Isuzu Trooper

bluedevils · February 2004

that sounds outrageous. I paid about 80 bucks when I had 'em replaced a year ago.

teacherjim · February 2004

I had my transfer case replaced at about 45,000 miles. The TOD was not working, the lights just kept flashing when I engaged it. The warranty paid for it. Now I'm just over 50,000 miles and hope nothing major goes. Even though I'm on the 10/120 warranty now it's getting hard to find an Isuzu dealership within 150 miles to take it too. If the problems are minor I will start paying out of my pocket,even if it's warranty as it's a day off work and about 300 miles rountrip. Needs to be expensive to be worth the time. It's sad that Isuzu has gone the way they have. I wish Chevy would take over the warranty part because they are everywhere.

bluedevils · February 2004

I think the 3.5L engine in Hondas is totally unrelated to any 3.5L GM engines.

The Honda 3.5L engine from 1999-2002 or so, at least the one in the Odyssey which I believe is basically the same one in other Honda/Acura vehicles (e.g. Acura RL and MDX), is a SOHC, 24-valve unit. It made 205-210hp from '99-'01 in Ody, and was tweaked to 240hp for '02. It makes varying amounts of hp in other Honda/Acura vehicles.

I have never heard anything about GM buying a 3.5L engine from Honda. That doesn't make it untrue, but I have never heard that. I've heard about the newish 3.5L engine in the '04 Malibu. It makes 200hp. But I thought it was still an overhead valve design.

mkaye · February 2004

Is the Saturn Vue SUV.
They are using the Honda motor.
Does 0 to 60 in under 8 seconds with that motor -if you're into that sort of thing.
From Edmunds:
"The big news this year is the replacement of the torquey but unrefined 3.0-liter V6 with a 3.5-liter V6 built by Honda. With 250 horsepower at the ready, the Vue is easily the fastest of the mini-utes for 2004."
Same basic motor as in the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX.

paisan · February 2004

Bad news....

Looks like they are only gonna do the coilpack and my plugs ($200 is plugs including labor, the plugs alone are like $15, which I believe cause I paid $9/each from my distributor) They say the code for the cat isn't in there, so I said ok, no problem, when the CEL comes back on i'll bring it back for the cats cause I know the cat one was on before I messed with the coilpack...

-mike

bluedevils · February 2004

So this 3.5L Honda motor in the Vue is in no way related to the 3.5L in the 2004 Chevy Malibu?

250hp is a lot for a vehicle the size of the Vue.

bawbcat · February 2004

Followup my previous post. After further investigation, it appears that the Reese model 33043 hitch for the Trooper does not use a V-shaped design as shown in most of the pictures. The installation instructions show a traditional straight sqare cross member between the frame mounts. Makes sense, since I'm sure it's cheaper to build that way. I think the V design is used only in some applications where there is a spare tire mounted on the underside of the vehicle.

grayarea · February 2004

the shop book cleared up some things about ABS for me. thought i'd share. (1997 Trooper S, BTW.)

-there is a G-sensor that "detects the vehicle deceleration rate", but i cannot figure out HOW it does that. _IF_ the G-sensor reads the speedometer, then tire size could (indirectly) affect the ABS. no idea how much, since were only talking a few MPH here.

-Each wheel has a sensor measuring whl speed. if a wheel's speed is near 0, ABS pulses the brake at that wheel. Regardless of what happens at other wheels. (Except in the rear which has only one hydrolic line feeding both RWs. if one RW is near 0, i think both brake sets pulse.)

-the chap that dreamed up ABS was quite a Mr. Clever-Drawers.

paisan · February 2004

ABS does not activate below like 10mph. G-sensor doesn't use the ABS, it probably uses the Airbag sensor which is a G-sensor.

