Isuzu Rodeo

drmp · April 2002

I read an article on an auto mechanic journal about hand tightening the studs in a gradual and even fashion. Actually, the topic was about wheel vibration and not having the wheels seated properly. Regardless, it still emphasizes proper torque applic to the studs.

What's up with the hard start. My '99 Passport takes about 3-4 engines turns before it fires up. It doesn't change even if I start it immediately or wait for the chime to end. Any insight? Please help.

tapone1 · April 2002

Merlins corporate office called. They are going to step up to the plate and help me out with this one. Actually, they claim that was the plan all along (they have been the only ones to take the wheels on and off). Still playing phone tag with Isuzu as to whether or not there is a common problem with studs on Isuzus in general.

armtdm · April 2002

When I had some tires mounted last year the shop also stated to me that this was a common problem with Isuzu studs, break them all the time. Now whether they are incorrectly over torqued I don't know but I cannot remember ever having any shop break the lugs before on any car I have owned.

keepontroopin · April 2002

I am going to have to disagree with you on this one buddy. I have been driving Isuzus since 1986 and on my '86 Trooper, 89 Amigo and '94 trooper the studs always were breaking and stripping. They were definately using an inferior stud compared to all the other manufacturers. I understand they are spec'ed to a certain torque setting, but maybe the torque setting was simply too low. I don't know of anyone else who ever had the stud problems I have had. Hell I even had them break when taking the lugs OFF myself with a tire iron. That simply should not happen.

dielectric7bb · April 2002

Studs usually don't break when you put on the lugs, they break when you take them off. It's becasuse the last time that they were put on, they were over torqued. Now when you try to undo it, it's all jacked up and bam.

paisan · April 2002

What Die said. Also I wheel with Monteros, Isuzus, Suzukis, Fords, Dodges, etc. They all have broken studs due to tireshops and/or dealers improperly torquing down on em. Heck here on the TH there was a lot of discussion about a year or 2 ago about Durango studs breaking with the same problem being the root cause. Maybe they torque setting was lower than other makes for Isuzu, but the manufacturer makes the rules by which the mechanics need to live by.

-mike

PS: It's funny that we are bickering and complaining about stud bolts, the guys in the Trailblazer/Envoy are having major issues with their trucks!

bburton2 · April 2002

I am thinking about buying a 2000 Rodeo. It is fairly priced and very clean with only 28000 miles. However, I have heard that older models had problems with cracked head, head gaskets, and valve gaskets. I was wondering if anyone has had these, or any other major problems with their Rodeos. I have two days to make the deal, so I need some advice. Please help!! Thanks!

paisan · April 2002

The only problems for late models isuzus has been intake manifold gaskets that sometimes crap-out. Other than that no problems. Also on 98 and some early 99 Rodeos they had wheel balaning problems, but that was fixed by early 99.

-mike

norml1 · April 2002

I have a 2000 Rodeo LS 4WD. Love it, EXCEPT -
there is an irritating squeak that seems to be emanating from the rear on the passenger's side. It sounds like it could be suspension related because it gets more active and louder on bumpy roads. I'm calling the dealer next week, it's still under warranty, but I'd like to be able to make some intelligent suggestions as to the possible source. Anyone have similar experiences and solved it?
I took my wife 4-wheeling yesterday on a sand road in the Oregon Dunes. Quite an experience as much of the time the car was floating on sand while digging its way through. Performed great! I made sure to keep the speed up a bit, but it handled like a dream and we never got stuck. I did learn that I need new shocks - there's about 28,000 miles on the truck and I bottomed out several times. I'm most interested in shocks that will smooth out the highway ride a bit. I've seen Monroe's mentioned before. Will they do the job and still allow me to do some mild off-roading occasionally?

paisan · April 2002

Could be from the rear hatch/door seal? Try spraying silicone on the door seals and see how it works.

