Isuzu Trooper

flyinlow

Teacherjim, I have had great service from the Tire Rack for tires and cheap steel rims. This time of year they are pushing snow tires premounted on steel rims so you don't have to remount tires every spring and fall. If you didn't find what you want on Ebay, I would check with them (tirerack.com, I think). Of course, this works better if you need tires AND rims since they mount and balance for no extra charge. Sorry for late reply, I haven't caught up on the board for a while.

dave02troopltd

I am the proud owner of a 2001 4x4 Limited (moonmist). The trooper is primarily driven by my wife ( I commute with the Accord for gas mileage purposes). She loves it as much as I do. It is truely sad that it is being discontinued this year. Very few people realize how great of an automobile it is.

I am comming up on the 15k service. How much are most of the dealerships charging for this? - it looks like ther is quite a bit to it. Also, how often do you all change your oil. My book says every 7500 miles but this seems a little long to me. Is this interval OK?

thanks

savvas_e

Welcome aboard. You will find this place an excellent resource on all things Trooper.

Down here in Australia, the oil change interval is 10,000km or 6,000mi. The oil filter interval is 20,000km or 12,000mi. The dealer changes the oil filter every 10,000km anyway. I personally think 7500mi or 12,500km is too long.

I also do an oil change between services. So my car gets an oil change every 5,000km or 3,000mi. This is the best way to give your motor a chance at a long and healthy life.

I'll leave it to the stateside members to discuss costs as what we get charged down here bears no resemblance to what gets charged in the US.

paisan

Is the std for all cars these days for "normal" usage which I'm not quite sure what that is. I follow something in the middle of "severe" which is ever 3K and "normal" which is 7500 for oil changes.

If you look at the 15K services requires most are "checks" and not actual items to be done. Personally I changed the diffy fluids @ 40K, ATF and TOD @ 45K, rotate my tires ever 5K, oil changes on synthetic ever 5-7.5K. I'll probably do the PS fluid and Brake fluid @ 50K, coolant at 75K, and that's about it.

-mike

pugger1

Does anyone have information on replacement fog lights? I have already broken two of the lenses from flying rock off of the highway, and replacement lenses are $85. Perhaps an after market light with a rock guard. My trooper is a 2002 limited with in bumper fog lights.

paisan

Hmm I'll be selling mine when I replace my bumper. As for aftermarkets you'd want to get a nudge bar of sorts and then mount some lights on there. I have Hella 4000s on my nudge bar and they are great.

-mike

pugger1

Thanks Paisan, when is your replacement going to happen?
Pugger1

paisan

Probably not for at least 6-8 months. At that time I'll be selling off the fogs in the bumper and the ECB nudge bar. I'll let you all know when that time is approaching.

-mike

pugger1

Thanks Paisan, when is your replacement going to happen?
Pugger1

eric2003

has anyone install a child seat anchor in the trunk area? Based on the manual, there should be three holes to install the anchor depending on the location of the child seat. any input is appreciated. thanks

eric

notbrockyates

FYI, out of the South Florida (Miramar) Flyer: asking prices on listed '98 SUVS...

Trooper 11,995
Expedition 10,900
Jeep GCL 9,000
Explorer SLT 6,999
Explorer Sport 9,988
Jeep GC 5,900
Suburban 11,900
Explorer XLT 11,499
Explorer 6,900

Average 9,135 asking price for the non-Isuzu SUVs.
Thought it was interesting, given the recent postings and thoughts on Trooper resales. Is this in line with other parts of the country?

savvas_e

That's an interesting listing. How does new Trooper pricing compare with the US market?

Here, the Jackaroo is priced between Nissan Pathfinder and Mitsubishi Pajero (Montero).

dave02troopltd

We use it on our '02. It came installed. I would think that if you have a place for it, you could order the anchor itself from the dealer.

dave02troopltd

on our multimeter, the outside temp sensor rockets up when at a stoplight. I read other posts about this same problem. One post suggested it could be fixed by moving the sensor lower on the radiator. Has anyone ever done this?

sbcooke

My 99 has 3 bolts in the rear for it. You have to pull up the rear cargo mat, and then there are 3 cutouts in carpet. You will probably need to use a pipe or something on the end of a ratchet like a breakor bar to get it loose the first time.

