Isuzu Trooper

ppouncey

...got mine at JC Whitney. Recent catalog #126J-07 listed class III for Troopers for $99.99, shipping unknown. Easy to install for my '95, required drilling 1 or 2 holes in the frame, but no big deal. I love mine!
Pat.

breakor

Presumably your mechanic also checked the blower fan for proper operation. If not, have that done and make sure they also check for any partially disconnected or blocked duct passages.

If you haven't added a good, very dark tint then by all means do that. You will be amazed at the difference that makes. After all, Troopers are a very large greenhouse that can trap a lot of sunlight.

Make sure the vent outputs are aimed somewhat towards the ceiling (especially the center ones). Cold air falls and if you have the vents aimed straight ahead the cold air will tend to stay in the front seat area rather than also making it to the back seats.

You might also go for a test drive on a new Trooper and compare the a/c yourself. Is it cooler? Does the fan put out more volume? If so then maybe another mechanic might be able to find a problem. Or maybe the fan from a 01 puts out more air and maybe that fan can be installed in your 98. A lot of maybe but if you are desperate it is worth a shot to see if there is a cure here.

sdc2

The rear seat vents that come out of the center console will put some cold air directly to the back seats, IF you have the control on the vent/floor combo setting. Might help...

troopernewbie

The fan seems to be working properly and doing all it can do. I'm going to have to find another '98 on to compare with mine just to make sure. And may check out the new Troopers for comparison.

Vents in the center console? Where? I didn't know there were any. Are you talking about on either corner of the console?

jasdig

Regarding buying my 2001 S for 18,900 You are right TTL wasn't included and on top there was a Destination charge of $545 and the only hidden charge was Dealer Prep fee of $695 which at the time I wasn't going to haggle over as I thought I was coming out ahead and besides they have to make a living.
Yes at the time of my buying there were only 3 other 4x4 troopers left....that was Friday 13th!!I I believe they did have a White LS although on Monday I noticed they had a larger delivery in (the Delivery charge had gone up to $610 so I assume mine was an older stock vehicle that they were getting rid of). I suggest you call Checkeed Flag 757 490 1111 and ask for Ed Belisle

jasdig

The sticker price was $29,775 but the ad in the Virginia Pilot mentioned 2001 Trooper S (3 left) for 18,900 and two were sold that day. I went along expecting the usual bait and switch tactic but it wasn't that way. At the time I wasn't even considering giving up my 93 for another year or two but at that price I couldn't resist buying!
The salesman mentioned that they were increasing the offer price by a $1000 the day after I bought mine (perhaps they screwed up on the price?) but even then I think that it's a good deal. Another shipment of Troopers came in over that weekend, so maybe they were offering a great deal to get rid of the old stock. Hope this helps ... If you are considering buying call Checkered Flag in Va Beach at 757 490 1111 and ask for Ed Belisle and see if he can get you a similar discount.

cwmoser

Fender flares on my 1999 Trooper still looks great after almost 2 years. I don't understand the problems you are having. Could it be be color? My Trooper is Red with Silver color flares. Maybe color is the problem or maybe how you wash it?

bstreet

hey thanks for the info and advice. congrats on your great deal.

i30g20

I too thank you for the info. I think I'll take a drive down to the beach soon. BTW: I have a 92 trooper w/ 157k and runs great. Before I had an 86 with 212k before I blew the engine. Both great vehicles. I hope you get as much trouble free miles out of your new 4x4 as I have in my last two and soon to be 3 -- i30g20(ted)

daniell

Edmunds states that there is a 2001 Trooper Dealer Cash Incentive of $4000. There is also a customer cash allowance of $1000, and 0% APR for 36 months. Does this mean that:

1) If you pay cash, you have a good chance of getting $5000 of MSRP.

2) If you finance, you won't get any of the $4,000 and $1,000 rebates?

