Isuzu Trooper

paisan

bought it used from my friend in VA who got an ARB front locker. I got it for $200 not sure of the list price on it. It's the impulse rear LSD unit since the rear of the impulse is the same as the front of the troopers.
Isuzu corporate 10 bolt.

-mike

sdc2

An LSD won't do much with a wheel off the ground. Sometimes in that situation you can get it to "bite" through judicious application of the emergency brake (for the rear axle).

It's a lot better than an open diff, but it is still a long way from a locker.

cbreck

If anyone has the Helm's manual on CD and wouldn't mind reading the section on the ECU, disconnecting/installation. I need to know if there are warnings as to the procedure to avoid damaging anything. During the dealerships last attempt to repair my 98 trooper, they managed to screw something up to the point that the vehicle isn't drivable, and they have no clue as to how to fix it. I've been without my Trooper going on 2 weeks. Thanks in advance

paisan

Here are some pics from Uwharrie

http://isuzu-suvs.com/events

We had a blast!

-mike

paisan

Only a portion of the Troopers there.

sbcooke

Looks like fun. I like the brushed aluminum ARB bullbar. I didn't think those were available in the US

paisan

That is the regular ARB painted to match. That is the guy from TN who may have a lead on rear arb-like bumpers for us at very reasonable pricing.

-mike

sbcooke

I might be interested in a rear bumper. One concern is the weight. If I am going to add a 50-100lbs. bumper, I will also do the OME springs at the same time. I would like something a little more substantial to stand on when I am using my roof rack and need access by standing on the rear bumper.

paisan

We are looking at getting one similar to the front ARB, but probably a little lighter weight than the front. I'm gonna be upgrading my Coils to OME 919s from the 912s since the 919s are HD and the 912s are just "std" Also thinking of getting OME front HD shocks as well.

-mike

sbcooke

The OME Shocks for the front were necessary for me after I put on the bullbar, the stockers didn't perform well with the added weight. I would think your Rancho's cranked up a notch or two would be OK?

I am contemplating getting the 919s as well. I am just not sure if I want to raise the body up any higher than normal. I don't have ground clearance issues the only issue that I am looking to fix is load capacity and being able to comfortably carry more than 500 lbs. When I go away for my yearly trip, between people and gear the rear end gets pretty well loaded down, almost to the bump stops.

paisan

Your stock shocks are great. Cause my stockers would be on the bump stops if I loaded it up w/o the 912s in it. The Ranchos got messed up and won't crank past the #3 position so I'm debating replacing them from rancho or getting OMEs for the front and replacement ranchos for the rear.

On a side note, wheeling with the rocker bars is a great feeling. No more puckering up when going over rocks. This Uwharrie trip was the first one I did with them and it made it oh-so pleasurable.

Just need bigger tires, going to go to 285-75-16s next time around.

-mike

paisan

I had the ATF Flushed before going to Uwharrie as well. They ran 30+ quarts of ATF through it to get it spanking clean. On the trip down and back I got significantly better milage than I had been getting previously, and this was with 4 adults and the rear section filled to the roof and packed in with stuff, along with 2 heavy coolers on a rack on the back and the ARB in the front.

Needless to say I'm pretty happy I had it done.

-mike

sbcooke

What was the cost on the ATF flush?

I have OME shocks in the rear, you meant springs I assume. I haven't noticed any sag in them yet.

paisan

I meant OEM springs.

The Flush was $135 with tax, not bad considering that I couldn't do it myself.

-mike

tkevinblanc

Did they really run that much ATF through, or did they do the equivalent?

I know that the high-tech flush runs a fluid through, under pressure, in a manner that cleans the tranny thoroughly.

It seems like using 30 plus quarts of ATF to flush, and then tossing them away, would be a little environmentally unfriendly. Not that I'm a tree hugger... well, I guess I do admire trees.

paisan

If you saw what came out of my AT, you'd know why. 30quarts is only 3 "runs" through basically. The AT holds like 9.x quarts so 30quarts is roughly 2 run throughs, plus a fillup.

-mike

savvas_e

Hi Mike.... Have you tried to pulling the fuse for the TOD module out?

