not un-common to suck a leaf or other debris in and cause a noise.

-mike

tntmyth

I did something similar on my dealing of the Trooper. I searched locally for the Trooper I wanted. 2001 S Moon Mist Mica. All of the dealers in the area gave me the same price they claimed was at invoice but said they would beat my best written offer from another Isuzu dealer. I told them I would be back to them last after shopping. So one of the posts on this forum mentioned an ad by Horton Isuzu in Atlanta. It was much lower than the local quotes. I was willing to fly to Atlanta and drive it back. But I asked the dealer to fax me the quote and shopped it just in case. Found a little better deal in Tampa. The dealer actually beat the Atlanta deal by a couple hundred and I so was prepared to drive to Tampa. I did as I promised and went back to the 1st Isuzu dealer down the street that I had talked to, and that had said they would beat my best deal. They said they would not do it and offered me invoice again. I was really surprised because I laid the offer in black & white in front of them from the dealer in Tampa. I guess they really did not think I would drive 4 hours to save almost $1000 dollars.... Just for the heck of it as I was getting ready to drive to Tampa, I called the last local dealer here in Ft. Lauderdale area that I had not called and told him I would buy the car if he would match the deal I had in writing. They said to come over and they would write it up. I was under self-inflicted pressure because I wanted the 0% - 60 month financing and it was the very last day before the promotion expired. I now know that all of the incentives work out to about the same, but I was still thrilled to get a truck for hundreds under invoice and get 0% - 5 year financing. Nobody else but Isuzu was offering the 0%. The closest was Jeep. They had the Jeep Grand Cherokee for 1.9% - 60 months. Saturn was offering 0.9% for 60 months. But I wanted the Trooper anyways, not the Jeep and definitely not a Saturn Station Wagon!....Guess the moral is, ask the dealers for their offers in writing. If their deal is good, they have nothing to fear and should give you the offer in writing with no problem.

BTW, today is a thrilling day for me. I took the Trooper back to the dealer for a realignment, no-charge of course. And they finally got it perfectly straight. I guess I was lucky to get an alignment guy who really knew how to align trucks. It now goes perfectly straight with the steering wheel also straight, even a high speeds on the freeway. It's like, driving the Trooper, which was already great, has reached an all time high. I'm so tickled I could spit! I was worried that that was just how the truck is and that I would just have to take the bad with the good....Well thanks for the replies on the alignment issue. I will probably take the Trooper out for a drive tonight just for the thrill.

mother2

Yes, I have the rebadge Trooper (don't laugh, it's my first SUV). Anyhow, I purchased it last year with 25k mi. Now I have 62k mi and I'm noticing some strange things. First of all, it is definately not the fastest vehicle. I was used to my ol Honda civic and when I was ready to pass someone...I did. Can't do that with this truck. It really has a slow start off. Hesitation. I'm thinking it's the gas. It was getting so expensive that I started using the low grade instead of the mid-grade. But I'm using mid-grade now and I'm noticing a difference.

Second, sometimes I feel (or hear) vibration in the back of the truck. Is this normal. It would be perfect for a colicy child but my children has past that stage.

Third, when I turn the truck on....I see a very light smoke from the tailpipe. It will eventually stop but it's just the fact that in 100 degree weather, I can see this smoke.

Lastly, how do I remove my bug reflector. It seems like the wind pushes me side to side with this thing. Like I'm fighting against gravity or something. Is it me or am I just paranoid? Please help a single mom out.

thanks and sorry for the lenghty post.

cwmoser

- that smoke might indicate a valve problem

- Troopers are nto that peppy compared to a car

- your Trooper should be able to run perfectly well on 87 octane gas

- that vibration might be because of out of round tires - SUV tires must be rotated religiously.

paisan

-smoke sounds like it's water vapor burning off, normal
-My trooper hauls pretty good. Don't forget you are pushing 5000lbs from a dead stop. Your honda was probably 2500-2700 at best. I have had my trooper up to 115mph w/o a problem, and passing on the highway is good, try engaging the "power" button for the tranny, it helps
-I run 87 only in my truck, works fine
-Tires do need to be rotated ever 5K miles, religiously.

-mike

sbcooke

Some Troopers have also had problems with the intake manifold gasket? Maybe yours needs to be replaced, that could explain power reduction and smoke at startup? What year is it? the 3.2 has less pep than the 3.5.

Also, try to avoid turning it on and off quickly. starting a vehicle up to move it in the driveway releases condensation (white smoke at startup)...shutting it off leaves it in the exhaust system, this can cause rust on the inside of the exhaust manifold. I don't think this is that, but something I have read about before.

mother2

Paisan...I remember you before I bought my SLX. Glad to see you're still here. I didn't know that my tires need to be rotated that often. I have noticed that the tires did get sort of bumpy on the side. I'm going this afternoon to get them rotated. Darn!!! I feel so stupid now. I should have rotated them before I went on vacation. Oh well. Now I know.

