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Isuzu Trooper

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  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    however, I don't see anyone taking offense to our rather colorful new name for the Ascender...LOL:)

    Mike - what is your email address please, I need to email you - Thanks! - Dave
  • mtrionfomtrionfo Member Posts: 20
    Not to be a smartypants, but here's a revelation for you: Even Troopers with discs at all four corners (since around 91) ALSO have drum brakes in the rear. They are activated when you pull the parking brake handle in the center console.

    And in answer to the original question about rust on the brake drums, yes, they do accummulate some exterior surface rust but I wouldn't worry about it.

    Rgds, Marty
    95 Trooper LS (Just passed 180K!)
  • sbcookesbcooke Member Posts: 2,297
    I do have a lot of exterior rust on what look like drums on the rear wheels? When I asked the dealer about it, they just said that due to breaking heat and weather they can't do anything about the exterior rust.

    Do a lot of you have rust there? Are there drum breaks inside?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Dave,
    It's mike@iace.com

    -mike
  • gchernyagchernya Member Posts: 11
    Here couple more things. About non - principal surfaces of the brake rotors in front and rotors/parking brake drums in rear - they do can rust, and it is nothing wrong with it. It would newer affect quality of braking. Principal surfaces, where brake pads touch - is a different story. I do keep three times of normal distance to the car in front of me when I drive my Trooper.
    About wipers - when I went to the dealer with my problem they do suggested solution. I don't know how it is called, but it is a thing with long handle, like a rake, and 2 or 3 feet wide with soft rubber edge. It is used to remove snow from the roofs of cars in fleets, or dealerships, and some owners use it too. It is not easy to come by in stores like Pep boys or Home depot, but I've got one on garage sale later that year. I have to admit that it is very handy in compare with usual devices for snow removal, much less snow in the sleeves after that. Only trouble, if snowstorm will hit at night, you have to stay up and go clean it from time to time to prevent snow accumulation on the roof of the trooper. So I do the vipers up trick in winter. And sure, you can take the junk out of the garage and store trooper inside, like it was intended to. But if you think that digging out the garage door is fun...
    About wiper fuse and obstructed or frozen wipers. Ok, I did not do it. I did not turn on the wipers when they were frozen. My silly wife come home couple of days before in a drizzling rain, and forgot to turn off wipers from interminent position. I got into trooper several days after that, and after the cold snowy night, and proceeded to start it to make it warm up while cleaning the snow and icing. I never drive cars without warm up in the winter. While cleaning the ice, I've heard a sound like a gunshot - link in the wiper assembly snapped, and I had another headache to deal with that day. Resetable fuse for wipers suppose to protect me in situation like this from expensive repairs and inconveniences. Should it work properly all my problem would be to wait 5 min for the fuse to cool down and reset, making wipers operable again.
    About foreign - domestic: I really don't care. Functionality, likes, and cost of vehicle and cost of ownership - that what counts. I currently owned Olds Intrigue, Mercury Grand Marquis, Trooper and venerable Chevy Corsica, which nobody wants to take as trade in, so it is just sitting without tugs, waits to become collectible (Ha - Ha). I bought trooper as a daily driver, but quickly abandoned that idea, as cost of ownership in this case is sky high. So now it serves poorly few other purposes:
    a) Spare car - sounds fussy, but I needed one at some point of life.
    b) Winter driver - besides of above-mentioned problems there some more. One icy road my Mercury with electronic traction control feels safer then trooper. Thing is, TOD like to shut of 4wd on a speeds under 5-7 mph, and limited sleep differential is not very useful if you have to move backwards in reverse.
    c) Utility hauler - don't ask don't tell. I cannot count how many times I had to unbolt rear row or the seats.
    This fall I had to unbolt the front seat too to accommodate boxes of hardwood flooring. If utility matters for you, never ever buy truck with rear swing doors. It's only good for groceries shopping or for dog owners. My vote is going to lift gate, and the one that can be left open while driving, and hold some load too.
    I have a small utility trailer, but there couple of thoughts about it. You cannot take it on highway - safe speed of trailer is only like 45 mph. And you cannot see the small trailer even with large trooper mirrors, so it is not really comfortable to use on a long distances. I had to go for the flooring to the store 70 miles away, so using trailer for this was not an option. Also flimsy rooftop is a bad place for any kind of serious utility load.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    You definitely bought the wrong vehicle. You need a 1978 F150 extended cab with cap and 8ft bed. As for the TOD I have driven it through some of the worst snow anywhere (Adirondack lake effect snow) w/o any problems.

