Isuzu Owners Maintenance and Repair

jimmyp1

I saw something recently where a company was offering code reading software for pc's that was somewhere around $200.00 maybe. You had to have a laptop, I think, but it looked slick. I'll see if I can find it again and post a link. Maybe you already know something about this.

Jim

paisan

only gives you general codes. I've seen a few of them like that. Generally they only work on major manufacturers, and only give vague codes of what the problem is. I'll see if I can find a post about them, where the user said it was pretty much useless. Worth a try if it's money back.

-mike

viktoria_r

My husband just went for routine tire rotation (at 19.7K mi), and here what was discovered:
transmission drip - something cracked, I did not understand what exactly, but sounded like nothing major - the mechanic said that many Troopers have that. Transmission drip was fixed same day, rusted rotors - next day. All being fixed under warranty. Anyone had similar experiences? tx

sbcooke

Do you mean rust on the discs themselves? I have rust on the inside part of the discs, what sort of look like old drums?

Overall there is a lot of surface rust on the underside of my truck (the A Arms, Frame rails, etc), I assume/hope this is nothing more than surface rust such as found on building girders?

gpm5

My TOD unit is still leaking. In additon I noticed a perceptable noise in TOD that is not present in 2WD. I had not noticed this noise before. This could be due to low TOD fluid at this point. The repair should be made shortly since seals are in--I need to schedule.

Has anyone else noticed any additional sound in TOD 4WD?

h2osga

I have a 2001 LS Rodeo. I have a knock (dealer calls it spark knock). I was running mid-grade gasoline. The dealer told me that wasn't necessary and they adjusted the PCM. They told me to give it 1000 miles and run regular gas. It has been 1250 miles and the knock is worse than ever. I was told by the dealership today that the spark knock is common and means that the engine is running at it's best.(if I hear the knock) I don't know if this is true. Has anyone had this consistent problem? Is there anything to do other than run higher octane? Thanks.

gpm5

It used to be on old engine that one would fine tune the timing to the point of just obtaining a knock under acceleration. I have heard an occasional knock on my 3.5L trooper but none recently. I don't think it should knock all the time by any means.

drmp

Your Rodeo may have accumulated carbon deposits from previous spark knocks. This will increase the compression ratio and tend to knock some more even with the correct PCM adjustment.

What I did on my '99 Passport was put a bottle of Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner on a near empty tank (2x). This solved the problem plus power and economy also improved.

sdavito

First, I would find another dealer.

What you are hearing is the fuel igniting before the piston is in the proper position. The explosion in the combustion chamber is trying to force the piston to go the wrong way (slightly). I'm not sure how soon that your engine will be damaged by this, but this much I can guarantee - this problem is not helping the life expectancy of your engine.

David

paisan

Go to a different dealer.

That is the best thing you can do when you get an answer from a dealer that doesn't seem right.

-mike

sbcooke

Well, I got the opportunity to test out the 5 MPH, most expensive to repair SUV...My wife hit something in a parking garage that was below her line of vision. Fortunately she hit the rear bumper alone. The metal under the bumper was crinkled very slightly, so little that I am not sure if I want to fix it, but could probably with a pair of pliers. A few scratches on an already scratched and hit by brush bumper, other than that, no visible damage.

If the barrier had been higher and hit the spare, maybe there would have been some appreciable damage, but despite what the IIHS says, a 5 MPH crash where the bumper worked and there was no significant damage.

paisan

Too bad you don't have my bumper protector... might have saved yah.

-mike

paisan

I think matt's is cheaper and better than calmini, and he has better customer service than Calmini ever will...

Hey Pinoy99, are you gonna come to the Sept 15th Pine Barrens Trail Ride?

-mike

pinoy99

EastCoast4x4Experience is scheduled to be at Paragon Adventure Park in PA that day, so chances are I'll be at my club's run. Maybe nxt time.

paisan

I see. Maybe next time. Speaking of which, you have experience down there, do you have any good starting places? I'm going down on the 8th or 9th to map out a trail for us to take on the 15th, you can e-mail me mike@iace.com if you have any info. Thanks in advance.

-mike

sbcooke

Sounds like fun. Have you been there before? What's it like? I have visited their website and it looks cool, but have not heard any real world experiences.

sbcooke

Matt doesn't have one for 92+ troopers (yet). He said he would make one for me though. I am not 100% sure if I want to make the financial commitment yet, not enough to have him go out and make one for me at least. I think I will add new springs before a bumper, given the additional weight in the rear. Tentatively that is my plan, new springs next year, and then maybe something after that. I need to get my wife a new car before I start doing too much more, she doesn't want anything any taller to climb in and out of.

gpm5

The calmini steel bumper looks nice. Does the paint hold up well?

Has anyone noticed any additional rumble (very slight) with TOD engaged? It seems to me that I could not tell any difference before but can now.

paisan

Always have a rumble in TOD v. 2wd, you are probably noticing it now, because you are having that leak in the TOD, it's probably a psychological thing more than anything else.

