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Isuzu Trooper

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Comments

  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    I think the threshold is more like 10-15mph into a brick wall.
    http://www.state.me.us/dps/Bhs/howdo.htm
    http://auto.howstuffworks.com/airbag1.htm
    http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/dec2001/collision.cfm

    It could be that because it was a T-bone it wasn't equivalent to directly hitting a brick wall at 10-15mph. Then again the above articles aren't Isuzu specific and maybe our threshold speed is higher. I would however think the officers responding would be the best judge of when airbags typically deploy.

    If several people report such problems it might be worth reporting it (to NHTSA?). While I never plan to use my airbags, it would be nice to know that they should work if needed and not go inactive due to real but unreported problems.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Paisan, where did you get the 35 MPH figure?

    Perhaps you need to compromise the frame for the bags to go off? If you hit directly across the front and the frame didn't get bent?

    Overall how did you and the vehicle fair? It is good to hear everyone was OK. Do you think the Trooper's crash ability was good or bad?
  • dtlinddtlind Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the info. The Trooper definitely gave worse than it got in the accident. The Toyota absorbed most of the impact. I continued through the intersection after the initial impact (I didn't touch the brakes until after impact). I guess I either wasn't going fast enough, or didn't deccelerate fast enough to trigger the bags.

    I'm not sore at all. My passenger only had slight bruise from seat belt. I'd like to think they didn't go off b/c they weren't needed. I think not having to replace the bags is the only thing that kept the insurance company from totaling it out.

    Breakor..... can't say I ever "planned" on using them. But all in all, I'm very happy with the crash performance.... although I don't have much to compare it with - my first accident.

    I plan to raise this subject with the service manager next time I'm at the dealer for service. I'll let everyone know if I learn anything interesteing.

    Thanks.....David.
  • dtlinddtlind Member Posts: 5
    FYI....

    Damage to Trooper: front body (bumber, grill, etc), hood, FR fender & wheel flare, FL fender & wheel flare, radiator, radiator supports, all lights.

    Frame was intact. No engine or suspension damage. Repair estimate was ~$7900.

    Can we post pics to this board??

    David.
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    Wow, $7,900 is a lot of money. Looks like it is drivable. Might be worth more to pocket the $7900 and part it out on Ebay. You should be able to get at least a couple hundred each for a number of items - wheels, stereo, seats, doors, etc. The engine and transmission are worth several thousand. Am I right on this assessment?
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    I was kind of thinking along the same lines myself. The main problem I see is all the work necessary to remove and safely pack the parts. This also assumes he has room to store the vehicle while it was being parted.

    Alternatively, the vehicle doesn't look all that bad. Maybe someone would buy it for something more than the $7.9k below the before the crash value. For example if the before wreck value was $17.9k then any offer over $10k might be worth considering. Selling now would eliminate the possibility of a bad repair and the future lower resale value inherent in a car that has been in a wreck. The other trick here would be to find a good replacement vehicle.
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    I was thinking if something happened to my 1999 Trooper, heaven forbid, like what happened to dtlind's Trooper, mine would be close to a total. I would try to get the insurance company to let me keep the wreck, purchase another trooper and keep the wreck for parts.

    Wonder what are the thresholds for determining what is a totaled vehicle, and how much the insurance company gets from selling it to a junk yard.
  • dtlinddtlind Member Posts: 5
    I think it may have been drivable if the radiator had survived.... but it didn't. Also, no lights.

    NADA trade-in value on my truck is (was?) about 13K. If I'm not satisfied after the repair, I'll start shopping around and trade it ('02 Trooper maybe). I'll need something to pull the boat, etc. I'm single and this is my only vehicle. If the repair is good quality, I plan to keep it. It only has about 40K miles and will soon be paid off.

    David.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yeah the new airbags will only pop on a sudden deceleration. There are no more "sensors" basically it's a F<->R Decel greater than X speed. So a side impact won't set em off. I read the 35mph figure back a ways when I was reading somewhere (don't recall where). The old systems had actual sensors in the bumper etc. The new ones use a glass cylinder with an inner glass liner that once broken completes a circuit, similar to a mercury switch.

    -mike
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    I was braking in our 96 Trooper when I t-boned a late-model Cadillac Seville 3 years ago. Caddy going probably 40-45mph. I was going 50-55mph before braking; I'd estimate probably 35-40mph at impact.

