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Isuzu Trooper

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Comments

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I spotted a Silver 98 or 99 Trooper on Martial Law tonight on TNN! Silver too! Sammo was driving it :)

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    10pm tonight Chat! Come tell us about your trucks, or if you are a potential owner, we'll be chatting up our trucks. I'll give an overview of Uwharrie!

    http://www.edmunds.com/chat/isuzuchat.html


    -mike

  • erinsquarederinsquared Member Posts: 178
    One of the safety disadvantages to adding a bull bar is that you might compromise the manufacturer's safety design where vehicle momentum is decelerated over a longer distance as crumbling sheet metal disperses the crash energy. Ever notice these offset crash tests where the front end is completely crushed but the passenger cage is intact? Mercedes even has the back end accordion in high speed frontal crashes as a means of dispersing crash energy since they figure your car is totalled in these situations anyway. I would guess that these bull bars are so strong and they attach to the strongest part of vehicle (ladder frame) that if you get in a frontal accident, a lot less energy would be dispersed and this would be more dangerous at high speeds. Of course, if you are hitting another car, maybe the other car would make up the difference at the expense of its occupants. If you hit something more solid like a tree or wall, it's gonna' be you. Not to say I am an opponent of these things because I am considering one for my vehicle at some point, but if you don't really need it for off-roading, then are you building a road warrior?
  • cdanschwartzcdanschwartz Member Posts: 23
    Hi,
    A question on tire pressure. Do most of you run 30 psi in front and 35 in the rear like the manual says? I was thinking that 32 all around may give a better drive.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    I don't think the washer technique will work on the newer Troopers.

    Based upon my quick look the seats appear to be mounted to raised floor brackets by HORIZONTAL bolts. Thus you would have to come up with a bracket extension of some sort to raise the front attachment points.
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    I've just put on a Toyo open country A/T tire. It gives a tighter feel than the dueler 684. Also a whine in 1st and 2nd that was getting worse is now gone. The toyo is a harder tire (treadwear 500) compared to 180 on the 684. I don't really want a sticky tire on a SUV. Most Bridgestone aftermarket tires are around 300 some as high as 500 whereas toyos can be as high as 700. While you can't compare across manufacturers it gives some idea about the tire wear for that mfg. I think it will hold up offroad much better. Deeper tread. I've already noticed that gravel doesn't stick in the treads. I'll be checking out tire pressures to see what effects that has. The TOD indicator does not go to full when I punch it to the floor on dry roads with the Toyo A/T unlike on the 684 (all 3 bars lite up). Only the 2nd bar lights up now, so overall I think the traction is better on the Toyo than on the 684 (the rears were not too worn on the 684s I replaced, but the fronts were uneven and cracking pretty bad). I'll provide more info on handling after some higher speed hgy driving. The Toyo A/T is S rated for speed.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    It is hard to say what would happen if you hit a big tree with one. One of the areas where the trooper fell short in crash tests was the front wheel compromising the driver footwell. A bull bar would distribute the energy across the frame, maybe making it better? A direct head-on, instead of offset would channel the energy into the ladder frame (without the steel bumper), as per design, so now is an off-set crash better protected, I don't know, but I would think so.

    I have one, so my viewpoint is pro. I think where any increase in danger comes into play is crashing head-on into another vehicle. The other vehicle is less protected. If all vehicles had steel bumpers would we all be better off? I don't know.

    I hope none of us get an opportunity to find out. I got mine for Off-roading purposes primarily.
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    I have seen accidents first hand with steel bumpers and they are definitely my preference. On the other hand, the collapsable car phenomenon with the unibody construction works quite well.
  • tistevetisteve Member Posts: 142
    Steel would definitely protect the vehicle better, especially in lower speed collisions. The problem is in a higher speed crash the force of the impact is transmitted directly to the frame which transmits it to the whole vehicle, leaving your frail biomass to absorb more of the ummph. Whereas the collapsible designs absorb more of the impact energy saving your body from absorbing it all, however at the expense of the vehicle. So I guess the question is which is more important, to save the sheet metal of the vehicle or sacrifice it in order to protect the occupants. I'll take the later, that's what auto insurance is for. Cars can be fixed or replaced, maybe not so with your body!
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    OK, here's a new one for you troubleshooters....I mentioned the other day about the A/C fan speed changing when I acclerated heavily. I did some looking and noticed that when the accelerator is depressed quickly at idle and released, as to rev the engine a couple thousand rpm, my voltage meter dips momentarily. It will go to about 12 volts and then recover to about 14 volts. I also noticed that it was doing this while driving around and accelerating in traffic, away from stop lights etc... I thought it might be a slipping belt on the alternator, but when I popped the hood and checked, the belts really tight. I did a couple acceleration checks with the hood up while watching the belt and alternator pulley, but didn't notice any apparent slippage taking place. Any other ideas on this one? Anybody else seeing a momentary dip in your voltage under heavy acceleration? Happy Trooping?? ;(
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    That sounds like your alternator or your voltage regulator isn't keeping up with the requirements for high voltage to the spark plugs during acceleration. Maybe way off but possible.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    My guess is a very soon to be dead battery. Get a voltmeter reading first thing in the am before starting the car. FWIW mine wouldn't start with a reading of 10.7 volts at a little over the 2 year old mark. The new battery was something like 12.7 volts.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I had a similar problem on my Rodeo. In '99 at about the 2 year mark, with about 90K miles, the battery died. That could be the problem.

