Isuzu Owners Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    What place did you ahve it done at in NJ? I'm due for a bearing re-pack and what not and that dealer seems reasonable. Also you should check the tire pressure in that spare under the cover, just in case you need it some day, you aren't stuck with an under-inflated tire.

    -mike
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    I just got four 255-70-16 Dueler H/L's and left the spare as is. The spare has never been down on the ground and *if* I needed to use it, it should work ok long enough to get to a tire shop.
  • beer47beer47 Member Posts: 185
    No dealer, it was an independant shop that I've been going to for years. Remember, I supplied pads and filter. You can probably do as well on S.I. if you supply the parts. I am still amazed though, 87K and no rotor damage. When I go to sell this Trooper about a year from now, I wonder if potential buyers will believe me when I tell them how good these trucks really are. They might not believe me due to the fact that the Trooper we know and love will not be sold here anymore. What a shame! Cheers to all.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yeah I did my pads myself but don't want to tackle the bearing re-pack.

    -mike
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    why are you going to sell your Trooper in a year? If you do that, you should seek out a Trooper enthusiast who will appreciate the truck for what it is and possibly be more likely to pay you a higher price since he/she will know and appreciate that you've taken good care of the truck.
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    I just got new Dueler HT 255/70/16's for my Trooper. The tire shop said that they inflated the tires to 35psi on all 4's and recommended this pressure. They also stated that Isuzu recommends lower pressures and different air pressures in the front pair versus the rear pair.

    I had kept 35psi in my old 684's.

    The new Duelers, probably because they are new, and wider along with the toe-in adjustment, have a different but improved handling feel. There feels to be more 'bounce' going over rough pavement - seems more so than the old 684's.

    My questions:
    1- you guys agree with the 35psi tire pressure?
    2- how about reduced air pressure in front tires - handling improvements?
    3- is there a 'break-in' period for new tires?
    4- someone posted a website that showed the speedometer error for larger-sized tires - anyone still have that URL?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Tire Calculator: http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
    35psi all around should be fine, maybe a tad higher. The reason for the staggered tire pressure is that if you are loading the rear you want ~5psi higher in the rear to support the extra weight.
    reduced front TP would result in worse handling qualities, not improved.
    Breakin for new tires is roughly 100-200 miles, need to get the grease off em :)

    -mike
  • beer47beer47 Member Posts: 185
    My company is going from an auto allowance to a company car program. The trooper was my pesonal choice and it turned out to be a good one. It will be high mileage but most of that was run on interstates as proof I point to my brakes lasting 87K. I also have flip down TV w/DVD player, side steps (Manik), after market tinting, and all MB1 oil changes ect. The company may advise me to sell in a couple months or maybe wait till it is paid off before implementing new policy. Either way, someone is going to get a terrific truck! I have not even had an idiot light go off yet! I hope I didn't just jinx myself!! Cheers to all!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Why not keep it for yourself?

    Keep me in the loop when you want to sell it, I may have some interested parties in my family.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    With my bull bar, I usually go slightly higher in the front...as paisan said, tire pressure and weight are related factors. In general I keep 35 psi in my deuler a/t's.
  • leedavidyoungleedavidyoung Member Posts: 102
    The tire store put 55psi in my new 285/75's. They are mud terrain Coopers rated to 65 psi maximum. This sounded like a lot of air pressure to me. I have checked tire wear, and it seems to be even across the width of the tire. I did decrease the front pressure to 50 psi to soften the ride after my last air-down. I'm trusting that the tire store knows their product, but the high psi has me concerned. Do you think I should drop the pressure down some?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'd keep em as close to the max PSI as possible. lower and you'll heat em up and turn into a Ford Exploder...

    -mike
  • beer47beer47 Member Posts: 185
    Paisan,

    Will do......

    ^^Why not keep it for yourself?

    Keep me in the loop when you want to sell it, I may have some interested parties in my family.^^

    -mike
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    So what's the wise tire pressure for a '98 Trooper that carries mostly the driver but occasionally a rear-seat passenger and 200-300 pounds of gear in the cargo area? Should we be running the same pressure on the fronts as in the rears? Usually I keep the fronts around 32-33psi and the rears at 35-36. The Isuzu sticker in the doorjamb specifies 30 front, 35 rear.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I run 3-4lbs above stock.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    30, 33 or 35...I am not sure how accurate the $2 gauges people use are? I personally use about 35, but I think it is important to also find a setting that makes your ride feel good and your tires wear evenly. Being aware of what your pressure is, paying attention to load requirements, keeping it consistent and even (as long as it isn't too low like the old explorer debacle) is most important in my opinion.
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Well, that's not a criterion for me and my Trooper these days. I've pretty much concluded that our Trooper rides like garbage. We are near 80k miles and still running the OEM shocks. My impression is that our truck will ride poorly regardless of the tire pressure, so we're stuck with that until we replace the shocks.

