Isuzu Trooper

ateixeira · March 2003

I bet you it's the speedometer cable. Check the speedo, does it sort of bounce back and forth very slightly?

I had that on my last car. Tic, tic, tic, tic, drove me nuts. My fix was the crank up the tunes!

-juice

sbcooke · March 2003

Thanks paisan, I got it. I will have to look under the hood to see where this is located. They do have to drain the coolant though. Although if this was done at my 30K service...and I am not sure if that is part of that service, but they could have double billed me if it was.

I have some checking to do.

mkaye · March 2003

I guess this is how Taylor Isuzu in Ohio is replacing sales of the Trooper:

http://www.taylorauto.com/crosslander.html

stever · March 2003

There's another link or two in this discussion:

Cross Lander

Steve, Host

troop2shos · March 2003

Since you only hear the noise at speed & have explained the noise as a tap, what you could be hearing is the mesh in the fresh air vent grill below the windshield wipers making noise. Press on the mesh lightly but repetitively & see if it's the same tap you're hearing. If so, some have cut rubber spacers to prevent this condition. Mine taps & it's only coming from the passenger side.
Just a thought unless you have a bug shield.

paisan · March 2003

I like the crosslander already!

-mike

savvas_e · March 2003

I've had this and so has a friend. Both our vehicles have the 12 spoke alloy wheel that appeared in late 1999 and is still current (in Australia).

On both cars it turned out to be the centre hubs on one of the wheels not being tightened up enough. Mine was the rear right and his was the front left.

Easy way to check ... is it louder with the windows down and can you tell what side it's coming from?

On the 12 spoke alloy, the centre hub is held in by three screws through the back of the wheel. Make sure these are nice and tight and that the centre hub doesn't shift at all.

savvas_e · March 2003

But Paisan ... it only has a top speed of 90mph! Are you sure?

;-)

paisan · March 2003

That's what mods are for

I'd also like to see rear coils instead of rear leafs.

But I have my SVX that tops out at 155mph and in a year or 2 I'll be getting a Subaru B11s which has a twin turbo H6 3.0l putting out 396hp and 405lbs torque.

-mike

savvas_e · March 2003

You mean like the Jackaroos we get? hehehe!

Sorry...I couldn't resist.

Speaking of the Isuzu diesels, there is now a power-up engine management module available for the 3.0L TD Jackaroo, that takes power output close to the V6 and torque to a whopping 400Nm compared to the standard 333Nm (the 3.5V6 produces 310Nm max torque).

tkevinblanc · March 2003

My message got deleted because of my cartoon profanity, so probably not everyone knows that I was profaning GM for its role in discontinuing the Trooper rather than slapping a diesel in it and making it better than all comers... just like your Jackaroo.

Please stop rubbing it in.

cwmoser · March 2003

tkevinblanc, USA Diesel Trooper? Now that would be a great idea. Maybe if we wrote up a petition to GM to keep the Trooper - think we would just be wasteing our time this late in the game?

bluedevils · March 2003

"think we would just be wasting our time this late in the game?"

Yep.

sbcooke · March 2003

I checked my bill. It was $137 not $200...I guess I rounded up a little too much in my rant.

The bill clearly states that they had to remove the intake manifold? I checked under the hood and where I think the thermostat is...front and center right behind the fan looks like a tough spot to get to, and that a lot has to come off to remove it. Maybe they did the replacement just to be sure there were no related problems?

leedavidyoung · March 2003

Hey Mike,

Did you notice the Crosslander comes with a diesel?

One of the Brazil sites has some pictures of the rear. It has 10-80-10 split similar to the Trooper's 80-20. The truck is based on the Aro 24 from Romania. It's a crude design but very utility oriented. Future U.S. offerings could include their 2 door or pickup models. You can see these trucks at the following:

www.geocities.com/motorcity/downs/4582/aro.htm

A big boxy 4x4, I like it alot. The information from Brazil states that the low horsepower is countered by high torque. They are due out in the U.S. market this July.

Lee

bigwes · March 2003

I just had my IMG replaced on a 2000 Trooper(43,000miles) that I bought in December. The cost for me was covered. If they did the replacement in order to prevent further problems, then they should have told you that's what they were doing. If they told you they had to take the IMG off to put in a new t-stat and it turns out that's not the case then you should get your money back. I spoke to my mechanic about replacing the t-stat and he said he does it by taking of the serp belt, removing the throttle body and then disconnecting a coolant cross-over hose to get access to the t-stat.

ateixeira · March 2003

I speak fluent Portugues if you guys have a link about the Cross Lander.

I also have a copy of the Jan 2003 "Quattro Rodas" with a comparo which puts the Cross Lander up against the Jalapao and Defender 110.

