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Isuzu Owners Maintenance and Repair

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Comments

  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Yes, it does depend on driving style but I never thought driving style could explain such an extreme as 142k vs. 25k!
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Just when I thought my Trooper had a problem with the braking system, I realize it was most likely user error. Checked the fluid level just now, and it's barely below the Add line. That seems to explain why the brake warning light was coming on, and why it would go off after a while (fluid level shifting around when driving). I'll top off with DOT 3 fluid when I get home and that should be the end of it.

    I should have known better than to think my Trooper had a mechanical problem this early (71k miles) in its life!
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    That brake fluid level being down does mean that the brakes have a lot of wear on them, so have the brakes inspected at one of those places that does the inspection free or have a close look yourself. Then that will be the end of it. I have my brake system completly bled to replace all the fluid about every 100K miles, I think it is nicer to have fresh clean fluid in there for such an important fuction.

    The Trooper's brakes save my life every day!
  • beer47beer47 Member Posts: 185
    I just turned 75K and am still on original brakes.
    If they don't need to be changed on the next MB1 oil change at 79K, I won't quite believe it. I think I will have them changed regardless of what is left. I need the bearings repacked (original grease, also) might as well have them do both at the same time to hopefully save a few bucks. A year ago I bought OEM pads from St. Charles in Mo., so if they can go another 70K plus they will be worth the $. These are fairly heavy vehicles, I can't believe how well the pads last. I was on my 2nd post original set of pads on my Tahoe at this same mileage. I heard GM has improved the Tahoe braking system but I not convinced it can match my Troopers performance. Cheers to all!
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    It appears the low fluid level was the cause of the warning light. Added fluid last night, no warning light this a.m.

    Where can I find a shop that bleeds brake systems? I keep hearing, not just here, about what a good maintenance item this is, but every time I ask a place that does brakes I'm told they don't do that and they don't really think it's necessary. I'm guessing it's a good idea but since so few people do it, that not many shops have technicians with experience and ability in doing it.

    I'm planning to have the bearings repacked at the same time as the brake work is done.

    I had a brake inspection 2-3k miles ago and was told 40-50% pad life remaining front and rear. In light of the warning light and low fluid situation, is there any reason to have them inspected again? I'm not sure how thorough the previous inspection was.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    Every brake shop has to know how to bleed brakes. They have to get out the air they let into the system when replacing parts such as master cylinders and wheel cylinders. Also, they almost always throw this service into even simple pad replacements.
    I suspect that bleeding only is just not profitable enough for them. That is why they are telling you they cannot do it.
    As to getting your pads checked again, I doubt that is really necessary. However, since it is usually a free service you have nothing to lose other than time if you do want to get it done. Could be that they will find something other than pad problems. Alternatively, for a pad check only, just walk up to the vehicle and feel the pads yourself. You should be able to feel the thickness just by reaching through the wheel. Granted it takes some experience to know how thick is thick enough but if you started now you would be building that experience base for the future.
  • catherinefcatherinef Member Posts: 1
    I bought my 99 Trooper back in March with 40000 miles on it. Since then I have put about 11000 miles and have had to do an oil change/or add oil every 1000 miles. It burns about one quart per 250 miles! At one time, I drove 2700 miles before the next oil change when the oil light came on: I could not believe, the oil "stick" was completely dry! I had to add 4 quarts of oil! I have to always worry about running out of oil and burn the engine. My power train warranty is good till 60000, and need to take it to the closest dealership about an hour drive. Anybody with oil problem? Is this normal for a 1999 Trooper?
  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    A quart every 250 miles is NOT normal for any relatively new vehicle. I would make sure your consumption really is this rapid and call your dealer and see what they recommend. You need to have the problem corrected, whatever it may be, before the powertrain warranty expires. Even if your dealer does not fix the problem right away, take it there and get a service visit printout showing your complaint. This way you should still be able to get a warranty repair even if the dealer isn't able to fix the problem before the warranty expires.

    The 3.5L Trooper engine in 1998-2002 Troopers does consume more oil than many newer automobile engines. However, anything more than a quart per 1,000 miles is too much. Ours burns a quart every 2,000 miles or so. Some folks on this forum report little or no oil consumption, but several others are in the same boat as me. It's something that doesn't bother me that much. A quart every 250 miles WOULD bother me very much!
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    I agree with bluedevils. The consumption you're describing is way too high and is not anywhere near normal for a Trooper. Get it looked at ASAP.