    I do have a midrange digital gauge and also compare its readings with a $2 pen-type gauge. They are usually within 1 psi of one another, so that's good enough for me.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Good shocks improved my ride quality a lot.
  • leedavidyoungleedavidyoung Member Posts: 102
    The best money I have spent on my trooper was the shock upgrade. It feels like a different vehicle.
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    I've got 49K on my 1999 Trooper, original shocks, never been off-road. Think they are still OK or is it time for replacement?

    Also, does the shock upgrade actually improve road handling?
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    You can have a softer or firmer ride with a change of shocks. Good quality tires make a big differnce too. I think shocks and tires account for the majority of the difference in ride quality from the inexpensive vehicles to luxury vehicles.
    ..
    I have the OME shocks and OME progressive rear springs and BridgeStone Dueler AT Revo tires and I love the way my Trooper rides, specifically I love the "in control" feeling. The Dueler H/L top of the line touring tire are a little more sofisticated ride on road I had those last time.
    ..
    If you want that "Cadillac Boulevard Ride" in an SUV then get an older Ford Explorer they are a tall cushy station wagon, which most Americans seem to like since they sell the most. The Trooper is far better for off road and towing and crash avoidance and parking because the suspension is set for maximum control not for rear seat pasengers sipping Champaign.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Get a set of the Rancho 9000s. Set em on 1 for Caddy-like ride, or 5 for hauling and offroading.

    -mike
  • randers5randers5 Member Posts: 4
    Here is a short history of my 2000 S Trooper. I have 87,000 miles on it and from 5,000 miles and up I have always used MB1 oil and MB1 filter. I changed oil religiously every 3K miles. From 0 to 50K consumed little to no oil. From 50K to 75K motor consumed 1 qt per 1,000. From 75K to current, oil consumption went up to 1 qt every 500 mi. Went to dealer and went thru oil consumption test for 3K miles. After making weekly trips to the dealer they agreed that engine was consuming 1 qt per 500. I then had to pay for an EGR flush ($100) and had to go thru the oil consumption test again. After several trips to the dealer to prove that it was still consuming 1 qt per 500, they got a hold of the Isuzu rep and he approved a new short block under warranty. I also told them to change timing belt and water pump at the same time saving the labor charge for normal installation.
    I believe that this has been an unusual case but the dealership has been great and even though jumping thru all the hoops has been time consuming, I hope to run the Trooper well into the 200K range.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Wow that is good to hear that they followed through on the warranty, even at such a late stage in the game.

    -mike
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    with a new engine at 90K you should be able to easily get well into the 300K range before any major work.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I had a new short block added to my truck...much different circumstances...however I burn zero oil after the change. I only have 15K on the new motor though.

    Good luck.
  • 96_i30_5sp96_i30_5sp Member Posts: 127
    Did the oil consumption accompany some noise/rattle? It's disappointing that using Mobil1 (and frequently at that) is not enough to keep the engine happy. What reason was given for the engine breakdown?
  • randers5randers5 Member Posts: 4
    I had some pre ignition pinging at times, but nothing more than that. They were not able to give me a reason for the oil consumption,other than some oil use is normal for that engine. I was not able to speak to the mechanic as it would have been interesting to his opinion on what the cylinders and valves looked like.
  • bahmedbahmed Member Posts: 66
    I have 66K on this Rodeo. I got the Differential Seal replaced at a local mechanic and it still leaks slowly.I see spotting where it is parked. I took it back to the mechanic and he says, I may have to do something called Driveshaft Alignement. This is my first experience with a local mechanic and it is not good, so far it has been the dealership for everything but it is expensive.

    Any thoughts, reccommendations of what to do.

    Also, is there a relationship between Differential Seal and the Vehicle Alignment as both of them blew off at the same time.

    Appreciate your help
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I had a leak somewhere between the engine and the transmission...leaking red, I assume transmission fluid. The shop I brought it to said it was too hard to find the leak...so they put a special dye in the fluid and then used an infra-red light to find the leak 2 weeks later. I cannot remember what it was specifically, however it was a simple repair that took just a few hours replacing the gasket...

