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Comments
Granted $169 sounds high. However, if you can avoid the hassle noted in the link, and potential pan gasket leaks, this may be a real bargain.
In any event, different strokes for different folks and "Sometimes a man just has to know his own capabilites".
Happy trooping to all.
I do not have a good relationship, or much of a relationship at all, with my dealer. Nor do I get the impression that they are particularly knowledgeable. Here in SE Michigan, there are few Isuzus, so the dealers just don't get that much experience with them. If I did think they were knowledgeable, I would be more willing to have the dealer do certain service work even
though their prices are higher.
I've been there about 5 times total in the 4 years we've owned Troopers (1 year on the '96 that was totaled and 2.5+ years on the current '98 that replaced it). Each time it was typically for a warranty item, and I tried to have 1 or 2 routine maintenance items (chassis lube, tire rotation, cooling system service, oil change, etc.) done at the same time. I gave them this business 1) simply to be nice and let them make a few bucks off me; 2) because I'm generally more comfortable with a dealer than a shop because they are more likely to know the vehicle and hopefully to do the work better/right. Unfortunately, they did nothing to impress me. E.g. rotated tires front to back. Yes, they rotated 'em. How do I know? Because when I checked tire pressure the next day, the fronts had 35 psi and the rears had 30, just the opposite of what Isuzu recommends. In other words, they didn't reset the tire pressure and they sent me on my way with what I consider to be a potentially hazardous handling situation.
I'm glad you have an excellent dealer. If I did, I still don't think I would spend $169 for tranny service, but I understand your reasons for doing so. I think along the same lines, but I guess I'm not willing to pay up for quality work quite as much as you are.
-mike
You are ALWAYS on these discussion boards! What else do you do?
Actually bought an electric impact wrench @ Sears Good fun
Had to prep my subaru for auto-x tomorrow
Also went to see the last night of lights @ WTC.
-mike
thanks
-mike
The shop test for the presence of a LSD is to jack up the rear with the tranny in neutral. If you manually spin one wheel and the other wheel spins in the opposite direction you have an open diff. If the other wheel spins the same direction you have a LSD.
I don't know how to really check for the proper operation in use. Some people have forgot to add the limited slip additive when doing a gear oil change. They reported odd noises from the diff.
Click and Clack on this site(http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Archive/1993/January/08.html) proposed the following - Put the truck in your garage and put it in two-wheel-drive. Then pour a quart of Felipo Berrio Extra Virgin Olive Oil (make sure it's Extra Virgin) under the right rear wheel.
Ray: Next, have your boyfriend step on the gas. If the wheel just spins, you don't have locking differential. If, on the other hand, the truck shoots forward into the bicycles, the storm windows, and the old tires, then you do have locking differential. Congratulations
Beginning in MY2000, the limited slip differential was not standard on all Troopers. It was optional on 2wd's and some 4wd's.
The "lift the wheels, check for rotation method" will not work for this type of differential. It is designed just like an open differential, but with clutches between the differential side gears and the case. Even so, both differentials (open and limited slip) should rotate in the same manner. For example, if the transmission is in park, and the right wheel is rotated in a forward direction, the left wheel will rotate in the opposite direction.
If you have a limited slip differential, you will need the additive, if you do not have the limited slip differential, you do not need the additive.
I will not go into testing the limited slip differential at this time.
I hope this helps.
Chad
The shop test method you descibed to test the LSD in our Troopers may not work.
That method will work for locking differentials. Locking differentials are designed and function in a dramatically different way compared to limited slip diffentials.
I do not believe the frictional characteristics of the limited slip will trump the frictional characteristics of the driveshaft without any preload on the side gears, but I could be wrong.
I have noticed that our Troopers have a very low preload on the clutches. This may fool the mechanic into thinking that the differential is an open differential.
It is recommended to verify the VIN plate on the firewall first.
Chad
In any event we both agree that the manufacturer's label is the real test.
-mike
-mike
I took a very quick look underneath for any obvious bolts that would tighten things up but didn't notice any.
I'm not sure if this is time-induced sag, or if me or my wife bumped something and caused the problem.
Anybody have any ideas on what/where to check? Anyone ever had a similar problem with their Trooper?
Thanks for your comments. For the record, I did jack the rear tires up, in neutral, and both tires rotated in the same direction. I did place the transmission in park and could get both wheels to travel in opposite directions, however, I could feel the resistance of the clutches in the differential. If the differential had a locker, and the transmission was in park, I would only be able to rotate one wheel a partial turn, and then the other wheel would lock with it, preventing me from further turning the wheel (applicable to lockers such as Detroit, Detroit EZ, Detroit soft, and lock-right).
My limited slip comments were based on the design of the limited slip used in the Trooper. If the clutches did not have alot of pre-load or wore worn out, the tires could rotate in opposite directions even with the transmission in neutral. This would cause the mechanic to think that the differential did not have the limited slip, and as a result, the mechanic would not install the "additive".
The Trooper limited slip design is a copy of Dana's trac-loc/power-loc design which does not in fact lock anything.
