Isuzu Trooper

paisan

It's really a coin toss IMHO, other than the aftermarket parts available for the Trooper are more plentiful, the Trooper has more Power, and the 98-02 Troopers have a superior AWD system. Also the Troopers get better gas milage IMHO.

Sean you are in VT right? I'll be at my place in the Adirondacks Memorial Day Weekend if you wanted to check out my truck, and see how it feels after almost 40K HARD miles.

-mike

beer47

What part of the Adirondacks is your place? How long a drive from S.I.? I was up at Lake Placid last year and loved it. Any good real estate deals up there?
cheers!

seanreid

Hi Mike,

Yes, I'm in SE VT and it would be fun to meet up that weekend. In fact, I'm still going over roads in the Adirondacks for a new tour we're doing so a trip over that way could be useful in several ways. Any offroad gatherings going on between now and then?

Thanks,
Sean

savvas_e

Mike ... Australian recommendations are to use 3 litres of SAE 85W/140 GL5 grade for LSD and 1 bottle GM LSD additive in the rear. The front uses 1.4 litres of SAE 85W/140 GL5 grade (normal or LSD). So you should be cool with your thoughts about going to 85W/140 grade.

Transfer case and transmission both use Dexron III.

troopster2

fellas,
i've been trying like hell to find a good aftermarket site to buy stuff that i really don't need. examples you ask? well, i really don't want a brush guard per say, but rather a bull bar or safari bar. some nerf bars, torque arm upgrades, sway bar upgrades, etc.. i can't find a site that shows the trooper in the application guides. yeah, i see the rodeo listed, but i don't have the little brother isuzu. if anyone can help, please let me know. thanks!!

-rico-
2000 limited
k&n filtercharger, tornado air induction, rancho rs 9000s, yokohama 265/75s, jbl
(in case anybody had any questions).

breakor

Try Paisan's site - http://www.isuzu-suvs.com/

paisan

I checked into it, and 85/140 is a bit too think for our application out here, I'm gonna go with the 75w90 with LS additive for the rear and 75/90 for the front no LS additive.

-mike

paisan

Try matt @ http://independent4x.com and http://www.ecb-usa.com for bars.

-mike

paisan

My place isn't as far as Lake Placid, I'm about 40 minutes west of Albany. Takes me about 3.5hrs from SI. No offroad events that weekend, but I'm racing my subaru in Albany on Sunday. E-mail me offline if you wanna stop by on saturday and check out the troopa.

-mike

radman6

I've had great luck with Michelin AT's off road. Before I bought them I read several reviews in 4WD magazines and they were very highly rated.

My only complaints with the AT's are they pick up rocks and gravel when new - then occasionally release them into the fender well at highway speeds - just to make sure you're awake. I've run better mud tires (BFG Mud TA's clean better) but couldn't stand them on the highway. I think the BFG AT may be a tougher tire, but for all around on / off road performance and longevity, it's tough to beat the Michelins.

I've used them in deep mud, dirt trails, rock crawling, snow / ice etc. in some pretty rugged country. They did great everywhere but in serious snow /ice conditions.

I've never had a problem with flat tires, balancing etc. in 60,000 miles. I actually would like to buy a new set but these things won't wear out!

The Michelin M/S seems to have a little softer tread compound and way more siping. They do better on snow and ice and I've never had any problems off road with them.

If you plan to do some serious off road driving you might consider the LT rating in either of these tires.

sbcooke

For the bull bar I found the best price at 4x4connection.com, primarily a toyota shop. rocky-road.com was where I got my OME shocks and IPF lights at the time they too had the best price. ARB products are only carried by "real" stores, so usually they will match other prices, rather than just a web page based retailer.

bluedevils

paisan,

I'm glad to hear you decided on 75W90 for your Trooper's differentials. That makes me more comfortable with my decision to do same when I changed the fluids 15k miles ago.

bluedevils

Montero is the only other vehicle I seriously considered besides Trooper, but I ended up buying 2 Troopers in a row.

