unless you have a mega-$ OBD II reader, you can't turn off the light.
And the dealer told me that unplugging the battery doesn't clear codes on OBD II...might make the light go off but they are mandated by federal law to retain the codes even without battery power.
I just wish the damned things gave more information..."Check Engine" is ridiculously vague. Half the time it turns out to be something not worth bringing it in for.
my 99 trooper recently been shifting harsh irregularly. Usually, the problem exist when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. It sounded like the transmission is sliping out of gear. The problem does not occur every time. It happened randomly between start and turn off the engine. Could this be a computer problem? I had my transmission flush/fill by the dealer at 49 or 50 kmiles and now it has 53k miles on it.
Jd36 you can get your codes read for free at Autozone. I suggest you do that and post back as to what they found.
If you only want to clear the codes you can do that too. Here is the quote from the Helm manual - "When a scan tool in not available DTCs can also be cleared by disconnecting one of the following sources for at least thirty (30) seconds". It then lists the power to the pcm or the negative battery cable.
Saty I suggest you get your AT level re-checked before you start chasing a computer problem. The no dipstick design fools many a shop, although I would hope the dealer knew what they were doing. In any event making sure of the fluid level and condition is the first step in solving any AT problem, especially if your are not storing codes. If you haven't read the recent posts here about flushing high mileage ATs you should. I think in your case I would recommend getting the filter/screen replaced. By 50k miles there is a reasonable chance that accumulated grime was loosened by the flush and partially plug it.
I've been reading a lot here about folks' '99s and their issues. I have to say that we've experienced none of these issues. Our '99 S Trooper has 45k miles on it, so my wife and I just consider it 'almost' broken in...
Our transmission clunks a bit harder on a cold start up on its first shift into reverse or drive, but then smooths out very quickly. We haven't done a power flush, just a drain and refill of our fluids at 30k. We don't have the valve tap or ping either. There is no noticeable oil loss. We're down about a cup of oil at our regular oil changes (around 4k miles). Our experience here in Chicago is that this remains the best truck on the market.
We recently drove from Chicago to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado for a week of camping with our three boys. A little over 1,000 miles each way on Route 80 through Nebraska. We got roughly 18 miles per gallon using the cruise control set at 75 mph and having the vent open with some use of the air conditioner. Our three boys are under age 5, so we had three car seats in the back seat and all fit just fine. Space in back was a bit crowded with all our gear, but no real issues. We don't use a trailer or a top mounted box. (Although we did like the rear hitch mounted box carriers we saw.)
Funny thing about Nebraska (well there are lots of funny things about Nebraska ), they don't list the prices for gas, only diesel. So each time you pull up to get gas you get a surprise. The best bet was always the mid-grade ethanol blend 90 octane that was about 4-5 cents cheaper than the 87 octane regular unleaded. (Let's hear it for those ethanol subsidies!)
We had no issues in the altitudes with knocks or pings using the 87 octane gas in Colorado. Our Trooper climbed right up Trail Ridge Road like it was nothing special. Using lower gears up and down really helped as well. BTW, in Colorado, regular unleaded is 85 octane.
In case you haven't noticed, we love our Trooper. If you are considering one as a family vehicle (with apologies to Paisan et al who really use their trucks), this should be on your list.
Its funny, I was reading the Honda Pilot board and a poster there remarked that he liked the Pilot, but it was boring. He then mentioned that he missed his 96 Trooper. He said that he really bonded with that truck, while with the Pilot he feels that it is just an appliance like a toaster.
We are planning on keeping our Trooper as long as possible. And with these trucks, that can be to 250k miles (just venture on over to 4X4 wire's Isuzu Trooper community for proof of these trucks durability).
My 99 has been pretty good, some minor stuff like the intake manifold gasket (twice!), and the fuel pressure regulator, but neither problem really was serious other than the hassle of getting it in to the dealer. I am at 59K miles.
Just check your oil regularly...and I recommend Mobil One.
You shouldn't get a valve tick from a 3.5L, they don't use the hydraulic lifters like some of the 3.2s did.
Interesting comment about the Honda, that is the way I feel about them...extremely competent vehicles, but not exciting or engaging.
Would you recommend Mobil 1 for an older (1993) Trooper? I do have the valve tick and have been reading a lot of posts on how to deal with it. How about higher octane gas? I only us 87 octane (cuz it's cheap), would 89, 91 or 92 octane improve an performance in a SOHC engine of this vintage?
You guys really know your stuff, so I would appreciate your feedback.
My vehicle has 27k and I was having a problem on vacation with oil consumption (I do not tow). 6 quarts in 3k miles. On the way back to North Dakota, where I was planning to have this checked, the check engine light came on and went off after about 100 miles. I figured no biggie, since it is a emissions thing (according to the manual).
A couple hundred miles later in the same trip the rear differential blew out and I had it towed to a dealer. After 4 days they had repaired it (I got stuck with a $320 rental car bill).
While it was in I had the 30k manufacturers service done for $982 ( they deducted $8 for the transmission fluid used in the warranty service on the differential)
There was some emmisions service done, that they said *may* help the oil consumption. I have to have the oil checked every 500 mile at the dealer (70 miles away) to see if the oil problem was solved.
The service manager also claimed that the check engine message was erased from memory, by the car(?)
What do you guys make of this?
Is this type of oil consumption cured by and emmisions service?
Did I get ripped off?
Do these vehicles erase check engine codes?
Do I have to make the 140 mile trip to have the dealer pull the dipstick?
Could someone who has installed a Yakima rack w/ Q towers on their Trooper tell me how far apart the bars are if installed according to mfg installation instructions?...is their some flexibility?
I haven't got the rack yet but will shortly and am looking at a carrier that has indentations where it is to sit on the rack bars. Not a problem if one has a factory rack that has moveable bars...could be with an aftermaket rack if the bars have to be placed in a specific spot.