Chad
No damage can be found, my T still runs straight! I realigned the bumper myself. There are 2 bolts (1/2 or 5/8" dia whose head fit a 17mm hex wrench) on each side where the bumper brackets are mounted to the frame. These brackets like 4" high C beams are located about a foot from each side. They are easy to locate!
-mike
thanks again for the info.
I did order some touch up paint from my dealer's parts department about 1 month ago. They told me that Isuzu sells the touch up paint in q=3. It was cheap, around $13 with shipping and all. I tried to touch up some spots on my fender flares where the paint was chipped. I have the Limited edition Troop, so the fender flares are the same color as the truck. Moonmist Gray Mica. For some reason, the touch up paint they sent me hardly matches. It dried to a dark silver color. It looks like [non-permissible content removed]. When the paint chips on the fender flares, it exposes the pitch black color of the fender flare. I am thinking that due to the black color of the flare, it's making it difficult to match the appropriate color. Despite the fact that I have hit it with several coats. Apparently, it is the right color touch up paint. They checked it against my VIN. I can't figure out what it's so off in terms of a match. The guy who details my truck tried to find a paint number. He said that on all cars/trucks, they post the paint# either on the door frame or under the hood. Apparently, you can take this number into any body shop and they should be able to make you up a can of touch up. However, there is no paint number on my truck, at least no where that we could find. Any ideas on where to find the paint number ?
I'll mention it to the dealer when I drop off my truck Monday morning.
Steve
use for the full size pickup (including the Heavy Duty models) LSDs? I know our auto trans is a GM product - is the LSD (an Eaton product) also supplied by GM?
FWIW, there's a discussion right now over at thedieselpage dot com about the correct lube for the GM G80.
Charlie
Next time I touch up the Trooper, I will probably try some primer first then do the touchup paint.
As far as the limited slip differential is concerned, I used approximately 12 oz's of TRANS X POSI-TRAC for the limited slip additive. My differential doesn't make a sound (or if it does I can not hear it over the constant hum of my Buck Shot Mudder tires). I haven't been in the mud since I changed the differential oil but it should work as good as new.
-mike
P.S. St. Charles has free UPS shipping.
I think the info is 800.727.8066 and www.stcharlesauto.com.
I've got an Isuzu parts coupon at home. Don't remember how much the discount is, but if you're interested I could mail it to you. It's good through 12/31/02.
I needed to replace the battery in the Trooper last night.
My Trooper is a 99 model with a July 1999 build date. It was purchased new in February 2000 with around ~20 miles.
The battery was made in Japan by the "FB" Group some part of Furukawa limited? I could not find a build date of the battery.
So far so good. The trooper got my wife home and then let us know the battery was nearly dead. It appears that one of the cells in the battery was weak/broken/failed.
-mike
FWIW I only noticed a slight hesitation when starting one time. The next time the battery was down to about 11 volts and would not crank the car.
I guess these new fangled cars are so good at controlling themselves that they only need a marginal spark to fire up and run off the alternator. You can hit that lower battery voltage (i.e. amperage) limit with little or no warning. FWIW I now routinely check my battery voltage with every oil change. Yes, I know to do a real check I would have to do an amperage load check. However, I am hoping that my voltage only reading on a non-running vehicle will also tend to tell the story.
I think my wife's experience and your experience are very similar. I do not believe she could distinguish a "slight" hesitation in starting, however, at home the battery read around 10.4 volts. Upon an attempt to start, I heard the "click..click..click" sound, the sound depicting not enough current to overcome the spring in the solenoid, preventing current from getting to the starter motor. Depending on how you calculate the age of the battery, ours lastest around 2 1/2 years as well.
$64.16 later with a 9 year warranty, 3 year free replacement, and off we go.
I suppose getting almost 4 years out of an automotive battery is pretty good.
This allowed me to drain 9 fluid ounces of fluid from the reservoir. I added about 8 fl. oz. of Mobil 1 ATF (Dexron III compatible)-- the reservoir was slightly above Max line before drain, so 8 fl oz filled it to Max. The capacity is 1.0 or 1.1 qts-- don't remember which-- so I got about 1/4 of the old fluid out.
General question on this procedure, not just on the Trooper: If I do this again, will I be draining out the same fluid that I added, or does the P/S fluid in the reservoir circulate through the system? I'd like to do this procedure a couple more times, to increase the percentage of fluid that has been replaced. But it would be a waste of time if I was just replacing the new fluid that was just added.
The dealer did determine that Isuzu sent them the wrong touch up paint for my car. They are sending me out the correct touch up paint. I probably take bluedevils advice and hit the spots with some primer prior to painting with the touch up.
You are certainly correct about the paint not sticking to the wheel wells and fender flares on the mono-tone colored Troopers. In fact, my dealer repainted all the fender flares for me last year, under warranty, cause they were chipped so badly. Of course, that had a lot to do with me off-roading on rock covered mountain roads in Potter County, PA. But who's telling.
Steve
Are you pleased with your dealer overall?