-mike

cptsesso · February 2004

Is that on all vehicles or just the Trooper? My Axiom's ABS definately activate below 10mph, heck even below 5mph. Many times while coming to a stop below 10mph I have hit some ice or snowy spots and the ABS activates.

boxtrooper · February 2004

And each wheel seems independent. I rolled to a stop with one front wheel passing over ice, the ABS activated.

serrano · February 2004

The ABS has to deactivate at some speed. Otherwise, you could never completely stop a wheel. It's somewhere around 5-10 mph.

bawbcat · February 2004

If the brakes were pulsing, you would still come to a stop. Think about it. But speed is taken into acount, I just don't know how. If ABS deactivates strictly based on speed, then what happens if you are driving on ice and slam on the brakes. All wheels would stop, speed = 0 as far as the vehicle knows, but ABS still works doesn't it? On the other hand, if you are sitting stopped and you press on the brakes, ABS doesn't activate. I would venture a guess that the system knows something about rate of change of speed also, so that it can differentiate between stopped wheels and a stopped vehicle.

Disclaimer: I'm not an ABS engineer, and I don't even play one on TV. I'm just postulating here.

breakor · February 2004

Same disclaimer same postulating.

The system is activating and deactivating the brakes in milliseconds only when it detects a stopped (i.e. locked wheel). Hence the term antiLOCK. Presumably in the milliseconds that the brakes are off the system can detect if a given wheel starts spinning again. If it detects such movement it continues to pulse the brakes. When no spinning is detected in the brakes off mode the system knows the car is stopped.

No doubt in a true sheet ice situation, brakes of any kind are only as good as the tire grip or lack thereof.

grayarea · February 2004

-lowest speed wheel sensors can read is 3mph (97Troop. YMMV). so, you--I--need to be moving fast enough so that when i slam on brakes:
1) the wh sensors can take a reading and
2) g-sens reads a sharp enough decel to alert the ABS computer.

-shop book doesn't say what speed the ABS system en-gages or dis-. some troubleshooting procedures call out a 12mph (20 km/h) threshold on certain tests. about the 10mph that mike guessed. (but, if your ABS activates under 10mph, i aint gon' call ya a liar.)

-BTW, mike, i discovered that there are separate g-sensors for the ABS and the air bags. (SRS-in dash; ABS-under center console.) probably that way in case one G-Sens goes bad. it'd only affect one safety system. FWIW.

-getting back to the original issue...
it doesn't appear that tire size would confuse the ABS system.

paisan · February 2004

The ABS system also uses wheel differential speeds. If the system reads 20mph, 20mph, 3mph, 20mph, it will activate the anti-lock on the 3mph wheel. Of course all this happens in milliseconds. This is also how traction control works on a lot of newer vehicles (non-isuzu) it uses those same sensors to indicate a wheel that is spinning due to throttle, and will apply the brake to that wheel and force the power to the other 3.

-mike

mkaye · February 2004

So maybe there will be a 2005 Trooper?
SUV PRODUCT PLANNING
**Manager, Product Planning & Analysis** (RIS-01-04)
Position Location: Cerritos, CA
Develops and implements near-term product plans of Japan and U.S. developed vehicles to meet the needs of ISZA, ISZA dealers, and the U.S. market. Product plans encompass design, features, content, pricing, information and ordering guides.

boxtrooper · February 2004

Who on this list will take this job so we can have an ear in Isuzu and help keep them on the right track?

chas2 · February 2004

Would like to do rear brakes myself. Does anyone have some helpful experience doing this type of repair.

Thanks Chuck
K-O-T

coastie007 · February 2004

The nissan murano has a 245 hp engine in it. Though it is a CVT, that is still a big engine too. I am noticing these small ute's having larger engines. The next honda element, will have a 4 cylinder 200+ hp engine, that's a heck of a lot for a 4 banger. It is also the same basic motor as in the honda odysesy, (parents own one). Great engine, smooth and you know you have a strong lasting engine.