CELs aren't just for emissions in spite of what the owner's manual states. They also come on when you have engine problems. As a general rule, a solid light is the less serious one and a flashing one is the fix ASAP one.
As to your code not being stored, that wouldn't happen by itself. Maybe the tow truck driver or shop disconnected the battery as some sort of safety precaution. That would clear the code.
If they put ATF in your rear diff you have a new problem. I am assuming that was a typo.
Do yourself a favor and do a search here about oil usage. The current theory is that the rings have too few drain holes. Thus, anything that tends to plug them up is very bad. Short of new rings you should therefore keep your oil, EGR and PCV clean. If your dealer service included an EGR cleaning and a new PCV you should have some reason to hope for lower oil consumption.
Do you have to go back to the dealer for your oil consumption test followup? No, you don't have to. However if you don't then should you need a new engine it will come out of your wallet. At a minimum you should check the oil level yourself. If it stays up then call the dealer and ask him if you have to come in. If if drops then by all means get the dealer to do the test.
For the record many Trooper owners never use oil. Others use around 1qt/1000mis. As long as the oil is topped off in a timely manner the trucks do seem to just keep going and going.
Should you decide to sell the vehicle, just remember your dealer visit was recorded. Thus, if you fail to tell the purchaser about the engine problems he can find out. The point being, you cannot just pass off this potential problem on some unsuspecting purchaser without taking a chance that it will come back to haunt you.
I checked the oil when I return from the dealer after 260 miles and it was still full, so a good thing since prior to service it would have definitely been down by then.
Unfortunately, last night on the way home from work the CEL was flashing again. It only flashed when I was accelerating. When I idled at a traffic light the CEL went off.
Do I have to go to the dealer or could another local station read the computer codes? Once I have a readout I can go to the dealer or does this reading affect my warranty as well?
I assume that when it stops flashing the codes should still be stored?
Ideally if your dealer is trying to solve your problems under warranty then the followup should be with him. Then again a 140 mile roundtrip is a long way to go.
Alternatively you could go to a Autozone for a free code scan. Yes, the code should still be stored. Once you have the code, call the dealer and ask him what to do. In the meantime you could also go to some site like the following that has code info - http://www.batauto.com/technical/ and see what problem it indicates.
Lastly any good shop should be able to tell you what the code is for a charge. They should also be able to fix most any code problem, again for a charge. Just be sure not to pay a shop a lot of money for a repair that the dealer would otherwise do for free under warranty.
I guess the next step depends on how close you are to an Autozone, if you know a good shop or how much you hate the drive to your dealer.
Keep us posted and remember this is just my $.02. Others may have a different take.
Just a note on losing oil that I found out on my own one time. The oil filler cap has a gasket, one time when I added oil the gasket fell off and I did not know it. The next week I noticed oil down in my spark plug wells and my oil level was lower. Then I found that the gasket was gone so I ordered one from St Charles Isuzu and added it back. I also notice that the filler cap must be tight to prevent any leakage from this area.
Just something that I think everyone needs to be aware of.
Would an ARB front bumper have prevented the airboags from going off? I would like to know if there has been testing for this. .. Will the steel ARB front bumper will spread out the force and thereby require a larger impact to launch the airbags. ..or.. Will the steel ARB front bumper transmit the impact force more effectively than the plastic bumper and cause the airbags to launch with less of an impact? .. If the answer is very clearly that the steel ARB front bumper will prevent airbags from launching until a larger impact happens then the ARB bumper can be purchased as way to prevent the insurance company from totalling the Trooper due to the cost of air bag and dashboard replacement. ARB bumper is around $600 I think, while an airbag launch casts $6000!
Tire Size: Please some one tell me again that the 265/75/16 Revo tires will fit under a stock suspension 2001 Trooper. .. Comparing my 1995 manual Trooper-S to my new 2001 manual Trooper-S the stark white 1995 looks much more like a man's truck while the 2001 with its silver gray and slightly darker silver gray plastic fender flares looks much more soccer mom to me. The stock suspension 2001 sits about 3" lower than my 1995 with the OME "non-lift" progressive coil springs. .. So, I am conteplating the 265/75/16 tires as a way to make it more truck like, I think those fender flares make the tires look a lot smaller. I might even get 5 of them so I can have a big bare spare sitting there looking less an less soccer mom. .. And how bad is the MPG hit, is it -2mpg? Thank You BoxTrooper
Since the 4wd is a button on the dash and the hi/lo lever is next to the shifter, do I now have 2lo range? I hope I do because with a stick shift 2lo would be my favorite setting for parking a trailer.
No rubbing on my 99 at all...including three ZuZoo events at Moab, with any number of full-articulation situations.
Speedometer differential is supposed to be around 7% from stock, although my GPS indicates more like 5%, probably due to 40K miles of wear on my Pirellis.
I really believe that Mobile 1 is an excellent oil, but neither a qualitative oil nor any additives are able to win the valve ticking. I would think that a high octane gas is also useless in such case.
Here in Russia, most of used 3.2 Troopers have the same ticking and they run well. I checked some Isuzu boards and noticed that the way to solve the problem is to replace all 24 hydraulic lifters. That's quite expensive. Good luck.
My recommendation for Mobil One was more of a general recommendation relative to the 3.5L engine failures, rather than specific to valve ticking issues. I have used Mobil One for roughly 18 years now, with excellent results. And as an oil that will flow under all temperatures, I believe the number one rod bearing will be less likely to become oil starved with a synthetic oil.
BTW I just added a quart yesterday, it has been 3,500 miles since my last oil change...I run 5W-30 Mobil One year round.
I think the hydraulic valve lifter ticking issue is more aesthetic than anything, from what I hear the ticking 3.2s can go forever.
Sdc2 says "I run 5W30 Mobil One year round". How about a sticker near an engine, it's written here "use 10W30 oil"? My truck was purchased in Illinoise, and the sticker is factory-made.
