Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
-mike
If the vehicle was returned to an Isuzu dealer, I'd make it clear to them that a maintenance history is important and ask them to pull, or at least summarize for you, the vehicle's dealer service records. I'm guessing a salesperson will be reluctant to do this, and some dealers flat won't do it as a matter of policy. If no maintenance records are available, then for negotiating purposes you should assume nothing has been done except the very obvious stuff (oil changes, etc.).
One common problem on the 3.5L Troopers ('98 and newer) is the intake manifold gasket. I don't know exactly how it fails (cracks?), but it's pretty common for this item to be replaced under warranty. I'd try to find out about that. At 4 years and 45k miles old, this '98 Trooper is still under factory powertrain warranty, so you'd have a little time to identify any powertrain problems and have them fixed free.
Another thing to look for is tires. At 45k this Trooper either has the original tires with very little tread or already has a new set of tires. This is a $500+ consideration.
We own a '98 Trooper with Performance Package and thoroughly enjoy it. Just turned 75,000 miles tonight. For '98, Perf. Pkg. means it has the Torque on Demand 4WD system and a monotone paint scheme.
I think paisan is right - the "Anniversary Edition" was a 2000 model year thing, not a '98 thing. In '98 there were 3 levels - Trooper S, Trooper S with Performance Package, and Trooper S with Luxury Package. The Luxury Pkg requires the Perf Pkg. '98 was unusual in that fog lights were available only on the Luxury Pkg Troopers. In '99, I'm pretty sure fog lights were included on the Performance Pkg Troopers (or maybe they were called Trooper LS that year - don't remember for sure).
What else can you tell us about this Trooper? Does it have Torque on Demand (not available on the base Trooper S in '98)?
The list of repairs on our Trooper is very short. Off hand here's what I can think of - intake manifold gasket replaced (under warranty); door handle mechanism replaced on right rear passenger door (my mom broke it somehow but dealer replaced under warranty); in-dash CD changer replace (under warranty - this is a very common problem with the earlier 3.5L Troopers - primarily the 98 and 99 models. I think the later-produced CD changers, both the OEM installs and the warranty replacement units, are less troubleprone). I'm sure there are a couple other things but I can't think of them.
Routine maintenance has been pretty minimal, especially for a 4WD truck. Note that there are quite a few 'maintenance' items listed in the owners manual, but many of them are checks and inspections. Aside from oil/filter changes, I've replaced all the fluids (differentials, transfer case, tranny), had a couple coolant flushes, put on new tires at 52k miles, and that's about it.
Around 75k you will probably encounter more significant maintenance needs - replacing the spark plugs, timing belt, water pump (folks here recommend doing at same time as timing belt to save big on labor), etc. Most people get tons of miles from the OEM brakes. Despite > 50% city miles, ours are all original at 75k miles, and an inspection around 60k showed 50% pad life remaining!
These are well-built, reliable, quality trucks that the U.S. market never took notice of. Let us know how your search and acquisition process progresses! Good luck.
An hour ago (Christmas eve) I was driving in an ice storm so I turned on the TOD. A moment later the vehicle started shaking and the "check" light under the TOD started flashing. I pulled over, shut the vehicle off and the same thing happened again. Is it safe to drive the vehicle without the TOD on until I can get it home? I'm concerned about driving 400 miles and causing further damage. Merry X-mas to all.
You could also go to an Autozone and have them hookup a computer and get the error code for you.
Merry Christmas!
Thanks to you both and a merry Christmas to you and your families.
My advice is to do a cursory check as noted above for loose wires, missing/cracked vacuum hoses, etc. If you find something that looks wrong note it. Tell the shop about it rather than trying to fix it yourself. If you do anything, and tell the shop, that will give them the chance to say you caused the problem. Just make the shop fix the problem they caused. You did after all take in a properly running vehicle for preventative maintenance only.
I also agree that when you get work done you should ALWAYS check it out. Even if you know nothing about cars, at least make them show you exactly where the work was done. While they are showing you look for any: loose hoses, unhooked wires, untouched bolts/old parts indicating that they didn't really do the work they said they did, etc. Also, try out the parts/systems that were worked on. In this case turning on the TOD as you left would have spotted the problem right then and there. This would should have made your case that the shop caused the problem.