Just a thought that maybe the module needs to be reset.

tntmyth

Picked up a new Isuzu 6-CD Changer on Ebay for my 2001 Trooper. I decided to install it myself rather than pay the dealer. It was a good choice. The player comes with step by step instructions for removing the console and then parts of the radio faceplate to install the cd changer. There is a total of 15 screws that have to be removed. It took about an hour actual work. If I had to do it again, it would only take about 30 minutes. The only issue that came up is that you need to have a Dremmel grinding tool. Can't do this job without it. There is a small plastic protrusion at the back of the tray that the cd changer sits on. I am not sure what it is for other than possibly a support for the standard plastic tray under the Radio/Cassette unit. The protrusion is too difficult to try to shave away with a knife or hack saw blade. But with the grinding tool, you can remove it in just a few minutes. After that, there is only one plug that goes from the cd unit to the back of the head unit. If you get the changer, make sure you get the correct brackets from Isuzu. These make everything fit easily.

It is incredible how much better the cd's sound than the radio! Also, even going over some serious bumps in the road, the player does not skip.

jimmyp1

and both I and the beloved Trooper are home safe. I am really impressed with the way it trailered that boat. I would guess it's a hair over 3k lbs when loaded full of standard boat stuff. It's a 20' Maxum I/O Runabout. Single axle trailer. We've gotten pretty good about knowing how much to load in the nose to eliminate swaying while going over 60 mph, and this time around it was just perfect. Took me 16 hours from Houston to Breckenridge, one day of rest and 18 hours back to Houston with the boat. Comfortable, about 17 mpg up, 11-12 back. Not too bad. It held speed on the uphill segments if I wanted it to. Tested it several times. 70 mph no problem up extended climbs with passing lanes. I got good at not letting it come up out of overdrive if I didn't want it to. Trying to keep that tranny cool. Paisan, you ATF flush sounds good. Back to my question from a week ago then, if you were in my situation, need the 75k tune up, what would you do and where would you do it? All fluids, timing belt, belts, what else? Price estimate? Local mechanic or dealer?

Jim

paisan

I'd do:

ATF Flush Fill with Redline or Amsoil
Diffy, SOTF, TOD with Redline or Amsoil
Check belts
Coolant Flush/fill
Brake Flush/Fill Synthetic
PS Flush/Fill
Wash/Wax/Detail

-mike

jimmyp1

No kidding! I was the cause of much bug death. There's no evading the front end of the Trooper for unsuspecting insects. Thanks for the advice on maintenance.

Jim

paisan

You think that's funny? I have bugs from NC stuck on the Trooper and now there is snow caked over the bugs!

-mike

saty

hey Paison

Did you replace the light bulb on your headlights? They look pretty bright than the stock light bulbs.

paisan

I have the PIAA superwhite or something like that. They were butt expensive (like $70ish) I wouldn't get em again I don't think.

-mike

leedavidyoung

Hey Mike,

My Rancho 9000 left front side was stuck on four. I jacked the front up and then was able to change the setting. I don't know why this worked, but it may help you as well.

paisan

Good idea lee, I'll give that a shot.

-mike

saty

just got a 99 trooper with luxury package 2 days ago. I noticed there are some clunking noise from either tranmission or converter when accelerating from a red light. Usually, the noise is noticeable when in low gears. The noise sounded like a truck with diesel engine. Could this has something to do with bad tranmission or converter? Like to get it fix before the warranty expire. Thanks for any comments on this.

steelpick

Hello,

I have a disturbing problem with my 98 Trooper I've only had for less than two months. I've begun to notice a small clunking noise when I stop the truck and put it in park from drive. It will also make the noise sometimes between park and reverse etc, but not between 1st, 2nd 3rd and drive. It also makes the noise when it downshifts to the first gear when slowing down to a stop. I initially thought it was a u joint, but now it seems like it's an internal noise to the transmission or something. Anyone else experience this? What would be the likely causes?
The truck runs smooth on acceleration and shifting when driving, no noises then. Only when it downshifts all the way to the last gear before stopping and when you put it in park.

Thanks

paisan

Get your ATF flushed. Those are the exact symptoms I just remedied in my 2000. It was the P->D->N->R but not once it was in gear.

-mike

sbcooke

wow, its like stereo...