Very similar vehicles. Most of my thoughts have already been covered by others, but in case repeating helps to reinforce the consensus:

Monty more expensive, both new and used
98+ Troopy has more power
Monty has 3rd row seat, but you lose cargo capacity unless you remove it.
Trooper seemed to have better reliability/lower frequency of major mechanical failures. I seem to remember some sort of common engine issues (valves?) with the Monty, but maybe that was with the older 3.0L models.

Some days, I look at a 1992-2000 Montero and think it's sharper-looking than our 98 Trooper. Other days, I think the Trooper has cleaner, more classic lines.

I like 'em both.

One thing I didn't like is the dash on the Montero.

Also, I believe that insurance on the Montero is extremely high, probably due to high theft rates. Trooper insurance is VERY low for an SUV. With same coverage, our 98 is cheaper to insure than a 98 Mitsu Galant was and it's cheaper than our 95 Ford Contour SE.

paisan

Is the bumper for the 92-97 or the 98-02? It can't fit both perfectly.

-mike

boxtrooper

I took the Silhouette in for repair, and since the Olds dealer is now an Isuzu dealer, I asked the repair check in guys if they had any Troopers come in. My personal check in guy from many repairs on two Silhouettes said he had a Trooper come in with 150K miles, he spoke about it as if that was a lot of miles. Another guy said he had one come in with 310K miles on it. I asked for the reason they came in for service, both were just there for schedules maintenanace. Both of these service check in guys were very impressed with the Trooper's interior volume and practical layout. They are sad that 2002 is the last year for Trooper.

These are GM automotive people and Isuzu failed to reach them with knowledge about the quality and practicality of the Trooper. To me it shows the real reason for Isuzu cancelling the Trooper and GBX is lack of marketing.

I guess if I had to pick one thing wrong with my favorite vehicle that could never be repaired, faulty marketing is not so bad.

breakor

The 99 repair manual, as compared to the owner's manual, has a much more detailed graphic chart of recommended diff fluids.

For the rear, it shows 75w-90 from below -13 to only 59degrees F. For the front diff 75w-90 is shown from below -13 to 86degress F.

80w-90 is shown from -13 to 86degrees F for the rear. For the front 80w-90 is shown from 50 to 95+degress F.

80w-140 is shown from -13 to 95+degrees F for the rear. For the front, 80w-140 is shown from 50 to 95+degrees F.

Why 75w-90 isn't recommended to 86degrees in the rear is a mystery to me. So to is why 80w-90 (or 80w-140 for that matter) is only shown down to 50degrees F in the front but -13degrees F in the rear.

FWIW, I ended up using 80w-140 as we have hot summers and relatively cool winters.

paisan

How is it gonna fit both? Are they making 2 different versions? My point is that if it's designed for the pre-98s then it will hit the body of the 98-02 if it's designed for the 98-02 then it will leave a gap in the pre 98s.

-mike

zutrooper

Mike: I think rear bumper is interchangeable. When I moved my receiver hitch from the '95 to '01 troop, everything fit fine. Bumper brackets seemed to be similar. Mark

paisan

Yep my Helm manual shows the same chart you descriped above. I'm debating the 80w140 but since it's quite difficult to obtain in the Redline Oil places here, I'll probably go with the 75w90 for this round of changes and switch to 80w140 at the next interval.

-mike

paisan

Yup they are the same, except that in 98 they lowered the body 3/4" down on the frame due to the infamous rollover problem.

-mike

boxtrooper

Maybe the body is different where it meets the rear bumper, so the bumper and its relationship to the frame are unchanged.

If you measure the bumper height from the ground of a stock 92-98 and a stock 99-02 are they the same? If yes, then the same aftermarket bumper should fit both, and the body has been changed to clear the bumper while being mounted lower on 99-02 models.

paisan

IIRC the whole body (body, bumpers etc) are lower to the chassis and ground than pre-98. Basically the body pucks are thinner in the 98-02 as I've been told, so the bumper if it hasn't been field tested on a 98-02 (the one pictured is a 97) you may run into a problem of the bumper being 3/4" higher and run into the lower portions of the rear quarter panels and/or door, etc.

