Isuzu Trooper Oil Consumption

brentb1

i have a 99 trooper with 120k and is using alot of oil between changes.what brand and weight should i use to try and help.what about oil addatives like lucas oil stabilizer,sea foam,myster marvel oil?or any other suggestions or recommendations?thanks.

mau4

I also have a 99 trooper with around 140K and it consumes quite a bit of oil. About half a quart per 500 miles. I read that this is a very very common problem for these engines (3.5 V6) and there is not much to do. So.....I opted for always checking the oil when I refill the gas tank, and refill the oil as needed (always carry a quart of oil with you. I use Mobile 1 oil, it is 100% synthetic and has a long life. I change the oil filter every 6 months without changing the oil. I usually park it on a step street going up and switch the filter, just use a small drip pan. I am planning on changing the oil soon, after 30K and will do an engine flush too at this point. Hope this helps!

Goalie69

I apologize in advance if this question is fairly basic as I'm not very mechanically inclined.

I have a 2002 Trooper with about 85,000 miles which is burning quite a bit of oil, about one quart every 1,000 miles.

What causes this? Is this common for the Trooper? Is there anything to do other than to keep adding oil? An automotive parts shop recommended using an oil conditioner? Do these oil conditioners work? Is there anything else I'd want to consider that is not too cost prohibitive?

Also, does driving at higher speeds for an extended period (a road trip) burn oil faster than when driving at normal speeds over shorter distances? I just drove about 400 miles back and forth between two cities and seemed to burn oil faster than normal.

Thank you.

tidester

You may have bad valve seals. I'll leave it to the experts here to provide details and other possibilities.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

buick48

I may be a little late to this party, but my 2002 Trooper came with a ten year / 120000 mile drivetrain warrantee. I realize the '99 would be past that, but the post by goalie69 is for an '02. Check with Isuzu Customer Service about your particular vehicle because I had oil usage of a quart every 1000 miles, and after an oil consumption test verified through my dealer, they gave me a brand new engine.

casudasun

Hi, I have a 2000 trooper with 103,300 miles right now and I just realized too that my suv consumed quite a bit oil as well. I just went to the dealer and did an oil change and ready to bring it back after 500 mile for the oil consumption test.
Can u tell me little more in details on how the dealer determines that a new engine is require ?

gajunebug

Well, I bought a 1999 in 2000 and begain complaining to the dealer of oil consumtion in 2002. I got nowhere. I was told by the head of the service department of Pugmire in Marietta that the oil burn was common th that engine. So, at 187,000 I keep 2 quarts of oil at all times and use expensive Mobile 1. About half a quart every 500 miles and more when pulling a trailer.

I never go over 65/70 in any SUV or truck. The suspension is not meant to handle any emergency at those speeds. Try riding in the passenger side, lay the seat back and shut your eyes while someone else drives down a 10 mile straight of interstate at 70 or above and you will see what I mean. And I replaced the shocks with great shocks at 25,000 miles.

bigappaloosa

I have a 2002. The oil consumption was unbelievable and appeared to be much worse at higher speeds, i.e. long trips on the interstate. The 3.5 engine is the culprit. It is an Opal engineered engine built in France or Spain. When GM bought 49 % of Isuzu part of the deal was that Isuzu would start using GM engines and transmissions (I just got my truck back after having the transmission rebuilt). I got this information from various dealers and on line searches and forums when the engine blew last summer and I started calling all the former Isuzu dealers within a 250 mile radius to get it fixed. All of the dealers are aware of the problem and have replacement engines on hand, one even told me he had over thirty in stock. The dealers quoted between $8,800 and 10,000 for a new stock engine. I had it rebuilt at a local speed shop for $4,000 and have more power and torque than stock as well. I use Rotella 15w-40 oil and haven't had to add any between changes yet although it does effect the mileage being a lot heavier than the recommended 10w-30.

dejajit

I am glad to hear that! Mine is also 2002 with 120K warranty. I already got a new transmission under warranty. I am wondering what exactly I tell to the dealer and what do they do to test oil consumption? I also have to add oil from time to time. One I had a little issue during a long trip when I had to add oil in a dark motel parking lot before I could take the trooper out. It would be nice to get a new engine instead.