-mike

amigo_john · April 2002

The front seat belt bolt down by the console is bad about squeaking, especially on bumps. It can sound like it is coming from the back. My 2001 had it and the dealer put a rubber grommet between the bolt and the belt and it stopped the noise. Yours is probably something else but I thought I'd mention it as both of my Isuzu's had this squeak. I drove mine in a parking lot and unfastened my seat belt and the squeak stopped so that's how I figured it out. Good luck.

amigo_john · April 2002

You could do the old Jeep owner's trick, just turn the radio up a little louder ;-)

mkaye · April 2002

That's funny. Never had 'big' problems with my 89 Jeep Cherokee, however, always had little ones that were either poor engineering or build quality. Since they didn't really affect anything and usually couldn't be fixed, that's what I did, just turned up the radio.

Did have the one great experience. Had so much manufacturing slag in the water jackets that the radiator got plugged going across the desert in the middle of summer. Had to actually run the heater full-blast with air temp at 115 degrees plus till I got to the next town. That fixed the cooling problem since there was so much condensation behind the gauge faces that I couldn't read the temp.

What was the marketing tag-line, "Only in a Jeep."

paisan · April 2002

Also they have a slogan "It's Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand..." One of the Isuzu guys over on the 4x4 Wire made stickers that say "I don't want to understand..."

-mike

amigo_john · April 2002

That reminds me of the time the radiator on my 85 Golf Diesel slowly started heating up in the summer of 99 and it got to where I had to run the heater wide open to keep it from overheating. Imagine running uphill through downtown Birmingham, AL traffic in July with the heater going wide open! A Sauna on wheels!!! I looked for a new radiator for 2 weeks but the diesel one was too hard to find so I pulled the old one to see if I could salvage it. Turns out the fins were full of dirt grease and dog hair. Dog hair??? Hmmm. Anyway the AC coils in front were much wider than the radiator ones so all of the crap passed right through them and stuck in the radiator. I whipped out the 409 and garden hose and cleaned it and ran lime away thru the innards and slapped it back in. Good for another 250,000 miles! This car is my only non-isuzu and it has over 250k and is still on the original clutch! How's that for reliability!

jadel · April 2002

Considering buying one. Any major problems,timing belt change(60000,70000,90000 miles),any suggestions are welcome.

csb1 · April 2002

Could anyone tell me WHERE the G-sensor is located on a 1997 Rodeo, and what exactly it does?

My firend's Rodeo has been diagnosed with a bad G-sensor, but we can't seem to find where it is or whether we can get the part aftermarket.

Thanks!

ccampbell4 · April 2002

Can anyone tell me how to disable the keyless entry horn sound on a 98 Rodeo? I tried using the manual and it doesn't work. The wording doesn't make sense either. It's like a direct translation from Japanese or something.

amigo_john · May 2002

The 4 cyl was also used in the amigo and pup truck and everyone I know that has had one has gotten a lot of miles from them. I have the 2.2 in my 98 Amigo and have had no problems at all and my mileage is usually 20-21 city and 23 highway. I would expect similar results from a 4 cyl Rodeo. The 4 cyl has enough power to get around town but you can forget about towing or 4-wheeling.

texasrose2 · May 2002

I bought my Rodeo last April and took it on a trip in August and put about 3000 miles on a vehicle that only had 2000 miles on it. When I returned by hubby noticed bad tire wear. I took it in and the dealership said that it was out of alignment when I got it. So they fixed it and now 8 months later its out of alignment again. I took it in and the dealer told me that the alignment was out of warranty since the vehicle has over 10k miles. Also since they were already rotating the tires, I needed to have that done first and then drive it for awhile to see if maybe the would fix the problem. Maybe I would not need an alignment at all. (still trying to understand that one). I visited this board before I bought my Rodeo and I thought someone who had alot of alignment problems said there is a special machine or tool or thing that they can do to fix this problem? I have never had a vehicle that went out of alignment so easily. Mudflaps are ok-no wear like someone else suggested.