-mike

kevinwv

I've just spoken with the vendor. He is test fitting the bumper on an '02 model today to make sure of the fit. He assures me that any fitment issues can be addressed during construction.(i.e.: adjusting mounting height, etc.), but that the issues WILL be addressed.

Kevin

paisan

I'd hate for someone to plunk down $ and then have it rubbing against the body. With that issue out of the way, 2 followup questions...

1) is there one w/o a hitch option?
2) if there is already a hitch on the vehicle would this bumper be able to go on it?

-mike

kevinwv

The vendor hadn't put this item into production when we started talking to him. The majority of interested parties wanted a Class III hitch included, so that's what we got.

I don't think a hitch would fit along with the bumper for that very reason; i.e. the bumper is designed as a Class III hitch as well, so it will likely take up all the mounting points of a bumper and a hitch. Hope this doesn't discourage you from ordering one if you were entertaining the idea, we only need two more.

regards,
Kevin

stever

Please, no soliciting on Town Hall (including "group buys"). Thanks.

Steve
Host
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jamming

I would like to put a roof basket or box on my '01 LS w/ sunroof. The only thing compatible in my random searches at Thule, Yakima etc seem to only involve using their clips. Do these work OK? Has anyone had luck installing roof rails? Do the strips along the top have potential anchoring holes underneath?
Thanks!

sbcooke

I really like my thule rack. Easy on and easy off. I use a wind fairing to cut down on wind noise (really only on the highway, and not bad), that cuts down mileage. I like the thule square bars rather than round yakima. You can't go wrong with either though, in my opinion. I like the rack position over the doors than where the factory one (when available) locates, above the cargo area. It's easier to load stuff standing in the door frame. Over time, they will scratch the finish, but nothing mequiars can't remove.

bsmart1

Back to this upgrade again. Did any of you that have upgraded to urethane bushings, also upgrade the those in the links, and the Lateral support bar?? I'm planning to install Rancho 9000's this weekend. Looking forward to the difference in ride.

savvas_e

There are "nutserts" under the plastic strips for mounting roof bars and racks. However, keep in mind that mounting anything there is for light duty only. I have been told by one shop that you really can't go above 50kg (around 100lb) total loading using that method on Troopers, or you risk stress fractures in the roof. They are best left for "sports bars" and putting snow skis on them, etc.

The other two systems are to use specific track mounts which are rivetted to the roof permanently, or the system that has been discussed on this forum with the Yakima racks which clamps to the door openings.

There is a good Aussie site which gives you load ratings for the different styles and brands of racks. Just look for Holden Jackaroo instead of Isuzu Trooper as the vehicle model.

www.roofrackcity.com.au

The brands shown here include Thule, Rhino, Mont-Blanc and Rola. They should all be available in the USA. They range from 32kg rating upto 100kg.

Yakima isn't sold in Australia, so load ratings aren't available for them on this site.

savvas_e

Guys,

About a month or so ago, I asked the question about whether anyone had worked out how to lock in 4H on the Trooper.

Having thought about it a bit more, I don't think I'd ever need it. I did some off-roading in mud and over some rocks about 3 weeks ago and found I only needed a 50/50 split once, when I was already in 4L. And that was only when I was going downhill over rocks and I was after some engine braking.

The TOD operation was otherwise smooth and seamless.

I originally felt that the omission of 4H was a big oversight on behalf of Isuzu, but I'm starting to think that there was indeed no oversight at all.

Has anyone ever found themselves needing 4H in their TOD Trooper?

paisan

Nope, haven't found the need to have a 50/50 lock in 4-high mode, like you said the few times I needed 50/50 lock I was already in 4-Low. I did buy the Helm manual and it appears that it may be a simple fix to put in a 4-hi 50/50 lock switch. It may be a "how-to" on my truck eventually.