    -mike
  • tntmythtntmyth Member Posts: 70
    Just a poll for other Trooper Owners? Is your steering wheel PERFECTLY straight and symetrical when driving down the road? I mean that the little "Isuzu" logo on the steering wheel is horizontal, parallel to the dash, and perfectly aligned with the steering column if you are driving on flat road? Considering that the road usually is sloped down and outward to let the rain run off. I took my 2001 Trooper S 2WD in for an alignment since I felt that the steering was slightly out of alignment. I believe that the dealer improved the alignment to about perfect. But the steering wheel is still a smidgeon off perfectly straight. This is considering that the road usually slopes down toward the edges. In general, my steering wheel is turned a few degrees counter clockwise. I note that with the recirculating ball steering that there is some play in the wheel and it may be normal for the wheel to be turned some against the slope. I even tested that theory by driving down the opposite side of the road. (Of course on a remote road when no one was coming!) The steering did turn slightly clockwise. Well, the Isuzu technician took the car out several times to get it "perfect". I'm just not sure what "perfect" is with recirculating ball. Guess I was spoiled with the rack and pinion steering on my car. Is it reasonable for the wheel to be slightly off as long as the alignment is correct? Or should it be perfectly, perfectly straight? How many degrees off "perfectly straight" is acceptable in a Trooper? Seems like they really struggled to get it where it is. I was there for 3 hours. They took it out on 3 or 4 test drives. I don't want to be unreasonable if it is extremely hard to get it PERFECT.
  • robbierocketrobbierocket Member Posts: 3
    Hi -folks! i am looking at older Trooper 4x4s -like models 1989 thru 1991's. i am just looking to pick one up for under 3k, for desert camping and offroad use for a few years. Can anyone out there tell me if old troopers would be wasting my cash and time? how well are these vehicles and what problems should i expect? i drive a Honda in the city and it's excellent, but i do need a sturdy reliable offroad vehicle! i can't afford new. Surely you new Trooper owners must have had great experiences with older models- please help.
    thanks.
  • cdanschwartzcdanschwartz Member Posts: 23
    Hi, I installed my hitch. It was very easy. Can someone tell me exactly where the Trooper wiring connector is located?

    Thanks,

    Charles

    BTW - I think the hitch actually improves the ride a little. Kind of like putting a 50lb sandbag in the trunk of a car. The Trooper feels slightly better balanced.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    you need to reach up between the tail pipe and the outter wall of the body. There will be a rubber plug about the size of a Silver Dollar, you need topull out that plug, behind it will be a clip with wiring, you plug in the wiring harness to it, and there should be a new rubber plug that will go intot he hole with the wiring going straight through it. Be sure to tie up the wiring, because I fried my first box due to it hitting the tail pipe.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Make great trail trucks. They are awsome off-road and can take a beating. They are a bit noisy for day to day driving, but are otherwise very good. You might want to check out the 4x4wire link on http://isuzu-suvs.com and post up there, they know which years/engines are best.


    -mike

  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    My steering wheel '99 trooper S is straight. I've had the turned wheel problem on a FORD once. The steering wheel thing may not always be do to alignment as far as I can tell.

    One thing that makes a difference in handling is tires. I have new Toyo AT tires and the steering is now very tight. A deeper tread on these then the B-stones. I do need to give a little more effort to turn the wheel at low speeds.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    Our steering wheel was off until we had an alignment done.