On another note, test drove my first Trooper the other day. Had to go 400 miles to get to it, then once i got there, found out it was not a 2002 LS as advertised, but actually a 2001 S. I was extremly pissed off with this. Drove it anyways and sneered and snickered at every remark the salesman made during the drive. Told me he had some others and i said no thanks and left.
Has anyone had a problem with the engine consuming less then the 15 mpg of gas in the city as stated per manual? What kind of mileage everyone getting? And does anyone want to address the oil guzzling situation a little more, does it mean a bad engine i should be aware of?
AND (know you must be tired by now) i have read posts about a problem with the engine reving and taking off while stopped and the engine loosing power/acceleration while on long drives when you try to accelerate. Is this a recurring problem, or is there a fix that cures this and that is that?

coastie007 · February 2004

Anyone have an 85th anniversary eddition? Can you tell me about the stereo, i can't find specs on the speakers, the radio (RDS?), wattage etc . . . or any of it, Kinda curious as to what the 85th offers.

tkevinblanc · February 2004

I've never gotten 15 mpg around town in my Trooper, but my drives are very short (less than 5 miles), all stop and go. The worse possible situation for mileage.

Many Trooper engines consume oil. Not all of them, and not usually to excess, but many of them do consume oil. I use about a quart every 2K, regardless of what I do.

I have never heard of uncontrolled engine revving from a stop or losing power on a long trip. Of course, there are all sorts of things that can go wrong with any sophisticated engine system.

How can an inline Honda 4 cyl engine be basically the same engine as the V6 in the Odessey?

200+ HP from a 4 cyl is not all that much any more. From a normally aspirated 4 cyl it's a lot, but Subaru is getting close to 300 HP from their heavily turbocharged flat four.

boxtrooper · February 2004

Try http://www.cars.com and buy direct from an owner that has taken good care of their Trooper. Sales people are only there to take your money, they usually don't have a clue about the vehicle except they have the few answers that help them make the sale. Get free Mozilla FireFox or NetScape7 so you can use tabbed browsing by just a middle click, this will let you compare lots of Troopers quickly. Saving time takes a lot of pain out of the process. You can save a set of tabs as a folder of bookmarks so you can start back up where you left off easily. http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

I get around town at 17mpg, but my around town is 60% at 45mph 30% at 35 mph and 10% sitting at lights. In winter I get less maybe 15 mpg to 16 mpg around town. Highway at 65mph is 21mpg, 72mph is 19mpg subtract 1mpg for winter temperatures or winter mix fuel or whatever it is that makes winter mpg lower.
..
"Oil Guzzling" is a problem with every car company. Most have a rule than consuming < 1 quart per 1000 miles is acceptable. Most people don't change their own oil and they won't know about their oil consumption unless it is so bad that the oil idiot light comes on, hence the recommended oil change every 3000 miles before the light comes on. I have owned 3 Troopers and the firt one, a 1984 used 1 quart / 1000 miles and a fought to have that repaired and was told it is acceptable, that engine drove me 201K miles and was still running strong when sold. My other two Troopers since, a 1995 and a 2001 seem to use no noticeable oil at all, unless I am driving really hard, when the 1995 used 0.5 quarts per 1000 miles pulling a 4000# trailer 70+ mph a long distance on hot summer days.
..
I use synthetic oil. I think dino oil is adequate for 3000 mile oil changes to go 200K miles without trouble as I did on the 1984 Trooper. I believe that the synthetic oils do provide better lubrication over a wider temperature range and so I began using it when I started towing and have stayed with it since.
..
I think it is best to stick with one oil brand to eliminate the posible interactions between different additives. I add no additional oil additives ever to the oil.
..
I can't answer for the revving problem, never had any such problem.

sdc2 · February 2004

"i have read posts about a problem with the engine reving and taking off while stopped and the engine loosing power/acceleration while on long drives when you try to accelerate. Is this a recurring problem, or is there a fix that cures this and that is that"

I have never heard of this, either...you gotta stop hanging out at ITOG! ;-)

stever · February 2004

You can also open multiple copies of your current browser and use the "tabs" in your Task Bar in Windows. Lots of people still don't know about multitasking this way.

Steve, Host

trooper02 · February 2004

Please help. I just replaced the stereo in my 02 Trooper with the after market CD player. But the CD player does not have two female connectors for the antenna Is there any adapter for this? and where can I purchase one?