Second, I was wondering if anyone had this problem. Its only happened a couple of times and the dealership said they would need more information to diagnosis the problem. What happens is I will be going down the highway with the power button on and it will go into the winter mode without that button being pushed. Even when I pushed the button and released it the light stayed on. Eventually it went off by itself. You could feel the rodeo losing power. Also on another day I started up my rodeo and it was in winter mode with it being 70's degrees out and the button was not pushed and I could only get it to go off after I was over 20 miles an hour. Any feedback on that would be appreciated.

Third, what are the best shocks to put on my 2001 Rodeo and what places are great to take your rodeo into? I am in the Dallas, Texas area. I hate taking any car into any repair/dealership since I am a woman I feel they are gazing at me with dollar signs in their eyes. Good mechanics are hard to find. They are a rare breed. *S*
Thanks for this board it has been a great help to me!!!!~Sharon

ryanendres · May 2002

I know there is a recent TSB on Rodeo alignment. Check here at edmunds or alldata.com for the TSB. My dealer recomended rotating the tires every oil change because of the uneven wear. I/ve been rotating mine every 7K or so. As for the power winter button thing. I've never heard of that before. You may want to just keep that power button off and see what happen.

Shock? Lot's of folks have been running Monroe Senistracs to help stiffen the ride up a bit. If you venture off road or tow heavy loads I would suggest Rancho 9000. They are fully adjustable.
-Ryan

tommcnabb · May 2002

Well, I am need a few more inches (who doesn't). Can anyone here provide me with specifics on how to get some more ground clearance on my 2001 Rodeo? It's completely stock. I don't have an unlimited checkbook. Any personal experience will help me greatly. The what's, where's, etc. is what I'm looking for. You can email info to me at tmcnabb@superiorcourt.maricopa.gov
Thanks alot.

paisan · May 2002

You can put in OME coil springs (I believe the ones for the Trooper fit) and crank the front T-bars. That would be the cheapest lift you can do. 2nd I'd go for tires 265-75-16 seems like the common Rodeo size for stockers and slightly lifted ones. Tires will run about $500, Coil springs about $200 installed

-mike

ryanendres · May 2002

You will need new springs and shocks. Check out: http://www.independent4x.com/

For all your Isuzu lifting needs. You should be able to do shocks and springs for under 500.00

-Ryan

paisan · May 2002

You don't need new shocks. The stockers are fine for up to 2" lift. I wouldn't trash the originals if they are the IAS ones.

-mike

amigo_john · May 2002

Anyone have the little passenger seats in their Rodeo? I'm thinking about getting one and wondered if anyone had pics of one in a Rodeo.

drmp · May 2002

My '99 Passport bottomed noticeably in many instances. It turns out that the standard wheel travel (uptravel) is very limited. Don't get me wrong, this explains the nice handling on sharp turns. However, I wanted to clear those speed bumps without being tossed up to the ceiling. The fix? You guessed it, a lift.

I did a 1 inch lift fore and aft. Cranked the torsions up front and installed a home-made coil spacer at the back.

On top of that, I trimmmed 1 inch off the rear rubber snubber. I also sawed to half the front snubber in a way that it retains the snubber height but is slimmed down to half for softer attack.

Also used monroe matic plus shocks which greatly reduced ride harshness on sharp bumps and eliminated the floaty ride.

Boris2 · May 2002

I just realized what was the one thing that bugged me from the day I bought my Rodeo.
Designers managed to put the muffler right underneath the handle on the glass hatch and rear door handle. In other words whenever you need to get in the back when the car is running, you have to live with that smelly, hot and dirty air flowing right on your legs at relatively high pressure.
Am I the only one who noticed it (or who is bugged by it)?

catam · May 2002

Hi all, I had posted on this thread several times requesting info on used Rodeo's.
Well I finally bought one yesterday. It's a 95.5, V6, 4wd, 5spd, with 79,500mi. It has aftermarket tires and wheels, 31x10.5x15. It has all the power features, no sunroof. I paid $6100. How did I do, all my research says pretty well.