    -mike
  • kw9kw9 Member Posts: 13
    93 Trooper LS 30,000 miles. Help! I'm still having problems with the Check Trans light flashing periodically! Trans goes into fail safe mode - 3rd gear, and i have to run manually. If I turn off and start again it's fine. Happened three times on an 80 mile drive today. All three times as i was slowing for traffic light or stopped at light. I don't always notice it has happened so it is a safety hazard if I try to pull out into traffic. Wife won't drive "death trap". Also happened last weekend twice as I slowed for tolls on long highway trip. Dealer has added trans ground to solve, seemed to work for a little while but no longer. Next time he replaced battery cable connection that was bad (also caused starting problem) and that seemed to work for a little while but no longer. It has happened while he has car so he knows it exists. Doesn't show any codes or none that are helpful.
    Any ideas??

    Also very hard to start - dealer says depress pedal 20% to allow more air - seems to work - do others have to do this?

    What is the correct oil pressure reading supposed to be? Mine seems to bounce all over but settle at around 50 when at 2500rpm.

    THANKS
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    30K on a 93! I have 30K on my '00 already. Maybe one of the grounds has come un-done again? Or there is an ECU problem?

    -mike
  • burtonvalley2burtonvalley2 Member Posts: 4
    Recently, the stereo in my 95 LS started buzzing intermittently and just quit, taking the clock and side mirror retractors with it. I checked the fuse box, saw a blown fuse, replaced it and solved the problem. A few days later, the same thing happened, proceeded by the same buzzing noise. This time no blown fuse. Any advice as to the cause and possible fix? I'm fairly mechanically inclined but don't know where to start on this one. I'd like to try to tackle it myself before taking it to a dealer and pay the ol' hourly rate. Thanks!
  • kw9kw9 Member Posts: 13
    93 Trooper LS 30,000 miles. Help! I'm still having problems with the Check Trans light flashing periodically! Trans goes into fail safe mode - 3rd gear, and i have to run manually. If I turn off and start again it's fine. Happened three times on an 80 mile drive today. All three times as i was slowing for traffic light or stopped at light. I don't always notice it has happened so it is a safety hazard if I try to pull out into traffic. Wife won't drive "death trap". Also happened last weekend twice as I slowed for tolls on long highway trip. Dealer has added trans ground to solve, seemed to work for a little while but no longer. Next time he replaced battery cable connection that was bad (also caused starting problem) and that seemed to work for a little while but no longer. It has happened while he has car so he knows it exists. Doesn't show any codes or none that are helpful.
    Any ideas??

    Also very hard to start - dealer says depress pedal 20% to allow more air - seems to work - do others have to do this?

    What is the correct oil pressure reading supposed to be? Mine seems to bounce all over but settle at around 50 when at 2500rpm.

    THANKS
  • gtroopgtroop Member Posts: 85
    Check for a reset box in the drivers side kick panel (I think this is where the fuse box is located as well). My sunroof and windows stopped working a couple of times and I just reset that - I'm not sure is anything else stopped as it was a few months ago. Call the dealer if that doesn't work, maybe they'll have some advice.

    As for the utility of the Trooper - I have hauled 12 foot long boards in mine. If you had the sunroof (the main reason I bought the Trooper over the Rodeo) you can use the sunroof to hang things out of. Just tie them up and secure to the "Oh sh*t handle" in the back seat area. If I need anything bigger than the Trooper can accomodate I just borrow one of the relatives trucks.

    The wife taking the Trooper can kill a home improvement project. Try fitting 8 foot long 2 x 4's in a Diamante with a 3 month old in a car seat. Good thing Lowe's is close.
  • sdavitosdavito Member Posts: 71
    Does anybody know if its normal for the cig lighter to be un-powered when the Trooper is not running? I just purchased a car charger for my cell phone, & if it only works when I'm driving, its pretty much useless to me.