    Both front airbags deployed. I'm no airbag expert, but I'm glad they deployed and I would really think an airbag should deploy in a vehicle crash when the vehicle is moving at 30 mph or so. If the Trooper's airbags are designed not to deploy until 35mph, I consider that a potentially serious safety issue.

    I'm not sure if the airbag did much to protect me or if the seat belt would have been sufficient. It happened so fast, I don't remember if my face hit the airbag or not. I had a stiff neck for a few days but that was it.

    Our Trooper's value was pegged at $17,xxx by the insurance company. That was basically full retail value and I felt it was very generous. Go Allstate! The adjuster was calculating the damage and once he reached about $13k, he stopped since that was enough for his company to consider the vehicle a total loss. I asked the adjuster how they determined if a vehicle was 'totaled.' I seem to recall him saying something like if the damage represents 80% or more of the vehicle's value, it is usually considered totaled. Not sure how much that varies by insurance company.

    I don't recall the exact nature of the damage, but the front-end was crumpled pretty good and some of the stuff in the front of the engine bay was damaged. Also some damage along the right side due to the Troop hitting the minivan in the lane next to me. I remember the bumper being pushed back so far that I could see a 4" or so square metal thing sticking out of the middle of the bumper. I'm not sure if there was any frame damage or not.

    If one of my vehicles ever suffers significant crash damage, I will push hard for it to be totaled. Who wants a vehicle with $8k in cosmetic or mechanical repairs? I sure don't.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    How Stuff Works

    lemurzone

    Looks like 10 to 15mph is the usual impact speed, but <most?> sensors seem to depend more on g forces than speed.

    Wranglers have a passenger-side airbag cutoff switch, but Edmunds says that's for carrying a kid up front when you have the rear seat out, not for off-roading. Other links state that Chrysler did extensive testing to ensure that the airbag wouldn't deploy going over uneven terrain. If you set off the airbag off-roading, you must go a lot faster in the woods than I did with my old CJ.

    I think it's curious that your bags didn't deploy, Dtlind - glad to hear you are doing fine.

    Steve, Host
  • apexcutterapexcutter Member Posts: 2
    I'm new to this forum, but it sure looks like a useful place to get info. I bought a 99 Troop a few months back ... looks like oil consumption on this thing is about 1 quart every 1200 miles, which sure seems high. Anyone had this issue, and was Isuzu willing to do anything about it? Any info would be useful. I'm getting very close to 60,000 miles.
    - Tom
  • greenmaxgreenmax Member Posts: 47
    This may not be a lot, but hopefully it's a sign of changing fortune: http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030316/0601000301_1.html
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    That is common on the 3.5l engines. Anything less than 1Q/1000 miles is "acceptable" by most manufacturers. I was consuming 1Q/1000 then switched to Mobile 1 and it went to 1Q/2000 so you might try that.

    -mike
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    I had great luck with Valvoline 5W30 MaxLife for two oil changes. Then I had not so good luck with it for two oil changes, since the lifter ticking would come back some of the time, but not continuous. I thought this was because of winter, but I am not so sure since we had some warm days and that had no effect on the problem.
    ..
    I had six extra 5W30 MaxLife quarts left and I intended to put in Valvoline Synpower 5W30 to see if that helped. I was particularily discusted with the lifter ticking and MaxLife so I wastefully used the extra six quarts of MaxLife as an engine flush. I ran the new MaxLife oil about 15 minutes at all RPMs from idle to 6000 RPM to make sure the clean oil went into every place int he engine to remove dirt. Then I changed the oil again to Valvoline Synpower 5W30. The lifter ticking was barely audible for a few minutes. After a few trips around town for kid events there is no more ticking.
  • peterismepeterisme Member Posts: 68
    During the weekend, I tried to replace the rear winder wipe and found I have to remove the spare tire before I can do anything. So I remove the tire cover, and two bolts. When I tried to moved the last one (the one with wheel lock.) The nut inside got broken. The nut was wielded on to the base that carry the spare tire. With Isuzu tire replacement wrench, and the toque from a 150-pound man, I broke the nut off it base by wrenching the nut! The result was: I can never take of the bolts that secure the spare tire! Whenever I wrench the bolt, the nut move with it! After two hours of trying of all kind of tricks, I finally quit and my wife&#146;s comments were: &#147;I told you, you should have get a Honda or Toyota!&#148;

    On Sunday, I got a solution: to cut the broken bolts off. After spending $60, I brought home a Craftsman grinder with a mental cut wheel. After spending10 minutes in my garage with 120+ decibels noise and firework-like flying spark, finally cut broken bolts off. What a weekend! L

    The only thing makes me feel a little better is: I am still luck that I don&#146;t have to cut the broken bolt off when I have a flat tire on the Interstate.