-mike
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/classifieds/automotive/4813743.htm
-mike
justdrivin Jan 21, 2002 4:22pm
Steve, Host
Steve - What/where is the A post gap as mentioned by justdrivin?
keepontroopin Jan 4, 2002 3:43pm
Steve, Host
Happy New Year to all!
In addition, I have a '98 and the check tod light that is on. The dealer said it was both my front and rear speed sensor. Total bill would be $700 due to out of warranty. I wanted to investigate the issue myself but do not know where the sensors are located. Could anyone tell be where the front and rear speed sensors are located.
-mike
And it really doesn't matter if the adjustment arm on one side is at a different angle than the other side, this has no effect on anything other than as mentioned above.
Have you tried pulling the codes yourself?
I had my 99 undercoated when new, we will see how long it lasts here in the salt in Minnesota...might buy a couple of extra years, that salt is nasty on sheet metal.
Is that 2000 S a 4x2 or 4x4? Manual or automatic? I don't remember if Torque on Demand was standard or optional on the 4x4 Automatic 2000 Troopers.
You can also apply paraffin (wax) in area where you feel rust can seep into.
I have treated several vehicles that way, and I inspect and re-apply if needed every 2 years, never lost one to rust in over 20 years.
Sam
I have no idea where the PCV valve is. Can anyone help? I found and removed one thing that looked like it might be the PCV valve. I'm totally clueless under the hood.
This thing was attached to an appx 1/2" diameter hose on one end and to the engine block (?) near the front-most coil pack/spark plug on driver's (left) side. The thing was L-shaped; top half was red/burgundy and bottom half black. Said "AISIN" on 1 side and "897118" and "8600" on other side.
I've seen one other PCV valve - on a 95 Ford Contour. The rattling on that one (indicating the needle thing inside is there, which is good) was very noticeable. On the thing I pulled from my Trooper, there was a barely audible rattling but I wasn't convinced that all was well inside there. Shaking this thing in the other direction, there was no rattling; instead, a sound like a liquid (oil?) sloshing around in there. The end of the thing that was plugged in to the hose had just a wee bit of oil on it; not sure if that's normal, problematic, etc.
I'm guessing that this was indeed the PCV valve on my Trooper and it appears to be not right. I will probably call St. Charles Isuzu in the morning and order a new one. That way I will know for sure what it looks like!
Any suggestions?
I'm trying to get a look at the plugs to see if they are still gapped properly, tons of oil in there, etc. At just over 75k miles, it's time to replace them anyway, but I wanted to see if they look okay or if they show signs of problems related to the engine's high oil consumption.
IMO it is easier to disconnect the wires before unbolting the coil packs.
You can unplug the coil packs by pushing on the connector using only your fingers. Just do one cylinder at a time otherwise you run a small risk of mixing up the wire routing. FWIW, I put a small daub of dielectric grease on the top of my plugs to try and make sure I got a good electrical connection.
The PCV valve is very low tech in design and very important in function. It is really just a container with a small weight inside that sits on top of a hole. When the pressure slightly builds up from the engine this lifts the weight and lets the oil vapors flow through the hole. If you are sure you have found the PCV valve, you can just spray some carb cleaner in it to dissolve and rinse out all the accumulated gunk that is impairing its function. However given the under $5 price for them, my recommendation is to stick to your plan to buy a new one. While I like St. Charles and OEM parts, I have no problem in buying a aftermarket PCV valve at a local autoparts store or even Walmart.
Also, why didn't you post this in the "Maintenance and Repair" section? If nothing else it makes future searching for such posts much easier.
What 'Isuzu' was this? Trooper, Rodeo, Axiom?
Wonder if this will result in a high profile investigation?
Ref:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/02/frist.aid/index.html
-mike
You can tell by the spare-tire holder in the pic.
Pre-98 at that cause 98->03 have the rear tire mounted on the door, this one has it on a hinged thing.
-mike