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Comments
IMO the Trooper A/C sucks! I'm in Florida, which actually dosen't often get much over 90°. I can't imagine living in the desert with this truck.
David
The only thing I have different than stock is that the 2 front windows are tinted to 35%.
-mike
Personally I'd like to see about two blower fan speeds above what's there. I don't think the volume of air coming out of the vents is enough for the size of the interior. When sitting in the back seat it's hard to detect any airflow at all except in the center.
-mike
I've put about 100 miles on my new Trooper S 4x4 automatic since I picked it up. I have a few questions for anyone who knows.
I ordered the Hidden Hitch from JC Whitney. I also ordered the wiring kit. Was that a mistake? Should I have bought the Isuzu wiring kit?
Will the hitch affect handling? After all, it is located behind the rear axle.
What other GM vehicles use the French BW trans that is used in the Trooper?
I have some light scratches on the windshield from the wiper blades. I guess they were a bit hard. Is there any way to remove them? Once I heard that you could use comet. Any other ideas?
The steering wheel is not perfectly straight. But the truck is not pulling as far as I can tell. Should I ask the dealer to do an alignment?
Finally, how do you check the level of the ATF in the trans? There is no dipstick.
Thanks,
Charles
2) Handling will not be effected. The % of weight that the hitch is (like 50lbs max) compared to the 4600lb truck is negligible.
3)ATF doesn't need to get checked, hence no dipstick. Basically I think ever 50K miles you should have it drained and filled, that's about it.
4) If it's not out of alignment I wouldn't mess with it. Dealers in general aren't the greatest places in the world and you don't want to visit them for repairs unless entirely necessary.
5) http://www.gmpowertrain.com/transmissions/4l30_main.htm will show you other vehicles that use our Tranny. BMW Z3 Roadster, Holden Commodore, Caddy Catera
-mike
Jim
-mike
As to checking the ATF, it is a pain. You do it with the engine running and remove a pan plug and the level is correct if the fluid just drips out. At a minimum make sure if you see any ATF drips below the vehicle you check the transmission level (and the TOD as it too uses ATF).
On the A/C issue, theres no doubt the system is marginal for the size of the Trooper. Those of you having good results in really hot climates, are the exception to the rule. Be Happy . Its imperative that your freon be fully charged and cooling radiator be clear of blockage. Check your freon dryer with the A/C running. Theres a small window in the top that you can see the fluid through. It should appear clear shortly after turning the A/C on. It may appear foamy for a minute or so initially, but then should run clear. This is a indication of a proper freon charge. That radiator fan clutch has gotta be working right as well for proper A/C performance. The recirc mode is the right answer for low air flows, and dropping the windows to let that latent heat out of the cabin is right on target as well. Its a lot of cabin volume to cool down when the temps interior climb to 130F. The thing I don't understand, is why does the blower fan almost shut down while your accelerating the vehicle? It returns when you reach your cruise speed. Anybody got the answer to that?
One last question. On the 2000-2001 Troopers, how do you tell what model it is (S, LS, LTD) if there is no labeling on the exterior?
Steve
S: Black Mirrors, Rims are not mesh, lower cladding is "moonmist", no tinted factory windows in rear, AM/FM Antenna on the pass side, no arm rests, no fog lights
LS: Mesh Wheels, Body Colored Mirrors, No Lower 2-tone color, Body color for entire truck, Fog Lights.
LS Anniversary Edition: Pearl White, Pearl White Rims
Limited: Multimeter in overhead, 2-tone with moonmist on bottom, non-mesh wheels, except on the Gold package, which gives you mono-tone and mesh wheels.
My A/C on the 2000 Trooper does not kick down the fan speed at all even on heavy acceleration (and as some of you know I usually do that often) that could be a reason for the better cooling? Also I always use the auto-temp feature and the recirc.
-mike
AC in the 90+ heat/humidity did lose a little cooling efficiency at an idle at a long stop light.
I had the A/C Cranking on the trail crawling @ very slow speeds as well as bumper to bumper traffic, w/o a problem.
-mike
I asked the dealer about checking my a/c on my next visit, he replied that he would, but seriously doubted that they would find anything wrong. He said that quite a few new Trooper owners think that something is wrong with the a/c, but they always check out OK.
David
Of course, in Minnesota the AC is of no concern for half the year I did notice that I didn't see any black vehicles when I visited Phoenix...whereas my black Trooper is an asset here because the snow/ice melts off sooner......