    Has anybody came up with a work-around for keeping power to the lighter at all times?

    This is the only vehicle that I have ever owned, where power to the cig lighter wasn't always on. The irony is that this is the first time I have ever needed to use the lighter in any vehicle.

    David
  • sdavitosdavito Member Posts: 71
    BTW my Trooper is a 2000 S
  • sdavitosdavito Member Posts: 71
    OK, this is weird. The "W" key and the "V" key aren't anywhere close to each other. And to keep intermittently using the wrong key is just plain spooky.

    However I could be way off base here, our friend might really be trying to clear frozen vipers off his windshield. You never know...
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    thats the first thing i checked to confirm where the "v" and the "w" keys were! im voting for, literally, frozen vipers on the windshield! but what is the "vipers up trick"? i wont even go into that! LOL

    gchernya - i am truly sorry you feel the way about your trooper, but honestly, i feel mine is the best vehicle ive ever owned to date - no the trooper is not perfect - what vehicle is? - but i owned five new toyotas (pretty much universally accepted as one of the automotive benchmarks) in a row before owning the trooper and i think ive got a pretty good frame of reference - re: your grand marquis, a rear driver /w/ traction control feeling safer than the trooper with TOD engaged? -exactly how is that possible? - as far as removing the front seat to accomodate boxes of firewood, how much were you trying to carry and would you not have had to do this in other similarly sized vehicles as well? - sorry, i guess im just clueless and have not realized that ive been driving a piece of crap for the last year and a half - Dave
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Dave,
    You probably always had american cars! Almost all foreign cars turn off the cig lighter when the ignition is off. It's not a problem, it's a feature. You could probably run a jumper to it from the fuse box which would defeat the off when ign is off.

    -mike

    PS: I think he's just a troll. with the viper/wiper stuff
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    image
    Every Thursday, 7:00-8:00pmPT/10:00-11:00pm ET

    Your Community Leaders are paisan and arktrooper1


    -mike

  • kw9kw9 Member Posts: 13
    Paisan - my 93 LS actually has 35 K now. I bought it used with 26K. It was a summer only car on Nantucket prior to me.

    I'll check the ground again as you suggested as well as check the ECU. Appreciate the thoughts. Trying new dealer next week to see if he has any ideas. I have warranty to cover repairs ($100 deductable)just wish we could figure out what needs to be fixed! I was hoping someone else had experienced the same problem.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I wonder if the salt may have had something to do with it? Just a thought.

    -mike
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    youve got email coming your way - let me know what you think - dave
  • troop2shostroop2shos Member Posts: 235
    Maybe a bad VSS (variable speed sensor) - which should leave a code.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Anyone up for a Pine Barrens Run on 12/8?

    -mike
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    This morning I cranked my 1999 Trooper and for the first time in 31,000 miles, it idled really rough - the whole vehicle was shaking. I remembered a post here about reprogramming the ECU in the Trooper and decided to shut down the engine and restart. Then it idled normally.

    So, did the ECU in my Trooper have the equivalent of the dreaded Windows "General Protection Fault" and when I recranked the Trooper the ECU rebooted?

    When this happened, being a computer consultant, the reference posted here some time ago about someone reprogramming the ECU was the first thing I thought of.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Maybe it was a case of bad gas or some water vapor in the gas? Just a thought.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    The one important part of these posts concerns the wipers. From what I gather, if you leave the trooper wipers on before a snow or ice storm, you may be SOL. This is good to know.

    TOD does work at less than 5 mph, if wheel spin is encountered. This is not an issue.

    I use a highway utility trailer. You can go 60-65 mph. Get a utility trailer with 12" highway tires. I've been recently doing home renovation and have hauled a lot a stuff.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If there is an ice storm, wouldn't one naturally clear the ice off and free up the wipers before turning them on? and conversly if they are sitting in front of your face encrusted in ice, wouldn't one clear them free of the ice before turning on the car? Seems like a far out assumption to make about them.

