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Isuzu Trooper

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Comments

  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    Is there a wet spot on the carpet from a leak somewhere like the winshield maybe?
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    does smell like wet carpet. I pulled all of the mats out and searched for a wet spot or signs of a stain, but found none. The smell is through out the car and not in a certain spot. I've looked closely, and done the 'sniff' test but just can't pin point it. Its got me buffaloed for sure.
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    I once had some wet carpet at the rear door seal, from parking with the rear end pointed up in a heavy rainstorm. The water accumulates over the rear door seal and a little of it makes its way in. If this has happened the water will be under the carpet in the back in the grooves and some might make it all the way to the heel wear spot under the gas pedal.
    ..
    Please post what you find.
    Thank You
    BoxTrooper
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I had the same issue with water in the back. I discovered the water under there and it seemed like it had been there for a while. Interestingly the carpet wasn't really wet, the water was trapped under the matting. I just pulled the back carpet up and left it folded open for a week and the water was gone. I never got any smell from it though.
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    the rear door on my 99' has developed a really annoying 'jiggle' noise now. It was hardly noticable for a while, but now it's really getting bad. Anyone else dealt with this and stopped the 'jiggle'??
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I get a squeak every now and again. I hit the latch on the big and small door with silicone spray. The small door is from the underside and is easy to miss.

    Another thing to try is to adjust the catch on the body of the Truck. This is where the right 1/2 door attaches. It could have moved causing the closure to be loose. It is a metal loop with 2 bolts holding it down (I think). I would first hit both latch locations with spray, the other adjustment probably isn't necessary.
  • cwmcwm Member Posts: 42
    I once had a cat that pissed on the carpets in my 1976 Monte Carlo. Gosh almighty was it bad -- I poured vinegar on the carpet but the car smelled like a jar of pickles for 6 months. Hope its not piss.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I have heard from an used car salesman that cutting an apple in 1/2 and then putting each in a bowl under the seats for a day or so works. They supposedly absorb some of the smell.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Fresh ground coffee beans mask a lot of odors. Great for stale coolers as well as on your car's carpet.

    Steve, Host
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    When I bought my Bridgestone AT Revos for my Trooper 2.5 years ago, I asked about tire/road noise. I was told to keep getting the free rotation every 3000 miles for the quietest tires. This advice I followed closely for 30K miles. Then a lot of things kept coming up so that my rotations never got done for 10K miles, the tires had become gradually louder over the 10K miles, I finally got around to rotating the tires. I looked for tread wear patterns or other signs of ballance problems that might make the tires louder, found all was OK.
    ..
    After the tire rotation, gradually for most of a week now, the tires are getting much quieter. The Bridgstone guy gave good advice I will try to stay on the 3000 mile rotation plan from now on. I hope they keep getting quieter.
    ..
    BTW: after 40K or so miles the tread still has a lot more than half left. I was not expecting such tread life. The Revo is supposed to expose softer rubber as the tire wears, so I expect the tread to start going away more quickly now.
  • cwmcwm Member Posts: 42
    Boxtrooper, you are absolutely right - SUV tires need rotation about every 3k-5k miles. Tire salesman told me the same story.

    I remember when I purchased my 1999 Trooper new, I neglected to rotate the tires for about 12k miles and they cupped and sounded horrible. After rotating, it took some time before they got somewhat better but never back to normal.

    I rotate my tires with every oil change to prevent this from happening again.

    CW
  • jimmyjimjimmyjim Member Posts: 5
    My trooper has started to have excessive exhaust when running for the first 5 minutes and also has a clear liquid that spuits out of the tailpipe. I assume the liquid is just steam, but why would it suddenly start with this?