All this talk about lift makes me wonder if this one has been lifted. If it has it can't be much, but the tires haven't rubbed on bumps or turns, and I had test driven another with oversize tires that did rub. Any thoughts on how I might tell if it has been lifted 1-2 inches.

inform_me · May 2002

I have a 1998 Isuzu Rodeo V6 (S model with around 44000 miles now). I have noted for the last 1 year that when I apply brakes on hitting a pothole or suddenly, the SUV doesnot stop abruptly (like my other car with out anti-lock brakes). It will still go about 10 feet before it stops. Is it a feature of the anti-lock brakes or is it a problem with ISUZU Rodeo? I read some problem with Rodeo's brakes a long time ago in one of these forums.

Can anyone help me with an answer. I donot want to visit the dealer and pay 300$ just to hear that there is no problem. Do you think, it is time to get brake readjusted or brake pads replaced? ( I apologize for being dump on the questions, but I am one of those souls who know only to fill gas and check air pressure)

Please reply ..(Rodeo 98 owners or any one..)

dielectric7bb · May 2002

From what I recall, the ABS on the rodeo was poorly designed. Once the ABS engaged, it took a while before it would let the brakes work again. I'm not sure when they switched, or if they switched, to a better system though.

ryanendres · May 2002

http://forums.vmag.com/suvrodeo0300/messages/8701.html

http://forums.vmag.com/suvrodeo0300/messages/5967.html

: Questions??

: Is this normal?

Yes, you most likely hit an expansion crack or a bump

: What can I do?

Some say that new shocks help, new tires, and even new brake lines. A lot of folks just pull the ABS fuse.

Good link with more info:

http://66.216.68.23/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=86;t=001233

: Is something wrong with the braking system?

I would say in general yes. The problem is that all Rodeos have the same problem. That is a senisitive ABS system.

: Are the brakes safe at high speed (50 mph or more)?

There fine as long as you don't hit a crack or a bump in the road. I still have my fuse in my 00 with Original tires and shocks. I had to relearn how to brake with this truck. Brake sooner so I can easy up to stationary objects.

: Any TSB's or recalls in effect?

check the links:

http://www.edmunds.com/products/maintguide/index.html

www.alldata.com

Fatal crash story:

http://www.outdoorwire.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=86&t=000905&p=

Boris2 · May 2002

I have same problems with ABS kicking in on bumps and pot holes.
Had it at dealer about a month ago and they, of course, couldn't duplicate it. I test drove it with the tech and we were able to get the ABS to kick in when it wasn't suppose to get activated in my opinion. He, however, thought it got activated properly.
They told me that they've never heard about this problem and it now appears to me that that problem is pretty common. With all the additional info that I got from the links above, I think I'll take it back to the dealer and make them read that - assuming they can read...

inform_me · May 2002

My sincere thanks to all of you who gave me tips on use of ABS and clarify my concerns about 98 Rodeo.

Thanks

inform_me

Boris2 · June 2002

Anybody know if this stuff is legal in Colorado?

http://www.maximumcustoms.com/

I sent them an email asking that question and they replied saying that it's legal in most states :-)

Also, do you think it'll be "too hot" for Rodeo or it'll fit and work just fine ?

internetnerd · June 2002

My '98 Rodeo is bouncing/rolling all over the place - even on small dips & bumps. I feel like I'm riding a rollercoaster. Can anyone suggest a good set of replacement shocks for me? Also, how tough is it to install them -- can anyone give me install tips? Much appreciated!

ryanendres · June 2002

Based on what I've seen floating around this forum for the past few months, you have several options:
1. Bilstein
2. Rancho 9000
3. Monroe-Matic

Bilstein: Very good for offroading as this is a very stiff shock. On the road however, you can feel every little bump and that is very irritating and makes travelling long distances in the truck a real ordeal as you arrive absolutely jarred.

Rancho 9000: Adjustable (I believe there's a model for which you can adjust the shocks via a remote from inside the truck. This is the best, as you can adjust it to give you either the cushioning or stiffness you need. Very expensive though (4 = almost $300).