    -mike
  • beer47beer47 Member Posts: 185
    I would suggest the ECU re-program. I had it done under warranty recently; between that and moving up to 89 octane, my trooper has never ran better. Good Luck!
  • sdc2sdc2 Member Posts: 780
    For the record, the "limited sleep" differential DOES work when in reverse...
  • eschatfischeeschatfische Member Posts: 9
    Mike -

    I can actually envision a situation where I'd accidentally run the wipers. In the winter here in Wisconsin, the first thing I do is get the door open to grab the scraper, and I usually turn on the engine to let the truck start to warm up right then. If the wipers were still "on" from the night before, I wouldn't have had time to free up the wipers before the wiper motor runs. Can it be avoided? Sure, and I feel pretty confident that it won't happen to me, but if it did I wouldn't consider it a negligent act.

    I just got my 30k maintenance, Wilde Isuzu in Waukesha, WI, $420. I forgot to ask if they reprogrammed the ECU. Trooper's running great...

    -Dave
  • sdavitosdavito Member Posts: 71
    My 2000 Trooper does the same thing if I get a tank of bad gas. This vehicle is very sensitive to the quality of 87 octane fuel. If I use 89 octane, I never have a rough idle. I'm cheap when it comes to gas, so I use 87, and have found certain brands that are consistently better that others.

    David
  • troop2shostroop2shos Member Posts: 235
    I always check (lift) the wipers to insure they're not frozen to the windshield prior to getting in or starting the vehicle - just common sense to me. I also keep a spare ice scraper in the house / office to chip my way into the vehicle if necessary - prior to startup..... :)
  • cwmosercwmoser Member Posts: 227
    Every drop of gasoline in my Trooper has been 87 octane. It only idled rough that one time - as I said, I just turned it off and then recranked it and then it was ok. I'm at 31,000 miles now and will have the 30k service done around 37,000 miles as I had the 15K done at 22,000 miles. At the 30k, I think I will specifically ask for a reprogram of the ECU.
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    I suspect Churnya may be a native speaker of one of those languages where Ws are pronounced with Vs. I'm pretty sure I saw another instance in his posts of his taking a word beginning with V and replacing the V with a W.

    In which case, all of us that can speak just one language fluently should admire his willingness to mix it up in English.

    So vipe those smiles off your faces, you wiperous, vicked willians.

    And don't forget to turn your wipers off.
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    What does the re-program of the ECU do? Should I expect to get it for free? Is it worth getting? Sorry if I missed an important post... work sometimes gets in the way.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Not sure what it does. They did it to mine my mileage went up slighty, but that could have been cause my EGR valve was also bad.

    -mike
  • cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    I thought the idle problem occured when you first started the car and then put it in gear. The rpms jumped up and down. It did it while it was cold and then went back to normal. The ECU reprogram took care of it, but on my trooper it happened every time you started the truck in cool weather. If it happened only once, that might not be the problem. It could be other things. There is a TSB on it and the dealer should do it for free, however.
  • arktrooper1arktrooper1 Member Posts: 101
    when i had my irregular idle, it always happened on a cold start, didn't happen every time, and would "surge" 5 or 6 times when put into either D or R ...then it would settle into normal idle and be fine...when i described this to my servicing dealer (superior isuzu - fayetteville, ar) they immediately recognized it as an ecu reprogam issue and did the reprogram for free - Dave
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    http://isuzu-suvs.com/events/pb12-8/index.html


    -mike

  • troop2shostroop2shos Member Posts: 235
    Great pics Mike! The oversized tires do look good w/ the lift - looks like the extra couple of inches were useful. What happened to the WRX - mud plug the radiator? Carcass pull from a previous trip or just dragging the playing surface? :) I didn't see a pulling harness for the Airedale as a backup. Captions would be nice to tell the story.....heheh.
    What about that deleted photo again?
    The trip looked like a lot of fun!!!
  • mickster1mickster1 Member Posts: 1
    Longtime Explorer owner. Looking at 2001 Trooper Limited gold package. I have two questions that I hope some of you Trooper owners might answer for me:

    What's the reliability of the Trooper? I'll put on about 10,000 miles per year, and not much of that will be heavy lifting. I'm envisioning 7 to 8 years of ownership to enhance a pretty active lifestyle and to overcome Upper Midwest winter driving conditions.