Hmmm power button. I don't think I have that. I do have the winter mode button. Maybe I do and just didn't realize it was there. I'll check.

Found out my service will cost around $600. I'm sure that doesn't include the timing belt. How long do you think my truck will last?? My Honda had 216k miles when I traded it in and someone bought it within that week. I still see it on the road locally.

mother2

I had my oil change a day prior to driving to NY. As I was driving back, my truck made a jerk. I put my hazard lights on and made it to the side. The "check engine" light came on. I turned the truck off, then tried to start it. It started then shut right back off with the "check engine light" again. Well I walked to the nearest station (thank God it was right across the bridge and not dark) and a guy who used to be a mechanic helped me. Turns out the truck was out of oil. How could this be??? There was no leak, and I wasn't due for another oil change for another 1500k mi. Was it because of the heat? Or does this truck burn alot of oil. This has never happend to me before but I did get a cell phone after this incident.

paisan

That's what we are here for. You can check out http://isuzu-suvs.com it's got lots of info that I have accumulated over time such as FAQs and how-tos.

The power button should be right next to the winter button, I can almost guarantee it's there.

Oil consumption has been noticed by some of us, as much as 1Q per 1000 miles. My guess is that the place that did your oil change didn't put in enough oil, combined with the fact that these trucks do burn oil.

A steady on check engine light indicates a problem with the emissions system, a blinking one is a "true" engine problem.

These trucks are known to go 200K+ miles so I wouldn't worry about it lasting that long, although they do need some TLC like tire rotations, and oil checks every-other fuel-up.

Find out what's included for $600, also you shouldn't need a timing belt til 80 or 100K IIRC.

-mike

cwmoser

Out of oil is a VERY serious condition. BUT, a lot of Troopers, especially the older pre 1991 ones, would burn oil and you had to check often. My old 1989 Trooper used oil at the rate of 1qt every 1000 miles. When I took it in for an oil change, the guys there would tell me the dip stick had no oil indication. I finally got in the habbit of using my odometer as an indicator to check oil every 500 miles. The Oil Change guys said that low oil was common in Troopers and they see this happening all the time.

Full service = $600? What mileage service is that. My last service, the 15k/22.5k service cost me $212.19. BUT, I do remember when I had my older 1989 Trooper I called about the service for it and it was a very high amount like your $600 figure.

Yes, you got to rotate those tires. I got mine messed up by not rotating them and they have a noticable roar.

Troopers are nice vehicles and I really enjoy mine even though it does not see much off road activity. Good luck with the SLX.

BTW, how many miles to you have on your SLX?

breakor

What would cause the engine to stop running because of lack of oil? Does the ECU sense some low oil pressure or high engine temperatures? If so, then conceivably the system could shut down the engine BEFORE any real damage would be done.

However, if the engine shutdown due to lack of lubrication that would seem to indicate that some real damage could have been done. The point being that you might want to document this as much as possible NOW just in case. For example make sure you ask the shop to check to for any damage. If they find some and document it NOW you will be in a much better position when trying to get the oil change place to fix the problems they caused. Even if no damage is found you still might want to send a letter to the oil change place. Note how the car died because they failed to properly refill the oil and that you will get back to them regarding damages.

Just some questions and suggestions. I would hate to see someone get stuck 6 months from now with a major engine rebuild and no evidence to use to hammer the oil change place into paying for their mistake.

i30g20

I have a 5 speed. It does not burn any oil that I can tell. I change it every 5k miles. Primarily highway driving. Also, I got kind of lazy and haven't rotated my tires in quite a while. No difference. My first set of tires lasted 90k and still have plenty of tread left (Michelin) at 160k. BTW: In some of my earlier posts I was looking to get a new LS at a steal. Well, I think I may have done better than that -- a Limited under 25k out the door (less than 5k miles driven by a factory rep). I'll know by tomorrow whether the deal goes thru. If it happens, I'll have to change my handle (I30g20) -- the g20 is history and I need to get rid of the 99 Infiniti I30 also. If any interest I'll post details of the new purchase soon.

paisan

good deal on the limited. I dunno if I'd drive 90K miles on one set of tires though!

-mike

sbcooke

I always check my oil immediately after an oil change. I have not had it happen yet, but have heard that it has happened that the mechanic has either under filled or not at all filled the engine with oil. Last time I was at Jiffy Lube they had the 21 point service (or something like that), when the guy came out he went over the check list with me, as he was reading..."vacuum inside of vehicle, check" I opened the drivers door to point out the sand that was still all over the floor. I usually don't use those quicky places unless I am in a pinch.

sbcooke

Where do you get it serviced? I recommend, especially since the oil problem, that you find a good Isuzu Dealer from us here on this forum. I wouldn't take it to an Acura Dealer any more, especially since they stopped carrying them. From what my "new" dealer (the place I bought it is an automall, and stinks) tells me that Isuzu's are Truck's and require special service. Standard shops are not equipped with the right parts or knowledge to properly care for them.