Do you have 2wd low? AFAIK the manual Troopers also have permanently locked front hubs. Therefore unless you install manually locking (i.e. unlocking hubs) you cannot put the transfer case in low without the front end following suit (i.e. 4wd low).
Seems to me I remember seeing some ARB literature showing that they test their bumpers to be compliant with air bag systems. If they didn't then they would no doubt have to label their products for off-road use only in order to sell them in this safety conscious country. If your sole purpose is deactivating air bag deployment, why not just put in a switch on the sensor wires? Of course the trick then would be knowing which days you will have a serious accident where you would want an air bag cushion and those days you don't. Lacking such a crystal ball I suggest you leave this system alone. Airbags are a life saver. On the rare occasions, like yours, where they were not; that is what insurance is for.
As a side point, putting on an ARB bumper with all its steel may have a safety benefit, well at least in your car. The car you hit/hits you will likely have another take.
Also, if you don't want to go as big as 265/75 you might try 265/70. IIRC this later size is about 1/2 as much increase from stock as the former.
I think a bigger difference between 265/70 and 265/75 is in the load rating. The 70 series are more often than not "P" rated and the 75 series "LT".
The "LT" (light truck) tires will be heavier, be a little stiffer which could effect handling. I am sure the 75 series will fit no problem since I have 265/70s that have several inches to spare, even when flexed. The LTs are said to resist punctures due to the way the radial belts are wrapped (supposedly perpendicular to each other, where P rated are diagonal), sometimes LTs also have 3 ply vs a P rated being 2 ply.
I have no 2lo range because there is a lockout that physically prevents puting the hi/lo lever into low range until the 4wd button is pressed. I tested that 4wd does in fact engage by turning a circle on a gravel road and noticing the amount of displaced gravel and steering effort, the center differential is locked just like in my 1995. There is no click into and click out of locked hubs so I guess the front axle is always turning. Not having the auto hubs is better for pulling a boat up a dirt hill since I don't have to spin a rear tire until the front hubs lock, I have not tested this. .. I will probably swap the 255/70 Revos (they have less than 10000 miles on them) from my totalled Trooper onto my 2001 Trooper and just use them since the swap will only cost $100 and the new set of $600 set of bigger tires that I now want to look better with those fat fender flares will have to wait. I will ask the used Revo trade in value tomorrow, if the trade in is over $50 I will go for the bigger tires. I already have a $125 2001 5 spoke aluminum rim on order from the local truck salvage so I can use all 5 larger tires. .. Dead Troopers go to truck heaven, not car junk yards. Actually my Trooper will be headed for an insurance auction where it will sell for around $2000. .. Tonight I swap speakers (my Alpine speaker will go nicely with the Alpine head unit provided that came with 2001, the Alpine has great sound but only average radio reception sensitivity) and look into the possibility of getting the power folding mirror function transfered to the 2001.
Has anyone taken the wheel well flares off and left them off? Is the fender OK looking under the flares? Are there unsightly bolt holes etc..? .. Or should I just get used to the flares? Thank You BoxTrooper
According to the owners manual, for temperatures above 0 F, SAE 10W-30 is recommended. For temps below 0 F, 5W-30 is recommended. I live in Minnesota, so I use 5W-30.
For Illinois 10W-30 is probably fine, and at any rate either weight synthetic oil will flow better than dino at really cold temps.
I used 10W30 Valvoline dino oil all the time in my 1995 Trooper until 80000 miles when the 10W30 Mobil1 with Mobil1 filter (Synthetic was added specifically for towing) towing in the last 600 miles of 4000 miles on that oil and filter I started to get the dreaded lifter tick. I then ran a fill of RedLineOil 10W30 and after a couple hundred miled the lifter tick went away. Then I started using Valvoline 5W30 SynPower Later, a year or so later, the ticking came back, I changed the oil right away and again in 500 miles if the ticking would not go away, and since then if ticking comes back I just change the oil right then and it goes away after a hundred miles or so of driving it clean. I never had an oil consumption issue with my 1995. My previous 1984 always ran 10W30 Valvoline dino oil used a quart in 1000 miles after 30000 miles and 1.5 quart in 1000 miles after 200000 miles.
According to the owners manual, for temperatures above 0 F, SAE 10W-30 is recommended. For temps below 0 F, 5W-30 is recommended. I live in Minnesota, so I use 5W-30.
For Illinois 10W-30 is probably fine, and at any rate either weight synthetic oil will flow better than dino at really cold temps.
Boxtrooper, your old 1995 Trooper was the one that Consumer Reports magazing stated had a roll-over tendacy so bad that they branded it "unacceptable". Now that you have a 2001 Trooper, what are your thoughts about CR's rating on your 1995 and what your thoughts about driveability and maneuverability between those two vehicles?