    I'm one of the fortunate ones with no oil consumption at all (so far). I'm using 10W-40 synthetic oils and changing every 3000 miles.
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    If you are above that spec, and sounds like a quart every 250 miles is way above any reasonable oil consumption spec, then the dealer will be able to get Isuzu to pay for the warrantee repairs.

    Are you leaving oil puddles?

    Are you leaving a blue cloud of smoke as you drive off?

    IMHO 10W40 is not a good idea, it might cause oil filter bypassing or take too long to get to the top of the engine in the Trooper unless you are in a very hot climate.
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    Generally anything more than 1 quart per 1,000 miles is considered abnormal, so 1/250 is definitely not normal.

    FWIW I burn about 1 quart in 5,000 miles in my 99 Trooper, using Mobil One 5W-30.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    "IMHO 10W40 is not a good idea, it might cause oil filter bypassing or take too long to get to the top of the engine in the Trooper unless you are in a very hot climate."

    I do agree with your conclusion but not with your logic.
    When cold, by definiton, all 10wt motor oils have the same viscosity. Thus 10/40w oil will flow the same as 10/30, 10/20 or even straight 10w oil when cold at startup.
    The difference in the viscosity ONLY comes into play as the engine warms up and the viscosity modifying polymers start to uncoil inside the oil. Eventually a 10/40wt oil can be thicker than a 10/30wt oil (i.e. if hot enough it can be at 40wt vs. 30wt). This can be a bad thing in cold climates as the oil can be too thick to properly lubricate the parts. Conversely, this can be a good thing in hot climates as the lower wt oils can be too thin to provide proper lubrication at these higher temperatures. To know when is too hot and when is too cold look at an outdoor thermometer and compare to the recommended oil wt chart in the owners manual.
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    There is a lot of room inside the 10W spec to be thicker or thinner. I think the oils with a high hot number are probably just barely able to be thin enough to meet the 10W spec. While oils with lower hot numbers would tend to fall lower within the 10W part of the spec. I am not an oil expert, but when I pour a can of 10W40 it sure seems thicker than a can of 5W30 by a wide margin at room temperature. It is no more than my opinion.

    I once had to add oil at -30degF to a 1965 Chevy Impala before a long trip. The oil was stored in the trunk of the car and so it was at -30degF too. I cut the top off the cylindrical oil can (remember when oil came in a cylindrical can and you openned it like a HiC drink can, no HiC is in little boxes now, oh well.). I ended up spooning the oil out and dropping the chunks of heavy mollasses like oil into the running engine.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    Granted there is some wiggle room from manufacturer to manufacturer. However all oils from a given manufacturer, with the same lower number, start with the same base oil. The only difference is the amount and in some cases type of polymers added to change the high end wt number. The polymers only come into effect as the oil heats up.

    Also, the viscosity difference between the 5 and 10wt oils is significant. IIRC it is right at the 100% difference implied by the numbers.

    In any event any eyeball test is not all that reliable. What the 10w refers to is viscosity (slipperiness between two metal plates) not looks or pour point temperature.
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    Is actually thinner than the manufacturers spec in Australia. Holden recommend 20W50! But a 10W40 is allowable. Our climate is generally warmer than the US, so unless it's being operated continuously in an alpine area you won't need much less viscosity than that.

    I met some tourists from Ireland here in the middle of our winter and they compared the climate to a nice spring day back home!

    For interest, Mobil 1 is sold here only as a 5W-50.
  • ostazostaz Member Posts: 80
    Hello fellow Troopers:
    I have a 99 Trooper with 39k. Recently (15 days ago), the truck became harder to start again (it did that for a few weeks prior, and then went away by itself). Other symptoms are irrgualr/low idle and cutting off when coming to a stop.

    The check engine light also came on. There are no consequences for these symptoms, I have full power, no smoke or other odors, etc....

    This change did not happen after an oil or any other change (it has Mob1 5/50 now). I tried several gas stations with no luck.

    Any thoughts?