Here's a few comments they say about it:

* it's made in Manaus Brazil, under license
* fit and finish is poor, no logo on steering wheel
* excellent off road, but on-road ride too firm and not very secure
* excellent seats, best in group
* only one with manual locking hubs
* factory winch option
* 0-100kph in 17 seconds (quickest of the 3)
* 6.9 km/liter city, 8.7 km/l highway
* braking from 80kph in 44.3 meters

Overall, though, they rate it 3rd of the 3. The Jalapao is sort of a Defender 110 clone, it shares a chassis with that Land Rover.

-juice

boxtrooper · March 2003

and the crosslander must have a missprint since it says in the link above that the turning radius is 36 feet = 72 feet turning circle. The Hummers have their turning space requirements as radius also because if they were posted as turning circle too many people would notice that you need a huge 54 feet to turn a H2 around. Hummers look cool from a distance and can go anywhere there is an 8 foot wide trail with room for 54 foot turns, but I would not want to try to park one in a regular parking lot.

stever · March 2003

Sounds like it'd be good to trailer to Moab. But why the beef with no steering wheel logo?

Juice, I volunteered your services over in the Cross Lander discussion :-)

Steve, Host

sbcooke · March 2003

bigwes - thanks for the information. This got me a little fired up...so I called a couple of isuzu shops to confirm/deny accusations.

What I learned was that the t-stat is way down inside the engine on top of the engine block and that really the only way to get at it was by removing the intake manifold. Another shop quoted my $200+ for the t-stat. This was confirmed by a couple of shops.

However...I was also told that they have never seen one go bad, and if I had an overheating issue, I should look elsewhere too. It is good that they flushed my cooling system at the same time of the repair.

Thanks for all the responses on this one.

savvas_e · March 2003

Thailand is big on diesel vehicles. The Trooper, Rodeo and Pickup aren't even available with petrol engines over there.

Check out their website -
http://www.isuzu-tis.com/eng/index.htm

tkevinblanc · March 2003

Why do you keep taunting us???

cracovian · March 2003

We are talking about the same Romanian truck that LADA of the Soviet Union originally designed in the 80s - right??? If so then great, rush out and buy it if you live in the woods, grew up driving a Trabant, and like to do your maintenace and repair yourself, not to mention are a skilled blacksmith 'cause you'll be making the much needed replacement parts yourself...
http://www.aro.ro/eng/index.asp?ce=cat24suv&m=244

greenmax · March 2003

That Romanian truck is a joke, although it is not a LADA design. Anyone coming from a Trooper would be sorely disappointed in it. How do I know? Have you ever been to Romania? If you have, I won't have to convince you about the quality of their products. They couldn't even put together a decent copy (Dacia) of the french Renaults. If you want a tough "classic" SUV, go find a well-kept FJ60, it will outlast a new CrossLander by far.

ateixeira · March 2003

I guess they felt no steering wheel logo meant it seemed less finished? I was just translating.

It's definitely an old-school truck, not meant to compete with today's modern designs. Then again, they get dirty more often than the urban SUVs they pitch nowadays.

-juice

cwmoser · March 2003

I would be a Diesel Trooper purchaser if I had a job and that Trooper was as good as the one I have with the gasoline engine. Sure the Trooper is an 'older' design, BUT it is a tough, rugged, and reliable design. In fact, the styling has a 'classic' look.

Still, like you guys have previously stated, the main reason the Trooper did not sell well in USA is plain and simple - marketing.

cwmoser · March 2003

Regarding the Trooper design which I think has a 'classic' somewhat timeless look, what do you think of the styling of that new Nissan and Altima SUV's? How about the BMW styling?

paisan · March 2003

They aren't SUVs they are raised wagons at best. In fact the X5 has LESS storage than a 5 series wagon!!!

-mike

greenmax · March 2003

I've been reading about EGR valves going bad and I think I may have the same problem with the noise I'm hearing. However, I've had no CEL so my question is, can I the EGR be bad with no CEL? Just looking at it, it seems the gasket between the "canister" and the aluminum housing underneath is burned and there may be a crack in the aluminum base on the back. There appear to be 2 bolts that hold the EGR assembly in place, does that sound right?

breakor · March 2003

It does make sense that if the EGR leaks you would be hearing some escaping exhaust gas noises. My guess is that you may not set a CEL as long as the EGR can open more/stay open longer to offset the leaking flow and achieve the called for flow through the EGR.

bluedevils · March 2003

I'm pretty sure the Honda shop told me the t-stat replacement required removal of the IMG. So this jives with what sbcooke was told by a couple other dealers.

savvas_e · March 2003

Because I can! :-)

Seriously though. Horses for courses. If you are after acceleration, petrol is the go. For rock crawling, towing, steep ascents and descents. Diesel is the choice.

The reason I put up the Thailand link is that they even have a diesel derivative of the US Rodeo / Oz Frontera, called the Isuzu Vega.

