Isuzu Trooper

sbcooke · January 2004

I have my name marked as private. It shows up when you are not logged in. I deleted my cookies and came back in and was logged in as guest.

sbcooke · January 2004

I notice a lot of gas smell from the exhaust? I am not sure if this is just related to starting the truck up in under 15 degree weather or if it could be a symptom of something? I just added a thing of fuel injector cleaner to see if that helps?

yumyumtreetree · January 2004

Thanks for all of the good responses on my previous post.

breakor, Just to let you know the tranny shop did pull the pan for me and showed me the metal shavings and burnt, dark-colored fluid. They are an independant shop that has been around for 30 years. To be safe though, I did get a 2nd opinion and they arrived at the same conclusion. The cost for a rebuilt tranny is just over $2k including labor. He said they might be able to subtract $500 off of that if they can save the torque converter.

Here's what really gets me thinking though. I never had any problems with the truck until I had the service at 72.5K miles. To me that means only one of two things: 1.) This was a long problem that went undiagnosed by the dealer. 2.) The dealer actually caused the problem by improper fluid level and/or spraying the metal shavings throughout the tranny during the flush.

If its #1, shouldn't the dealer be inspecting the fluid being taken out for a burning smell, dark color, or shavings?

If its #2, isn't the dealer directly responsible for the problem? BTW, both tranny shops that I am dealing with completely disagree with tranny flushes. They say it can only aggrevate a problem (e.g. metal shavings). They say dropping the pan is the only way to really perform an inspection of the transmission. Not sure, but that seemed to make sense to me.

As I said in my previous post, I have fully (ok...reluctantly) accepted the fact that I am financial responsible for the repairs. I just want to know what happened and how to do things differently next time.

greenmax · January 2004

I agree with the tranny shops completely. Flushing a tranny with high miles is just asking for trouble. It's better to do a gradual drain and refill so that the new fluid doesn't dislodge too much crud at once. What I do is every fall I buy a case of good quality ATF (last one was Pennzoil) and do several drain/refills until the case is used. It's a bit messy to get under the truck several times, but I'd rather be messy than poor. If you still want to do a flush, the safest route would be after a flush to drop the pan after a couple of hundred miles and change the filter.

greenmax · January 2004

I believe there was a good post in the Maintenance section with a picture of the EGR. It's very easy to take apart, you need to remove the plastic engine cover and the EGR valve is held by only two bolts. I used Valvoline synthetic carb cleaner but my EGR wasn't very dirty to begin with. Make sure to check the rubber hose underneath it for debris/deposits.

beer47 · January 2004

I think it depends on how you start out. Whatever method you start with you should probably stick with for the duration. I'm happy so far with flush and fill. On my '74 Hilux I am sure drain and fill will be just fine. I don't want to "shock" a 30 year old Toyota!

breakor · January 2004

I agree with Greenmax. With the miles you had, doing the flush and then replacing the filter (and fluid again in the process) shortly thereafter was the way to go. That should have removed the bits that were loosened by the fresh ATF and then got caught on the filter and settled into the pan. Not that this would have guaranteed you a successful flush, but it should have GREATLY increased your odds.

Did your dealer have an explanation for the failure after their work? Did they offer to give you any price consideration on a rebuild? Have you even asked them about this?

What did your tranny shops have to say about the situation? Specifically did they find the level to be correct? Did they think it odd that the fluid was that burnt 2.5kmis after the dealer service? The shops should be the true experts on this. Who knows they might be able to help you build a case against the dealer. A word of warning though just because your shops confirm that the dealer caused the problem doesn't necessarily mean a judge would. The dealer afterall can pack the courtroom with his experts saying they did nothing wrong.