By the way, I am in Cincinnati, OH.

fiveharpers

http://townhall-talk2.edmunds.com/Web?14@@.ee9950a/0

the above site in the Edmunds town hall has a lot of information on synthetic oils, Mobil 1 is highly regarded and reasonably priced. I switched to Mobil 1 at 2200 miles in my trooper and I'm pleased so far. With the synthetic oils you may feel more comfortable with extending your oil changes to factory recommendation of 7500 miles in non extreme conditions. As stated before the molecular makeup of the synthetics slows the rate of oil breakdown, which protects the engine longer and many claim that it eliminates the build up of oil sludge in the engine. Good luck with your choice.

fiveharpers

I just returned from a trip to the Great Smokies in Tennessee from Virginia. At two gas stops, one going down and the other on return I calculated just a little better than 21 miles per gallon as I traveled the interstates in the hilly southwest part of Virginia. AC on most of the time, speeds averaged between 60 - 70 (I know, I'm not as fast as paisan), 2WD drive mode, Mobil 1 oil ( My wife noticed that gas consumption has been better since I switched to Mobil 1). To make this even better, I paid between 1.20 and 1.26 per gallon.

fiveharpers

I really became a fan of the grade logic in the tranny this week. Traveling over and down the mountains in Tennessee, I really experience how useful it is. On most downhill slopes I just released the excellarator and let the grade logic down shift to control the speed of decent, while I smelled the odor from burning brakes of others. On the steeper slopes I manually shifted to 2nd or 3rd gear. I hardly used my brakes at all. This sure beats burning up brake pads.

central

The newer Troopers all have vents at the back and bottom of the rear CENTER console that put out air on the rear passenger's feet area. Not much mind you but some air.

While you are researching your options you might get one of the $10 clamp on fans that plug into the cigarette lighter. They really do move a bunch of air and if you clamped it to the back of the center console and aimed it just right it might do the trick at least in the meantime.

paisan

I'm gonna be bried just got back from the Planet Isuzoo Camping/Off-roading trip in the Uwharrie National Forest in NC. Isuzu people rock! We all had a great bonding time and got to do some off-roading, from easy for us with newer stock ones, to hard near flipping over tree-taking out events down the trail.

Here are some quick answers:

A/C: Tint the windows to as dark as your state allows or darker. Also put the a/c out the upper vents and aim the center ones above the HVAC controls directly back to the rear seats.

Hitch: JC Whitney I think sells em.

Mobil 1: I switched at 10K, was buring 1Q Dino Oil per 1500 miles, now i'm up to 1Q per 4500 miles on the Mobil 1

Incentives: If you take the 0% financing, you are only eligible for the $1000, if you don't take the financing, then you can get $4K off.

You guys have to come Columbus weekend to Uwharrie, even if you don't want to take your truck on the trails, you can always ride along with others. We had 4 stock Silver Troopers there this past weekend all of them 1998-2000 along with about 20 other trucks. The October run will have at least 5 or 6 98-2001 Troopers!

-mike

raydahs

Just a thought, but after testing the exit vents above the rear speakers (SEE POST #979). We have, I believe 10 slots per side, 20 total. What if, we blocked off say 10 or 15 slots with tape or whatever, to eliminate the cold air being released to atmosphere. It might keep more cold air in the truck? but still ventilate the cabin?

erinsquared

I remember seeing a lot of A/C complaints posted around this time last year. Here in the SE, it is also noticable that the A/C is really not up to the task on the hottest days. There are only a few times I have to deal with this so I've opted for the grin-and-bear-it approach. I can only imagine how it performs out West with 100+ degree days! I have a black '99 Trooper with the factory tint and it barely manages to stay comfortable if I leave it parked in the sun. Strategies like parking in the shade, adding darkest legal tint, using a winshield sunblocker, keeping windows cracked etc.. will help, but I doubt you could keep up with 115 degree temps in AZ. How about looking into getting an upgraded aftermarket unit installed? There has gotta' be some good A/C guys out there and it might be cheaper than you would think (easily cheaper than the tax on the new truck your wife would have you get). It's a shame that Isuzu doesn't get the A/C system from the GM parts bin - the two GM's I've had would turn the interior into a meat locker within minutes of turning on the air!

montanabill2

Considering a new 2001 Trooper Limited - loved the test drive in it - however, I remember the flip over issue (Consumers Report) back in 96. Has anything been changed in the Trooper to improve its stability? Salesman said nothing has changed - really - I knew their sales plumeted after this review. Thanks

paisan

They lowered the body onto the frame by 1/2" or 1/4". They don't roll, trust me. I drive in NYC, I weave and bob, I've done over 110mph on country roads and just yesterday did the "deer avoidance test" around a mazda 626 at 83mph cause he was road-raging with me, and slammed on his brakes in front of me.