    Thanks
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    You may have an issue with the intake manifold gasket, it is a common problem for 1999 models. I am not sure about any other years, but for sure the 1999. There is a test you can do with some kind of aerosol spray...I forget the details, but your dealer may be able to see that very quickly. The gasket symptoms include stalling and a rough idle.
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    If you have a failed manifold gasket it should be accompanied by a "hissing" noise in the vicinity of the manifold. It should be pronounced when it is idling roughly.

    What you're describing sure does sound like the manifold gasket problem.
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    A few years ago I had a similar problem and it turned out to be a bad spark plug. It would hesiatate for a very short while when cold and then run smoothly after that. The light would stay on. Just a thought!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Is it only when cold? If it is it could be the manifold gasket.

    If it happens not only when cold then it could be an EGR Valve and/or ECU reprogramming. A pulling of the ECU code will tell you more specifically what it is. I think Autozone does this for free if you aren't under warranty anymore.

    -mike
  • ostazostaz Member Posts: 80
    Thank you all for the responses, it's been very helpful.
    paisan, it does it even when it is warm. The truck is still under warranty. I will take it to the dealer and let them check it.

    Question for the group, any reservation on buying a Rodeo for my wife. There is a 99 for sale in excellent condition for 10.5k with only 24k miles.

    Thanks again
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    That sounds alot like the intake manifold gasket. It is more common for them to go out in cold weather (mine has gone out twice, both times in January), but your symptoms match up pretty well.

    You should be under warranty still, take it to the dealer.
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    You guys know I have bragged that my 1999 Isuzu Trooper did not use any oil between oil changes. I had used regular 10w30 Havoline oil and changed it reguarly between 3,500 and 4,500 miles.

    The other day I backed my Trooper out of the garage and noted a ticking sound from the engine. I noted that this seemed unusual and decided to check the oil. The engine was still cold and when I pulled the dip stick there was no oil showing. I had not checked the oil level since the last oil change. I knew there must be some oil and slowly drove it to an oil change station as it was time to do the oil change - 4,500 miles since last change. At the oil change station, no oil was showing on the stick but they said it must have had a little over 3 quarts in the engine.

    Now I'm watching the oil level like a hawk. Wonder what caused this sudden consumption? I don't think it is really that bad even if my Trooper used 2 quarts oil in 4,500 miles. I guess I can't anymore just assume that my Troopers engine does not use any oil and will have to check it several times between oil changes where I did not have to before. BTW, I have 44,800 miles on it now.

    After the oil change, the ticking noise went away. I guess I get 'atuned' to the sound of the engine in my Trooper and can tell when she is in need of TLC - aka oil. It was the same way with my old 1989 Trooper as I could also tell with it when it was low on oil.

    Thought this might be interesting for you Trooper owners and if you think something might be amiss, let me know. Otherwise, my Trooper still performs great and sounds normal when it has enough oil :-)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Did you change brands on your last oil change? A friend had a very bad experience when he changed from Mobil and Quakerstate to Valvoline, similar thing, never used any oil and then all of a sudden it started. He switched back to mobil and quakerstate and the problem disappeared.

    -mike
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    Hey Guys it's been awhile, has anyone tried one of those high mileage oils? I keep hearing how they're formulated to eliminate consumption. I've got 70k on my 99' now and I'm considering trying it the next oil change. FWIW the stock battery is good for about 40 months :)
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    Its ironic that you mentioned about the stock battery in the Trooper -- I had to replace mine yesterday - $58.00 at Advance Auto Store. A couple weeks ago I noticed that it appeared to crank more slowly than normal and after refueling yesterday, there was not enough charge in the battery to restart my Trooper. I bought my 1999 in October 1999, so I got 36 months on the stock battery in my Trooper.
  • wlbrown9wlbrown9 Member Posts: 867
    Hummm...would a bad or clogged PCV valve possibly cause a sudden increase in oil consumption? Seems I have heard of that happening and replacing that could be an inexpensive fix. Just a shot in the dark.
  • raydahsraydahs Member Posts: 449
    The same thing happened to me, sluggish starts. I noticed the cell window was Blue when the car was off, but when at idle with the A/C on, the window turned White. So I went the next day to Sears and had the system tested. It turned out to be weak (guess I got lucky that it was that cell) so I upgraded to the Diehard Gold Group 27 (650 CCA) model from stock (582 CCA) it was $69.99. It came with 36 month full replacement and 100 month prorated warranty. I’m keeping this thing until it dies, so it was worth the extra $$$$.
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    I use the Valvoline Max Life oil in my lifter tick prone 1995 Trooper 3.2L SOHC and it keeps the noise away as long as any synthetic I have tried and it is half the price of synthetic. There is a great write up on it on http://www.valvoline.com.