Lastly, I believe that no one truly knows what is wrong with an AT until they tear into it. If your shop is going to install a rebuilt unit (the best option if you ask me) you may never really know what happened.

teacherjim · January 2004

I have not had the chance to get any replacement headlights yet. I do plan on getting the 9004 bulbs and hope it makes for some brighter lights

bostnwhalr · January 2004

I tried the Silverstar's and the difference was significant. Bought them for $25 on ebay (though they are usually more). Very white light. I've thought of replacing the fog light bulbs with Silverstar's but haven't gotten around to it.

foreman1063 · January 2004

Check out these lights. Found them online for $40 + S&H. This company on ebay selling for $20 including S&H. Arrived in 4 days and installed today. The wattage is the same as factory bulbs but they produce a much whiter light. I couldn't say how much brighter they actually are but they do appear to light up road much better than stock. I figured for $20 they were worth a try. I'll post later after I've run them for a while. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate- gory=36476&item=2456390524

dokolenko · January 2004

I just bought a used 2002 Trooper with 15,000 miles. The 36 month warranty expires on 8/2005 or 50,000 miles. the powertrain warranty expires 8/2007 or 60,000 miles (the original 10 year/120,000 warranty is for original purchaser only subsequent owners get the shortened warranty). Should I buy a facotory Isuzu extended warranty that would last until 8/2009 or 100,000 miles for $1,500? I plan on driving 15-20,000 miles per year.

dokolenko · January 2004

I have been researching tire and it sems the best tire now is the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo. Check out tireracks website. http://www.tirerack.com/survey/SurveyComments.jsp?additionalComme- nts=y&tireMake=Bridgestone&tireModel=Dueler+A%2FT+Revo&am- p;commentStatus=P

cracovian · January 2004

I think the best method is to actually invest the whole amount of $1500 instead of buying the warranty. Trooper is a pretty dependable machine, so the odds of something going seriously wrong for more than 1.5K are very slim.

On the other hand, the odds of it being totaled by the insurance company in a collision that involves air bag deployment are fair since the value of this truck is next to nothing on paper and it will only get worse... and you wouldn't get your warranty money back.

Seriously, keep the money invested just in case until 2009 and it might be enough to get yourself the new Thai-made Isuzu Panther when it comes to the States around that time... that's one ugly vehicle right there :-)

raydahs · January 2004

Chances are better that the dealer network in your area will cease to exist by then. You need to research if the Dealers in your area are going to be around that long and keep the competent technicians, you could wind up with some Hyundai technician guessing at your problems in the future. Try a search on "dealer" in the rectangle box, to see what others have experienced about thier dealers bailing out.

bluedevils · January 2004

with the future of Isuzu in the U.S. looking so dim, I would not buy any Isuzu-backed warranty unless they were practically giving it away. $1500 is NOT giving it away. Add-on warranties are highly negotiable because they contain a huge profit margin. For $750 it would be a fair price, but the strong chance that Isuzu dealers won't be around much longer would steer me away.

wildbuc · January 2004

Check this one out on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate- gory=6269&item=2456153746

paisan · January 2004

Warranty Direct extended warranty. So far it's been great, no issues using it.

-mike

paisan · January 2004

No matter how good a bulb you put in your trooper, the lights will be poor at best. I've had everything in mine:

PIAA Super Whites
100w Hellas
Cool Blue 80w cheapo ones

None make the lights better. I would just get some hella driving lights since the lights are so poor.

-mike

kw9 · January 2004

Does anyone have experience with block heater installation costs? The part is $40 but I can't seem to be able to get a firm price from a dealer on installation cost - my regular dealer has never done one. 1993 Trooper LS - 80000 miles. P.S. I have replaced a TCM if anyone is having issues with "check trans" light. Thanks

kw9 · January 2004

I've replaced a starter for the second time in say 15,000 miles - sounds unusual - any suggestions on what might be the problem? Just changed to Toyo tires and love them, great on highway and in ski country.

bsmart1 · January 2004

having performance trouble with your transmission or just getting the lite?? Did the TCM cure the problem? Was is a simple task to replace?

bsmart1 · January 2004

Just talked to St. Charles ISUZU about a new oil filter adapter for 1988 Trooper. Asked if there was a re-stocking fee if the part didn't prove to be bad once we get in there to see it. NO, was the answer, just send the new one back, get full credit. No shipping to boot!! What a deal!!!