My 1995 is exactly the Trooper that Consumer Results used for their publicity stunt. I have a video of that "test" and clearly they worked very hard to make the Trooper go up on two wheels. The Trooper was driven through the course at the outside pylons the others were allowed to use the inside pylons. If a skier ever gets near the outside pylons on a slolam course that skier is way out of control and working desperately hard to get back to the inside pylons. Isuzu calculated that the lateral G forces turning at the outside pylons was well over 1G while turning at the inside pylons caused only half as much lateral forces. Troopers are rated 0.67G lateral turning forces, plenty good enough to pass the "test". .. Consumer Reports sole purpose for forcing the Trooper up on two wheels was to get free publicity on the news. They had no intention whatsoever of testing the Trooper compared to the other SUVs. The Trooper would have passed a real test and certainly would have done better than the Ford Explorer which was known to have a really mushy suspenstion back then. .. Consumer Reports deliberately did harm to Isuzu. It was a calculated risk they took that their sales gain from the free news advertising would more than pay their legal fees when doing battle with a relatively small Isuzu company presence in the USA. .. Isuzu took Consumer Reports to court and won. Consumer Reports was convicted of deliberately getting the Trooper up on two wheels for a publicity stunt at Isuzu's expense. However, freedom of speech in the USA prevented Consumer Reports from getting a big penalty, so they were right, the publicity stunt more than payed for their legal costs. .. In my opinion, Consumer Reports should be required to forever place a prominent discalimer on their front cover stating that some of their "tests" are performed as publicity stunts for free advertising in the news" and consumers beware that some of the data in Consumer Reports is deliberately false. .. About Trooper Performance: The 1995 and 2001 are both 5 speed S models. Both came with reasonable stiff shock absorbers (I think softer shocks are provided on cushy top of the line models). Both perform about the same. I have driven other vehicles with better roll over rating in Consumer Reports that were far more dangerous in high speed cornering than my Troopers, Chevy Lumina minivan is down right scary in turns when it feels like you are about to drag the front bumper at the outside corner on the ground. .. Troopers have a sharper turning radius than many others and that gives the possibility for getting it up on two wheels. .. Other Consumer Reports publicity stunts are also at the expense of relatively small SUV builders: Suzuki Samarai done just like the Trooper, and Mitsubishi Montero oscillated back and forth until it fianally went up on two wheels and they even showed the film on the news for the shock value. Any engineer looking at the Montero film would imediately tell you that was a publicity stunt and not a test. If you wanted to roll a Corvette you would go about it the same way. .. Consumer Reports rollover "tests" have absolutely no credibility with me. .. If it were not for its false statements about the Trooper rollover that Consumer Reports is too embarrassed to retract, they would be able to show the Trooper as best value by far since the price is low and the capability, quality, and reliability are top notch, far better than all other SUVs except slightly less than the Toyota 4Runner according to Consumer Reports. .. Thanks for the chance to vent at a time when I am very stressed about having my 1995 Trooper taken from me before my 10yr/200000 mile minimum use personal requirements. My 1995 Trooper has been more reliable than my wife's 1998 and 2002 minivans, she insists on taking my Trooper when the weather is bad to make sure not to get stranded. Since my 1995 was not rusting, or ticking, I expected to get 250000 to 300000 miles out of it and swap for the next Isuzu Trooper after it has been out for a couple years in 2008 or 2009.
I have a trooper 1999, run great. However, in the summer it is difficult to start the engine while it starts well in the winter. It take forever to start the engine unless I push the gas pedal and hold at high idle speed for awhile. It is not happen in the winter. It seems to me it has a thermo sensor or something like that, that lower the idle speed and make it difficult to start the engine. Any help
Last night I saw 3 Isuzu commercials. 2 for the Rodeo and 1 for the ascender. This is the first time in years I've seen an Isuzu ad. They were good. They seemed to be pushing the "get more for less" idea. They even had a memorable line for the Rodeo, something like "I like my mountain roads steep, not my payments". I can relate to that!
Yesterday I took Troopey to the dealership for the 15000 mile service interval. I also wanted to have them correct some minor warrenty issues. The dealership in Portland, OR is great. They offer a price match for comprable repair work and many of the GM Goodwrench staff drive Isuzu's. They are top notch. The guy I talked to raved about the depenablity of Troopers.
BTW @ 15000 miles, apart from the simplest of things...the trooper is problem-free.
The Trooper suspension has a strange set of characteristics. It is mushy and bottoms out easily. When stepping on the brakes, there is significant nosedive. Just pressing down on the front bumper with your hands, you can see the suspension moves quite easily. On the other hand, when driving down the road, you can still feel all the little bumps as well.
Over the weekend I drove a full-size Chevy pickup. It felt no harsher on the little bumps, but was much tighter and less mushy on the big ones. The same can be said for my car, a Saab 9-5. The suspension is firmer/tigter, but feels less harsh than the Trooper. If you push on the front bumper of that car with your hands, it barely moves.
Can anyone explain why the Trooper is this way? Is the root problem just the soft springs, or does it also have to do with fundamental things such as the basic design and geometry?
I have a 98 Troop with 50k and relatively new Rancho 9000 shocks set to 3. These shocks probably add some harshness, but they still can't control the mushy springs even when cranked up higher than 3. At this point, I'm just trying to understand why the stock setup is the way it is. In the future, I may upgrade the springs (OME + Sway Away), but I don't want to end up with something that rides like a cement truck either. Would appreciate any other thoughts or experience in this area.
It shouldn't do that...you shouldn't need any gas pedal to start. Possibly the fuel pressure regulator? But that wouldn't change in the winter...I don't know. No "check engine" light?
Try taking the 9-5 or the Chevy offroad and you'll find that they won't go very far on the trail compared to your trooper. Perhaps a nice Isuzu Assender would be more your style?
Paisan, Having a bad day? That was not a helpful reply. I'm simply curious how the stock suspension manages to achieve both mushiness and harshness at the same time. Intuitively I might expect one or the other. Didn't you upgrade the springs on your Trooper? I will consider doing likewise, if that is the real weakness, and if the ride is not overly hard afterwards.
I just find it really funny when people compare off-road purpose built vehicles to sporty cars and/or non-offroad oriented vehicles.
I think that part of it is the body mounts working with the frame. I upgraded my torsion bars (front springs) and my rear springs shortly after buying my truck (20K miles) I've also added considerable hardware (ARB Bumper, 275-70-16 Scorpion AT tires, heavy side bars, heavy hitch + rear bar, and usually carry about 150-300lbs of tools)
I found that cranking up the shocks to 4 on-road yields a bit better ride, although I don't find it to be bad at all either way.
bawbcat - The suspension is like it is because Isuzu was looking to get maximum axle articulation for off-roading while still maintaining some level of control for highway driving. Thus, they ended up with a low-spring-rate, weak swaybar, high compression damped suspension. That is why the suspension seems mushy on the floaty bumps yet transmits a lot of impact on the sharp-edged bumps. If you notice the rear axle, it's almost to the bump-stops, even with no load in it.