Australia doesn't get a diesel Frontera. If it did, it would be a hot seller. This is illustrated by how many grey import Toyota Surf Turbo Diesels are currently on Australian roads.

Isuzu and Holden have missed that boat too!

boxtrooper · March 2003

Isuzu USA needs a web page and marketing like that. Right at the top of the default page for each one is how fuel efficient they are. Then they go on about how utility they are. Maybe the Isuzu should diversify from the SUV pack by calling themselves USV instead and market them as practical low cost over the long run vehicles.
..
Great for college kids to haul stuff and friends around, then stays with you to haul kids and their friends and to move big stuff like refrigerators with the doors closed. Then durable enough to let the kids learn to drive on and then back to college. Along the way more USVs will be needed and the families with such great utility and long service from Isuzu will be loyal.

ateixeira · March 2003

Bring over the diesels, just don't name any of them "Vega"!

-juice

dchyorny · March 2003

How about updating your profile. I thought you sold the Altima...

paisan · March 2003

Hey guys I got a great deal on an ARB today $660 including shipping. There was some talk about the group buy on here earlier so if you are interested in where I got it, the TOU of Edmunds means I am not allowed to put any info up here, contact me via the e-mail in my profile.

-mike

sbcooke · March 2003

How about convincing the wife to let you take one of those pretty SUVs of yours out to the pine barrens one of these weekends? We would love to have another Montero out there with us.

BTW When is the next pine barrens trip? I am looking forward to a little offroad action one of these days.

savvas_e · March 2003

Hi all,

Just thought I'd share this one with you. Castrol has released an LSD diff fluid for the Jackaroo and Rodeo in Australia. It's called Castrol LSX 85W/140 and it negates the requirement for the LSD additive that Isuzu specifies.

It would be worth checking out whether you can get this in the US.

paisan · March 2003

Good question! Not sure when the next PB trip will be I guess I should plan it soon though cause once the deep summer comes it get too hot down there.

-mike

ateixeira · March 2003

Man, that is some thick stuff! And here I thought 75w90 was thick.

-juice

boxtrooper · March 2003

RedLineOil gear lube is rated to work with rear diffs without the additive. for example:
http://www.redlineoil.com
If you get oil and don't want the additive and if you don't change the oil yourself, the oil swap shop will probably put in the additive anyway, so make sure and explain it to them and watch them change it.

savvas_e · March 2003

The additive is actually a viscosity extender. You'll find Isuzu advise that an LSD gear oil is used as well as the additive.

Don't know why, but Isuzu recommends quite a heavy gear oil for its LSD. The reason for the additive was that most LSD gear oils only had a rating of around 75W90 or 80W90, etc. The 90 apparently being too thin for the Isuzu LSD at operating temps. The additive brings up the operating temp viscosity to about 140.

steelpick · March 2003

I recently purchased a 1998 Trooper and have been very happy with it with one exception. The hood release cable isn't working properly and I can't get the hood open! Has anyone had this problem and is it a pricy fix?

savvas_e · March 2003

I haven't seen or heard of the problem on Trooper's before. Mine is quite easy to operate.

It's likely to either require an adjustment at the hood end of the cable, or the cable has been stretched and may need replacing.

The adjustment should be easy and inexpensive, but I don't know about the replacement.

Have you tried getting someone to press down on the hood while you operate the release? This can help you get it open.

paisan · March 2003

Not heard of that problem before. Is the hood "popping" or is it just dead when you pull the release? If the cable became detached from the release handle, you can probably use a pair of pliers to pull on the cable that attaches under the dash.

-mike

mkaye · March 2003

I read where Isuzu had a total of $16 million for an advertising budget for the whole year.

Today's paper indicated that Intel is shelling out $300 million JUST to market their latest mobile CPU and chipset, Centrino.

Itty-bitty silicon wafers get 15 times the advertising budget of a two-ton 4WD.

bigwes · March 2003

I saw a commercial on TV for Isuzu SUV's the other morning. When I say morning, I mean 3:00AM. I am guessing, but I think that is probably one of the least expensive time slots to run commecials. What happened to Joe Isuzu???

ateixeira · March 2003

The Ascendor print ads are horrible. Fire that agency quick!

-juice

dtlind · March 2003

I have a 2000 LS which I bought new. Unfortunately I wrecked it about a week ago - T-boned an 85 Toyota (everyone OK!). Trooper was going about 35 and the Toy about 50. My airbags didn't go off. Surprising to me and the cops working the accident. Has anyone had problems with airbags not deploying during accidents?

Love the Trooper.... Just hoping its the same after repair.

paisan · March 2003

Won't go off below 35, so you were probably going below 35MPH. It is so that if you are offroading you won't set it off.

-mike

Isuzu Trooper

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