    My suggestion: put some 10w30 on the bolts on you spare tire before the rust stuck the threads.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I snapped one of my bolts as well when I took off my spare recently. Luckily mine just snapped at the base of the bolt. Another option is a reverse threading type thing that you tap into the bolt and thread it out.

    -mike
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    If you are trying to free rusted/galled nuts, let me recommend a product available at NAPA and other places called P B'laster. It's an aerosol can (like liquid wrench) of penetrating oil. You'll recognize it by its wacky yellow and white can (very strange label...)

    I've used it in all sorts of metal on metal situations and it never ceases to astonish me. Anyway, it's about the same price as the others. Give it a try before you twist hard.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It looks like some cheesy graphics on the container, but it works the best! :)

    -mike
  • jrr2kjrr2k Member Posts: 35
    After 9000 miles, I haven't found many but here's a couple. I want to know your gripes and some possible solutions.

    1. No roof rack. The trooper is possibly the only SUV without the option of a load bearing roof rack. I have the ski rack and its only a 50 lbs rack. Solution: After market options.

    2. Cassette player in S model. I had to dig through the garage to find an old Metallica tape. The trooper is now my only cassette stereo.
    Solution: 8 track player:) or a CD MP3 player.

    3. Back up lights are inadaquate. Solution: A couple of auxillary lights on the trailer hitch.

    Like I said not much here. Anyone got any more.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    6-disc changers on ebay for troopers.

    -mike
  • jrr2kjrr2k Member Posts: 35
    I've been busy working overtime so I can buy a roof rack & trailer hitch for the 02 trooper. The trailer hitch is a slam dunk, but the roof rack issue needs some thought.
    After wading through the mods forum, I've found that the best 2 options start with the overlander mount.
    The overlander expedition rack looks great, but I need it to accept Thule/Yakima components. Anyone got the components on the expedition rack? Will skis and snowboards fit?
    The other option was to modify some Thule crossbars to mount to the overlander roof mount. If I remember correctly from my Subaru, the Thule bike rack needed to be a specific length from crossbar to crossbar. If you exceed the max length the bike rack won't fit. Anyone run into this?
    And finally has anyone ever tried to get ahold of a factory roof rack (rails!) from Japan as shown on the Japanese Bighorns?
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I use an aftermarket Thule Rack and am very happy with it.

    There are holes along the roof rails of the truck under the rubber weatherstripping (theory is that these holes are what are used to move the body into position during manufacturing). There are sets of 2 in the front, 2 in the middle and 2 in the back. I have not seen them but apparently they are small threaded bolt holes covered with masking tape. Someone on this forum posted attaching rack braces into these and then 3 Thule bars across. This would be one way to create a super strong permanent rack.

    I prefer the options of the removable Thule system. I have no issues with it. I added a fairing which decreases noise, but also seems to drop the mileage about 1 MPG on the highway.
  • apexcutterapexcutter Member Posts: 2
    Mike: thanks for the perspective/idea on oil consumption. This message board is a great source of information!

    Tom (apexcutter)
  • litesholitesho Member Posts: 1
    I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on improving the suspension on a 99 Trooper. I'm kinda getting seasick and it feels real close to rollover sometimes. I saw a set of Edelbrock Performer IAS shocks on Ebay. Anyone have these or any ideas on tightening up the bounce? Overall it's a good truck and would like to take care of this.
    Thanks!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Get some poly sway bar bushings. ~$20
    I'd go for some Bilstiens or Monroe shocks if it's for on road. Offroad go for OME or Ranchos.