    I'm probably in over my head here but I think the key to having a straight steering wheel comes during the toein adjustment. If the adjustment rods are not BOTH moved the SAME amount then the steering wheel gets off centered (assuming of course the system was centered to start with). I think a good shop would start with the steering wheel straight ahead, even up the tie rods, and THEN make the needed adjustments to both rods by the same amounts.

    I guess under normal circumstances, as long as they dial in the correct toein, it is only a "cosmetic" issue if the steering wheel is not centered. While this might be technically correct it would make me wonder how many other corners the shop cut when doing my alignment.

    On the other hand, I guess even when a shop tries to do the perfect job they could have set the steering wheel ever so slightly off center to start. Or they could have moved one nut a 1/4 turn and the other just a little bit more. Therefore even when trying to be perfect there is some room for error especially when doing diagnostic test drives on less than perfect roads.

    Bottom line is it sounds like they did a very good job. FWIW our alignment also took about that long.
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    Try www.itog.com too!
  • hguyhguy Member Posts: 5
    Been reading Your posts for couple months now-excellent job!I have to admit that it gave me little push to go and check out how the Troopers really are. Yesterday I took the whole family,and we test drove 2001 S- it was nice but couple of things bothered me. There was petty hard pull to the right @ highway speeds. Also over 60 mph there was noticeable wheel shimmey.Sales guy said it was because truck wasn't pdi'd yet. Also the front seat leg room was kind of tight-is the LS model any better(having power seats)?How is the Isuzu service?Can I count that they really will be there for me 9 years from now?I leave in CT ,and here we have few Isuzu dealers. Again -excellent job guys!Thanks!
  • 99trooper99trooper Member Posts: 87
    There should be no pulling and no shimmy at speed. I've owned a 98 trooper and now a 99 and neither one is anything but rock solid...
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    If it is pulling to the right, I would test drive another one.

    Regarding "front seat leg room was kind of tight", I found the Trooper to be spacious. If you want to see what has really tight front seat leg room, take a test drive in a Toyota 4-Runner or a Ford Explorer = you'll find the Trooper is much roomier. When I test drove the 4-Runner, my left leg rubbed the left door panel which I found unconfortable.
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    I owned a 1989 Trooper for about 6 years. It was a tough vehicle. Generally, the 4cy are more reliable than the 6cy. Don't expect a lot of power but it is reasonable. A lot of these older Troopers have not been given the service they really need and I would check to insure you have good compression in all 4 cylinders - i.e. forget the 6 cylinder models. If you purchase one, by all means be diligent in the following:

    1-) adjust the valves every 15,000 miles - it does not cost that much to have a mechanic adjust them for you - I paid about $50.00. I neglected this and had to have a valve job ($800.00).

    2-) One cylinder, I believe #2, is prone to overheating and cracking the intake manifold. The preventative is always make sure you have plenty of coolant. A regular check will prevent you from this problem.

    Older model troopers have a lot of personality and I have heard numerous cases where they have over 200,000 miles on them.

    Regarding where to find one, check local dealers and also EBAY. A better purchase might be to pick up an older version of the newer trooper - say a 1993-1995 - same body as the 2001's and looks closer to the newer troopers than the pre 1991 models. Again, there are several examples on EBAY. I am thinking of getting my son one of the 1993-1996 Troopers when he turns 16. I like the older pre 1991 models, but I like the newer models as they are really a better vehicle in may ways.
  • grucelagrucela Member Posts: 19
    I HAVE A 86. GREAT TRUCK, HAD A VALVE JOB DONE, NEW BREAKS. THE A/C COMPRESSOR FROZE SO IT NEEDS A NEW ONE, PAINT IS GOOD NO RUST, THE HOOD IS FADED A BIT. THE TRUCK RIDES GREAT AND I USE IT FOR WORK EACH DAY. HAVE A KID ON THE WAY, SO I NEED TO GET RID OF THE OLDER TROOPER. HAVE A 2000 ALSO. ITS A 2.3, 5-SPEED. RUNS GREAT. I TAKE
    2-4HR TRIPS WITH WORK TRAVEL AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. GOOD TIRES AND RIMS. INTERIOR HAS BEEN REALY CARED FOR. IN FACT THE BACK SEATS LOOK BRAND NEW.
    I'M ASKING $2300. LET ME KNOW. I LIVE IN NORTH AUGUSTA, SC. GRUCELA@YAHOO.COM
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Please, no soliciting on Town Hall. To access Edmunds.com's Used Vehicle PowerShopper, please visit Edmunds Used PowerShopper.