I would much prefer the opposite approach because most of my driving is on-road. I would prefer a tightly sprung, moderately damped vehicle. I am looking at doing the Calmini 2" lift because it comes with high-rate springs and a bigger diameter sway bar.
I bet that the "Consumer Reports" rollover happens because of the low spring rates. There is little roll resistance, so in a swerve the outside portions of the axles are already against the bump stops and there is no more travel available, so the inside wheels lift. Heavier springs and/or sway bars will go a long way to improving control at the limit.
Pic 4: Shift rods in 2H. Left shift rod is for H/L, and right one is for 2WD/4WD. In 2H, the locking pin prevents the H/L shift rod movement.
Pic 5: Shift rods in 4H. The H/L rod is free to move as the locking pin moves to right. When 2L is selected, the H/L shift rod moves downward (in this picture), and the locking pin prevents the 2WD/4WD shift rod to move back to 2WD position.
Where is this pin? Is it possible to reach this pin without removing the transfer case? The top 3 pictures are clearly the inside of the transfer case. Are the last two pictures the outside where the shift lever connects? .. What is more popular in Japan automatic transmissions or manual 5 speeds? .. Thank you BoxTtrooper
Bawbcat, I'm not sure I can answer as to "why" the Trooper comes from the factory the way it does...I suspect it has something to do with perception of American tastes. For example, Troopers outside the US apparently come with much better shocks...but who really knows.
I progressed gradually to where I am now. First and foremost, at about 15K I upgraded to OME Nitrocharger shocks. This was a fundamental upgrade I recommend for everybody. Reduced nose dive, lean, and general floundering big time.
But I was still bottoming over RR tracks and dips, so at about 20K I installed the OME coils. The extra height took back some of the lean gains, but I have never regretted installing them. Load carrying is vastly improved, as well as towing ability, and the ride is firmer, but I like it that way.
Of course the taller Trooper cried out for bigger tires to fill those wheel wells...and so it goes.
Why not take the much simpler approach of converting to manual hubs? If you put the transfer case in 4wd and have the hubs unlocked you will be in 2wd. Then again either approach of acheiving 2wd low may be bad for the longterm health of the drivetrain (e.g. unbalanced gear/bearing loads not contemplated by the designers?).
I added OME shocks also and I concur, the nose dive, cornering sway, etc. was greatly improved. I have the stock springs, but am considering the OME HD springs to add more load capacity (weight, not amount).
I concurr with Breakor that converting to manual hubs should be a much easier path to 2WD low than opening up the xfer case. Installation of the hubs only took me about an hour.
To Paisan, I wouldn't really call the Trooper an off-road purpose built vehicle. If that was the case, they wouldn't have used 70 series tires, soft shocks, or IFS. It is a general purpose vehicle with good off-road capability.
Regarding the suspension, if you prefer a more direct comparisson, my old Cherokee XJ had similar intended application and off-road capability, but had much firmer/tighter suspension while only being slightly harsher on the little stuff. My point was that it is quite possible to design suspension that is firmer/tigter with little penalty in harshness. I wouldn't call the Trooper harsh, but I'm a little surprised that given the soft springs it is not LESS harsh than most other vehicles.
Anyhow, it is what it is. Back to the discussion of how to improve it. I did alrady upgrade my shocks to Rancho 9000s, but I didn't notice as dramatic of an improvement as those above who say they switched to OME. Maybe it's a difference in the shocks, maybe it's just me.
For those who replaced only the rear springs, but the vehicle feel at all "unbalanced" afterwards, i.e. firm in back but soft in front? If I drive over a speed bump with 4 people in the car, it bottoms out in both front and back. Both are soft in stock form.
I'll come out on that limb, just hope it doesn't break! The question I ask, is what situation would you be in that you would need 2wd-low, where 4wd-low couldn't be used? The only place I could think of is a wet boat ramp, but there 4wd-low would work fine.
I believe the Trooper, Montero, Land Cruiser, etc. were all designed to run in very harsh (4x4) environments in other countries and then had their systems tuned to be softer, leather seats, AC, etc for the US market. Stock the Trooper is very capable and well equipped for offroad which says a lot to me...the few aftermarket upgrades that are available give it better performance, not much more capability.
I know guys who fly out to Moab, and RENT a rental Trooper from Avis or Enterprise which is about as stock as you can get, and do most of the trails out there with em. Now I'd like to see you fly out there and rent an Envoy or other grocery getter and do that....
Comments
And the dealer told me that unplugging the battery doesn't clear codes on OBD II...might make the light go off but they are mandated by federal law to retain the codes even without battery power.
I just wish the damned things gave more information..."Check Engine" is ridiculously vague. Half the time it turns out to be something not worth bringing it in for.
If you only want to clear the codes you can do that too. Here is the quote from the Helm manual - "When a scan tool in not available DTCs can also be cleared by disconnecting one of the following sources for at least thirty (30) seconds". It then lists the power to the pcm or the negative battery cable.
Saty I suggest you get your AT level re-checked before you start chasing a computer problem. The no dipstick design fools many a shop, although I would hope the dealer knew what they were doing. In any event making sure of the fluid level and condition is the first step in solving any AT problem, especially if your are not storing codes. If you haven't read the recent posts here about flushing high mileage ATs you should. I think in your case I would recommend getting the filter/screen replaced. By 50k miles there is a reasonable chance that accumulated grime was loosened by the flush and partially plug it.
Our transmission clunks a bit harder on a cold start up on its first shift into reverse or drive, but then smooths out very quickly. We haven't done a power flush, just a drain and refill of our fluids at 30k. We don't have the valve tap or ping either. There is no noticeable oil loss. We're down about a cup of oil at our regular oil changes (around 4k miles). Our experience here in Chicago is that this remains the best truck on the market.
