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Comments
If this is the design, then why disconnect the left wheel at all? This provides no benefit whatsoever in terms of reducing rotating mass by isolating part of the driveline. If this is the design, then why not remove the SOTF and just lock the left wheel permanently?
This just makes no sense from an engineering standpoint.
Tom
Here is some info I posted on a different web site the other day. The intake manifold gasket is a common part failure on the 1998 and newer Troopers. It should be a warranty item, if your 98 still has any of the 5 year/60k mile powertrain warranty left. I hope it is helpful to you...
Do a search on this board, or on 4x4wire.com's Isuzu Tech board, or Edmund's Town Hall (edmunds.com, then click Car Discussions and go from there) Isuzu Trooper or Isuzu Maintenance & Repair boards, and search for other posts about the intake manifold gasket leak. I don't know how tricky the fix is, but I think the dealers charge $300-400 to do the job. Many people, including me, were lucky enough to have it fixed under warranty.
Our 1998 Trooper just passed 76,000 miles. We had the timing belt changed recently. It's specified for replacement every 75k miles on the 1998 Trooper, but I believe the '99 upped the interval to 105k miles. Most folks who change the timing belt report the original belt is in great shape. It makes sense to change the water pump, timing belt tensioner, and other stuff in there (idler pulley) at the same time.
Definitely change all the fluids if you don't have documentation on recent changes by the previous owner-- engine oil, transmission fluid, differentials, transfer case/TOD system, shift-on-the-fly, and coolant. Maybe worth flushing the power steering fluid and brake fluid, too. You can do some of these yourself, even without much knowledge or skill-- I'm proof of that!
Try to determine if your Trooper has the original brakes. Unless it was driven hard, it probably still does at 70k miles. Brakes on newer (1998+) Troopers are known to last quite a long time. We just had new pads installed and rotors resurfaced on our Trooper a couple weeks ago.
The one maintenance item that has been nagging at me is the valve clearance check and adjustment. Owners manual specifies this every 60k miles. I have not run across a single 1998-2002 Trooper owner who has done this procedure. Actually, I'm not sure if the 60k interval applies to all of those years or just the '98. This is a tricky job, probably best left to an ISUZU dealer. Thing is, it's quite a bit of labor just to check the clearance and if it's okay, you have pretty much spent $200-300 on a very expensive 'check'. The shop manual (someone faxed me the pages) indicates out-of-spec valve clearance will cause noisy engine performance, and since I'm not hearing any of that, I will probably not have the clearance checked anytime soon. I tried to have a Honda dealer do this, but after telling me they didn't think it was necessary, they finally admitted they couldn't do it (presumably, they lacked skills, experience, tools, etc.).
-mike
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I have for the first time 5 same tires and a 5 way tire rotation schedule.
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My Trooper came with four GoodYear AP traction free tires on the ground and a Bridgestone 684 under the cover. Evidence of a dealer tire swap before I got it. After 136K miles I opened the tire cover to see if there was a matching aluminum wheel and there was. I sold the 684 unused spare back to the tire store for $56!
Jeff
With only 55,000 miles, you may still have 5k miles of powertrain warranty coverage, depending on your Trooper's in-service date. If you don't already know this date, you should check with Isuzu corporate. You may want to consider taking it to an Isuzu dealer and discussing your concerns about the intake manifold gasket issue. Symptoms are uneven idle and Check Engine light. Supposedly, the replacement gasket is improved and not as prone to failure. If I were you, my goal would be to get the current intake manifold gasket replaced under warranty, rather than just hoping you don't have problems with it in the future.
Having the setup this way allows engagement of TOD at upto 60mph. The SOTF engages first before load is applied by the transfer case. We are talking milliseconds here.
You will find that with 4WD vehicles that have manual hub locks, one of the regular maintenance things you must do is engage the hub locks every month or so and drive around for a while in 2WD to ensure that everything gets turned over in the front axle and is kept lubricated.
The SOTF has to engage in TOD as it completes the drive train for 4WD. If it didn't, we'd only have 3WD.
Serrano, like I posted earlier just ensure that you have disengaged TOD/4WD before the motor is turned off otherwise the SOTF may remain engaged, as it needs vacuum to operate in either direction. Otherwise, I think it just stays in the same position it was before the motor is turned off. It may also be worthwhile disengaging while driving just to ensure that the sliding sleeve is retracted properly.
PS...Just be aware that some Isuzu SOTF's are electrically operated instead of vacuum operated. I'm not sure if these need engine running or not to operate.
Tom
I don't understand why Isuzu didn't set it up that way as the Borg Warner TOD control module has a 4Hi input. I'm just not brave enough to attempt applying power to it.
Have a look at this link. It shows how to defeat the SOTF and lock it in either postion. Not that you would want to do that, but it sort of illustrates how the SOTF works.
http://www.4x4wire.com/isuzu/tech/fwd_lockout/?
On page 66, under the subheading "Nice Ride, If You Can Get It", it states the following:
"Affordable Luxury - A recent glut of used cars has put some fine rides within tantalizing reach, says Joe Lorio, of Automobile Magazine. Here are the prices for top-condition 2000 models with 36,000 miles:"
After mentioning the BMW 740i and the Jaguar S-Type 4.0, it reads:
"Isuzu Trooper Limited 4x4. For: Off-road ready, room for all your toys, baby Range Rover demeanor. Against: Not nimble or quick. Price new: $35,000. Price now: $21,000."
The Men's Health website doesn't have this article, otherwise I'd post a link.
Personally, I was amused by the "baby Range Rover demeanor" statement. Given the choice between a Range Rover and my '01 Trooper, I'd opt for the Trooper in a heartbeat. What good is a status symbol if the dumb thing's in the shop half the time, and you're shelling out top dollar for parts?