-mike

gpm5

thanks. that's sort of what I thought.

pinoy99

I've been to Paragon March of last year with the club when it was not yet well know. When I went there pretty much everyone(35+ trucks.. stock(not many) to modified) went thru the same trail except for 2 optional short trails(which I opted to try the 1st one(mini rubicon by the lake)). The trail consisted of rock gardens, water crossings, steep climbs and anything in-between. I was using 265's with OME shocks/springs, but still managed to scrape the underside a few times + dented my (old) Manik step tubes. It was definitely a blast. They've cut much more trails now to suit beginners to extreme. Go to their forum for pics, etc.

I was at Pines last June, we went in off Rt206 South just after the Ranger Station on the left side. That side has one very deep water crossing, where my truck with 285's saw water up to the top of my headlights(actually fogged for a few days).
That is also the place where Matt toasted his air pump. I think this run also led to my rear pinion seal leak(fixed under warranty).
Another section is off Rt70 but I can't recall exactly the location at the moment...gotta look at the map.

I don't have the Calmini bumper so no personal experience(yet!) but it is powder coated so I'm suspecting it will actually hold better than oem.
HTH

paisan

Thanks for the info on the trails. Any maps you come across would be helpful.

-mike

Karen_S

Could you please drop me an email? karen@edmunds.com

I'd appreciate it!

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

sbcooke

What happened to the photo of the Calmini Bumper?

Karen_S

I removed it because it violates the Member Agreement concerning copyrighted material. In the future, please post the URL to the site where the photo resides.

http://www.pureisuzu.com/rear_bumpers.htm

Thanks!

KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs

boxtrooper

For whomever will make aftermarket rear bumpers for the 1992+ Trooper: I would like to see a rear bumper that looks a lot like the Calmini except that it would extend as far back as the spare tire in the middle. It could be built to take advantage of the extra space inside like as a compressed air tank with compressor or toolbox and have a class-III 2" squre receiver hitch smoothly integrated in. The corners could still be in closer than the middle. The top of the bumper would have diamond deck or similar for walking on when launching the boat. There would be no sharp edges or corners for the kids to snag themselves on (the tow points on the Calmini are too sharp for kids climbing in and out). The bumper would protect the spare if you get lightly rear ended, and be strong enough for jacking up the Trooper, but also absorb some energy by crumpling in a really hard impact.
..
Of course this bumper would need a really good paint job or be made of rust resistant metal. The color should match the unpainted bumper dark grey so that it goes with all colors of Troopers.
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Another inovation for added utility in a rear bumper would be removeable support for a roof rack bar, the top of the roof rack bar could gently clamp to the built in air deflector with a contoured clamp. The contoured clamp needs no moving parts, just slip it over the air deflector and secure down at the bumber attaching points. Then add the Yakima or Thule over door front roof rack bars for an expedition rack that can quickly be removed to turn the Trooper back into a commute to work car. The vertical bars could be curved forward a little to match the rear profile of the Trooper. Maybe even add ladder in front of the small door or a ladder as foot holds perpendicular to the rear of the Trooper that allows both doors to open. Then the same support ataching points could be used for small items like a basket in front of the small door to hold an extra tank of gas or a trash bag full of stinky diapers etc..
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How about mounting holes for LED lights like those used on trucks and even a powerful back up light for those who have tinted glass that need a lot of light to back up at night. The LED lights would use the trailer hitch plug for power since they would not be needed when towing.
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Build this utility bumper and I will buy it. It could sell as a bumper with optional accessories.
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The air compressor mounting place would be protected from the elements and out of view. Another option would be just a larger air tank that would hold enough air to reinflate all four tires from sand pressure to a reasonable road pressure. It could actually be a removeable scuba tank. Maybe the aircompressor could be mounted on the bottom of the Trooper below the rear seats. to allow both a compressor and the larger tank.

paisan

Matt from Independent 4x is very in-tune with the Isuzu community (it's the only truck he really caters to) so we'll see what he thinks of it. He may need a deposit before he starts working on a bumper though...

-mike

keepontroopin

Holy crap!!!!!!! You might as well have it made out of 24K gold too because that is how much it will cost!

paisan

other than the air-tank stuff, I'd say it's dooable for a reasonable price, my guess would be around $400-$500, just a guess.

-mike

gpm5

LOL

keepontroopin

I would like to add two things.......a satelite dish and beer meister!!! Ha Ha!!! Just pokin some fun.

sbcooke

They actually make a nice wire mess hitch extension for carrying coolers outside of a vehicle. The Air Compressor could be done if you put an ARB air locker system in and had an adapter w/air hose off the bumper too.

All kidding aside, an external cooler is great for fishing, bait is messy and smelly, when someone is getting a sandwich out and knock the bait fish into the vehicle, or water from the live eels gets inside, it takes a lot of lysol to get it out. And the compressor, wow, that would be nice, it is bad enough letting the air in and out of the tires for sand driving, but when you are 15 miles from an air pump it puts a lot of wear on your tires. Of course this is all just fun talk, but it has some merits.

boxtrooper

What ideas for a good rear bumper do the rest of you have?
What sort of front bumper would be a look good and work good with it?