bstone3

You're right - that temp sensor is in a bad location - it is located under a metal lip near the forward top of the radiator on the drivers side - you can see it if you lift the hood and look down in there at an an angle. By taking off the front grill - not hard - just be careful about the plastic clips that snap into slots on the grill - when reinstalling the grill secure the clips to the grill first and then press snap the gill in place - don't put the snaps in the metal slots and then try to press the grill over the snaps - you will loose some of the buggers - I know. This may be confusing but you will understand once you remove it. The sensor needs to be located lower - as close to the bottom as possible but still within the airstream of the radiator fan - so it does't heat up when you stop. It will take a little ingenuity to relocate the sensor but it shouldn't be that hard - I just haven't done it yet. FYI - pricing for 01 Troppers 4X4's in this area is averaging $20K (asking) with 25,000 miles - and that is for S models. When all the 02's are gone I expect that Trooper prices will go up - 02's are so discounted its hard to get top dollar for a late model Trooper right now. With the exception of the Land Cruise - We have the last made in Japan serious off road SUV. Looked at a Toyota Land cruiser the other day while buying a Camry - it looked like I was looking into a Trooper - a little bigger but for $60K I have no complaints. For a few hundred dollars a Trooper suspension can be desponged. Enjoy - Troopers are gems.

pugger1

Our Barometer reading on the muti-meter is always way low. Any way to adjust this thing?
Thanks to bstone3 for the heads up on the temp sensor, placement from factory was less than great.

Still looking for info on replacement fog lights other than dealer at $85 each for the lense.

Our 2002 Trooper seems to be a great vehicle for the first 4500 miles. I stepped out of a 97 Seville into it and the change was a bit staggering at first but now I like the height and the feel of the vehicle. My wife is still unhappy a bit with the seat comfort.

Can anyone tell me about the rear seat foot rests? Where are they? Do they exist or was that a typo in the brochure?

bstone3

Yea - mine reads low too - took it to Isuzu who replaced it - and same reading - after awhile you just learn to know what is high and low pressure based on your average reading - altimeter is still cool - just wished I lived in a place where the elevation changes more than 500 feet in six states on the interstates - now I know why the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee rivers runs so slow. Foot rests are those black plastic wedge inserts underneath the driver and passenger seat - I never sit back there so I can't evaluate the value - nobodies ever complained about them though. 28K miles on mine and the fog lights are holeless. Warranty work on 01 LS TOD so far has only been a faulty accelerator pedal sensor (fly by wire) = service engine light came on - and a leak in the air conditioning plumbing that allowed all the coolant to dissappear on a hot Alabama day. Reliable friendly service - but I'm still stewing about the 30K mile front wheel bearing repack cost thats coming up soon. Maybe somebody can tell me why the Trooper has bearings that need repacking when almost everyother 4X4 out there has self lubricating bearings from the front differential fluid. As for seat comfort - I love them front seats.

savvas_e

Bearings can't be lubricated from the diff, because it's an IFS front end.

Incidentally, my car had a repack at 20,000km (according to the log book)as part of the dealer service. Total cost for that whole service was $250AUS. Next one due at 70,000km.

As for the seats, I love them too. They feel a little plain when you first sit them. But on your first long trip, you will notice that you don't get "numb bum". A lumbar adjustment wouldn't go astray.

pugger1

The front seats are in my mind great too, but the wife is not sure.

The altimeter is great when you go from the top of Trailridge road in Colorado (Highway US 34) to the plains. The high is about 12,500 ft. and the low is 1200 ft. where I live. I set mine to a two mile marker on the road and it seems to do a really good job.

Anyone have experience with the touch-up paint? I have a couple of small dings and would like to cover them but some touch-up paint is worse than the chip.

paisan

I think there is a special way you need to read it. I remember someone on here mentioned that they went and tuned it at their local airport then whenever they went out they needed to verify something with the specific pressure at the time. Not sure how it worked.

-mike

stever

Dave02troopltd, check out the The Edmunds Maintenance Guide for more on that 15,000 mile checkup.