kw9 · January 2004

bsmart - I went through hell for 3 years with various dealers, none of who had ever replaced a TCM so they didn't believe it was the cause. I had no problem with the transmission, just the light would come on and it would go into fail safe mode(starts in third gear). Turning the car off and restarting solved problem but wasn't long term solution. I was covered with after market insurance so it was a headache more than anything. Dealers didn't want to replace the TCM because they couldn't be sure that was the problem and didn't want to eat the $900 part cost if the new TCM didn't fix problem. Various other things , mostly electrical were replaced, while they hoped to avoid TCM. When they finally did replace TCM the problem was solved but they created ABS problem, another $500 and that was solved. Glad I had the extended coverage on a ten year old Trooper at the time!
Runs great now, I even decided to put new tires on it as I'm in for the long haul and it's great for our weekly ski trips. I have the typical burns oil problem but other than that it's running great.

kw9 · January 2004

bsmart - don't remember all details but replacing the TCM was not big expense - they do play with the ABS system with caused problems in mine probably because of age. It worked fine until they had to disconnect it which messed up the connections. They could not tell at that point which of the four connections was bad, they all tested Ok. They had to do trial and error and replaced the 2 front connections and problem was solved.

greenmax · January 2004

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040129/lath105_1.html

I wish Isuzu offered the 3.5L V6 DI engine on the Trooper, or at least the 3.0L TD.

teacherjim · January 2004

My daughter just bought a used 2001 Chevy Malibu and then bought an Extended Warranty (GM)I feel they ripped her for it, $1300 for 3 years 36,ooo miles. She did this Wed Jan 28. Can you go back and cancel this within 3 days without losing money or just a little?. Thanks for any advice.

dokolenko · January 2004

Read the contract. Honda offers a 30 day period in which to cancel

stever · January 2004

I think GM has a 60 day "free look" and most of them are cancellable at any time (less fees or pro rata charges).

Steve, Host

bawbcat · January 2004

I got to take my 98 TOD Trooper out to play in the snow last weekend, and it performed admirably. I found 4-low to be pretty useless on slick stuff, since the tires would just spin immediately, but TOD worked fine in both forward and reverse. Driving up hills, the TOD lights would bounce up and down like a christmas tree on crack. I had to wonder if this was helpful or not. On one hand, the system is presumably waiting for slippage of the rear wheels before applying full torque to the front. In snow, one you slip, you've lost any traction. On the other hand, perhaps TOD was allowing the front to maintain traction by modulating the torque. If the Trooper had a 4-high non-TOD mode, I would have done a comparisson. Without that, it's just guesswork. Anyone else have thoughts?

I must add that using the Trooper to pull a Jeep and a Rav4 out of ditches on the side of the road gave me some satisfaction.

Gotta like those factory tow hooks.

boxtrooper · January 2004

This latest ice storm in NC has given me the best opportunity to drive on ice yet. My 2001 with limited slip rear differential and manual 5 speed was much better than my previous 1995 Trooper 5 speed which did not have limited slip. The 2001 also has the Bridgestone AT/REVO tires on it which are part of its great performance on ice.
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Example: On my uphill and around a corner to get out driveway covered in an inch of ice: I had a hard time to walk to my Trooper, take a few steps up hill and slide back down a step or two, I eventually made it to the Trooper. Once inside I let the engine warm up maybe 90 seconds, then high range 1st gear I pressed the 4wd button and let out the clutch gently. To my surprize, it just drove right along like it was on clean dry pavement. I was expecting to have to chop the ice away, but got off easy this time. This is the same ice conditons that caused a contractor with a heavy 2wd 3/4 ton Ford diesel pickup to leave his truck in my drveway for 4 days a few years ago and hitch a ride home with his employees that did not park down my hilly driveway.