-mike

paisan

Well I couldn't get that bumper due to the fact that I tow 5000lb+ on a semi-regular basis and wouldn't trust that hitch from Calmini to tow it. A hitch is an important component and I don't mess around with home-brews for their strength/stability etc. Any word on if the test on a 98-02 fit properly?

-mike

boxtrooper

Where does that load limit information come from? Please let me know so I don't find out the hard way.

I have Thule bars mounted to the factory provided threaded holes and they seem extremely solid. I am using the www.Overlander.com TR100 brackets which are made of 1/8th inch thick steel so hard it is difficult to drill a hole in it. The location of the roof rack mounting holes in the groove on the edge of the roof of the Trooper also seems like a very strong part of the roof. I even assumed the roof rack holes may have been used to carry the Trooper body around the factory before they put in on the frame.
Thank You

sbcooke

There are times when I would like to have 4 HI on the beach. TOD gets a little quirky in deep soft sand. It switches the power front to rear and back and forth while the wheels are digging. It sort of creates a thud shifting the power back and forth. I usually just throw it in 4 low and don't worry about it. I haven't gotten stuck, but it doesn't inspire confidence as the power is being transferred, the transmission thuds, and you don't go as smoothly as possible.

Most of these situations probably require 4 low anyway...but when you come over a dune or around the corner and are faced with it, I don't like to stop, so you gas it and go.

fiveharpers

How detailed are the instructions in the Helm manual in regards to the regular maintenance items like all the different fluid changes. Are pictures or graphics included so you actually distinguish the parts and locations being worked with. I'm at my 15K mark and need to perform some of the maintenance items but the graphics in the owners manual leaves me a little confused on the proper locations for points of service.

Thanks
John

kevinwv

Mike:
No word yet, but it was supposed to be today(Fri.) before we heard anyway.
As far as trusting the hitch goes; Calmini designed the bumper with a CAD/CAM app., and will produce it with standard industrial tooling, jigs, etc. I know it's not from an established manufacturer like Draw-Tite or Hidden-Hitch, but to be fair, I'd hardly call it a "home-brew" either. (I also realize that when towing, trusting your vehicle and equipment is almost as important as the quality of that equipment, so please don't think I'm passing judgment on anyone's opinions on this matter.) By the way, I'll try to keep you up on the test-fit.

My two cents, later,
Kevin

paisan

The diagrams are pretty good, haven't gotten too indepth on em yet. They don't really have detailed how-tos on changing the oil and stuff, more info on doing actual removals of components and stuff. It's definitely on a little higher level than a "Cars for dumies" book.

-mike

paisan

Thanks, do keep us informed on the test of the post 97 bumper. I personally won't be getting it but I know it will be of interested to people in here. Actually the best place would be in the Owner's area in the aftermarket section to post up details etc of it.

-mike

mkaye

I have to agree. The character of the TOD on true off-road use is so different from on road that I can't imagine needing 4hi locked. I notice that often all 3 lights are off with TOD hi even scrambling over rocks. It goes to 50% so easily and quickly that I rarely encounter slip. On road, the 15% preload seems to be always present (one light on).

Where I think there might be a benefit, which has been discussed (but not proven), is high speed dirt roads (not very common), deep sand, or going at speed around corners on snowy roads (where the lock may insure a bit more equal power distribution [with the TOD still allowing slip between axles]).

In general, the 4hi locked is not something I seem to miss (compared to my Selec-Trac Jeep).

gao16

I just wanted to thank everyone that posts to this board. You have all been very helpful in my search for a new vehicle.

The Trooper was not a vehicle I had considered before reading many of the posts here. I was considering things like an Exploder or JGC, but after looking here at Edmunds and other places on the web I started looking at the Trooper.

Needless to say, after a test drive, I was hooked.
Now there is a white '00 Trooper with 14500 miles in my driveway.