    I have a 2000 Limited TOD with 63,000 Miles. All maint has been done at regular intervals, except the Tune-up since it is not scheduled till 100k.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I get water dripping out of the exhaust at startup. I assume it is just condensation. I have asked the dealer if this could mean a bad fuel mixture...and maybe why my gas mileage was so bad and why a catalytic coverter rotted out 4 years into ownership. They said "it was normal" and since I don't really have any related problems I am just going to ignore it and be careful to run it at least 10 minutes everytime I start it to allow the water to burn off.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I have been reporting that I have been getting 10-12 MPG around town for a while now. I am naturally assuming that this is either normal or there is a slight issue causing me to lose 1-4 MPG. I noticed that my gas station has a sign saying that they sell "oxygenated gasoline". I wonder if that could be it. I never noticed it before, I know some states mandate that type in the winter? I am in PA...I am going to have to look around.

    When I am on vacation in Nantucket and trolling around in TOD or 4-Low most of the time I seem to get 10 MPG, so it is strange that at home I don't do much better. I removed my roof rack, am going to take the tools out of the back and see if I can get even remotely close to 15 MPG on a tank. I will also have to see if I can find non-oxygenated gas too.
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    I am sure to get some argument on this, but I recommend using a fuel additive like the Valvoline 12K mile flavor (they make a 3K mile version, you want the stronger one).
    ..
    Make sure your spark plugs and wires are in great shape.
    ..
    Make sure your battery is in great shape - measure the voltage both with the engine off and head lights on (12.5V to 13V) and with the engine running and head lights off 14V to 16V to make sure the engine electronics are able to get all the juice they need.
    ..
    Next, unhook your battery for at least 30 minutes to reset the engine computer's memory.
    ..
    Then for a month or so, use only the highest octane fuel you can find, the difference in price from regular (87 = $1.80 89 = $1.90 and 93 = $2.00) is a smaller fraction of the cost of a gallon than ever since the price is so high these days.
    ..
    And see if the computer resets the timing more advanced (the higher octane will prevent pre-ignition with more advance timing that regular), which will give you more power, quicker response and better MPG.
    ..
    After this experiment try to go back to mid grade and see if the MPG stays the same.
    ..
    My wife would give me a really hard time if I got that low of MPG. I have a 2001 Trooper 5 speed manual and around town usually 17.5 MPG and on the highway 21 mpg at 55mph to 65 mph and 19 mpg at 73 mph. I use 89 or 93 octane at the BJ's club (like a SAMS or CostCo) since they don't offer midgrade. So I want to see if your's can do better than 12 mpg.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Finally had them changed out under warranty and getting back the $95 diagnostic charge that they whacked me in the first place.

    Trooper is doing well, except that I am getting that dragging brake sound when starting from a stop, anyone remember what the remedy was for that?

    As for tires, love my Pirelli Scorpion ATs in 275-70-16, they are about $100 at TR and my first set lasted me over 50K miles.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I put a new battery in about 6 months ago, so I think that should be OK. I am running 87 octane, but maybe I should try 89? I am going to start with trying to find "better" gas, and then I will give the higher octane's a chance. I recently disconnected my battery hoping that would improve things too.

    I have thought about changing my plugs, but they only have about 20K on them. I have also considered upgrading the wires but that costs money...I will try these other tricks first.

    I have been having this issue with TOD...the dealer thinks it is a speed sensor, however if it isn't that and the transfer case isn't completely disengaging TOD, maybe I am running around with a lot of resistance on the drivetrain causing my mileage to be worse?

    I had my PCV and EGR valve cleaned (or at least I paid for the dealer to do it) with not much improvement, probably about 1-2 MPG better...before I was barely breaking 10.

    I think it has to be something simple so I am going to start there.

    Thanks
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    will help the performance of the engine, but I've never gotten any bette mileage from it. Have you checked your air filter lately?? It may be the problem.

    Advancing the timing will definitely make a difference in performance and mileage. Just gotta make sure you don's start getting 'pinging'.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    Has been changed recently. In general I keep it in good mechanical health with plenty of maintenance, etc.