My wife has a 1999 Sienna and I have a 1999 Trooper and we always take the Sienna on long road trips. Recently we drove from NC to South Florida in the Sienna and it was a very relaxing trip. I would think that the Trooper would be tiring after a while. Main reasons for the Sienna are: Smoother ride, better fuel economy, and more interior storage.
Another suggestion - pack a cooler and tell the wife that you want to "picnic" at rest stops. Much cheaper and more pleasant experience - I find it much less stressful too.
-mike
We only have another month of the really silly heat (105-115 degrees) here and things will be much better. I may talk to some of the A/C shops here and see if they have any suggestions. I'd be surprised if my wife will do another summer in the Trooper without some improvement.
White cars (like my Trooper) definitely outnumber anything else here in Phoenix. Black cars are pretty rare and from what I understand, hard to sell. Dark tint is just a fact of life here.
I also have a steering wheel which is not straight. Also problably slightly out of alignment. The dealer here in So. Fla area is will fix it for free. One time only. I have an appointment on friday. I don't think I have anything to fear from the dealer since I bought Isuzu's 7-year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty.
My AC is holding up pretty well here in Florida. Can get a little warm if sitting idle. It helps alot to have the AC set on "recirculate". Strangely enough, for the front seat passengers, the air coming out of the vents SEEMS to be colder if it is NOT on full blast. Also I notice that the air is colder if you lower the temperature all the way to 65 degrees instead of leaving it higher, like at 75 degrees. Maybe just my imagination. Well at any time, if it seems unacceptable, I will get just tints to solve the problem. For the time being, I am just enjoying that excellent clear visibility I have with the big windows and mirrors, something I never had in the cars I have owned. Not sure I want to effect that with the tints.
-mike
-mike
I remember when I was looking at Troopers I drove an S model and found the driving position very uncomfortable...was about to give up on a new Trooper and walk away, then decided to ask about the seats. The salesman suggested the Perf Package seats ("8-way adjustable", you know). The ability to tilt the seat base made all the difference! And so here I am with a Trooper...
None of which helps you, I know...unless by some amazing stroke of luck you locate such an adjustable seat in a boneyard or something...
-mike
http://copartfinder.com/cgi-bin/model.dtw/part
Isuzu corporate - if you are reading this forum, making "S" models without armrests was really a "penny-wise but pound-foolish" decision. Still, the Trooper is an amazing vehicle and I have not regreted the purchase of my Trooper.
Steve
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-mike
-mike
-mike
It does make sense to put your thermostat all the way down to 65 to get maximum cooling - you'll be pushing the maximum volume of air. If the recirc doesn't come on when you do this, press it manually. It increases the air volume too.
Opening the windows for a minute will help to.
I've found the AC okay - I had it checked last summer and they said the coolant was full, and the system checked out. I do have some of those big "truck style" spring shades that are silver on the outside. They hold themselves between the window and the molding inside the car just right. Back windows have factory tint, front are clear.
Living in Tennessee - in the mid 90's now and humid.
Andy
00 LTD 2WD
Steve
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Installation: I did it myself (I didn't have a winch to wire up which made it easier). It took a couple of weekends of prep work, sizing up that all of the bolts that came with it weren't exactly right, getting a breaker bar, etc. The install took all Saturday.
Air Bags: I have a letter from ARB stating that they tested and that it is compliant with SRS air bags. Testing was done in Australia by "monash university" with ARB.
Result: Cool. I have since mounted lights and a custom fishing rack (only for beach use not full time). No wind noise or problems. You can stand on it. It dropped the front ride height of my truck about 3/8". The truck is now 33 1/8" front and 33 5/8" rear.
As for those flat seats in the S Trooper, there is an inexpensive fix that can get you some tilt on the seat. I did this in my 1988 for the same reason; it didn't support my thighs very well down toward the back of my knees. I found some slightly longer seat mounting bolts, and some appropriately sized flat washers. I used the flat washers under the front edge of the seat mount, to raise it to the tilt I wanted and installed the longer mounting bolts. This proved to work quite well on the older Trooper. I'm not sure about the mounting configuration on your model, it might be worth a look. Happy Trooping!! ;-)
Steve
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The airbags for the past 5-7 years from what I've been told is basically a glas vial with some kind of weight inside it. If the weight breaks the glass, then the air-bags deploy. So no matter what bumpers you put on, won't be a problem.
-mike