We recently drove from Chicago to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado for a week of camping with our three boys. A little over 1,000 miles each way on Route 80 through Nebraska. We got roughly 18 miles per gallon using the cruise control set at 75 mph and having the vent open with some use of the air conditioner. Our three boys are under age 5, so we had three car seats in the back seat and all fit just fine. Space in back was a bit crowded with all our gear, but no real issues. We don't use a trailer or a top mounted box. (Although we did like the rear hitch mounted box carriers we saw.)
Funny thing about Nebraska (well there are lots of funny things about Nebraska
We had no issues in the altitudes with knocks or pings using the 87 octane gas in Colorado. Our Trooper climbed right up Trail Ridge Road like it was nothing special. Using lower gears up and down really helped as well. BTW, in Colorado, regular unleaded is 85 octane.
In case you haven't noticed, we love our Trooper. If you are considering one as a family vehicle (with apologies to Paisan et al who really use their trucks), this should be on your list.
Its funny, I was reading the Honda Pilot board and a poster there remarked that he liked the Pilot, but it was boring. He then mentioned that he missed his 96 Trooper. He said that he really bonded with that truck, while with the Pilot he feels that it is just an appliance like a toaster.
We are planning on keeping our Trooper as long as possible. And with these trucks, that can be to 250k miles (just venture on over to 4X4 wire's Isuzu Trooper community for proof of these trucks durability).
Tetonman
Just check your oil regularly...and I recommend Mobil One.
You shouldn't get a valve tick from a 3.5L, they don't use the hydraulic lifters like some of the 3.2s did.
Interesting comment about the Honda, that is the way I feel about them...extremely competent vehicles, but not exciting or engaging.
My vehicle has 27k and I was having a problem on vacation with oil consumption (I do not tow). 6 quarts in 3k miles. On the way back to North Dakota, where I was planning to have this checked, the check engine light came on and went off after about 100 miles. I figured no biggie, since it is a emissions thing (according to the manual).
A couple hundred miles later in the same trip the rear differential blew out and I had it towed to a dealer. After 4 days they had repaired it (I got stuck with a $320 rental car bill).
While it was in I had the 30k manufacturers service done for $982 ( they deducted $8 for the transmission fluid used in the warranty service on the differential)
There was some emmisions service done, that they said *may* help the oil consumption. I have to have the oil checked every 500 mile at the dealer (70 miles away) to see if the oil problem was solved.
The service manager also claimed that the check engine message was erased from memory, by the car(?)
What do you guys make of this?
Is this type of oil consumption cured by and emmisions service?
Did I get ripped off?
Do these vehicles erase check engine codes?
Do I have to make the 140 mile trip to have the dealer pull the dipstick?
Should I think of getting rid of this vehicle?
Your insights would be very valuable to me.
Thanks.
I haven't got the rack yet but will shortly and am looking at a carrier that has indentations where it is to sit on the rack bars. Not a problem if one has a factory rack that has moveable bars...could be with an aftermaket rack if the bars have to be placed in a specific spot.
Thanks.
As to your code not being stored, that wouldn't happen by itself. Maybe the tow truck driver or shop disconnected the battery as some sort of safety precaution. That would clear the code.
If they put ATF in your rear diff you have a new problem. I am assuming that was a typo.
Do yourself a favor and do a search here about oil usage. The current theory is that the rings have too few drain holes. Thus, anything that tends to plug them up is very bad. Short of new rings you should therefore keep your oil, EGR and PCV clean. If your dealer service included an EGR cleaning and a new PCV you should have some reason to hope for lower oil consumption.
Do you have to go back to the dealer for your oil consumption test followup? No, you don't have to. However if you don't then should you need a new engine it will come out of your wallet. At a minimum you should check the oil level yourself. If it stays up then call the dealer and ask him if you have to come in. If if drops then by all means get the dealer to do the test.
For the record many Trooper owners never use oil. Others use around 1qt/1000mis. As long as the oil is topped off in a timely manner the trucks do seem to just keep going and going.
Should you decide to sell the vehicle, just remember your dealer visit was recorded. Thus, if you fail to tell the purchaser about the engine problems he can find out. The point being, you cannot just pass off this potential problem on some unsuspecting purchaser without taking a chance that it will come back to haunt you.
Just my $.02.
I checked the oil when I return from the dealer after 260 miles and it was still full, so a good thing since prior to service it would have definitely been down by then.
Unfortunately, last night on the way home from work the CEL was flashing again. It only flashed when I was accelerating. When I idled at a traffic light the CEL went off.
Do I have to go to the dealer or could another local station read the computer codes? Once I have a readout I can go to the dealer or does this reading affect my warranty as well?
I assume that when it stops flashing the codes should still be stored?
Alternatively you could go to a Autozone for a free code scan. Yes, the code should still be stored. Once you have the code, call the dealer and ask him what to do. In the meantime you could also go to some site like the following that has code info - http://www.batauto.com/technical/ and see what problem it indicates.
Lastly any good shop should be able to tell you what the code is for a charge. They should also be able to fix most any code problem, again for a charge. Just be sure not to pay a shop a lot of money for a repair that the dealer would otherwise do for free under warranty.
I guess the next step depends on how close you are to an Autozone, if you know a good shop or how much you hate the drive to your dealer.
Keep us posted and remember this is just my $.02. Others may have a different take.
The oil filler cap has a gasket, one time when I added oil the gasket fell off and I did not know it. The next week I noticed oil down in my spark plug wells and my oil level was lower. Then I found that the gasket was gone so I ordered one from St Charles Isuzu and added it back. I also notice that the filler cap must be tight to prevent any leakage from this area.
Just something that I think everyone needs to be aware of.
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Will the steel ARB front bumper will spread out the force and thereby require a larger impact to launch the airbags.
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Will the steel ARB front bumper transmit the impact force more effectively than the plastic bumper and cause the airbags to launch with less of an impact?