But yes they did change it slightly. I'm not sure how much it actually effected the handling or stability, but they are stable.

-mike

http://isuzu-suvs.com

raydahs

Montanabill2 - Here's a 98' Edmunds test that goes into detail about the rollover hype.

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/roadtest/44302/article.html

One of the quotes:
"those guys at Consumer Reports must have been either particularly aggressive, hopelessly wasted, or especially stupid to get a Trooper up on two wheels. Consumers who drive normally need not worry about safety with the Trooper"

arktrooper1

hi everyone!...sorry i haven't been here in awhile...been going through an exceedingly nasty divorce and the loss of my business as a result, but i'm still here and so is my trooper, so all ain't necessarily bad...lol...interesting that the last posts are in reference to the stability of the trooper...i have a 2000 S /w/ automatic/TOD (of course!)...i also have COMPLETLY STOCK suspension...about two weeks ago my son and i were coming back to arkansas through missouri from visting friends at lake of the ozarks and hadnt hit the interstate yet...coming into the small town of kimberling, mo an old chevy blazer was in front of me and stopped SUDDENLY...i steered to the right, quickly but steadliy, steering off the road into a grassy incline of 30-35 degrees, i'd say...i had brief thoughts of the trooper going over on its side as i narrowly missed the right rear corner of the blazer's right rear bumper but it barely leaned! as i steered around the blazer, veered back left, gave it some gas and was back on the pavement before i knew it!...i was in 2WD at the time but the limited slip did its job!...i have no doubt that some of the aftermarket suspension mods are an improvement and plan to eventually do the OME springs and shock with a sway-a-way sway bar, but after this experience i think the stock suspension may be a bit underrated...my only regret..and, mike (you will love this!) is that i didn't have it it 4WD/TOD...i always turn it on at the slightest hint of moisture on the road but now turn it on on two lane roads as well...i feel that it would have been even more stable had i had the TOD on...ive been following the GM bastardization of the 2003 trooper as well and if they do what i think they'll do this will be my last trooper...i REFUSE to lend credibility to an sub that is likely to be everything the trooper is not now including being a cheaply built, unreliable piece of s*** as most gm products tend to be...i know i grew up on gm!...what i would buy however is an axiom...can you believe that car and driver complained that the axiom felt like a truck!...duh!...how perceptive...some people still want an suv that really behaves like one and will handle the rough stuff if necessary...the highlander is a great vehicle but its not an suv...the mdx!...give me a break!...its 4WD only operates below 20mph!...that sure does a lot of good at highway speeds in the rain...lol...ill quit ranting for now but its good to be back and im glad that the "regulars" have done such a good job of keeping this board going...later!...arktrooper1 (dave)

arktrooper1

not "steadliy"...hey i live in arkansas and somtimes we jest cain't spail to gude, i ges!...LOL!...dave

arktrooper1

STEADILY!

paisan

Dude! You are back. Too bad you didn't get back on here last week. Ark isn't far from NC, you could have come to UWharrie with us! Make sure to check out http://isuzu-suvs.com Sorry to hear about the Divorce, keep in touch with us!

-mike

stever

Well, you can edit within 30 minutes of posting you know. May want to clean up that masked profanity while you're at it too :-)

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

tropertu

I just got a 2001 Trooper S 2WD at Taxan Isuzu in Houston, TX. They are running an AD that is $8000 off MSRP for S and LS models. My wife and I were quite happy with the purchasing experience. I think the saleman Larry Williams and his manager Robert Doo were both pretty straightforward.

We were cheated by a San Atonio dealer called Tom Benson Chevrolet & Isuzu before. Very bad experience then, now feels much better.

paisan

Be sure to e-mail me some pics for the Gallery at http://isuzu-suvs.com

-mike

tropertu

Is the mobile 1 people talked about the mobile 1 synthesis oil? I want to keep my Trooper for long, so want to use good oil at the very begginning.

paisan

Mobil 1 Synthetic oil. But I'd say not to start using it til after 5-7K miles

-mike

newtroop01

Just bought my first trooper last month and I am looking for some help from the more experienced owners in the forum. Want to add some accessories (bug deflector and hitch) and need to know which manufacturers you think are the best. Looking at the Lund Interceptor and the Hidden Hitch. Just want to make sure what part numbers are sure to fit the 2001 S model.

gpm5

hidden hitch part number 87544

Also see Paisan's web site.