Steve

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dielectric7bb

Just replaced the front shocks on my '95 Trooper w/ 95,000 miles. Threw on some edelbrock IAS shocks and haven't had time for the rears yet. WOW. Turns are flatter than in my dad's '01 and bumps are non existent. A block past my house are three speed dips (you can see where cars scrape on them by the marks). 95% of people brake for the speed dips (even though they are technically drainage dips). I will not be one of those braking for the dips ever again (unless someone without these shocks is in front of me). Smooooooooth over the dips and controlled in the turns. Brake dive is gone too. Absolutley amazing. Granted it was time for the old shocks to go, but the ride in my old trooper is better than the ride of the '01 and I've only replaced the fronts so far.

I am dissappointed in that the shock boots are not firmly on and you have to zip tie one end yourself. I will grab some worm gear pipe clamps and throw the zip ties away. Hopefully the shocks don't develop any trouble as I have heard rumors of.

bluedevils

IMO, this is unnecessary. Our Trooper just turned 70k miles tonight and I am only starting to think about when to have the front bearings repacked. Not sure if it matters, but our 98 Trooper does zero off-roading.

bstone3

The easiest way I found to set the altimeter is to take your Trooper to the nearest airport. The field elevation can usually be found on the internet. Set your altimeter for that elevation and then proceed home - note your elevation. Then you can set the altimeter for this elevation before leaving - its going to change every day (hourly) with changes in barometric pressure. Any other landmark in your area with a known elevation will work - I'm real close to the airport here. When I use to fly we always set the plane altimeter to the known field elevation before taking off.

The Chevy 4X4 trucks and Tahoes I owned all had independent front ends - I know you never had to repack the bearings - I thought the service reps told me they were lubricated from the diff. Now on older 4X4's I owned they had solid front axles and I repacked the bearings myself - not something you want to let go too long before redoing. At 70K miles on that Trooper Bluedevils I'd get her done - bearings are sealed so off roading shouldn't have much impact on how long the grease holds up. The grease will dry up and turn almost to dust if left in there long enough. I remember when Dodge trucks had a grease zirk on the inside hub so you could squirt grease in the bearing without dissasembly.

boxtrooper

I have a problem that requires seat covers.

My live in mother-in-law has Alzheimers and I get to take her to daycare most days. If she sees a barrier pad on the seat she has a tantrum about my thinking there is something wrong with her when she is certain nothing os wrong. If she coughs or sneezes she will wet herself or worse (we converted the kids old diaper bag for grandma emergencies) and she will not wear Depends adult diapers that's another tantrum.

So, I am looking for a good seat cover for the two front seats at a minimum or possibly the second row too. Once upon a time long ago I had rear sheep skins on my 1984 Trooper's vynl seats. Should I get sheeps again? Is there a better maybe even washable alternative?
Thank You

sbcooke

Tough situation...they make waterproof seat covers for surfers, they are supposedly comfortable. Unfortunately I cannot remember the name. I will try to think of it today.

paisan

Or something like that. I know they are expensive but worth it.

-mike

sbcooke

Wet Okole.

http://www.wetokole.com/

stever

I'm thinking an upholstery shop could do the clear vinyl thing over the existing material. I've spent a lot of hours in neophrene (including nylon covered suits) and that stuff takes on all kinds of smells just from walking around in it.

Then again, vinyl will just cause stuff to runoff onto the carpet....

Steve
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savvas_e

You should try and contact a support organisation for Alzheimers, or one for incontinence. They may well have come across this kind of situation before and be able to offer some good options.

There are a number of these organisations in Australia but again, I'm on the wrong side of the world here. There just has to be something similar in the USA.

kleinc

I bought a seat covers for my dog in the back seat. She is a female and leaks. The seat covers are a waterproof cordura. Its what backpacks are made from. It works great for the kids in the back also. They have them for the front, too. Fosters and smith the pet supply catalog is where I purchased them. They are online. The covers aren't that expensive and you can throw them into the wash.
here is the url.http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=3553

bstone3

I have noticed since day one that my 01 TOD surges moderately when I start the rig in the morning (only when cold) and back out of the garage with the air conditioning on - if I shut it off the surge goes away - or if I sit and idle for 20 seconds before engaging reverse it won't happen - is this normal or do I need a little reprograming by Isuzu? - Thanks

paisan

but I generally will start it and let it idle for 20-30 seconds before moving it. Could need a re-program but I wouldn't worry about it.

-mike

sbcooke

There has been some discussion on the Mercedes G500 board regarding slope stability. Isuzu publishes that the Trooper can traverse a 45 degree slope?

http://www.isuzu.co.jp/world/trooper/drive/

(hit cancel on the language pack install)

Thoughts? comments?

paisan

I've had it past that w/o rolling I think.