Again , my thanks to all of you for turning me on to this great truck.

mkaye

By purchasing a 'true' SUV, you have demonstrated to all your above average intelligence and your willingness to NOT simply be a clone or automaton of the "I must drive a poseur SUV" class (or better defined as a 'soft road vehicle (SRV)' or 'soccer mom vehicle (SMV), no insult to moms of soccer players.'

You'll love your Trooper, been driving em for 7 years and will keep this one for a long, long, time.

paisan

If Isuzu had only turned over the marketing dept to us about 4 years ago, it would be kicking butt in the market now.

Welcom to the crew gao16, you will be a lifer like the rest of us on here

-mike

bsmart1

that's how long it took to me to get the Rancho 9000's installed on my 97' Trooper today. This is NOT as simple a task as some on this board might have you believe. Be prepared to get a few scrapes and scratches out of the deal. Maybe a busted knuckle or two as well, unless you wear gloves through the complete process.

If you own an older Trooper and plan to install these shocks, expect some difficulties along the way. I had a devil of a time getting EVERY bolt to break loose. I had to remove BOTH front tires to get access to the bolts with enough leverage to break them loose. Also had to remove the tire on the muffler side on the rear, for the same reason. The nuts had adhered themselves to the bolts in that 5 year period. It looked like there had been some Locktite product put on the threads. Top nut on the front, drivers side, had a pulled thread and came off hard all the way. Thought it was never going to come off, for a while. The complete thread length ended up being stripped when I was done.

So, don't think this is going to be a 'walk in the park', quicky.

They are all installed and I have taken a short test drive afterward. Un-impressed so far. Actually I'm disappointed with Rancho or 4wheelparts. One of the shocks had rust developing on the mounting and it came without the label or ty-rap for it. And whats up with having to put the labels on them yourself?? Seems unprofessional to me, especially for what you pay for them. Anyway, all demensions were correct, no problems with sleeve sizing or bolt sizes etc. They all fit together just fine. I'm going to play with the settings a little and see if it improves my opinion of them. I started out with them set on 3 (middle setting). Time will tell......

paisan

I have to agree with your assesment of the install. I briefly thought about doing the install myself when my truck was at 10K miles and about 6 month old, but after having done shocks on my 10 year old XT6 I decided that I'd let my local shop do it. It was worth the $150 for the shock and spring install since they actually needed to cut my front shocks to get em out!

As for the label, I was glad they didn't include it cause I didn't want mine to be labeled. Hotrodoffroad.com included all the parts I needed and none were rusted. Seems like 4wheelparts had some old or returned stock.

I found that 3/3 is good for around town although sometimes I firm the front up to 4.

-mike

mkaye

Suddenly, last night, the 'answer back' function on the key fob, when locking the doors stopped working.

Of course, when unlocking the doors with the fob, the lights flash. When locking the doors, one can press the lock button twice and the Troop should 'answer back' with the horn and lights flash. It did this fine till last night, now, the doors lock normally, but no answer back horn, no flashing lights.

I don't see anything in the manual about how to change that, but I'd imagine there is some programming for it. Anyone have ideas?

sbcooke

To change it, there is some kooky way of opening and closing the drivers door 6 times while standing on 1 foot, etc. It is pretty ridiculous from what I recall. Unless you have a very lucky 6 year old...that was playing in the car, you probably blew a fuse or something?

mkaye

It shouldn't need reprogramming for the CODE. The doors lock and unlock fine.

The unlocking does the normal 'answer back' where the lights flash.

The doors lock normally, one click for drivers door, two clicks and all doors unlock. The problem is JUST the answer-back feature where the horn honks and lights flash to confirm the lock. That is what doesn't work.

paisan

Open a window, lock it, and then open a door.

I think there might be some instructions on my webpage, or a contact in the "how-to" section

-mike

sbcooke

I was referring to the programming of the answer back. You can set it to different responses or so I seem to remember from reading the manual. I don't know if anyone has ever been successful changing it, but there is a way of programming and changing it. Maybe yours needs to be reset? You could always try unhoooking the battery to reset the CPU in the car?