buick48

Apologies to all who were expecting an answer from me in a timely fashion. I never thought to check back to see. Anyway, as I said, I contacted Isuzu Customer Service (Isuzu Motors America,LLC.,Owner Relations, 13340 183rd St., Cerritos, CA., 90702, (800) 255-6727, 6am-5pm (PST) Mon-Fri). They were VERY helpful and polite(!), asked for the VIN of my vehicle, verified it was covered by the 10/120,000, asked where my nearest dealer was so they knew where I was going to take it. They told me to ask the dealer to do an oil consumption test (mention that you've already contacted Isuzu Customer Relations so everybody's on the same page). The test is as follows: you pay for an oil change, the dealer notes the mileage and SEALS the dipstick and drain plug so nobody can be accused of cheating. You come back to the dealership every 500 miles, they check the oil level and record it, adding a measured amount if necesary, resealing the dipstick again. This repeats for the full 3000 miles that are usual between changes. After 3000, they total up oil used, report back to Isuzu, and if Isuzu says it's too much oil, they give you a new engine. (That is to say, they gave ME a new engine. I can't vouch for all dealers, but mine was very helpful and gave me no lip whatsoever! Yeah, that still blows me away, but anyway...) Be advised also that I think you need to be the original owner. I don't remember if Isuzu asked. Good luck, and again, sorry this took so long.

dejajit

Thank you for detailed information. I wish I had seen it few days before. I changed my oil and observed more than 4 qts less between oil changes. This really bothered me. I went to the dealer but I had to do the oil change again. Anyways, now I start my "test". I will report back what happens. I drive much less so it is going to take a while.

dejajit

Well, the oil test has concluded. Mechanic kept telling me that oil consumption is "normal". I pointed out to him that 1.2 qts per 1000 miles is not normal and it is above Isuzu's max of 3 qts per 3000 miles. He is like, "it is just little bit more". Finally they agreed to give me a new engine. I am getting it replaced. Thanks to you and this board on pointers.
I asked mechanic if this affects him in any negative manner and it looks like the mechanic loses on labor. I don't understand how because it is not mechanic's fault but I did not go through more details as it is between Isuzu and dealership. At least it helped understand why they didn't want to give me the replacement.
I know there are very few people who can use this warranty because for most it is more that 10 years of ownership. I bought it late in the model year therefore I still have some time left.

buick48

I don't know how the costs are covered. It would be really unfair for Isuzu or the dealer to penalize the mechanic, but in this day and age, I'm not surprised.
Meanwhile, my dealer diagnosed my transmission a couple weeks ago (I was having trouble accelerating after a stop), found metal shavings in the fluid, called Isuzu (without any prompting on my part) to see if the powertrain warrantee was still in effect (it is), and arranged for a replacement, no charge. This is how a dealer should respond.
Having said this, I'm really disappointed in this iteration of Trooper (I've owned three). Replace the engine AND trans before 83000 miles? Now I know why there is a 10 / 120000 warrantee.

dejajit

I would have been really unhappy if there was no 10 year warranty. These engines cost arm and a leg. Transmissions are not cheap either. Luckily I got a (rebuilt) transmission couple of years ago when original just stalled one day and now getting I am getting a new engine. Trooper is now practically new.
One more thing...dealer service adviser told me that it is going to be a factory rebuilt engine. I was surprised as I know no-one in Isuzu factory is re-building engines anymore. I called Isuzu and they clarified it for me (and also called the dealer and clarified it for them) that this is a brand new engine. New engine also comes with a 12 month 12K mile warranty. Apart from these issues I really never has any other major problems. EGR valve gets clogged but that is an easy cleaning job. I am wondering if there are any other typical problems I should get checked before warraty expires in a month or so.

coolphil

Is there an 3.5 engine that does not have the oil problem. I am needing an engine bad.

dejajit

The new engine I got out of warranty does not have the oil consumption problem. At least not until now in the first 5K miles. I read somewhere that at some point of time in 2002 Isuzu upgraded the engine design which fixed the problem. Call Isuzu to find out how to identify new engines. There must be some VIN ID range or something.