foreman1063 · January 2004

Just curious what part of NC you live in. I live north of Raleigh, up near the Virginia border. This was the first, good winter storm I was able to test out my 02 trooper. I was impressed! I was able to get around in deep snow drifts as well as icy grades. The LS differential allowed me to travel in 2wd at times but I preferred the feeling of confidence I got with the 4wd. I was also wondering about those front TOD lights(bawbcat). I thought they represented the amount of torque being applied to the front wheels at a given time, but any time I lost traction to the rear wheels the front lights would oscillate up and down at a consistent rate. Anyway, the trooper was great, much better in fact than my Ford, 3/4 ton, 4wd work truck. Can't wait til the next storm. P.S. I'm considering Revos all around within the next year. Would you recommend and where can I get a deal?

serrano · January 2004

The TOD measures the rpm difference between the front and rear axles and applies more pressure to the TOD clutch when it senses this rpm differential. That's why the TOD modulates. As it applies more torque to the front wheels, the rpms equalize. Not sensing any slippage, the TOD releases pressure on the clutch, which removes torque from the front axle. The back end speeds up relative to the front, and the whole cycle repeats itself over and over.

I, for one, am not keen on this cycling of the TOD. In DC last year, when we had the big snowstorm, this cycling caused the vehicle to lose momentum and traction as the TOD cycled. When it was that slippery, I found that 4LO, along with its constant torque to both axles, propelled the vehicle much better. I wish that the TOD system would sense this condition, recognize it for what it is, and temporarily lock the axles or direct continuous torque to the front for a predetermined amount of time. It already does this to a certain extent when you give it gas. Try flooring it with TOD engaged. The TOD directs torque to its middle setting, regardless of slippage, and keeps it there until you let off the gas.

I, too, just installed AT/REVOs. Great tires. Much grippier than stock.

Tom

boxtrooper · January 2004

I bought my Revos at the Firestone tire store on Wake Forest road address in the 5000's I think. I went there to look at them, and the counter guy was awsome in showing me all the different sizes and what they weigh etc.. He was able to give a good price (matched Tirerack prices) and he bought my 8 year old original spare tire that had never been used for $50 (it was still a current tire in their catalog) so I could get a set of five Revos.
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Since then, the helpful guy is gone to be a manager at another store over towards Cary I think, he deserved the promotion. When my 1995 was totalled due to air bag deployment, I used the Discount tire at Six Forks and Wake Forest for swapping the 2001 original tires with all five Revos. (I left the 1995 up on jacks and filled the back of the 2001 with 5 tires) They offer a quick and trustworthy free repair, rotate and balance on the Revos since they put them on for me. And I like the people there. Discount Tire is where my wife's 2 minivans got three sets of Michelins so far.

greenmax · January 2004

I hear alot about this tires lately. How long do they last you and is the performance diminished significantly as the tread wears out?

boxtrooper · February 2004

Mine have 20K - 25K on them so far. I settled for 255/70 when I had ordered a larger size tire and the order was filled with load range E tires by mistake and I was in a hurry to go North. So I was hoping that they would wear out faster than they are. They still look nearly new and work great.
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Revos have the unitaq-T-II or some name for a tire designed to expose softer rubber as the tread wears down, they say this preserved traction as they wear. This feature was important to me since I want maximum stopping power at all times. Along with wanting the tire to keep performing long time, I buy the correct load range for the Trooper to get the right rubber hardness and I do not wait until the very last to change them.
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On my 1984 Trooper I went through the original tires in 24K miles. Rubber flaps were hanging loose off the tread and the rear tires had noticeably (you could tell from 10 feet away) less tread left than the front ones after a drive to Alaska and back, the many hundreds of miles of dirt Alcan Highway were hard on the tires, I am to blame since I was sliding the turns on the gravel road most of the time. Anyway, with my 1984 I went with a larger size tire and a larger load rating. I got 90K miles on the Big-O tires I bought in Idaho, these died from an off raod blowout even though the tread still looked OK to me. On that trip I had a womens libber girlfriend with me and she insisted on changing the tire for me even though it was in mud and she needed help to lift the spare and loosen the lug nuts. She got quite a workout, I got entertainment. Next set of tires was also heavy duty type but of a generic brand, this set also went 90K. I changed this set after a long battle with what I thought was an alingment problem, it was out of round tires, they balanced just fine, but they no longer would roll straight. I replaced these with a set of used tires that had less tread on them than the 90K tires. I had an emergency stop situation on I-77 near Akron with the higher load range tires the brakes stopped the tires but the tires started sliding and there was much smoke and the traffic ahaed of me started moving again just in time to avoid a collision. I noticed that I was suddenly surrounded by a smoke cloud from my tires. Later I discovered that my front brakes were sticking on the calier pins and not working as they should and that caused the rear tires too much stopping load which caused the rear tires to be the ones that smoked.
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I have drifted hoplessly away from the subject. Sorry about that.
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I recommend the Revos highly. For me at least they seem to have great grip on everything from ice to wet pavement to Uwharrie off road and a long life.
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The Revos are much quieter than a AT tire, about as quiet as a regular M/S tire. But if quiet is your top priority then get the Dueler H/L or the Michelin SUV tire with the "North American Tread". "North American Tread" refers to tires that have a continuous tread at the outside edged to trap the noise.
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Too Long so I'll stop now