    I guess my point is, if don't exactly trust them, get another opinion from someone who can give you a more accurate answer.

    Try a local honda place, you may have to pay more...however this sounds like it is the kind of thing you want fixed once, not make multiple trips to some place wasting more time and money each time.
  • emiuraemiura Member Posts: 59
    My '99 Trooper's AC switch light (small blue lamp) went out after one year or so of ownership. I really didn't care as the design of the switch makes easy to see on or off. I mentioned it to the dealer when I had axel seal leak, and they fixed everything under warranty. Now after about 10K later, it went out again. Anyone had this problem? They'll probably fix it again, but if it's a common problem, I'll leave it as is.

    Thanks,
    ...Eiji...
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    mine has always worked fine.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    It is not uncommon for a diff gasket to leak if it has been over-tightened especially if it is a lesser quality gasket.

    You could have an out of balance driveshaft that is causing vibration. I guess that could cause or at least aggravate a leak. I would however think you would feel this vibration problem, especially at higher speeds. It could also be that the driveshaft was put in out of phase that too could cause some vibration.

    Unless you have really lifted your vehicle the up/down driveshaft angle should be properly set from the factory based upon the location of the tranny and the rear end. Similarly the side-to-side angle is also preset from the factory. I don't think there is any alignment you can or should need to do. Then again if the vehicle has been in a wreck anything is possible.

    As to what to do next, my advice is to go to a shop specializing in driveshafts. They should be able to very quickly dispel/confirm a driveshaft problem. They also should be able to tell you if the gasket was overtightened, causing the leak.

    I HTH but I don't claim to be a driveline expert so use the appropriate dose of salt.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    These vehicle don't do a "4-wheel" alignment. So that shouldn't be related.

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I had my '97 Rodeo's dash light behind the HVAC go out, they are "cold" soldered in bulbs and it would sometimes work sometimes not. Same on my dad's '97 legacy. It's a cheap part so you might want to figure out how to pull the dash and just do it yourself.

    -mike
  • bahmedbahmed Member Posts: 66
    Thanks sbcooke and breakor for your responses. I used the Genuine Isuzu Differential seal ($16). It is possible that the drive shaft got out of phase or the seal has been overtightened. This Rodeo has never been in wreck, mostly highway and city rides. I will get it checked by a driveshaft specialist. Thanks again.
  • emiuraemiura Member Posts: 59
    Thanks for your responses. I noticed that it was sometimes on sometimes off, like Mike described, just before it became permanently off. I'll check it when I have chance to open the dash. Is it easy to pull the dash on Trooper? I once tried to open the dash on Toyota without manual, and I broke some of those snap-on fixtures in process. On the other hand, I used to have old Saab which I could drop entire dash by removing 3 or 4 bolts. I hope Trooper's is simple to do.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    My friend just put in my JVC stereo on it and he pulled the dash off pretty easily. So I'd imagine it's not too hard.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Its very simple. You need to remove the 4 screws on the center console. 2 screws above the radio and 1 next to the ash tray. You need to put the key in and shift to low and pull the center cosole up and back. Then the front piece around the radio comes off. I haven't gone further, but in my experience, dash boards are a simple puzzle of intertwined pieces. If it doesn't come off easily, you are missing something.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    Last night I helped a friend change plugs in his 99 Trooper. Compared to when I changed plugs on my 99 Trooper his had about 5k less miles on it, 1 more year in service and came from the factory with Denso K16PR-P11 plugs and mine had Champion RC10PYP4 plugs.

    I had saved a Champion plug as a trail spare. Consequently I was able to do a side by side comparison. My conclusion is that his Denso plugs looked good but my Champion plugs looked better. Also, the Denso plugs were in much tighter than when I removed my Champions. I am taking this as a heads up that if you leave your plugs in too much over his 4+ years you could be asking for problems.

    These are just my observations and conclusions. To be clear, there could be other explanations for the differences. For example his different driving style, maintenance history and/or gas choice could be important factors in plug condition. Maybe his Trooper also came from the factory with higher torqued plugs. Or, maybe the anti-seize coating used on the Champions works better.
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    IMHO plug changes on Troopers are so easy, there is no reason to wait and risk breaking one off cause it is frozen in there...I do mine every 30K, takes maybe a half an hour.
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    I recieved this back from a dealership in reply to my questions for maintenence on a Trooper with 75k. Just some things that I thought could be done to make it to the end of it's life....wow!