The clunking when slowing to a stop is normal. I posted a related response on this in a response to saty in the dealers section.

sbcooke "Isuzu Dealers & Pricing" Apr 7, 2003 8:34am

I cannot remember the specifics, but I believe it is the torque converter releasing as the transmission shifts down or into neutral as you are coming to a stop. It actually is a "feature" because supposedly the way the 4L30E GM transmission works helps longevity.

steelpick

Thanks Paisan,

I hope that will remedy the problem. What is freaking me out is that the truck has 60,150 miles on it and is therefore out of warranty!!
When you say get the ATF flushed, does that mean flushed or just the fluids replaced? Is there a difference? Interestingly, I had an appointment to have the oil and trans. serviced this Friday.
When you had this done, did the problem completely stop, or do you still have the clunk on deceleration. SBCooke says that this clunk is normal. I'm just hoping my new baby doesn't need a new transmission. I really like the truck.

Thanks again.

steelpick

One last question about the transmission flush...did you get that done at the dealership, or will a Jiffy Lube type of place know how to work on the Trooper?

paisan

I always have/had the slight bump on downshift. I didn't have the clunk into gear from neutral. After doing a drain-fill 90% of the clunk went away, my oil was especially dirty so I had it flushed and that fixed the other 10%. Your case will probably be fine with just a drain and fill. Most shops will do the drain fill, the flush requires a machine that I had to search out at 3-4 different shops to find one.

-mike

sbcooke

The one while coming to a stop is well documented. Search this board and you can find a lot of references.

However, I agree with Paisan's opinion, clunking while putting it into gear or during normal shifting sounds like low transmission fluid, or perhaps dirty? I had an old Pontiac wagon that used to burn transmission fluid, and as it got lower, it would shift hard when going from P to R or N to D.

I would make sure it isn't the "normal" clunk before you run out and get a flush. I think a flush should be about $100 plus tax.

beer47

Just turned 90K today. I thought that there was an automatic trouble light @ 90K. I did not have one on my "baby" though. 2000 "S" is rolling along so well it ought to be outlawed! I'll be in town tomorrow (Manhattan) if you are up for a pint. Cent Anni! A Presto!

tidester

You might want to (hastily) reconsider posting your number on a public message board.

tidester, host

paisan

Beer, look at http://isuzu-suvs.com/events my # should be there @ one of the pine barrens runs

-mike

tkevinblanc

You should definitely get your trasmission flushed rather than drained and refilled. Draining/refilling only gets some (half?) of the old fluid out, not all of it.

Flushing it will drive the old fluid out. It's more expensive, but worth it. Lots of places can do it: my Isuzu dealer did it, but so can my Mobil station at the corner.

leedavidyoung

I am at 91K and have not seen the light yet. Isn't it an O2 sensor service reminder? I remember reading that the reset button is behind the speedometer gauge.

steelpick

I had the transmission flushed..I guess that's what it was. They didn't use the machine, but drained it and added new a few times while it ran and while shifting the gears. My noises and clunking seem quieter but are still slightly present. It now sounds more like a gear meshing noise rather than clunks. Is this what you experience Paisan when you said it took care of your Troopers symptoms? I'm not sure if the problem is remedied or if I should have a mechanic look at it. Perhaps just a bit of paranoia due to just getting the truck and it just now being out of warranty.

Thanks

paisan

Yup sounds about right. After the flush it greatly diminished the noise, back to "stock" basically. I wouldn't worry about it, I'm not.

-mike

sbcooke

I think your truck is operating normally. Enjoy your new ride. There is some drivetrain noise in these trucks, but very few rattles.

What was the cost of the flush?

steelpick

Thanks Paisan and sbcooke.

The cost of the flush was $91.00 at Jiffy Lube. Like I mentioned before, they didn't hook it up to the machine, but simply drained and filled a few times while the truck was running and shifting gears. The "gear banging" as they called it ( rather disconcertingly!), was supposed to rid the transmission of the old fluid as completely as possible. The manager at Jiffy Lube said there was no real advantage to the machine other than a time savings. I don't know if that was BS or not.

Thanks again.

dmigel

Trying to replace a 96 S with an after market moonroof. Trying to decide between S and LS.

Dealers offering $9000 of MSRP. Has anyone had issues with the moonroofs that are in the LS. My aftermarket one had leaking issues. Also, anyone out there taken advantage of the $9000 rebate? How low did you get it down to (S or LS)

paisan

No leak issues. Mostly because the glass piece is larger than the opening in the roof, so when you close it it seals really well. There is no tilt function which allows the glas to be larger than the opening.