I really appreciate your help.

mkaye · February 2004

I believe this to be a sticky situation. My understanding with the dual diversity antenna system is that the radios are specifically made to work with them. There is not an adapter as far as I know. Crutchfield.com may have some information. I do know this has been discussed. If you go to the Isuzu Owner's Club here at Edmunds and search for antenna or diversity you may find some information.

The answer may be to use only one of the antenna leads OR put in an aftermarket antenna.

The sticking point is that there is an amplifier IN the antenna lead somewhere. There should be a powered wire to operate the amplifier. If you have a power antenna lead from the new radio, it may hook up to the amp lead and power it appropriately. I recall reading this, don't know the correctness of this suggestion. I recall most have had no/poor FM function otherwise.

Hope it works.

paisan · February 2004

You need a splitter IIRC. I have an aftermarket stereo, the other key is that you need to put the power antenna lead onto the harness to power the amplifier.

-mike

mkaye · February 2004

I have an Anniversary Edition. The Nakamichi is the same radio made stock in the 2002 Limited. It is a TD-35Z - 45W/channel. As to the speakers, I believe they are the same as in the standard Troopers. Perhaps the tweeters mounted behind the power side mirrors are different(?). Either way, the speakers are fairly low quality. If you do a search, people have replaced them with better units.

coastie007 · February 2004

I read my post after i posted it, not a good idea of course. I don't know what i was writing, but i was thinking about the posts being written earlier talking about the acura MDX's engine and some others. No relation between element and odyssey engines, obviously. Just thought i would help clear up that the odyssey uses the same engine as acura uses for alot of its.

I am surprised no one here has heard of the revving and other problem i mentioned. I went on NHTSA under complaints and found a couple of problems, this was one i noticed. Check it out, it's quite interesting. Definitly good that no ones heard of it though.

coastie007 · February 2004

actually worth the extra money? I don't care if it's "pearl white" or not, i like the color but the truck is fine in pretty much any color. Leather and wood trim would be nice, but being my job might keep me from being the most clean, i would hate to dirty my leather upholstry, and have dust/dirt all over my wood grain.

mkaye · February 2004

Is ANY option package worth it? Only you can answer.
The Anniversary package is basically the Limited without the sunroof, compass, outside temperature indicator, barometer, and altimeter. Also different wheels.
As to resale/buying used, I don't think the Anniversary Package adds much $$. It is still an LS not a Limited.

foreman1063 · February 2004

I had the same antenna problem on my 02 trooper recently when I installed an Alpine cd deck. After a lot of investigating and some good advice from other trooper owners a solution was found. 1st I plugged the larger of the 2 antenna plugs into the cd player, then I hooked the power antenna wire from the cd player to the brown/red stripe wire(amplifier) in the trooper stereo wiring harness. Now I have reception as good as the factory unit. Hope this helps. Good luck!

paisan · February 2004

That's what I did foreman, it was a while ago, and I forgot that is how we did it. I had to get an extension of the antenna wire I think.

-mike

trooper02 · February 2004

Guys,

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it.

I'll try it as Paisan & Foreman1063 mentioned above this weekend. Again, Thank you.

paisan · February 2004

Ok, so the plugs cost ~$100 installed which wasn't bad at all. They replaced the coil pack under warranty (extended through Warranty Direct) It was a royal PITA getting things squared away with Warranty Direct due to the split bill and their fax machine being busy a lot.

When I get back from VA next week, hopefully the CEL for the cats will be back on and they can fix that when I bring it in for the Transfer case next week.

Nice touch they did wash it and nearly detailed it for me, got out some of the heavy scratches from when I got whacked in the side over a year ago. I was pretty impressed by that

-mike

bluedevils · February 2004

Our 98 Trooper passed 100,000 miles yesterday. It was a very satisfying moment. I look around at our truck and think about how solid it still is and how well put-together it still feels and looks. It is impressive. I hope the 2nd 100k miles are as enjoyable and trouble-free as the 1st 100k.

makaye · February 2004

NOT mine
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/409927

amigo_john · February 2004

First, they used to put those little wheels on cars that stuck out a mile, now they put the giant ones with the 25 inch rims that still rotate when the vehicle is standing still.

