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BTW, after arriving home, we took it to our dealer. They reset the codes, but after we got the truck and drove it next morning, the CEL came on again. Now it's intermittent - flashes for a little while, then goes off, then comes on again...
re sparkplugs - how long do they normally last?
Tx.
-mike
Today my wife reported the Trooper has been idling rough the past couple days. I drove the truck tonight and noticed 2 things:
1) idled smoothly, but faster than normal (around 1000-1500 RPM) for a few minutes before settling down a little as it warmed up. It was cold today in Michigan, so maybe the higher idle was weather-induced?
2) After truck was warm, it was idling a little slower than normal (500 RPM or less) and seemed a little uneven. I felt a little pulsating or something while in the driver's seat. #2 is highly unusual on our truck, as it has always idled and run smoothly (except for some spark knock/ping/whatever a few thousand miles back, which 2 bottles of Chevron Techron helped solve).
After a 30-minute trip, I started the truck to head home. The Check Engine light came on and stayed on the whole trip. Truck was running fine, no performance issues at all. However, it was still idling low and uneven when I pulled it into the driveway.
We'll be making a dealer appointment tomorrow. Any ideas on what to suggest to the dealer? Isuzu dealers here in the Land of the Big 3 aren't the most knowledgeable.
Based on the 5 or 6 responses I've seen, the 684 tire seems to last about 50,000 miles given non-aggressive (read "non-paisan") driving habits.
We replaced ours at 52k but could have kept them until 60k and still been safe, IMO.
As our Troop nears 60k, it seems that we should be changing the plugs before too long.
I seem to remember Jake the mechanic on itog.com claiming that the NGK (I think the OEM plugs are NGK?) plugs were the best choice.
I don't really want to spend too much at the dealer. Any suggestions?
Power steering fluid (haven't replaced it yet)? Spark plugs? Etc.
Thanks in advance for the feedback.
I am very pleased that the dealer had an immediate appointment and corrected this (hopefully) so quickly.
Be sure and let us know the brand and condition of your old plugs after you make the change.
-mike
If you have an interference engine, which all the DOHC engines are and some of the SOHC IIRC, you will basically blow up the engine, the valve-train smacks into the pistons and can cost many $1K to repair. I believe all the current subies have 105K replacement schedules on the timing belts. My XT6 was due at 60K to be changed, I waited until 74K when it snapped and I was left stranded in the cold rain.
After that I plan on changing mine 5K before they are due, cause being stuck w/o a car in the middle of no-where is not fun.
-mike
Have it done and forget about it breaking.
Rick
'00 Trooper
-mike
I can always eject the CDs, they just refuse to play and I get the error code.
I have already pulled the changer out to remove a stuck CD, but that was some time ago.
Go figure!
-mike
So, being a little paranoid about this, I uncapped the oil filler on my Trooper and Mercedes and looked down inside -- all seemed clean too me. When the wife came home with the Sienna, I did similarly but noted that the area just inside where the oil filler cap goes on appeared quite dirty - not like the cleanliness of the other 2 vehicles. The oil appeared clean and clear though.
My questions:
- anyone know more facts about "oil sludge"
- how do you detect if you have a problem
- have you heard of your friends who have Toyotas talking about this
- does synthetic oil stop sludge buildup
The posts I see on the Internet state that Toyota will not stand behind this and claim that it was due to neglicant maintenance. My friend says he had the oil changed every 3-4k miles and has receipts proving it. He also said that a friend of his in the car business states that this is a widely know design problem with Toyota engines. You guys heard of this?
You might try the following link that I found for more information - http://www.yotarepair.com/Sludge%20Zone.html
On my wife's Sienna, I removed the oil filler cap and looked into the engine and it don't appear to be as clean as my other 2 cars. Course, the Sienna has almost 50k miles while the others have around 35k each.
I sure don't need a major engine problem and with this information will *carefully* monitor the oil change schedule. In fact, on the Sienna, I'm going to put it on a 2,000 mile oil change interval.
Yes, we purchased our last 2 vehicles, 1999 Trooper, and 1999 Toyota Sienna, with the thinking that we were buying high quality maintenace free, and long lasting vehicles. I'm pretty sure we were right with the Trooper, but from the numerous items I found on the Internet when I did a search on "Toyota Oil Sludge" and "Sienna Oil Sludge" has made me think that the *perception* I had of Toyota was completely wrong. I don't have a sludge problem in our Sienna and hope it does not occur but a friend of mine says his Sienna has been diagnosed as being "sludged". My perception of Toyota was that you pay a little more for a vehicle, even though it lacked many creature conforts of similar vehicles, and you get Toyota's vaulted reliability where you can drive your Toyota well past 150,000 miles relatively trouble free.