    I swapped to a AGM battery by Optima after about 40 months. That was about 40 months ago and still the Optima is doing fine. I went with the more expensive Optima spiral wound absorbed glass mat battery type to avoid the acid mess. No more rust and no more corroded battery terminals. The optimas also have very low internal resistance which gives something like 1000+ Cold Cranking Amps from a battery that is fairly light weight.


    I use a deep cycle AGM in my boat from LifeLine a concord company brand for the AGM advantage plus more reserve amp hours than can be found in an optima.


    Champion also makes a spiral wound AGM battery.

  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    Where is the PVC on the Trooper?

    Re battery, my $58 Advance Auto battery was a 2 year free replacement, 72 month prorated. Your Sears battery at $68 sounds like deal with 100 months and greater cranking amps - mine was a Group #25 (same as was in there), yours the #27 upgrade.

    BTW, I asked the Advance Auto battery installer if he ever had a battery to explode on him. He said yes, one exploded in his face while he was doing the standard battery check -- got cut in the face from the plastic and acid in eyes, out of work for several weeks. Be careful working around those batteries. I'm going to start wearing eye protection when I jump a battery now.
  • 96_i30_5sp96_i30_5sp Member Posts: 127
    Cwmoser, the PCV valve on 3.5L V6 is located on top of the left side cylinder bank (driver's side). Just remove the plastic engine cover and you'll see it. It's a bit hard to pull out, though.
  • amigo_johnamigo_john Member Posts: 107
    Here are 2 links dealing with pcv valve problems


    http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Archive/1994/December/14.html


    http://www.jiflube.com/myhtml/questions/question10.html


    I'm not a fan of cartalk or Jiffylube but they provide some decent info on this subject...

  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    96-i30-5spd you now have me wondering what the problem is with pulling the PCV. Is it too close to the fire wall, down deep in like the plugs, or???
  • 96_i30_5sp96_i30_5sp Member Posts: 127
    neither, I should have said that the PCV may be hard to pull out "at first". Just remove the plastic engine cover and it will be on your right when facing the engine. Disconnect the hose on top of the PCV valve (love those Isuzu clips that don't require pliers). Mine was stuck a bit and I was very careful since I wanted to inspect (and reuse) not necessarily replace it. You have to twist it a bit in the hole and should break free. I wouldn't recommend using a screwdriver to pry it off as you may damage the rubber seal on the cam. My PCV was fine after 30k, I just cleaned it with Q-tips on both ends. To check operation just shake it and it should rattle a bit. You can also insert a Q-tip on the bottom end and push the membrane up/down but be careful.
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    A bit off topic. We have a term in Australia which is "bush mechanics". This basically refers to improvising a repair to get out of trouble and back to civilisation. It is possible to travel for a number of days in Australia without coming across anything that resembles civilisation.


    On the Exploroz form, a "bush mechanic" thread has started and it is an interesting read. It came about because someone posted a story about sagging rear coils during an outback trek. His fix...19 tennis balls in each coil until he got home. It worked!


    Have a read. It's quite entertaining (take the space out between the "?" and "ForumQID". I had to get over the 110 char limit)....


    http://www.exploroz.com.au/Forum/View.asp? ForumQID=2264&Page=%2FForum%2FDefault%2Easp%3FDisplaySet%3DActive%26PN%3D1

  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    Sawas_e, you mentioned "Bush Mechanics" who improvise to fix a vehicle. Do you Ausies have what we in America call "Duct Tape"? Duct Tape will fix anything.
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    ....is also called Gaffa Tape down here. Yep that stuff is part of any travellers tool kit in Oz. I have a roll in my car amongst a bunch of other things.