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  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    Isuzu dealer service is probably typical. By that I mean you get good techs a few bad techs and no doubt a few service writers trying to sell you everything under the sun. I think what sets Isuzu apart is the very low occurrence of unscheduled visits. The point being you may not have to visit a dealer (or an independent garage for that matter) for a problem. However, should a warranty issue arrive my guess is that a dealer will be there for you. I think the only real service question is whether or not the dealer's sign might some day read GM rather than Isuzu.
    (Note: The question of who would want a GM built "Trooper" is a separate issue.)

    In any event you should always be able to get work done elsewhere as Isuzus are not hard to work on from what I have seen/heard.
  • erinsquarederinsquared Member Posts: 178
    Installed my OME rear springs this weekend. Much better ride overall. Rear ride height raised about 1 inch & does not bottom out even on rough roads with just myself in the vehicle. Cranked the torsion bars a little to raise the front about an inch. The ride is just as smooth as with the factory springs, but I do not hit the bump stops over bumps which prevents the "jar-to-the-spine" that was happening before. These spring settings are really what Isuzu should put in as stock. I bounced up & down on the rear bumper and was able to get it to slightly hit the bump stops, so I guess loading down the back will still cause hitting the progressive bump stops. OME may have felt higher spring rates would compromise the unloaded ride.

    Other suspension mod to my Trooper: front and rear polyurethane sway bar bushings, Rancho RS9000s.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I believe they are progressive rate springs, in that they will get stiffer with higher load. I haven't noticed much hitting of the bump stops with them, even loaded down.

    -mike
  • phfeldmannphfeldmann Member Posts: 2
    I looking for an OEM style roof rack for my 2001 Trooper S. I saw some that I liked on www.4x4mountainsport.com but there were no details on where they came from. Why aren't they are a dealer option in the US? Is it because of high center of gravity/roll over concerns?
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    The older Troopers weren't without some quirks as mentioned already by others. I have a 88' Trooper that I bought new and now have 120,000+ miles on it. Its a very durable vehicle and has had very few maintenance problems over the years. It is still going strong, being driven every day. I would echo what was said about the 4 cylinder units vs. the 6 cylinder built by GM. Isuzu used the same engine that was put in the S-10 and Blazer back in 88-91. Not the best idea by ISUZU at the time. The 4 cylinder was built in JAPAN and is true Isuzu quality. They do require routine maintenance as mentioned already but you're not likely to go wrong if you can pick up an 88-91 model that has the 2.6L 4 cylinder engine in it. They had true multi-port EFI those years and were real workhorses!

    Trooper sighting. If you want to see a newer Trooper in action, check out the movie THE PLEDGE, with Jack Nicholson. Lot's of Trooper action in this film, and the story ain't half bad either.
    Happy Trooping !! ;-)
  • maccmacc Member Posts: 11
    I have a 1999 5 speed Manual transmission Trooper with 30K miles. It suddenly developed problems maintaining idle speed and stalls out whenever your foot is off the gas pedal. This problem is somewhat intermittent - might stall one trip and be okay the next time out. Has anybody experienced this? Any ideas what to check?
    Thanks
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Sounds like the classic intake manifold gasket problem. Any dealer will fix that under warranty w/o a problem. Seems common in about 20% of the Trucks.

    -mike
  • kw9kw9 Member Posts: 13
    I have a 93 Trooper with 30,000 miles. Every so often the transmission will start off in 3rd(?) gear and the check transmission light will come on and flash. If I shift manually it works just fine (which suggests the transmission is fine). If I shut the car off and restart everything goes back to normal. It doesn't happen often but my wife won't drive the trooper because she thinks it's unsafe as this has happened to her when she was trying to pull out into traffic. My garage says Isuzu told them it has something to do with the transmission ground, they added one but it still happens. Anyone experience similar problems? Any suggestion on how to fix? Thanks
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Do you have a winter mode on your tranny? I'm not sure if they had them back then, but on later models there is a "winter mode" which you can engage to start the truck in 3rd gear so as to not slip the tires in the snow. Perhaps this switch is intermittently being shorted out or being depressed, or being somehowengaged, thereby starting you in 3rd gear. Next time it happens, see if it kicks out when you hit 21mph. The winter mode kicks out @ 21mph and will shift normally after that, if it does kick off at 21mph for you, I'd say the winter mode switch is suspect.

    -mike
  • kw9kw9 Member Posts: 13
    Paisan - I do have winter mode and that is what it feels like is happening. I will check to see what happens at 21 mph and let you know. Thanks for the suggestion.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I've heard the same simptoms from others, so it could be defective switches... Check it out, hope it helps.