boxtrooper · February 2004

In 1984 the Troopers original tires came with inner tubes inside!!!

paisan · February 2004

Has gotten me out many many snow jams that 4-hi/4-low would have had me spinning all 4 wheels. Also good in mud. We've debated here this a lot and it's just a preference thing I guess. I'm used to just punching the gas during slippage (that's how AWD works best) from my subies, so it comes natural for me to punch it in a slipery situation.

-mike

PS: Last time I was at Uwharrie I did the whole weekend in TOD just to prove the point

teacherjim · February 2004

Boxtrooper,
I bought a Trooper when they first came out in 1984!, It was silver and I had red/silver tape graphics on the side of it, it was really sharp. Did you know that the backseat was a option?, if you wanted it it was a dealer installed option. I kept the truck for 4 years 88,000 miles.

boxtrooper · February 2004

I bought my 1984 Trooper new also. There were three of these never seen before tall boxy station wagons on the lot in San Diego. I wanted the red one but someone had already bought. So I asked about the blue one and that was taken also. Then I test drove the Beige one 39 miles in all modes and loved it. It had vinyl floor mats and no stripes. I really liked the volume inside, Troopers are one of those vehicles that seem like you can park another one just like it inside. I traded away a 1964 Corvair Eight Door Greenbriar Deluxe rear engine van. I had been using the van offroad and on a couple occations I went places with is where 4x4 S10 pickup or other people worried about their 4x4 turned back. I went up slopes so steep that I had to ask my passengers to step out so the engine would have the power to push it up. I had my buddy walk the mud ahead to see if it was too deep etc.. The Greenbriar was far better than a "roll bar landcruiser" on ice roads over mountain passes going skiing.
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The Trooper was much better at going places than the van of course. And I took it imediately to the 4x4 trails where I got comments like how can you bring that brand new truck out here?
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I drove it 201K miles and finally decided to get a new Trooper with air conditioning since I had by then moved to NC where summer is hot and sticky. It ran perfecly except for a power steering tensioner pulley that went out due to poorly desiged bearings. I had a tiny drip from the water pump at 140K so I changed the water pump and all belts just that once. I also changed the alternator once. And the original battery looked like something out of a motorcycle so I changed that to support the KC Daylighters on my Alaska trip......

bawbcat · February 2004

I attempted to clean my EGR system this weekend, and have gotten CEL a few times since. Disconnecting the battery clears the CEL, and I'm hoping it will stay gone after I drive a little bit more. Does disconnecting the battery permanently clear any fault codes stored in the computer? I don't want something showing up next time I go to get my emissions checked.

troopernewbie · February 2004

This is very strange. My fan blower motor has a problem. Sometimes when I get in it's not working. The only thing I've found that will get it going it to switch back and forth between fresh air and recirulated air. How can this be? I've done it enough to be sure.