    Did you know you can use vegemite to fix a leaking thermostat housing gasket?
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Got to the lot at work today. Decided to move it a foot or two and it won't start. I get about 1.5 cranks and then nothing. I hope it is just the battery. Since I have had issues with stalling after trying to re-start it it may also be something with the intake manifold gasket? At lunch I will check it out, if it starts-up I will have a better idea of what is going on.
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    Its original name is DUCK tape - http://www.octanecreative.com/ducttape/duckvsduct.html


    The British host on "Junkyard Wars" calls it sticky tape. This seems like the most appropriate name to me.

  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I went out to the truck and it started right up. So I guess there are a few possibilites? Intake Manifold Gasket? After explaining the issue to my service guy he thinks it might also be a bad fuel pump?

    There is also the issue I had this summer with overheating on the highway.
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    You said you can use "vegemite to fix a leaking thermostat housing gasket" - what is vegemite?
  • breakorbreakor Member Posts: 398
    It sounds to me like you have two problems.

    The stalling after starting could be a fuel delivery problem. It doesn't sound like a leaking manifold gasket problem as those tend to cause high and/or erratic idles. Then again maybe yours is erratic enough for it to die on the lower surges.

    I don't see how a fuel delivery problem could effect your starter's ability to crank the engine. It also doesn't sound like a typical battery problem as those are most pronounced with cold batteries on cold cars. However, sometimes battery problems tend to mimic other issues. I suspect you have a starter problem.

    If you want to start chasing this down yourself, I suggest you first inspect all your battery cables. Next, clean all the battery connections. If you have a voltmeter check your battery voltage when cold, with the engine running, and right after shutting down. If you find no surprises then inspecting and cleaning all the starter connections has been known to cure many starter woes.

    Upon further thinking I guess it is possible that a temperature sensor could be giving faulty readings. That would explain the apparent summer overheating, and maybe the engine dying and starting issues as the computer thinks the engine is much hotter or colder than it really is. This doesn't impress me as real likely, especially if you didn't get any computer codes noting a sensor problem.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    The first thing I thought is that it was a battery problem. However the car wasn't cold and I had just finished driving to work...which could mean the alternator isn't working? It would only crank 1.5 times and then stop (I tried about 5 times), like either a bad battery or the engine is seized? Very confusing...that is why I think it might be "the gasket problem"...the few times it stalled before it started but couldn't keep an idle, it seemed like the engine was losing vacuum?

    After work it started right up. I drove home, stopped and then tried to start it, it started right up. I am going to give it a once over during the day tomorrow and see what I find.

    I appreciate the feedback, thanks. I have a service appointment next week. My service manager said no problem, and was sure he could find the problem? I have my fingers crossed.
  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    this is one of my favorite tidbits of information learned while a member of Edmunds... http://www.makeashorterlink.com

    It does just what the name says, THEN you copy that shorter link here and avoid all the instructions on adding, deleting or copy/pasting to your browser line. I've used it a bunch.


    Jim

  • bluedevilsbluedevils Member Posts: 2,554
    Changed oil on my 98 Troop the other day. Added 5 quarts of oil, which is the stated capacity. Drove appx 50 miles, truck sat overnight, checked level in the morning and it was about 1/4 qt. below the top mark on the dipstick. Any ideas why? Seems to me the level should be at Full right after a change.

    I'm less than 1,000 miles into the current change interval, and it seems my Troop may be consuming more oil than in the past. Actually, oil consumption seems to be getting higher in the past 10k miles or so. Our Troop has 72k miles on it now.
  • savvas_esavvas_e Member Posts: 347
    I've notice that on mine. In Oz, 4.7 litres is the specified capacity but I usually have to add about 4.9 litres to get it to the full mark on the dipstick. Once at full, I have no oil consumption at all.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Don't tell me you blindly added 5 quarts and never checked the dip stick? You should always check the dip stick after filling up your oil!

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    You can do "spell check" and that will allow longer URLs to be posted.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Saturday I fired up the truck and it did all the same things, stalled, ran rough, etc. Then the idle started bouncing? So I thought for sure it was the beginning of the intake manifold gasket problem.

    Then on Sunday it wouldn't crank/start at all. This time however I got the clicking noise that the starter makes when the battery is dead...it also lost all of the radio presets. So I ran out Sears and picked up a new battery (Diehard Silver). It seems to have resolved the issue. It didn't seem like a battery problem due to the fact that the problems would happen while running after startup...maybe the battery was shorting out the electrical system?
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