This "Oil Sludge" problem, if indeed Toyota has a design problem, could turn out to be massive consumer migration away from Toyota because of perceived reliability problems.
Our Sienna has 49,000 miles on it and has always used regular 10w30 -- think Synthetic Oil makes sense now?
-mike
-mike
-mike
On the Rodeo first change was at 3000 after synthetic put in, analysis fine then went to 7,500 analysis still fine but due to shorter trips I may stick with the 7,500 between changes. Used about 1/2 quart during the 7,500 period which is maybe use and seepage. Minimal.
Run another car to 12,000 mile changes. My 92 Camry V6 goes 7,500 between changes (141,000 miles now) another once a year but that is 8-10,000 miles only.
1983 Mercedes - 34,000 miles
1999 Isuzu Trooper - 35,000 miles
1999 Toyota Sienna - 49,000 miles
Again, all appear to be mechanically ok but have never used synthetic oil. Would you go with say Mobil-1 in all of these?
Also, is Mobil-1 synthetic really a better oil as far as elimination of oil sludge buildup?
Also - synthetic in an 18hp lawn tractor that does not use an oil filter?
I would switch to synthetic on any engine under 100,000. Over that and running fine I may leave it alone. On the Sienna, due to the many reports of sludging on these I would probably go 5000-7,500 between changes. Mobil 1 is a fine oil. I use Amsoil only because I started with it and the person I get it from has inventory, no shipping charges, and for my $20/year fee I get it for $4.35/qt. With 5 cars to service it is worth it for me.
The 97 Rodeo I switched at 58,000 is running fine. It did and does have a yellowish coating on in the oil filler neck area and inside of the valve cover that I was hoping the synthetic would remove, not sludge but a very fine varnish so to speak. To date after 14,000 miles of synthetic usage the color is still there but runs fien and analysis has been fine.
The engine had two oil seepages upon purchase which remain with the synthetic, I just can't seem to locate where they are coming from, one above the alternator and another above the oil pan. Oh well, it is pretty minimal seepage.
1) Initial quality - For example, the 1992-1996 Camry is widely regarded in the automotive press to be built better, with higher-quality materials, than the new model that replaced it in '97. The '92-'96 Camry is much closer to the same-year Lexus ES300 than the '97-'01 Camry.
2) Long-term quality/reliability - Over the long run, I don't think the current Toyotas and Hondas are holding up as well as their mid '80s to mid '90s brethren. My perception is that there more problems are popping up with the newer vehicles than on the earlier vehicles.
I agree with paisan on the reason why this has happened: Honda and Toyota realized they could cut a few corners and produce vehicles of lower quality, but still gain market share from other brands, especially the American brands.
Like fiveharpers, my preference is to identify and purchase vehicles such as the Trooper that provide high quality/long-term reliability at a lower initial cost (i.e. better value) than the Hondas and Toyotas of the world. Several Nissans fit this bill, as do some of the Subarus (though they've gotten rather pricey in the last 3-4 years.).
When it comes time to replace our 98 Trooper with a minivan, I have my eye on the first-generation Honda Odyssey/Isuzu Oasis. Much cheaper, and from what I can tell, much better quality than the current-generation Honda Odyssey.
They should admit this, but most companies in their shoes probably would not.
Is this problem just with the 3.0L V6 that's gone into the Camry and Sienna (and others?), or is it exhibited in other engines too?
-mike
Hopefully they will stand behind their warranty and fix the problems, unlike Toyota is apparently doing with this sludge deal.
If we buy a new vehicle in the next couple years I will be considering Hyundai. I also will probably consider the new Kia Sedona minivan. Sounds like a great package for the money.
The Santa Fe engine issues concerns me, though this is the first I've heard of it. Hyundai is now putting the Santa Fe's 2.7L V6 in the Sonata but that's a new change for MY 2002, IIRC.
-mike
It actually sounds like metal tapping against the outside windshield. I have had it back to dealer at least 3 times. They have never been able to reproduce the sound which drives me crazy since I can typically produce the sound on demand when the conditions are right. I have tried to take matters into my own hands by adding adhesive to the front windshield outside molding thinking that's where the tap was coming from. This did not correct the problem. I have checked the hood, the side panels, just about everything I could think of. Nothing seems to work and I cant find anything loose. I checked the brake lines that run against the fire wall and they are tight. I checked any wires handing underneath the hood and underneath the car and they are all tight.
The sound always takes me back to the front windshield..!
On my last visit to the dealership for a State Inspection/Oil Change ect, the best they could tell me is that Isuzu has reported that there is a "spot weld" problem in the front pillars with some of the 2000 Troopers and that there was no reported fix. That can be the cause of my sound. Sounds like a heap of [non-permissible content removed] to me.
Any idea's.
-mike