Anyway, perhaps this article will bring just a few more converts over to the camp, before Isuzu replaces the Trooper with the (cough) GM-built Ascender.
JB
Drop me an e-mail on how much you want to ship it. I'll probably give it away as a door prize at Uwharrie!
-mike
-mike
hour or more and then turning it off when I go
to restart it the idle will surge but if I give it some Gas it goes back to normal.
Has anyone else experienced this problem?.
-mike
-mike
Do you have extended cranking time to start? If so, could be fuel pressure regulator instead.
Lessee, some other suspects in no particular order: oxygen sensor, throttle position sensor, clogged fuel filter...
Give us a little more detail on the circumstances and maybe we can narrow it down.
An immediate opinion: If you still have factory shocks, UPGRADE IMMEDIATELY. Another opinion: the Monroe Reflexes are an excellent choice.
I'm a car enthusiast and gearhead. I love researching, buying, and trading cars. Looked like a used Trooper was the best mid-size SUV value available in the market today. After 2 weeks of ownership, my opinion hasn't changed. And I'll keep an eye on my oil usage!
My previous SUVs: 83 Blazer, 88 Trooper II 4-dr, 92 Land Cruiser S (Middle-East spec), 96 Land Cruiser VR (Middle-East spec), and a 2000 Expedition. Just returned to the U.S. after 7 years in Saudi Arabia. Got to do some great deep desert off-roading and camping.
The Trooper still had the original shocks, so, based on many previous postings (thanks!), I bought the Monroe Reflex shock absorbers (local NTB, $220 installed.) I've been buying aftermarket upgrade shocks for cars for 30 years. Almost went for Sens-a-trak based on good prior experience, but I just had to find out if the Reflexes did all that they claim (more control, reduced impact harshness, no degradation of ride comfort). My focus was on-road driving; albeit roads with very rough, potholed roads here in mid-town Houston.
Now I'm a believer. (Apologies to The Monkees). These Reflexes are the best blend of on-road shock performance I've found so far. (Have used KYB's, Bilstein, Sens-a-trac, and Tokico). Impact harshness on potholes and sharp bumps has been greatly reduced, so the Reflex technology seems to work. Dive, squat, and roll have been noticeably reduced, which has made the driving experience much more enjoyable. Bounding on dips and bumps has been greatly reduced. Turn-in is sharper. Overall ride comfort has been improved on all surfaces and at all speeds. Crosswind veer at highway speeds is also reduced. I haven't found any negatives at all, except for a 3/4" increase in ride height from the gas lift (makes it a little tougher for my wife to step in). My previous experience is that gas lift goes down after a few weeks/months. Reflexes are highly recommended.
Soon I'll be going after the following:
Hitch: Hidden hitch or comparable, plus a wiring kit. Probably go for JC Whitney at $99, since e-bay is not any cheaper. Plan to bolt it on myself.
Roof rack: Saw a great earlier post about "rolling your own" using Overlander bases on the factory boltholes, with Thule cross braces. That's my plan. Gives me the option of adding a safari rack or bike rack in the future.
CD player: Can't justify $300 for the factory CD changer (e-bay auction), so I plan to use the Crutchfield kit ($15) and a decent CD reciever ($120) to replace the factory cassette reciever. If my wife wants, I'll upgrade the factory speakers, also.
3rd row seat: Found two top-dollar custom installations in the $600-800 price range. My brother bought a generic seat from Sears for $300 about two years ago, but I can't get any current info on this.
Side-steps: Really like the look of the round tube steps instead of the flat running boards. Seen some for around $200, black, bolt-on.
Looking forward to hanging out with you guys!
Be sure to check out http://isuzu-suvs.com and we look forward to any and all Trooper disucssions!
-mike
Thanks for the details on the Monroe Reflex. I've been stalling on replacing the OEM shocks, but your post may have pushed me to action. Our 98 Trooper has 77+k miles and it just doesn't seem to ride very smoothly with the OEM shocks in the mix.
idahodoug "Toyota Land Cruiser" Feb 10, 2003 8:24pm
Steve, Host
I have a hard time believeing that the gas pressure in the shocks could be sufficient to raise the vehicle 3/4". Are you sure you measured that correctly?
In general I don't think you can lose by upgrading the OEM (I believe Tokiko) shocks. I think that was probably the best upgrade I have done so far.
Discuss among yourselves :-)
Steve, Host
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I suspect that over the years Isuzu USA has tried different degrees of suspension stiffness. Particularily I suspect that they saw the sales numbers for the mushy soft suspensioned Ford Explorer and tried to make a mushy soft luxery Trooper, softer suspension is a bad idea for Troopers in my mind, just like Joe Isuzu trying to say Isuzu SUVs are "So Sexy!". Troopers need a stiffer suspension for handling and tighter control which are safety issues. So, your improvement from new shocks and springs and higher performance tires will vary.
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Good tires are just as important as shocks and springs for a good handling suspension and a comfortable ride. Poor quality tires introduce jiggly motion the kind that gives motion sickness.
Jim
That would totally ROCK! And NOT GM BUILT!!!!
LONG LIVE THE TROOPA!!!!!
-mike
The only catch is a fuel crisis would hurt Isuzu badly.
-juice
-mike
Sure, gas prices have shot up and I'd much rather pay $1.00 a gallon than $1.75, but I don't know that I'd call it a fuel 'crisis.' We Americans still have it pretty good compared to the rest of the world.
How much worse could Isuzu be hurt by a fuel crisis? They're already doing pretty horribly (speaking in terms of SALES, not vehicle quality or owner satisfaction) in the USA as it is!
Steve, Host