I don't have a problem replacing the motor if that's really the problem, but how can a stalled blower motor be related to the fresh/recirc flapper? I thought maybe the flapper pushed a little air through and that got it going, but yesterday when it happened I left it alone and rolled down the windows as I got on the highway. Nothing... until I moved the flapper. Any ideas?

bburman · February 2004

Hell-o, I'm new here. Just a quick question. We have a '97 Trooper with 93k miles. Does this engine use a timing belt and if so when should it be changed? Thank you.
Brian

dnestr · February 2004

yes, it's time to do it.

coastie007 · February 2004

I have been researching many SUV's and found that besides gas; the Trooper just plain rules. I just joined the Coast Guard recently and will be driving from indianapolis, IN to Laguna Beach, CA. I know that might not be my only long drive so the SUV has to be extremly comfortable, i hear the trooper takes the cake there too. In Cali i will get my chance to test the 4x4 on trails, until i get back home 4 months later in october to hopefully test my 4x4 in the chicago snows where i will then be stationed.
A couple quick questions, used to own a piece of crap Geo Tracker (first car and budget was tight), so i definitly know all about the roll ratings, so i am well aware of how the trooper might fell while turning, is there anything i can do that could help make me feel like the trooper isn't leaning so much in turns for example without jeopardizing myself by ACTUALLY making the trooper more rollable? I have heard of shocks that are more stiff but know there are a heck of alot of options, know nothing about shocks, and to me sounds like stiff shocks would make for a better roll rate.
The other question is basically . . . Anything else i should know about the trooper? Thanks for the help all!

dnestr · February 2004

"Anything else i should know about the trooper?"

Keep an eye on its oil level. They are oil gluttons as a rule.

sdc2 · February 2004

In approximate order I would do them:

- replace sway bar bushings. Cheap and easy and surprisingly effective. How-to on isuzu-suvs.com.

- better shocks. I recommend OME Nitrochargers or Rancho 9000s if you are going off-road, but almost any decent shock will be better than the stock ones.

- stiffer Calmini sway bars.

- stiffer OME rear coils will help body roll, and provide about 1.5" lift, and better load/towing handling in general.

- stiffer Sway-Away front torsion bars.

coastie007 · February 2004

What about the box like shape and it's effect on the highway? I would assume it does alot of swaying and takes alot of correction while on the highway?

coastie007 · February 2004

In doing these things to help the anti-roll feel, does it make me more liable to roll in being that it isn't absorbing as much of the roll? and do you know the aproximate prices? Thanks for the advice thus far by the way

sbcooke · February 2004

It is great on the highway and not as effected by wind as you would think. It is a little noisy at those speeds, not bad, but not a luxury sedan. It doesn't sway, rather it is quite smooth.

The trooper has been know for some directional steering issues, it is a truck and most car shops cannot align it or service the tires properly. Since it is so heavy it tends to follow the curvature of the road more than a car. Myself as well as others on this board have had a pull to the left or right that took a "good" alignment shop to fix. Nothing major, but frustrating when you go to a firestone to get something resolved, it isn't, and then you have to research and pay a "good" place to do it. I recommend if you are in need of an alignment or have a pull, get on some tech forums first and find out good places before you bring it in.

I added the OME shocks front a rear and they are great. I have a bullbar and with stock shocks the ride was degraded, when I added the OMEs, the ride with the bullbar was much better than stock. Try www.rocky-road.com to start for shocks.

sdc2 · February 2004

Well, I never rolled, even when the Exploder t-boned me at 50 mph. Consumer Reports not withstanding, the Trooper is only about average for SUV rollovers per 100,000 miles driven.

Any lift (as with the OME springs) will make you somewhat more likely to roll, that's simple physics.

But I don't think stiffer anti-roll upgrades will make you more likely to roll from a physical standpoint. The biggest danger is that psychologically you might drive faster than you should because you don't have the same amount of tippyness warning you before you actually go over.

If you are a driver that pays attention to his vehicle's handling characteristics you probably will be fine.

Isuzu Trooper

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