-mike

pugger1

My 2002 idle surges a lot when I start cold. I figured that was normal since it did that from day one, even when I started it at the dealer with 6 miles on it. I now have 4500 and it still works the same. Surge goes to about 3500rpm and back down to normal in a matter of seconds. I would be happy to check closer for you. We would then be able to see if they are the same.

Anyone used the touch-up paint yet?

paisan

no touch up paint needed yet.

-mike

savvas_e

I think what you are describinmg is normal and is even more pronounced on cold mornings.

Mine starts up at about 3000rpm, settles back immediately to about 1000-1200rpm and gradually drops down to 750-800 rpm as it warms up, all in about a minute. Turning off the air slows it down a little.

savvas_e

At 45deg I think I would rollover out of fright before the Trooper rolled!

I have traversed 40deg, and it wasn't terribly comfortable to do. I think it's always better to go up and down a slope rather than across it.

1offroader

I have Wet Okole seat covers. They are expensive, but extremely well made and fit like a glove. They make two versions - the standard and custom fit. I have the custom fit. They are made of wetsuit material. They have lots of color options from mild to wild. As I recall, they cost about $450 for the front and rear, and included the arm rest covers and head rest covers. To wash, you just remove them and soak for a while in warm water with mild soap, rinse, & let air dry. I strongly recommend them if you can afford them.

1offroader

sawas is right. The front bearings absolutely, positively CANNOT be lubricated from the differential on ANY vehicle with IFS, incl. the Trooper. Some vehicles come with "sealed" front bearings (I know many GM products are like this). This is a lousy design. Basically, you just drive them until they self-destruct, then replace the entire bearing unit. The trouble is, you never know when that will happen, Murphy's Law being what it is...

I haven't looked into repacking the front bearings on my Troop, but I've done it on Toyota 4x4 pickups. It's messy job, and time consuming, but it's not rocket science. You also need a special hub wrench (at least on the Toyota), and a torque wrench is recommended. I can understand why mechanics get so much for doing it. That said, 30,000 seems a bit soon. I did my Toyota at about 50K when I changed the front brakes, and the bearings looked good.

Also, a previous post mentioned a Dodge (?) with a grease fitting to lube the bearings. I believe that's incorrect. Usually, those grease fittings were used to lube the knuckle joint - which is completely different from the wheel bearings. I'm pretty familar with 4x4s in general, and know of no design that allows wheel bearing lubrication without disassembly.

stever

Wet Okoles - that's really pretty funny to me. Before drysuits came along I spent many a day in wetsuits paddling whitewater. Couldn't wait to get out of that stuff at the end of the day, and didn't much care to carry them around in the cabin on the ride home. The material wasn't all that durable in the old days either, but we tried to avoid too much nylon covering the neoprene since it didn't stretch.

It was easy to patch and I made a sprayskirt or two. Maybe I should get some scraps and glue up some seat covers :-)

Steve
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beer47

and she's all mine! Let's see 26 payments down and I have 73K plus miles. At this rate I'll have 135k when payments finish up. I hope it lasts as long as the payment book! The first 73K have been magic w/no problems. I have spent on the preventive side of things and it seems to be paying off so far. Good luck and high mileage to all!!!!!

boxtrooper

Then no more payments till 335K!

zutrooper

Have any of you guys received any grief from dealer on tires/lift? I'm wondering where isuzu dealers draw the line on mods? Mark P

sbcooke

I have not. I have a bull bar, lights, shocks and larger tires. I asked each time and they said that only the modified part wouldn't be covered. i.e. if my wiring up of my turn signals in the bull bar shorted out the electrical system I would be sol.

paisan

No warranty claims yet, but I've heard they are pretty good unless that part caused the problem.

-mike

mrfitz2u

Is there anyplace that sells interior trim similar to the "wood" trim in the Limited? The interior in the S and LS is so boring!

zutrooper

Thanks for input. I've gotten some mixed signals from local guys about my OME springs/RS9000s.

I'm a little nervous about future 33s causing warranty issues. In particular, the tranny used on the troopers is good, but I've heard they have a shady history in other makes.

This concern has me trying to decide if I should run the 33s on seperate rims or not. Mark P