For example, I had an alignment problem, the automall and 2 Firestone service centers could not eliminate a pull to the right after several visits to each. My new Isuzu Dealer took one trip and an hour wait, have not had a problem with alignment since.

montanabill2

Here's what I think. The smoke you see at engine start is oil burning - why you probably ran out of oil after you just changed it before your trip. This engine sounds like it is in bad need of a mechanic. Also, might explain the lack of power - poor compression due to worn out or damaged engine - goes along with excess oil consumption. The bug deflector in no way affects your vehicles stability. Bouncing rear end is a sign the tires are probably out of balance - be sure when they are rotated to have them balanced as well - also get a front end alignment. Also, it bothers me that you can tell a noticeable improvment using higher octane gas - regular is all you need - your engine needs a physical. Good luck

gpm5

To me tires are one of the most important components on your vehicle. I like to keep them fresh. Simply not worth saving a couple hundred bucks by running them too long.

boxtrooper

I have experienced occational pinging after keeping the gas pedal to the floor a while then letting up a little while towing. So now when I am towing a long enough way to buy gas, I put in the highest octane I can get and the problem is gone. I think the occational pinging is not directly going to hurt anything, but I worry about getting the oil dirty by the extra blow by that happens when pre-ignition happens.

i30g20

in VA there are mandatory state inspections. Cannot pass inspection if tires are no good. I do not run bald tires. I'm just saying that the Michelin's combined with the Trooper is a great combination. Since I started driving Troopers in 1986 I've always gotten 60k+ miles.

carscarscars

O.K. it's late, but i just installed these urethane bushings (from J.C.Whitney) and boy am I a firm believer in them. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! Thanks Paisan & Erinsquared. I can really throw the Trooper around in turns. It feels so nimble. I am definitely looking forward to upgrading the shocks tomorrow...which leads me to a new dilemma.

I was ordering my RANCHO 9000's from a retailer this p.m. He asked me why I was ordering Rancho's for my Trooper. I told him that my initial preference was Bilstein, but they did not have them for the 98-01 yrs. He said that I would be MUCH happier with KYB's Monomax shocks instead. "These are true gas performance shocks. Rancho 9000's are hydraulic and NOT gas, which is 30 year old technology." Also, the GM at my shop said that "the Rancho's are gonna feel rock hard."

Can anyone comment as to the validity or significance of these statements?

paisan

The GM probably was thinking of the Rancho 5000s, they are non-adjustable and are basically like riding on the 9000s @ setting #5. I have the 9000s. They are Gas, and they are great. Setting 1 = Lincoln Town Car ride, Setting 3 = Normal, but vastly improved ride, Setting 5= Great for towing and offroad

-mike

sbcooke

I have the OME's. Ride is great. They are not adjustable, which is what I preferred. Great on-road ride and even better off-road, just my $0.02.

Paisan, I sent you a bunch of pictures yesterday, let me know if you don't get them.

paisan

I got em, I'll post em up this weekend. I need sleep this morning, was out way to late with a subaru meet in NJ last night...

-mike

montanabill2

Just ordered the two urethane bushing kits from JC Whitney. However, I was wondering did you go out and buy and use the eight additional 1/4" washers that the How To Upgrade instructions identified on Paisans Isuzu-suv page. I don't think these are part of the kits. I was going to install Billsteins as well - dissappointed that they are not made for Troopers after 97. Did you find a supplier for the KYB's. Thanks

erinsquared

The RS9000s are five position adjustable with five being the firmest setting (most damping). If you set them to 1, you bounce around a lot like riding a Buick, at five they are extremely firm. I have mine set to four in the front and three in the rear for all around driving. For off-roading, I set them both to five. The advantage with the RS9000s is that you can adjust them to suit your current needs/situation. I agree that they are not rocket science, but they are tried and true technology. The only other shock technology which would give a better ride on the road is something that has variable extension/contraction damping rates. I have Gabriel SVT gas shocks in one of my other cars and I swear this is the smoothest riding shock I have ever had which also provides decent control (@ $19 each it was also cheap). Works great in my road car, but I would not be happy with this particular shock on the Trooper since it is not agressive enough. I think the Edelbrock IAS offers such technology, but I recall seeing some posts about shock failures and this would more than likely be best suited for street driving. I have no personal experience with the Edelbrocks, but I am happy overall with the Ranchos.

montanabill2

Called Billstein direct and they do offer gas shocks for Troopers up until 1999. Also checked out KYB's site and they also offer gas shocks up until 1999. So - is there a change in the suspension for 2000/01 that is preventing 99 shocks from working?