Mine went on very easily, in about an hour by myself but that included cleaning the weld nuts in the frame. Two bolts thread into the weld nuts on the left and three bolts on the right (two into the tow hook spot). You do have to get under the truck and make sure which bolts thread in where first.

paisan

In 2K and 2K+1 you don't need the weld nuts. All the wholes are pre-threaded on these trucks. I did it in less than 1/2hr and I think Conway said he did it in 10 minutes. I have the Lund part #s on the FAQ section of http://isuzu-suvs.com

-mike

gpm5

Paisan, I think your talking about the nuts on the wire. The weld nuts as I was calling then are the pre-threaded nuts that are on the frame.

paisan

Yep then you are right GPM, I meant you didn't need to use the nuts on the wire that come with the hitch.

-mike

gpm5

Sounds like you guys had a good time.

erinsquared

Getting tired of bottoming out on the "squishy" stock rear springs and going for the OME's. Can anyone who has ordered the OME rear coil springs confirm the part numbers (OME912?) and sources? Paisan, I remember seeing you mention that this adds an additional 1" lift. Did you add front end lift by tightening the torsion bars? Which direction do you turn the bolt which increases the lift (clockwise/ccw?). After this, is an alignment needed? I do not necessarily want to add too much lift since stock ground clearance is adequate for me and I am more concerned with 80+ MPH stability on the interstate. By the way, for those of you who have not upgraded the stock shocks and added urethane sway bar bushings, you are missing on a much better riding experience and improved safety that this adds.

paisan

What have you added thus far? If you already did shocks and bushings, you might benefit from sway bars (Calmini, as much as I dislike them, is the only place to get em) rather than springs. I bought my springs and rancho shocks from Dan @ hotrod off-road, there should be a link on http://isuzu-suvs.com under vendors. Not sure of the OME part #, but it is the only one listed under trooper. I did crank the T-bars in the front but not sure which direction it was that I cranked. Also if going to OME springs in the rear you might want to go to Sway-Away T-bars for the front. I drove a '93 Trooper with the Sway Aways this weekend @ the Planet Isuzoo Uwharrie Trip and it felt nice.

-mike

gpm5

I too would like to know about the direction to turn those for leveling the one side of the truck. I'm pretty sure someone said you need an alignment after that. Are they the tie rod looking bars that are about 10 inches long and run from left to right to each front wheel? Will a standard tire/alignment shop know what to do? I would think that the wheel for which you are changing should be off the ground when cranking these. Is this so? Anyone with any insight--it would be appreciated. Thanks.

paisan

You need to jack the front up enough so there is no pressure on the front tires. YOu then crankt he bars and this puts more pressure on them so they push down further. The problem with cranking them too much, is that you loose downward wheel travel as you crank them, luckily we have about 10" of wheel travel IIRC so it's not too much of an issue. I had my fronts cranked up 4 turns when they did my shocks, this came just short of leveling it off, my rear is still a little higher, and I didn't need an alignment aftward. If you crank it much more than 4 turns you'll probably need to get an alignment. The T-bars go from under the front seats area to the front axles, they are about 15-20" long and you need like a 27mm wrench to tighten them.

-mike

raydahs

The Torsion Bars run almost parallel with the side if the truck and are @1" dia. x @26" lg. Here's a link that explains how they work.

http://isuzu-suvs.com/howto/torsionbarsexplained.html

gpm5

Many thanks for the info.

kellys3

Has anyone heard when an all-new re-designed Trooper might be unveiled??? I'm fairly sure it is NOT going to be for 2002, but have a funny feeling that it WILL be for the 2003 model year. Any thoughts out there???

montanabill2

Appreciate the response on the stability issue. My feeling is that the rear springs are "soft" to provide a more car like ride - if I wanted a car I would buy one. The trend in SUB's is pitiful. I'm from Montana and yes we do go off-road -sometimes we live off-road. We also stuff dead animals in the back after a successful hunt and these molded plastic bumpers do nothing to help jack up a vehicle in the snow and mud to replace a blown tire. The old style metal bumpers with a handyman jack could get you out of trouble quickly and safely. Laying down in the goo to position a frame mounted screw jack is a place you don't want to go. Also noticed that the cropper payload rating is weak - especially when compared to a 4-Runner which has 500 lfs more capacity with a smaller volume. I just like meat with my potatoes. For your info, the salesman informed me that the only real change on next years trooper will be the addition of a diesel engine.