    I do have a bullbar and 265/70 tires. I assume that with a roof rack would maybe knock me down to 13-14 around town, but I have been getting concerned that 10-11 is just plain bad. I can get a full size truck with a huge V8 and that kind of mileage. Even though 14-15 isn't great it is still another 50 odd miles per tank. The first test is to see what effect removing the roof rack has (I also have a front spoiler on the rack which could be contributing).

    If I get 1 mpg better then I will try something else. I run my tire pressure at about 35-36 maybe I should consider 38? That might yeild another mpg?
  • troop2shostroop2shos Member Posts: 235
    More bang for the buck with the cheap stuff & no need to go any higher with these engines.
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    I get about 12 MPG around town because my around-town driving is stop-go-stop-go.

    I can get 19 to 20 on the highway if I drive 60 MPH, it drops when I drive 65-70.

    I dunno. I think the long and short of it is you probably shouldn't expect better than 12 MPG around town, especially if you've oversized the tires and added weight and wind resistance.
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    I have tried a lot of things to improve my mileage on the 99' Trooper. Not much has helped other than the IAT modification. The other things I've done are, air up the tires, try other fuels, ensure clean air filter, clean EGR, clean PCV, new fuel filter, new plugs, none of which seem to make any difference. The fuel filter did seem to help performance slightly.

    Now, my 01' on the other hand is a different story. I did all these things to it as well and discovered that my IAT sensor was NOT properly connected. (The plug was upside down to the sensor) When this was corrected, I got about 2 mpg's back.

    I just took a 220 mile trip recently and refilled the tank with 10 gallons of gas. I was very satisified with that! The trip was 1/3 interstate at 73 mph and 2/3 secondary state highways at 60 mph. This is the 2WD model and its quite a bit lighter than my 4WD 99'. The performance is quite a bit different as well. I'd swear they were not the same engine if I didn't know better. I bet the 01' produces 30 hp more than the 99'. The acceleration is much quicker in the 01' and it doesn't burn 1/4 the oil that the 99' does.
  • silverghostsilverghost Member Posts: 154
    Memory fails . . . what is the IAT sensor?

    My '01 2WD LS consistently gets 19-21 mpg using 87 octane on long trips averaging 70-75 mph with the AC blasting. Day-to-day local driving has always been about 15 mpg. That 215-horse 3.5L has plenty of guts, and I agree that overall responsiveness in the 2WD version is very good. It hasn't used the first drop of oil. I'm just south of 40K miles, keep the tires at 34 psi, and still on the original plugs.
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    It looks like my reply was also lost during the software upgrade.

    IAT = Intake Air Temperature

    tidester, host
  • dnestrdnestr Member Posts: 188
    40 k miles and it is still on the original plugs? Indeed! You are obviously lucky getting good fuel and nothing else.
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    sbcooke,
    How about installing manual lockout hubs as a way to prove your theory of possible TOD dragging your MPG down? I think the manual hubs would pay for themselves amny times over if they can get you back up to 17+ MPG combined 50/50 city highway.
  • doublesharpdoublesharp Member Posts: 32
    NGK PFR5G-11 platinum laser plugs last a long time. They are eom in Q45 Infiniti and plug change is not recommended until 105,000 miles on the '00 and later Q. I personally think that's stretching it but 75-80k is routine.
  • silverghostsilverghost Member Posts: 154
    That's more than a little snotty, bsmart1. Our cordial host, Tidester, answered the question in just as few words. You presume far too much.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I have thought about manual hubs, not for the gas mileage, but as a fun project. I don't think I am ready to add them yet, but it is on the long list of upgrades I may want to do some day.

    I have been noticing lately that the engine almost dies if when cold I put it in gear and go immediately after startup. If I let it idle for 30 seconds then it is fine.

    Then last week my idle bounced for about 5 seconds. It hasn't repeated itself. Good thing my warranty just ran out because I have a feeling my IMG might be bad. That could be the root cause of the mileage issue too. Once the engine is warm there it runs fine, but if there is a loss in vacuum that could be reducing MPG also. The almost stalling on first acceleration could be a symptom of the truck losing vacuum?