Monroe-matic:
Not adjustable, but an overall excellent ride. Probably not good enough for off road, but on road amazing! I put these in, the ride is great, the truck no longer nose-dives during braking and is tremendously improved on turns. Total cost $82 shipped from A-1shocks.com

catam · June 2002

I need to change the timing belt on my 95.5 Rodeo soon. I have had a look and it appears that a lot of the hardware in front will need to be removed. I am looking for any helpful hints from others who have done this job.
I have done timing belts before, but this will be my first on a longitudinally mounted V6 engine.
Thanks. Chris.

wgr · June 2002

I am new to this board and do not know much about the Rodeo, so can someone tell me how the ride is. I've heard it is rather truck-like. Also, I saw over the weekend a Chicago area dealer advertising $7,000 off the list price of a Rodeo. If that is right, a loaded top of the line model would run $23,000+. Apparently, this reflects a $1,000 cash rebate to the dealer and a $3,000 cash rebate to the buyer. This price seems like a heck of a deal. Any comments ? Any news re expected re-designs, etc. ? Thanks.

ryanendres · June 2002

Re-designed will be a 2005 model.

gtroop · June 2002

http://www.autonews.com/news.cms?newsId=2508

mmaclellan · June 2002

Tuesday June 11, 3:11 pm Eastern Time
Reuters Company News
Isuzu to upgrade brakes on 215,000 SUVs

DETROIT, June 11 (Reuters) - Isuzu Motors Ltd. (Tokyo:7202.T - News) on Tuesday said it would upgrade the anti-lock braking systems on 215,000 Isuzu and Honda sport utility vehicles to shorten their stopping distances.

Isuzu spokesman Chip Letzgus said the upgrade would cover 1998 and 1999 model Isuzu Rodeo, Isuzu Amigo and Honda Passport SUVs built at an Indiana plant Isuzu owns jointly with the Subaru unit of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Tokyo:7270.T - News)

Letzgus said government tests had found that the affected SUVs could take longer than other vehicles to stop, especially in cases where one side of a road had less traction than another.

Models built after 2000 did not have the problem, so Isuzu will replace the computer chip in the 1998 and '99 models with the modern version, Letzgus said.

The upgrade will take several months to complete. The problem is not considered a defect by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Isuzu's action is not classified as an official safety recall, a NHTSA spokesman said.

tidester · June 2002

Please avoid posting entire copyrighted articles. Short excerpts or links will do nicely.

tidester
Host
SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories

karman1 · June 2002

Will Isuzu upgrade brakes for free or do you have to pay for the upgrade?

Thank you

paisan · June 2002

The ECU upgrade will be free.

-mike

karman1 · June 2002

Will Isuzu upgrade brakes for free or do you have to pay for the upgrade?

Thank you

hkh · June 2002

I have a 2001 LS Rodeo. I just had the driveshaft replaced by the dealer after saying it feels like someone hits me from the rear after the SUV comes to a complete stop (sometimes). This has not stoped the thumping feeling. Has anyone have this problem? I have a 95 Rodeo and comparing the 2, my 95 is by far BETTER.

drmp · June 2002

That occasional driveline thump is settled when I switched to regular fuel. If you have been using preium or midgrade fuel, try using regular fuel.

jenningsm · June 2002

wgr;

I have seen the 7K figure here in Portland as well for 2001 leftovers with 4WD.
I bought my 2001 leftover in December.. I took the 0% finance for 5 yrs over the rebate, and bought the truck for just under invoice, so it combined at the time for just over 5K worth of incentives (i have a v6 2WD).
Yes, the ride is trucklike if you compare to a Highlander, but it swallows the golf gear well, and we both enjoy the sense of solidity that the vehicle has all-round. This is one tough truck, not a restyled car
fuel economy: 18 in city, 23 highway on Vegas run with air con on

doublee1 · June 2002

The the guy that had a driveline thump when coming to a stop. I have a 2001 4WD and I have the same problem. Mine also thumps the car when Im starting from a stop. The dealer in fort collins fixes it by re-lubing the slip yolk on the drive shaft. They say that there is no fix other than lubing the slip yolk every 5K miles.

Isuzu Rodeo

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