paisan

You can get a floor jack or other such jack along with metal bumpers if you wish. The problem is that all SUVs are being hit with the plastic bumper stuff. The OME springs definitely help in terms of carry capacity. I don't know about the 4-runner, but I have towed 5200lbs with my Trooper as well as loaded it up with 5 guys, and camping gear to the roof w/o a problem. The 4-runner is a Toyota, and probably is better off-road or on par with the Trooper, but as far as luxury, and price the Trooper can't be beat.

-mike

paisan

You might want to jump over to the Isuzu Owner's CLub area here on Edmunds, we have a whole discussion on future models. Here is the deal so far:

2002 = 2001 = 2000 all the same exact vehicles.

2003 will no longer have the Trooper name in the line-up. For North America, the future full sized Isuzu SUV will be a Tahoe/Yukon derivitive with a different body, and the duramax diesel engine optional. The rodeo may become an Envoy clone, but that wouldn't be til 2005. Also heard there may be a diesel offered in 2003 for the Rodeo. The Trooper will be available outside the NA market and still will be built in Japan, but not imported to the US. It will be a sad day when the Trooper dies

-mike

central

Those interested might want to check the ITOG site as it also has some recent a/c posts. One suggested upgrade is to install an aux fan, apparently the newer Troopers have one.

http://209.60.14.34:81/$WEBMSG.Read.ITOG-4.1591

erinsquared

I also miss the loss of chrome steel bumpers and heavy gauge steel in new cars. I hate having to constantly worry about slight dings from the most minor mishaps. This is a far cry from old Detroit Iron - I remember doing a little WWF body slamming on the hood of a '72 Buick Riviera with no damage done to the vehicle whatsoever, but I digress...). Reduced steel content is done to benefit economy and reduce manufacturing costs, but does nothing for durability. I guess the manufacturer's are right on target, since most consumers don't see any off-road time and could care less about this anyway. Just means that there is a deminishing amount of choices left for those of us who want a real truck. As for the salesman having any idea of what the restyled Trooper is going to be like - I have only met one car salesman who knew X about the cars they were selling and doubt this guy knows anything.

jayboreed

2002 is the last model year for the Trooper huh? Well, hate to see that. Especially since GM is going to be putting their trucks in their. Sounds like Isuzu is dying rapidly, if everything is going to be GM. Look what happened to their truck sales when the low quality S10, took the place of the Isuzu PUP. I don't even think Isuzu covers the pickups under the 10/120 plan. Now, I wonder why that would be? Let me take that back, just checked Edmunds and I don't even see the trucks being offered. Guess they killed them because of low sales. Like I sad. Rapid! I saw a picture in a magazine that some guy at the Isuzu service desk showed me of the future Trooper. It was heavily GM based. Let me stress the word Rapid again and then let you know: Obviously the same engineers that designed the future Trooper were also the ones that designed the Pontiac Aztec. Don't know what they are smoking over there at GM but it must be some wicked stuff. By the way, had an emergency last month and had to go to the hospital. I was way out in the booneys. Drove my Mom's Trooper(she has a 99) 40 miles doing about 110-115. It was suprizingly stable. Could have went faster, but that was fast enough for me. I was suprized that a speed govenor did not kick in. Guess it does not have one as my Dad said he got it up to 120, but I thought he was joshing. Anyway, just wanted to let you know, it'll do it and do it well. -- JR

paisan

The Hombre was last offered in '99. Never had the opportunity to get the 10/120. Isuzu is actually designing the next generation S10-S15 pickups, but not sure if they'll sell it in Isuzu dealers. GM buys a company then it just guts out the good stuff (Isuzu Duramax Diesel Engine, etc) and tosses the carcus.

I hope that some miracle will happen and they'll bring over a Japan built trooper in 2003, but I'm not too hopeful.

I'm glad someone else has had their trooper up to 115 I've done it a few times with mine and it handles great.

-mike

troopernewbie

Adding an auxiliary cooling fan in front of the condenser sounds like an interesting idea. I'm already tinted to the max and use a sun shade and it's just not pleasant.

Anyone have any suggestions for wiring a fan?