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If the answer is very clearly that the steel ARB front bumper will prevent airbags from launching until a larger impact happens then the ARB bumper can be purchased as way to prevent the insurance company from totalling the Trooper due to the cost of air bag and dashboard replacement. ARB bumper is around $600 I think, while an airbag launch casts $6000!
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Comparing my 1995 manual Trooper-S to my new 2001 manual Trooper-S the stark white 1995 looks much more like a man's truck while the 2001 with its silver gray and slightly darker silver gray plastic fender flares looks much more soccer mom to me. The stock suspension 2001 sits about 3" lower than my 1995 with the OME "non-lift" progressive coil springs.
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So, I am conteplating the 265/75/16 tires as a way to make it more truck like, I think those fender flares make the tires look a lot smaller. I might even get 5 of them so I can have a big bare spare sitting there looking less an less soccer mom.
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And how bad is the MPG hit, is it -2mpg?
Thank You
BoxTrooper
Speedometer differential is supposed to be around 7% from stock, although my GPS indicates more like 5%, probably due to 40K miles of wear on my Pirellis.
Here in Russia, most of used 3.2 Troopers have the same ticking and they run well. I checked some Isuzu boards and noticed that the way to solve the problem is to replace all 24 hydraulic lifters. That's quite expensive. Good luck.
BTW I just added a quart yesterday, it has been 3,500 miles since my last oil change...I run 5W-30 Mobil One year round.
I think the hydraulic valve lifter ticking issue is more aesthetic than anything, from what I hear the ticking 3.2s can go forever.
How about a sticker near an engine, it's written here "use 10W30 oil"? My truck was purchased in Illinoise, and the sticker is factory-made.
Seems to me I remember seeing some ARB literature showing that they test their bumpers to be compliant with air bag systems. If they didn't then they would no doubt have to label their products for off-road use only in order to sell them in this safety conscious country. If your sole purpose is deactivating air bag deployment, why not just put in a switch on the sensor wires? Of course the trick then would be knowing which days you will have a serious accident where you would want an air bag cushion and those days you don't. Lacking such a crystal ball I suggest you leave this system alone. Airbags are a life saver. On the rare occasions, like yours, where they were not; that is what insurance is for.
As a side point, putting on an ARB bumper with all its steel may have a safety benefit, well at least in your car. The car you hit/hits you will likely have another take.
Also, if you don't want to go as big as 265/75 you might try 265/70. IIRC this later size is about 1/2 as much increase from stock as the former.
The "LT" (light truck) tires will be heavier, be a little stiffer which could effect handling. I am sure the 75 series will fit no problem since I have 265/70s that have several inches to spare, even when flexed. The LTs are said to resist punctures due to the way the radial belts are wrapped (supposedly perpendicular to each other, where P rated are diagonal), sometimes LTs also have 3 ply vs a P rated being 2 ply.
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I will probably swap the 255/70 Revos (they have less than 10000 miles on them) from my totalled Trooper onto my 2001 Trooper and just use them since the swap will only cost $100 and the new set of $600 set of bigger tires that I now want to look better with those fat fender flares will have to wait. I will ask the used Revo trade in value tomorrow, if the trade in is over $50 I will go for the bigger tires. I already have a $125 2001 5 spoke aluminum rim on order from the local truck salvage so I can use all 5 larger tires.
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Dead Troopers go to truck heaven, not car junk yards. Actually my Trooper will be headed for an insurance auction where it will sell for around $2000.
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Tonight I swap speakers (my Alpine speaker will go nicely with the Alpine head unit provided that came with 2001, the Alpine has great sound but only average radio reception sensitivity) and look into the possibility of getting the power folding mirror function transfered to the 2001.
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Or should I just get used to the flares?
Thank You
BoxTrooper
For Illinois 10W-30 is probably fine, and at any rate either weight synthetic oil will flow better than dino at really cold temps.
For Illinois 10W-30 is probably fine, and at any rate either weight synthetic oil will flow better than dino at really cold temps.
this before if so how difficult is it?.
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Consumer Reports sole purpose for forcing the Trooper up on two wheels was to get free publicity on the news. They had no intention whatsoever of testing the Trooper compared to the other SUVs. The Trooper would have passed a real test and certainly would have done better than the Ford Explorer which was known to have a really mushy suspenstion back then.
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Consumer Reports deliberately did harm to Isuzu. It was a calculated risk they took that their sales gain from the free news advertising would more than pay their legal fees when doing battle with a relatively small Isuzu company presence in the USA.
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Isuzu took Consumer Reports to court and won. Consumer Reports was convicted of deliberately getting the Trooper up on two wheels for a publicity stunt at Isuzu's expense. However, freedom of speech in the USA prevented Consumer Reports from getting a big penalty, so they were right, the publicity stunt more than payed for their legal costs.
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In my opinion, Consumer Reports should be required to forever place a prominent discalimer on their front cover stating that some of their "tests" are performed as publicity stunts for free advertising in the news" and consumers beware that some of the data in Consumer Reports is deliberately false.
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About Trooper Performance: The 1995 and 2001 are both 5 speed S models. Both came with reasonable stiff shock absorbers (I think softer shocks are provided on cushy top of the line models). Both perform about the same. I have driven other vehicles with better roll over rating in Consumer Reports that were far more dangerous in high speed cornering than my Troopers, Chevy Lumina minivan is down right scary in turns when it feels like you are about to drag the front bumper at the outside corner on the ground.
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Troopers have a sharper turning radius than many others and that gives the possibility for getting it up on two wheels.
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Other Consumer Reports publicity stunts are also at the expense of relatively small SUV builders: Suzuki Samarai done just like the Trooper, and Mitsubishi Montero oscillated back and forth until it fianally went up on two wheels and they even showed the film on the news for the shock value. Any engineer looking at the Montero film would imediately tell you that was a publicity stunt and not a test. If you wanted to roll a Corvette you would go about it the same way.