-mike

quickstep

My '02 trooper S is at 15,000 miles. Manual recommends changing front and back axle oil and transfer case. One dealer service rep says they do not make the fluid change on these components at 15K, but inspect the fluid clarity and top off. The front gearbox doesn't have a drain plug. Any suggestions on the best way to drain and fill? Any flush required to get out any possible debris at the bottom of the inside housing on both units? Do I use just 5-30 detergent motor oil for the transfer case?

Thank you all in advance!

sdc2

There is a drainplug on the front diff, it is disguised as a cover bolt. It is the one at about 5 O'clock on the diff.

Just drive it around a bit to warm up the fluid before draining. And you will need to buy one of those cheap pumps along with the gear lube to fill. Have plenty of rags handy, it can get a bit messy sometimes...

Regarding the transfer case, do you have a manual transmission model? If not, you have the TOD transfer case, which does not call for fluid replacement at this time (although it doesn't hurt).

chporter

Thanks to those of you who responded to my query about my 99 Trooper which wouldn't go into 4WD while the engine was running, but would occasionally come up in 4WD if the SOTF button was pushed before starting the truck. I'm going to go through how we found the problem because sure as heck someone else is going to run into this problem someday.

The hints as to the existence of the SOTF vacuum switch mechanism and attendant website URLs proved invaluable. A friend with vast experience trouble-shooting such problems and I used his MightyVac to isolate the problem in one of the two vacuum switches on the SOTF assembly on the front axle. In short, the switch was not pulling enough air to coax the system into 4WD.

We carefully tried to bring the switch back to spec (after pulling the assembly off the truck.) This requires first removing a small shield (Two 14mm bolts.) You then can use a 10mm socket to remove the plate holding the two vacuum switches (looks just like top picture in URL mentioned on PlanetIsuzu.) It took a while to trace the hoses attached to understand the logic of how the SOTF system works. We pulled the suspect switch off the plate (Phillips screw at back of plate.) Using the MightyVac and a couple wires, we used the truck's battery to actuate the solenoid with vacuum on it to see if it passed air properly. When it didn't we knew we were close to the bad part. Another check on that theory was to start the truck and use the MightyVac (a hand-held unit with a gauge on it and a handle that you squeeze to pull air out of hoses, bleed brake systems, etc. Gotta get one!) to put a vacuum on the hose that leads from the the suspect vacuum switch to the diaphram on the axle. Instant 4WD!

Dealers being closed on Saturday, we tried a NAPA and another local auto store but no luck on the Denso part. Part #8-97101858-1 is what I read on the part. There's another number I took to be a manufacturer's number: 08480U-2201. It was bit smudgy but those are close.

It took some judicious use of very small wire and eventually a good hosing with carb cleaner, but we got the part's logic to work with the good ol' MightyVac and the actuation of the switch via truck battery. Its resistance also measured at the noted 42 ohms (by PlanetIsuzu.com), so we knew that it was ok electrically.

We put it all back together and my TOD switch now works like a champ, every time.

Of course, my dealer said this would be a $600 repair requiring replacement of the ECU, so you know I'm glad that with my friend Nick's help, we sorted this in a few hours in my driveway.

The moral to this story, btw, is to exercise that TOD switch frequently to keep those solenoids from getting cruddy. I tend to only use 4WD when I 'need' it and thus it was the 4WD solenoid that crudded up on me.

Thanks to those who put us on the right path.

Craig

paisan

Thank!

I think you may have solved my problem too. I on the other hand, left my truck in TOD all winter cause the weather up here was horrible. So mine is stuck in the other direction!

I'm still under warranty so we'll see what they come up with when I bring it into them this week.

-mike

bsmart1

There was some discussion about Rear Diffy oil odor a few weeks ago. Someone mentioned front drive shaft oil seal leak, and that is what is happening on my 99' Performance Trooper. I looked real close at the leakage and noted its being slung in a streak on the underbelly of the Trooper. There is no doubt its coming out the front seal. I noted the vent tubing and vent valve on the top of the rear axle. I pressed on the valve top and a lot of pressure was released. I could hear air escape for quite some time. Apparently that vent valve isn't working correctly. Anyone else experiencing this kind of problem? IIRC my 97' Trooper had the same problem. Seems the vent valve should be an easy fix. I see what the dealer has to say about it.