I forgot to include that the weight of the bumpers should be as light as possible while providing the needed functioanlity. A solid piece of railroad track on each end would be indestructable but the Trooper would handle very poorly with all that weight at the ends.

sbcooke

Speaking of beer, a good place to rest a beer would be nice. While on the beach recently I had a beer resting on the footpad of the rear bumper, I went to close the door and whammo, it bent up the corner of the rear door. It bent right back, but left a very small crease.

A jerry-can holder would be good too. The inside of the small rear door would be a great spot for a jerry-can, but somehow worked into the exterior would be better. Not only for Gas, but water.

A solid rear step. I am 240 (hoping to get back to my fighting weight of 210 someday) and climbing around while working on the roof rack is worrisome...one more beer and cheesesteak combo and the next time I step on it the bumper rips right off :-).

paisan

I'm quite the big guy, and Matt and I designed the bumper protector bar to be level with the rear step, I can stand on there all day w/o a problem, very convienet.

-mike

gpm5

A rear bumper with a built in tap and frig for a keg would be nice. BTW the rear step/bumper bar does work well. I noticed that from stepping on the current bumper area previously, it seems that the right side is lower (i.e. where you can step up to the side of the spare). I've seen small compressors that plug into accessory jacks in the vehicle. They're available at Sears I've heard and relatively cheap givng higher than 100 psi.

In terms of the bumpers I guess I wonder how black goes with the other two-tone color on the trooper S in '99. My trooper is black so it would probably be ok, but then I'd want a balck steel front on as well. Not sure I'm into all that yet.

Also, I can't visualize very well how a bumper that comes out to the spare would look, but it would be very practical

Finally, I did get the cargo carrier that goes into the hitch from Harbor Freight Tools. It does a great job, and can hold a whole cooler of your favorite beverage with ease.

paisan

When It's time for me to get a steel bumper for the trooper I think I'm gonna have matt prime it, rather than paint it or powdercoat it for me. Then I'll bring it to a local body shop and have em mix up some paint to match the body color, so that I'd have body color steel bumpers! How do you think that will look? Just curious (not that I have the money now, unless I win Powerball!)

-mike

gpm5

I think that would be best. I thought about that too.

BTW, this compressor looks good and supposedly doesn't take forever to fill a tire. Anyone use these after airing down?

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/rodi/achd-275.html

sbcooke

I have used them. They are good in an emergency, but not quick. Faster than a hand pump, but not great. If I have to air down for sand, I would probably drive to a gas station before I would try to air up all 4 tires with an emergency pump similar to that again.

bluedevils

Offroader – you changed the fluid in the front and rear differentials. How did you know what you were doing? Are you experienced enough to know what’s what down there? Do you have the factory workshop manual? Have you posted any instructions on paisan’s web site (www.isuzu-suvs.com)? This is a job I’d like to do on my 98 Trooper, which has 51,000 miles on it now.

bluedevils

Did anybody ever determine/decide if additional LSD lubricant/modifier/other junk is necessary, or even helpful, if using Mobil1 (synthetic) fluid in the differentials?

bluedevils

I know you're pretty hard-core when it comes to oil and filters, so I'm especially curious for your input.

keepontroopin

Bluedevil what the H@ll is wrong with your posts? It is very annoying!

paisan

And then pasting them over here. It puts something whacky in the process.

-mike

bluedevils

Sorry. I cleaned up a couple of 'em but missed a few. I'll do that now (delete and repost w/correct formatting), since nobody has replied to them yet.

I don't think html likes the curvy quotes (not "straight" quotes) that MS Word displays, if you have Word configured that way.

bluedevils

You mentioned that your 684s had cracks in the tread, and I think you replaced them because of this?

I think the original Bridgestone Dueler 684s on our 98 Trooper, now with 51k miles, have been showing some cracks in-between the treads for quite a while now. I didn't consider this a potential safety issue; perhaps I should have?

bluedevils

Just thought I'd try to gather some data on this one... I have used the Isuzu brand filter on my 98 Trooper since I got it (at 7k miles). I use a Motorcraft on my other vehicle (95 Contour SE, V6), which has the Purolator Pure One filter element in it.

So what are you folks using-- Isuzu, Pure One, Mobil1, etc.? Post the filter as well as your Trooper's model year.

erinsquared: you said you use synthetic fluids in your Trooper, and "the best oil filter I can find" What's the best oil filter you've found for the Trooper? I'm using the Isuzu brand filter based on the recommendation of the expert Isuzu mechanic Jake over on www.itog.com.

bluedevils

Offroader: you changed the fluid in the front and rear differentials. How did you know what you were doing? Are you experienced enough to know what's what down there? Do you have the factory workshop manual? Have you posted any instructions on paisan's web site (www.isuzu-suvs.com)? This is a job I'd like to do on my 98 Trooper, which has 51,000 miles on it now.

keepontroopin

I use whatever Jiffy Lube puts in!

breakor

This was covered over on the ITOG post about a month ago. Start with the following message and work your way forward. http://209.60.14.34:81/$WEBMSG.Read.ITOG-4.1555