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Consumer Reports rollover "tests" have absolutely no credibility with me.
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If it were not for its false statements about the Trooper rollover that Consumer Reports is too embarrassed to retract, they would be able to show the Trooper as best value by far since the price is low and the capability, quality, and reliability are top notch, far better than all other SUVs except slightly less than the Toyota 4Runner according to Consumer Reports.
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Thanks for the chance to vent at a time when I am very stressed about having my 1995 Trooper taken from me before my 10yr/200000 mile minimum use personal requirements. My 1995 Trooper has been more reliable than my wife's 1998 and 2002 minivans, she insists on taking my Trooper when the weather is bad to make sure not to get stranded. Since my 1995 was not rusting, or ticking, I expected to get 250000 to 300000 miles out of it and swap for the next Isuzu Trooper after it has been out for a couple years in 2008 or 2009.
Irritating isn't it?
Steve, Host
It seems to me it has a thermo sensor or something like that, that lower the idle speed and make it difficult to start the engine.
Any help
I can relate to that!
Yesterday I took Troopey to the dealership for the 15000 mile service interval. I also wanted to have them correct some minor warrenty issues. The dealership in Portland, OR is great. They offer a price match for comprable repair work and many of the GM Goodwrench staff drive Isuzu's. They are top notch. The guy I talked to raved about the depenablity of Troopers.
BTW @ 15000 miles, apart from the simplest of things...the trooper is problem-free.
Over the weekend I drove a full-size Chevy pickup. It felt no harsher on the little bumps, but was much tighter and less mushy on the big ones. The same can be said for my car, a Saab 9-5. The suspension is firmer/tigter, but feels less harsh than the Trooper. If you push on the front bumper of that car with your hands, it barely moves.
Can anyone explain why the Trooper is this way? Is the root problem just the soft springs, or does it also have to do with fundamental things such as the basic design and geometry?
I have a 98 Troop with 50k and relatively new Rancho 9000 shocks set to 3. These shocks probably add some harshness, but they still can't control the mushy springs even when cranked up higher than 3. At this point, I'm just trying to understand why the stock setup is the way it is. In the future, I may upgrade the springs (OME + Sway Away), but I don't want to end up with something that rides like a cement truck either. Would appreciate any other thoughts or experience in this area.
-mike
-mike
Having a bad day? That was not a helpful reply. I'm simply curious how the stock suspension manages to achieve both mushiness and harshness at the same time. Intuitively I might expect one or the other. Didn't you upgrade the springs on your Trooper? I will consider doing likewise, if that is the real weakness, and if the ride is not overly hard afterwards.
I think that part of it is the body mounts working with the frame. I upgraded my torsion bars (front springs) and my rear springs shortly after buying my truck (20K miles) I've also added considerable hardware (ARB Bumper, 275-70-16 Scorpion AT tires, heavy side bars, heavy hitch + rear bar, and usually carry about 150-300lbs of tools)
I found that cranking up the shocks to 4 on-road yields a bit better ride, although I don't find it to be bad at all either way.
-mike
I would much prefer the opposite approach because most of my driving is on-road. I would prefer a tightly sprung, moderately damped vehicle. I am looking at doing the Calmini 2" lift because it comes with high-rate springs and a bigger diameter sway bar.
I bet that the "Consumer Reports" rollover happens because of the low spring rates. There is little roll resistance, so in a swerve the outside portions of the axles are already against the bump stops and there is no more travel available, so the inside wheels lift. Heavier springs and/or sway bars will go a long way to improving control at the limit.
Tom
http://www.ubslabo.com/ika-2l.htm
Pic 1: 2H
Pic 2: 4H
Pic 3: 4L
Pic 4: Shift rods in 2H. Left shift rod is for H/L, and right one is for 2WD/4WD. In 2H, the locking pin prevents the H/L shift rod movement.
Pic 5: Shift rods in 4H. The H/L rod is free to move as the locking pin moves to right. When 2L is selected, the H/L shift rod moves downward (in this picture), and the locking pin prevents the 2WD/4WD shift rod to move back to 2WD position.
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What is more popular in Japan automatic transmissions or manual 5 speeds?
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Thank you
BoxTtrooper
I progressed gradually to where I am now. First and foremost, at about 15K I upgraded to OME Nitrocharger shocks. This was a fundamental upgrade I recommend for everybody. Reduced nose dive, lean, and general floundering big time.
But I was still bottoming over RR tracks and dips, so at about 20K I installed the OME coils. The extra height took back some of the lean gains, but I have never regretted installing them. Load carrying is vastly improved, as well as towing ability, and the ride is firmer, but I like it that way.
Of course the taller Trooper cried out for bigger tires to fill those wheel wells...and so it goes.
Paisan you coming out on this limb too?
To Paisan, I wouldn't really call the Trooper an off-road purpose built vehicle. If that was the case, they wouldn't have used 70 series tires, soft shocks, or IFS. It is a general purpose vehicle with good off-road capability.
Regarding the suspension, if you prefer a more direct comparisson, my old Cherokee XJ had similar intended application and off-road capability, but had much firmer/tighter suspension while only being slightly harsher on the little stuff. My point was that it is quite possible to design suspension that is firmer/tigter with little penalty in harshness. I wouldn't call the Trooper harsh, but I'm a little surprised that given the soft springs it is not LESS harsh than most other vehicles.
Anyhow, it is what it is. Back to the discussion of how to improve it. I did alrady upgrade my shocks to Rancho 9000s, but I didn't notice as dramatic of an improvement as those above who say they switched to OME. Maybe it's a difference in the shocks, maybe it's just me.
For those who replaced only the rear springs, but the vehicle feel at all "unbalanced" afterwards, i.e. firm in back but soft in front? If I drive over a speed bump with 4 people in the car, it bottoms out in both front and back. Both are soft in stock form.
Thanks all for the input.
-mike
-mike