    -mike
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    The KYB Monomax shocks look good, too. I hope to buy a set soon along with bushings and new tires. I understand these three things make the Trooper a whole lot better.

    http://www.kyb.com/shocks/monomax.html
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    In the next few weeks I am going to change from my 3 Thule crossbars bolted directly on 3 pairs of Overlander brackets to a new system that lets me adjust the cross bar length and spacing. Here is what I will do:
    ..
    1.) Remove all 3 existing Thule crossbars
    2.) Get two 78 inch Thule crossbars
    3.) drill holes in one side of the 78 inch bars that allow it to be bolted down to 3 overlander brackets front to back direction on the Trooper.
    4.) get some stainless spring back slot track 5/16 nuts and slide them down inside the 78 inch cross bars such that the springs hold them in place above each hole. These are available at www.mcmaster.com or any industrial supply.
    5.) shorten two of my old Thule crossbars to fit under and inside the rear two Overlander brackets and drill the current one side holes all the way through for the rear two Overlander brackets.
    6.) get some black 3M 5200 sealant
    7.) get some fender washers
    8.) get some 1.5 inch long stainless high strength bolts
    9.) bolt through the shortenned under crossbars and into the nuts inside the 78 inch lenghtwise bars.
    10.) get a Thule bar to OEM roof rack adapter set which is very strong and another set of top crossbars and clamp them on when needed.
    ..
    The results: The shortenned Thule cross bars under the Overlander brackets make the roof rack very sturdy side to side even when no top cross bars are used, so I can use the 78 inch front to back bars as a handle when climbing up on the tire to get to stuff on the roof. The top cross vars can be any length over 50 inches and can be removed or positioned anywhere. The front set of Overlander brackets does not get an under Thule cross bar so no wind noise. The rear two under cross bars can support a basket without any additional top cross bars.
    ..
    As a final touch, and I would like some opinions on this please, I am thinking about bolting stainless 4 inch stainless yacht cleats on the outer vertical surface of the Overlander brackets. These are available from www.WestMarine.com and would provide a very sturdy way to tie things down with regular rope. What do you think? Would cleats look bad up there? The cleats are nice and smooth and would make good handholds as well. Thank You, BoxTrooper
  • serranoserrano Member Posts: 107
    I just noticed that we have a "boxtrooper" here on the board as well as an "apexcutter." If you combine them, you get "boxcutter." Are these Trooper aficionados really terrorists that are here incognito?

    Tom
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If I were a terrorist, I know I'd be driving a trooper, you need real reliable vehicles when traversing the dessert and on "mission" critical applications...

    Imagine a terrorist driving an Envoy/Trailblazer? They'd be on their way to bomb something and wind up being late cause they had to stop and "reboot" the car!

    -mike
    PS: Not trying to trivialize Terrorism or anything, I know all too well how serious it is (works <5 blocks from WTC)
  • leedavidyoungleedavidyoung Member Posts: 102
    Hypothetically,
     I think the Trailblazer/Envoy would make an great bomb.
      Loose parts = More shrapnel.

    P.S. On a serious note, Let's pray for a successful mission and the safe return of our troops in the gulf!!
  • jrr2kjrr2k Member Posts: 35
    Amen to that LDY.

    I get what you are saying boxtrooper. I'd love to see photos of the finished product. Those Thule bars ain't cheap either!
    Well I keep workin and saving, in the end I'll probably go with the overlander 50x60 rack. I would like a rack basket for baby strollers, baby jogger stroller, baby bike trailers and also light dirty gear. I hope I can fit the Yakima snowboard component to the overlander rack and I hope the snowboard will fit inside the overlander frame. A side mounted ski carrier might also work. I will carry the bikes from the trailer hitch.
    I sure wish Troopers had a stock rack!
    I will let you all know how it turns out soon.
  • troop2shostroop2shos Member Posts: 235
    For general interest, a friend just called to advise that he survived his 4600 mile trip out to the West Coast in his '00 2wd Troop. While on I-80 in WY, he hit some wood pallets in the passing lane at 80+ at night. He advised that his new left front tire went down immediately with a sidewall gash that he could put his fingers through with little resistance - but his Troop never swayed nor deviated from his direct path to the road shoulder...adding that "I really like this truck!!!" There was no additional damage from hitting the debris. This was after he narrowly missed hitting a heard of deer & 1 large bull moose the day before. He also reported that his average MPG was 18.2 overall for the entire trip.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Whenever a new person in my trucks asks me..."aren't these the SUVs that flip over?"...I always tell them "I have only had it up on 2 wheels twice...that was only on the highway though."
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    "In North America, Isuzu will expand its successful diesel engine business while shrinking its exposure to SUVs, where competition has heated up through the use of heavy incentives."