    What price should I be looking for? Saw here or elsewhere someone picked up 01 Limited for less than $25K. Is that realistic? (Yeah, I know, that's a third question.)

    Appreciate any thoughts/recommendations you all might have.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The RS was just steaming and the local boys wanted to see what was under the hood of such a car that could go through their mud pit with ease!

    The deleted phote was cause my buddy with an ARB bumper knoced down a dead tree. We didn't want any of the tree-huggers to get all bent out of shape.

    Doug dragged around the burnt out car for fun at the end of the day. it was in a pit that the GL wanted to go play in.

    We definitely had a ball :)

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I had a '97 Rodeo, put on 120K miles w/o a problem.

    The Trooper just won 2nd place in JD Power and Associates reliability ratings right behind the 4-runner. They are quite reliably, even Consumer Reports which hates the Trooper has to rate it high because of so few repairs.

    -mike
  • troop2shostroop2shos Member Posts: 235
    Did you attempt the same sand hill as the Mitsu?
    I assume that you are still impressed w/ the Scorpion's performance in all conditions?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yep, made it up all the hills, the tires aren't as good as the monty's 12x33 MTRs but they were very good. In the real mucky clay they still got clogged up in all the treads but that is expected. In the rain they were excellent. Had I aired down a little more they would have been better.

    -mike
  • tnjimtnjim Member Posts: 2
    I bought a 95 S new and for reliability (I thought); have 78K onmine now. The AC ($1400)went out after 2yrs and 10 days after my warranty ran out in time the trans went out; still had 8K left on miles. My trans went out- stranding me for near 3hrs before help arrived (on a trip in another state). I fought with US Isuzu for a month before they agreed on the trans and I paid labor. If you buy for 7-8 I would reco the extended warranty up front. I'm looking now, but not at Isuzu. I probably got the one bad one, but it only takes one when it's YOU that gets it. Good Luck-I know others that are sworn to Troopers.
  • radman6radman6 Member Posts: 81
    If you liked your Explorers - you'll love the Trooper. In fact it's not even a fair comparison. The Trooper is more comparable to some of the upscale SUV's like the Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover Discovery, etc.

    With the Trooper you get much more usable interior room, a real off road suspension, torque on demand to keep you glued to the road or trail, excellent fit and finish, legendary reliabilty, a 10 year 120,000 mile powertrain warranty, upright captains chairs, excellent visibility in all directions, great highway and off road ride, more rear seat leg room, great head room, an amazingly generous standard equipment package (Trooper base model "S" is comparable to the Explorer XLT) The list goes on and on.

    Most of the folks in this forum are real Trooper fans. The only drawbacks I see are (1) fewer dealers, and many are marketing Isuzu as a second brand - makes it a little tougher to get parts and service for some, and (2) This is the last year (2002) for the current Trooper. In 2003 GM is remaking the Trooper as a combined GM / Isuzu vehicle.

    And yes it's true you can buy these things well equipped for 24 K or less. I bought a brand new 2000S Auto, with 6CD changer, bug guard and hood protector for 24K in a market where SUV prices are pretty high. Mine stickered at 31K. Others have done better.

    Good luck in your search. Get out and drive the Trooper. I think you'll find it tough to beat - especially for the money.
  • wildbucwildbuc Member Posts: 88
    I have owned an 86 Trooper and ran it for 146K miles before selling it to a musican, who has added another 40K. My 99 Trooper has 19K miles on it without problems of any kind. I baby my vehicles more than most, but I get around 19 miles per gallon on trips. Troopers aren't perfect, but they are a much better SUV than Explorers, and as someone said, more comparable to Toyota Land Cruisers (at half the price and with better gas mileage.) All considered, I don't think there is a better value on the road today.
  • chomama1chomama1 Member Posts: 15
    I had a 94 Rodeo 4WD and it nickeled and dimed me to death. But I bought a Trooper because of the warranty, if the Rodeo had had that warranty, I would not have spent much at all. The price and the warranty makes it a darn good deal, IMO.
  • atltrooper1atltrooper1 Member Posts: 11
    Does anyone know the TSB# that references the ECM re-program?
    Thanks, Chris L.
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