paisan

Same shocks are good '92->'01

-mike

raydahs

A couple of weeks ago I got a qoute from Off Road Warehouse here in S.D. KYB "gas a just" $48.99/ea P/N's KG54304 & KG54308. Check out page 12 in the Bighorn Catalog, I wonder if the KYB's there are the stock Vehicross shocks?

http://isuzu-suvs.com/bighorn/bh12.html

paisan

The Vehicross shocks should cost in the neighborhood of $200-$300 each. They are special external resivoir shocks. Quite the expensive units. (In japan they are like $1200US for that option)

-mike

sbcooke

I too have read/heard about shock failures. I think it was with the Bilsteins? The shocks just fell apart. One of the key components to the trooper off-road is its ability to keep all wheels on the ground over most obstacles (9" wheel travel). I know OME shocks are designed specifically for the troopers wheel travel. A lot of shocks may actually fit the trooper, but a set from sears, or a car manufacturer may not be able to stretch as far as the suspension, thus causing failure. I am sure the Rancho's take extended wheel travel into account, as probably most "off-road shocks" do.

paisan

I know the edelbrocks were mentioned on here by several people to fail. Not sure of the Bilstiens.

-mike

sdc2

I have not heard of any Bilstein failures, as Mike mentioned we have heard of some Edelbrock failures.

koboko

Can somebody please tell me what OME stands for? I see you folks using it a lot here.
I know the standard term OEM "Original Equipment Manufacturer," so what is OME?

breakor

At least I think that is correct.

raydahs

http://www.4x4connection.com/tech/ometech.htm

mother2

It was a scary situation. I lost compression in the truck. I'm so glad it wasn't night time. AND thankful I didn't have my children.

I should have taken my truck to an Acura dealership. I took it to a tune-up clinic place. I feel they didn't put enough oil in my truck. From now on, I will go behind the next mechanic that services my truck.

I am at 61k miles. The $600 doesn't include timing belt.

I will take you all advice and have the engine checked. Especiallly since I got the extendent warrantee. Guaranteed 100k miles. Bumper to bumper, etc...

Is $600 steep?

mother2

My first time and it was fun. But I was scared to death. We were up soooo high. I was given the novice trail #1. The numbers went as high as #5. Come to think of it, I haven't had an alignment since then.

Don't jump on me....I'm learning.

paisan

You should come with us camping in NC on Columbus Day weekend in Oct. There will be 30-40 Isuzus there. We have some easy trails too (those are the ones I do). I'll have more info soon.

-mike

tuckeg

Picked up a new 2001 S manual transmission Saturday (out the door for just under $20k +tax if anyone needs a price for dealing). This is our third Trooper, first was a new 1984 manual (did they make an automatic?)that died in 1991, the second is a used 1990 LS automatic we still own. Haven't had a new vehicle in a while and I have a few questions (I looked over past postings and didn't see these discussed):

1. What seat covers do you folks favor for the new generation Trooper?

2. I realize there are general discussions on this one, but specifically what paint protector are you using successfully with the newer Troopers?

3. From what I can gather the Lund bug shield seems to be favored. Is that correct and is the Concept II the one that you are using?

Thanks,
George

breakor

I am still a little confused about your situation (which shop did what for $600 and what did they do to check the engine after the stopping incident) so maybe the following is somewhat offbase. I also think that maybe you are a little confused about warranties. They generally only cover manufacturing defects not problems caused by improper maintenance.

I certainly agree with your decision to get the engine checked. I also encourage you to give careful thought about what you tell them when you take the car in. For example, if you start with "my car ran out of oil and died" I think that could prejudice their thinking too much and maybe cause them to do too narrow of a diagnostic appraisal. In addition, it may also trigger them into automatically, regardless of the circumstances, rejecting any sort of warranty claim based on your admitted failure (that is how they will spin the situation) to maintain proper oil levels.

Instead you may want to focus on telling them the present symptoms - smoke, lack of power, hesitation, whatever else you have. Let them tell you what is wrong and whether it is a covered warranty repair. If not a covered repair ask them what could have caused the problem(s) and if low/lack of oil is the cause. If the latter is the case then ask them to put that in writing and use that as the ammo to try and get the oil change place to pay for the non-warranty covered damage.

Again, this is just my attempt at helpful advice but like I noted maybe I am misunderstanding the facts of your situation. Good luck.

gpm5

I think by that the person who said it meant, no oil level on the dipstick. That would be more than a qt low. Assuming that the oil change place did put in oil (lets saying leaving it 0.5 qt low) and with 1500 miles to go on a 3000 mile change interval, I would assume the lowest one could have been is 1.5-2 qts low. If its burning more than 1 qt in 1000 then there is a problem.

cwmoser

tuckeg -- how does that manual transmission Trooper shift? I would have preferred a manual transmission version in my 1999 Trooper but not available.