Is it really true when you get old that the music gets too loud and the wheels start looking bigger?

I think I'll stick with my stock rims, they look better than that crap and are paid for!

makaye · February 2004

And we start wearing our pant waistband higher and higher :-)

drdmoore · February 2004

HELP!! My 2000 Trooper whines annoyingly whenever I lift partially off the excellerator pedal on the highway at almost any speed. It goes away when I completely lift off the excellerator or press on the excellerator pedal to speed up. Has anyone had similar problems? What can I do about it?

ostaz · February 2004

I own a 99 Trooper, very happy with it, but was looking to purchase a 2000+ Trooper with lower millage and balance of warranty.

Last week, my company agreed to lease a company car for me, and the first thing that came to mind was a Trooper. Since I will be working with clients, I would like to find a Limited, but so far no luck. Does anyone have stats on how many Limited Trooper as a percentage of production were made? or experience with searching for a Limited?

dnestr · February 2004

The company, which supplies in customer's ordering the US used vehicles to our market, had been looking for my '99 Trooper/Limited for a quite long time. They offered me Acura SLX a few times. I knew they were a pair of twins, but "Trooper" sounded much better for me. So it was complicated a bit and took them a month to get the Trooper, if I remember right. Sure, in your case a degree of possibility to find what you want is higher than I had. Good luck. I nearly forgot to tell you it was in fall 2002. Perhaps, the things have changed since.

btw, Isuzu could make better those "wooden" interior panels . It is not itself.

Makaye, the Trooper looks like a carriage and no pair

bluedevils · February 2004

Our 98 Trooper developed this problem about 10,000 miles ago. I lived with it for a while and finally sprayed some WD-40 on some of the cabling behind the accelerator pedal, down in the driver's footwell. That did the trick. No more squeaking.

Advice: do this when you don't need to drive the truck for at least a few hours, and leave the windows down. I made the mistake of spraying WD-40 while at a destination 2 hours from home, and it was fairly nauseating to drive 2 hours back home with a strong scent of WD-40 in the cabin.

raydahs · February 2004

Need more data, where is the whine coming from? inside the cabin, engine bay, exhaust and so on. Is it only on the highway or does it do it under acceleration from signals?

drdmoore · February 2004

The noise seems to be coming from under the car, in the area of the rear asle or the differential? (I am illiterate when it comes to auto mechanic things.) And I only hear it when I ease of the accellerator a little, but the accelerator is still partially depressed. It disappears when accelerating or when coasting with the foot of the accelerator. I hope this helps you to help me!!!!! THANKS!!!!!!!!

raydahs · February 2004

Hmm...Weird situation, from what you've described, it almost sounds like a back pressure issue with the exhaust system. Possibly something inside the catalytic converter or muffler is broken? It doesn't sound like it's doing it consistently under a (torque) load though, so you could possibly eliminate the U-joints and differential. I don't know, thier are alot of knowledgeable people on here (weekdays) that will get you through it...hang tight, someone will get you going in the right direction. You might want to post the mileage also.

makaye · February 2004

Sounds like the classic symptoms of a worn/bad pinion gear bearing or worn ring & pinion gears in the rear differential. A whine heard while using just enough throttle to keep some engine RPM, but not quite enough to hold speed or accelerate usually is pinion gear bearing wear or excessive ring and pinion gear clearance due to worn gears.
Try here:
http://www.differentials.com/diagnose.html
And here:
http://www.ring-pinion.com/tech/techg0198.html
Here is a good blow-up of a rear diffy (pinion bearing is #25).
http://www.web-masters.com/gms/rear_axle.html
It can also be bad wheel bearings, especially if heard around corners vs. straight line though i'd wager the former.

drdmoore · February 2004

Thank you so much for your help. It does sound like a pinion bearing problem. I will take it by a mechanic shop and have them check it out!

raydahs · February 2004

Wow, someone always has the answer here! Ya learn something new every day, those links are keepers. Still curious about the mileage, and the service history though?

Isuzu Trooper

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