    -mike
  • tntmythtntmyth Member Posts: 70
    I don't believe it but, when I went to Maroone Isuzu for my alignment, an Isuzu master service consultant told me that he recently heard that Isuzu is keeping the existing Trooper for 4 more years, mainly because it has no problems, etc. I told him that I heard that 2002 was the last year. He said he heard different from Isuzu. So i'm throwing it out here on the forum for what it's worth. BTW, this Isuzu dealership has 3 Master Isuzu Technicians as well. I am hoping they are right about the Trooper.

    Is there an address where we can send a letter to Isuzu to voice our opinion? I was watching TV where they were about to cancel the Mustang due to lackluster sales back in the 1980's They received thousands of letters from Mustang fans. Most were very angry letters asking Ford "how stupid could they be?". So Ford, based on the quantity of letters received, decided to continue with the Mustang, designed a new model, etc. Just proves that public opinion can make a difference. Have any of you Trooper fans sent in any letters to Isuzu?
  • mtrionfomtrionfo Member Posts: 20
    kw9 - Sounds like your auto trans is going into failsafe mode. (It's unlikely that the Check Trans light would be flashing if the problem was limited to a faulty winter mode switch.) More likely is that the TCM (trans control module) is disconnecting itself from shift control because it detects a circuit problem.

    Failsafe mode allows the truck to be driven when there is a problem with the auto trans by starting out in 3rd gear and staying there. However, repeatedly starting out in 3rd gear can overheat the trans, so instead manually shift into "L" to start out, then shift up.

    What you need to do is have either your regular mechanic or an Isuzu dealer connect a diagnostic reader to the TCM to retrieve the trouble code stored there. Then get a few estimates for the repair, as it will likely be expensive.

    Good luck, Marty
    95 Trooper LS
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well they will be producing the trooper (Bighorn and Jackaroo) for non-North American Markets for the forseeable future, so it is possible that they could continue to sell it here as well. Let's hope for the best, although it's sales will only stagger even more as other makes and models catch up to the trooper in comfort and size and features. If GM wasn't the puppeteer, the Trooper could kick some major butt with a few tweeks, but GM doesn't want it cutting into it's cash cow, the GMC SUVs...

    -mike
  • beer47beer47 Member Posts: 185
    On vacation last week. Went from Central Jersey up to Lake Placid, NY. Averaged 18.75 mpg w/the AC on the whole time. Then went from Lake Placid to Niagra Falls; averaged 19.0 mpg.
    From the Falls back to NJ through the Poconos(up and down) averaged 18.5 mpg. The mean mpg seems to be 18.75 for the trip overall. Not too bad considering I onlt get in the 16's running around NJ, NY, and Philly for work. Truck ran great, but I could have used a little more leg room as has been mentioned here before. You do not notice it much unless you are on a long haul. The Adirondack's were truly beautiful, I recommend highly to other Trooper folks!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Cool, my trooper lives up there for the summer! :) I have a place in the lower Dacks. Love taking my Trooper up the NYS T-way, maybe I beeped to you on my way up last weekend? :)

    -mike
  • keepontroopinkeepontroopin Member Posts: 297
    How many of you actually wave to other Trooper owners when you pass them on the highway? I know I have occasionally.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Honk and wave, although I don't think I've ran into anyone here yet! :)

    -mike
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    yes! - i actually honk and wave on occaison, although this area is made up of several small towns in the 15,000 / 45,000 population range so i've done the honk and wave to most of the trooper owners in the area and many of them will honk and wave first - this part of arkansas is fairly prosperous so there are more "esoteric" vehicles than normal for an area this size, ie. bmw "8-series" coupes, land rover disco's, range rovers, half a dozen hummers, a few rr's, supercharged jags, etc. - i've noticed them honking at each other as well! - the trooper has GOT to be one of the least, if not the least expensive "esoteric" vehicle around here though:)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Good to see you back in the swing of things here. We all got worried for a few months. Maybe you can make it to Uwharrie in Oct. Off-road and camping weekend of columbus day.

    -mike
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Saw the following post about brush bars and though you'd be interested:

    bryancos "How to keep from hitting deer?" Jul 31, 2001 12:36pm

    Steve
    Host
    Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    Very interesting, gotta love this Town Hall thing. I'm always learning something on here!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    yeah, me too :-)

    Steve
    Host
    Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

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