    1. Timing belt and tensioner is $436.00 parts and labor.
    2. Water pump is $246.00 p&l with timing belt.
    3. Thermostat is $299.00 p&l and yes you do have to remove the intake manifold.
    4. Upper and Lower radiator hoses are $153.00 p&l.
    5. Radiator clean and rod out. $45.95 p&l this radiator is plastic and aluminum and
       cannot be tanked through radiator shop.
    6. Power steering flush is $47.00 p&l
    7. Transmission flush is $89.95 p&l
    8. Flush ABS brake system and replace new pads and resurface rotors on vehicle. $594.00 p&l
    9. Repack wheel bearings $168.00 p&l
    10. TOD and rear diff flush. $70.00 p&l
    11. Fuel pressure regulator $156.00 p&l
    12. AC evacuate and recharge $134.00 P&L

    $2439.00 TOTAL
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    $153 for radiator hoses? That seems very high...the other prices seem more in line with typical dealer prices.
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    I looked in my e-mail history and found the quote from St.Charles on the parts, the hoses are $29.00 and the rest is approximately $350.00. I need to look into a independent shop!

    EMIURA, are you still going to the guy in Fountain Valley?
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    The item 2 water pump should have little or no labor cost when changed with the timing belt.
  • jtk152jtk152 Member Posts: 139
    Wow, talk about thorough PM list. Bet the dealer was licking their chops at the thought. Can't believe they'd charge $168 for a bearing repack, as they'd have everything apart for the brake job anyway!! thats an expensive couple of grease seals! I don't see the need in replacing a water pump & T-stat unless they are faulty. Rad hoses are super easy DIY'ers. Doesn't the water pump run off the serpentine belt anyway? I guess I don't understand what the timeing belt has to do w/ the water pump on 98+ 3.2/3.5's, other than the water pump being burried in there.
    Joel
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    That clearly included no common-sense discounts for duplicate labor. $246 for the water pump when the t-belt is being done at the same time sounds way high. So does the bearing repack considering the brake job would be done at the same time. Brake job itself sounds high too. I paid about $500 from a Honda dealer. Don't recall if that included new rotors or resurface existing rotors. Did include Isuzu pads and fluid flush and some new minor hardware.

    What is 'fuel pressure regulator?' Is this something that should be replaced as a maintenance item, or can we expect it to last the entire useful life of the vehicle? I've never heard of anyone replacing one of these as preventive maintenance on a vehicle.

    What about the A/C evacuate and recharge? The couple shops I asked about the A/C said it's a 'sealed system' and should never need any maintenance unless/until something goes wrong. Since our A/C works fine they recommended doing nothing. Is $100-150 for a recharge smart maintenance, or not necessary or what?
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Is there another dealer (or old dealer) nearby who you could get another quote from? There is no warranty requirement on the 75K service, so getting it done at a non-isuzu shop is an option. There are a few things you can cross off too.

    The bearing repack, I would wait until you need a brake job, that way you only have to pay for it once. The AC is not worth it.

    The radiator hoses and related work seem like a package, if you get a flush/scrub, it makes sense to include the hose replace.

    I think the mandatory items are timing chain and water pump. Those two items should be replaced because failure on them would be very bad. The other items? Failure on them means you would have to pay to have them fixed at the time they fail, not wreck the vehicle.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Depending on the year, I think the Timing Belt actually should go to 105K miles on the 2000+ trucks if they are 50-state emissions.

    -mike
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    An explanation for the long list. I live in San Diego, not many Isuzu experts in this
    part of the country. This dealer is in Oregon, where I visit every year.
    Troopers in Oregon are like Honda’s in So.Cal, they’re everywhere. The technician
    at this dealer has been an Isuzu certified tech for ten years, they have enough Isuzu
    business to keep this guy busy 40+ HRS a week. I’ve dealt with the locals during
    the warranty period, I’d rather have a Maytag technician work on it. I’m currently
    looking into a independent Isuzu specialist that’s 70 miles away.

    I totally agree with the dual charge of labor, that’s simply ridiculous.
    Logic says, the guy just threw some numbers together, just to go on to
    the next item on his agenda. The one that bothers me most is #3, $300 to change a thermostat? If indeed you have to pull the Intake Manifold to do this, Isuzu must have had a GM Engineer on loan, that’s just stupid!

    The A/C and cooling system is a major issue to me, I spend a lot of time out in Palm Desert, CA. during the summer. It can get to 115 degrees easily. The drive over goes through areas that exceed 95 degrees. As you all say, the things that could cause major damage are first priority. The other stuff will just ensure another trouble free few years.
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