    I am not going to worry about the IMG since the last time it went it took 5 trips to the dealer to get diagnosed and fixed and I wasn't sure they did a good job at the time...$200 +/- to save myself the time, hassle and to get it fixed right it not too much if I get it fixed a month from now when it is really evident.
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I was looking into my wheel well this weekend and noticed some rust on the frame...mostly black original paint, but some surface rust starting to form.

    What do people think about this? Should I just expect it to rust for the next 10 years and not worry about it or should I be agressively sanding and painting?
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    I wasn't attempting to be 'snotty' in my reply. Tidester had already posted the answer, I was merely saying if you wanted to see more on the subject you could do the search. I guess Tidesters reply had disappeared or something.

    Rust on the frame or on the body panel?? If its on the frame I wouldn't worry about it. That metal will last longer that we will with a little rust on it. Body panels won't last long if they are rusting. I wouldn't sand and pain body panels, I'd treat them with a rust inhibiting agent and paint them.
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    on original 99' Trooper brakepads. I changed my front pads this weekend at about 67K miles and they still have about 1/4 thickness left. I'm not one to ride the brakes and I do a lot of in town driving, so I was surprised about the longevity of these pads. I got OEM pads from St. Charles to replace them, since they had performed so well.
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    did you guys go from standard front hubs to manual locking hubs on newer Troopers? If you put the manual locking kit in, what affect did it have on your fuel mileage?
    I would invest in the kit if I knew it were going to make a noticable difference in fuel mileage.
  • dnestrdnestr Member Posts: 188
    there's no need to paint the frame if you ain't an aesthete. And I believe it won't lose its safety margin or bending strength because of rust before the beginning of next century even if it will have been in the open air for all this time.
  • wantsatrooperwantsatrooper Member Posts: 2
    Has anyone replaced or had their starter replaced and know how to remove it? I got caught in hurricane Alex, drove through a bunch of salt water, and now my starter is acting up. I took the truck to a starter place and they could get the starter unbolted, but could not get starter out without taking the exhaust apart, supposedly. Any info on how to remove a starter from a stock 99 Trooper?
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    I never put on manual hubs, just thought it might help for sbcooke since he suspects a TOD problem robbing his MPG. Manual hubs would allow him to prove if the front end is engaged and lowering his MPG or not.
    ..
    Rust on the frame: I sold my 1984 Trooper in 1995 because the rear of the body was no longer attached to the rusty frame. I found out when crossing a ditch on the way to fishing. The drivers's side rear tire rubbed real bad on the wheel well, but the spring was not compressed much and the bumper not near contact. I noteced that the body and frame were far apart on the passenger side, allowing the axle to tilt abnormally and the tire to rub. The frame on the 1984 Trooper started out as a box with the fourth inside side welded on thinner metal. But by this time there was very little left of that fourth side of the frame.
  • quickstepquickstep Member Posts: 12
    I think it's bout time for a brake job. I have a '02 trooper S with 38,600 miles. The rear brakes were screeching... it was easy to replace the pads and disks. Now comes the challenge, the front brakes are pulsing. Time for new rotors and pads. I got a diagram of all the parts involved in the front axle. This seems a bit more complex than the rear brakes, or a non 4 wheel drive vehicle. Has anyone done a front brake job for a '02 trooper? Looking forward to your suggestions.

    Internationaltango
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I had the neighbors kid in the car and the safety lock wasn't set...of course within 2 minutes he had the door open, fortunately we hadn't gone very far. I got out to flip the switch and the 3 year old pulled the handle while I did (not to mention had unbuckled his seat belt.