    Isuzu banks on China, Asia for revival (Autonews)

    Steve, Host
  • ricksrlricksrl Member Posts: 17
    I made my Rack from Overland brackets and Yakima parts. Instructions are on the isuzu-suvs.com site. Very happy with it, sturdy and functional. I'm thinking about adding a third bar to carry a canoe. If anyone has done this, or would like to split the parts up, as they all come in sets of two, please let me know.
    As to the flat tire story.
    I was doing about 75mph on I-70 west of Glenwood Springs,CO passing a RV when the left rear tire blew.
    After I rolled to a stop, there was little left of the sidewall. The Trooper behaved beautifully, very stable.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Hey guys, picked up my ARB Bumper today. Gonna try to put it on on saturday. Hopefully it's a smooth install.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I made multiple trips to a sears hardware store during my install...If you need additional bolts and such, I recommend getting several lengths and a lot of washers to not have to go back...I also tried to use all grade 8 bolts...which I believe most metric sizes are by default, but keep that in mind because you probably don't want to put grade 3 on.

    Good Luck! and post pics.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Luckily for me the hardware store is close by.

    When you did yours, did it have these metal bars that had to be attached? I have the "wide-body" one which I think came out in '01 for australia.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I am not sure what you mean by Metal Bars? I had 3 main pieces. The two that mount/bolt onto the frame and then the bull bar itself which mounts/bolts to those.

    This is what I am talking about.
    http://community.webshots.com/photo/64276179/64276270zqABhL
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    That's what I was referring to. It's got 2 mounting brackets and the bumper itself.

    How did you wire in the turn signals? I haven't looked into that as of yet. I'm contemplating finding some slim fog lights to fit in there or connecting the turn signals to the parking lights.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    http://community.webshots.com/photo/64276179/64276296abbkMu

    Shows a case of Yeungling Brews! That is the key to a good install I take it! :):)

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Turn signals took me a while...only because they it intimidated me to work on electric. It was so easy it was silly. The hardest part was removing the stock turn signal to access the wires. I ended up breaking one of the plastic attachment points, fortunately I was able to crazy glue it and it held.

    Once out, you just need to find the positive and ground wires (for the blinker, not the parking lights). There are plastic clips which snap over the new lead and the ones to the turn signal, they cut into the wire and make the connection. Then a lot of electrical tape.

    Strange thing regarding turn signals...when my headlights are off, the stock and ARB ones blink in unison. When the headlights are on, the stock and ARB ones alternate. You can probably wire it up so this doesn't happen, I may have not used the ground, but the lead for parking light? I didn't check with the lights on until after I crazy glued the piece back on and had it all wrapped up...I just left it. They burn out more than not, especially on the trail when I hit water.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Have to give them props for great customer service. I have one of their bug guards and the clips/fasteners snapped/stopped working properly so I took it off before winter. Now that I'm doing some work on my Trooper I figure I should re-attach it. Called Lund to buy replacement parts and they are sending them for FREE! I didn't even ask them for it!

    -mike
  • cobbocobbo Member Posts: 34
    Aloha again, ya'll...
    Finally got a chance to check back in and saw I had missed a few pages, including some discussions about air bags back around the 7350s, seeming to stem from dtlind's accident...figured I would throw in my 2 cents with regards to the accident I had with my 2001 Trooper LTD (a little over 10,000 miles ago) which I reported back in post# 5653...just as a reminder, I ended up going head first into a guardrail about 50mph and the airbags did not deploy. Insurance spent about $12,000 in repairs on the Troop, and I passed 50,000 miles just 2 weeks ago (another 10k and it will be time to buy my 3rd set of tires for T3)...

    Anyway, figured ya'll might want to add my no firing air bags to the list, and take a look at a photo of T3's front end prior to repair...

    http://www.geocities.com/fredpollack/t3accident.html

    Hope all is well,
    -Cobbo
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    Hi Sean,

    The way you describe the blinkers alternating sounds to me like you do have the ground wrong.

    Does the parking light also flicker and vary in intensity when the blinkers and parking lights are both on?
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I don't think so but will check, they just alternate when the lights are on. I probably did use the wrong two wires...I thought about redoing it...but as I said, removing the stock lights was hardest part, and I am worried the next time I remove it will be the last. It really isn't that big of a deal to me...however I wanted to point out to anyone doing the install to check the function with lights on and off before you close it all up.
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    Great photos. Also, shows vulnurability of the Trooper to front end hits - don' tlook like much protection there at all. When the Bumper skin is removed, it shows only mounting brackets as minor protection. How about the bumper skin - is it just plastic?

    I remember years ago slowly backing a Trooper into a concrete light pole pillar. The rear bumper caved in massively.
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