    Now the door closes, but the inside door handle doesn't close all the way, and I cannot undo the child safety lock. When I try to push it up it hits something inside...has anyone fixed this before? I don't want to have to pull the door panel if I don't need to.
  • boxtrooperboxtrooper Member Posts: 843
    2001 Trooper Battery Box is 12"L x 6 5/8"W x 8"H (8" tall at the holding bracket, the top posts stick up above the 8"). The battery size 27 is probably for starting a diesel since it is a big battery.
    ..
    My Trooper was cranking very slowly, the original battery was probably a 36 month type and it has lasted 48 months already, so I did not wait until it would not start, I changed out the battery.
    ..
    BCI Battery Size Chart
    http://www.rtpnet.org/~teaa/bcigroup.html
    ..
    I went to BatteriesPlus and asked for an AGM (AGMs cannot leak because the acid is absorbed in a glass mat, they also have very low internal resistance so the difference between an AGM starting and AGM deep cycle is less than the difference for bucket-of-acid batteries) battery to fill the volume described above. I was sold a 100AH deep cycle battery that has 1000 CCA (typical car starting battery is 44AH and 650 CCA), and can source 300Amps for 5 minutes.
  • bsmart1bsmart1 Member Posts: 377
    when I ordered the front brake pads from them, the kit included all new spring clips, shims, baking plates and lubricant.

    The front pad changeout on the 02' should not be different that the 99'. Its quite easy unless you are going to replace the rotors. If they are 'pulsing' it might be a warped rotor.
  • bawbcatbawbcat Member Posts: 118
    I did repace the standard hubs on my 98 trooper with manual ones. I didn't keep close track of the MPG change, but I think it's pretty small, maybe 0.5-1 MPG improvement. In addition to some small MPG improvement, manual hubs should provide some small improvement in acceleration and also reduce wear and tear on the front driveline. With the standard hubs (i.e. permamently locked), the front driveshaft and axles are always spinning, regardless of whether 4x4 is engaged. With manual hubs unlocked and 4x4 disengaged, the front driveshart and axles do not spin.
  • kevinmkevinm Member Posts: 9
    Hi all,

    I've read all the past posts on changing the serpentine belt, even downloaded the diagram someone was kind enough to link to. Based on the diagram I started loosening one of the pulley bolts (see pic) almost until it fell off (not good). Did some more thinking, then asked a mechanically inclined friend to take a look. He showed me where he thought the tensioning arm should be loosened, but it appears you need socket that inserts into the opening rather than a typical socket that goes around a nut. Is that true? there is a nut that is visible but it only protrudes about 1/16" to an 1/8".

    Take a look :

    http://members.cox.net/kmcgirl/isuzu.html

    Thanks
  • serranotserranot Member Posts: 113
    You should not have to loosen any bolts. The tensioner is spring loaded. You can relieve the tension by placing the socket on bolt #2 and then pushing your ratchet clockwise. The tensioner should rotate enough to get the belt off. You may have to reposition your ratchet to get the best angle on the tensioner.

    Tom
  • wantsatrooperwantsatrooper Member Posts: 2
    Exhaust, wire block, and a crossmember had to be moved to get the starter out. This would be at least 2 hours labor, for an honest mechanic, to remove and replace. New starters are expensive also. FYI
  • kevinmkevinm Member Posts: 9
    Thanks Tom,

    That makes more sense. I'll give it a try tonight. I knew it couldn't be hard when folks are saying they could swap it out in minutes.

    -Kevin
  • cwp2cwp2 Member Posts: 19
    Kevin
    Tom's instructions are on the money. I changed this belt recently and it was one of the easiest jobs I've done. One thing, make sure you have hlep to thread on the belt while you hold the tensioner. It can be a bit tricky trying to both jobs at one time.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yup after doing it on my truck i'm actually keeping one in the back just in case cause i'd hate to break a belt out on the trail and not have one to swap in.

    -mike
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    In all seriousness, I have read that some people keep a set of pantyhose around because in a pinch it can be used to replace a belt and you can easily adjust the length.
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    Nah. I'll bet they just want an excuse for their off-hours, cross dressing habits...
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