Well my 01 Trooper is ready to be picked up - air-conditioning was dying. Turned out it was a bad o-ring seal - lost some refrigerant. Also had them lube that propellar shaft and also noticed lately that there was sometimes a delay when engaging drive or reverse from the park position. They checked the transmission fluid and all was well - according to the mechanic the fluid can drain out of the clutch pack and take 5-10 seconds for the fluid to pump back up and work as normal - that's what happens - not an all the time thing - but does happen at least twice a week.
Also - I'd go to that dealer that has $6000 off and offer him 8000 off - forget swaping that engine - Troopers are selling here in Alabama - 3 on the dealers lot earlier this week - this morning one left = S 2wd.- He also had 6000 off painted on window. When I go down to pick mine up I'll ask what they would sell one for = TOD LS or S.
Is there any pictures of the 3rd row sears? The cloth on the 99 is not the same as the 2000, but thats was in the US. With all the parts, just wondering if the grab handles come with it. We have the spot on our Troopers, just no handles. Let me know about the seats. Thanks.
Someone posted here that they have used their Trooper to pull a Travel Trailer, but many folks here locally think the Trooper is not powerful enough to pull a Travel Trailer. What experiences with a Travel Trailer have you guys had? Any recomendations on Travel Trailer and on how to setup the Trooper to pull a Travel Trailer?
Anyone on this board used the Poly Bushing lift kit offered by 4X4 Independent folks. It is basically a spacer that goes on the end of your coil spring to raise the vehicle 1" or 2". This would help out with the rear bottoming out once in a while. It happens to me when I have 4 adults with lots of luggage on some rough roads. Any comments by those who've tried them out?? Other options for about $100 ??
Jimmy, it ain't an LS. Look at those mirror colors. The LS has color coordinated mirrors with the exterior paint color. Or they are showing the WRONG picture!! I didn't know an S model to come with Sunroof and woodgrain interior. Thats usually LS or LTD. I had the same problem with my local dealers, claiming they had LS Troopers, but when I got there they were S models. If this were an LS and the price were 18000 I'd say take it!
with troopers. I was taking them at their word because I couldn't remember if 2000's were monotone (including mirrors) in ls trim. The truck was taken home by a worker who isn't in today, so they can't answer any questions for me. May go look tomorrow. It is 4wd, by the way. Interesting, at least. The mix of features does seem strange.
1) Antenna on fender 2) 2-tone 3) no fogs 4) rims 5) black mirrors 6) body color b-pillar 7) No "limited" or "LS" on the C-pillar 8) Clear tail turn signals
Woodgrain is easily added. If it's a factory roof, I believe in 2000 the S had the moonroof as an option. 2001->2002 the moonroor wasn't an option on the S models.
For $120 you can get OME springs in the rear. They will help with trailering and give you about 2" lift. You can add the spacers later on if you like more lift.
I think the Trooper "LS" you're looking at is 2x4 not 4x4. The 5th letter of the VIN number indicates the chassis type. A late model 4x4 VIN number should start with JACDJ not JACDS.
Those are nice spacers, but like Mike said I would definitely get the OME coils before spacers. A lot of people have done it (including myself), and I have yet to hear of anyone unhappy with the OME coils. They will give you 1 - 2" lift, and are stiffer also, so no more bottoming out.
To my eye the OME springs added a lot of lift. Even though it measures 1.5" to 2", that lift looks like a lot. Troopers without any lift can take quite large tires. With the OME springs I think wide 33" tires would not be a problem, except of course huge tires = poor MPG.
I think we went over this, a suspension lift will not allow any larger tires than stock, unless you also modify your bump stops. Maybe we were wrong in that assumption?
That sounds correct to me, Mike. With or without a lift of this kind, the suspension can compress to the bumpstops, so the wheelwell size is the limiting factor.
give 1-2" lift?? Is it more like 1" than 2"? I'm really not looking for a lot of lift, I just want to stop some of the bottoming out when I hit large bumps with a load. Like someone mentioned here, high lift=poorer mileage.
JimmyP1, sorry to give you all the bad news on that Trooper, dude. It would have been a reasonable buy at 18000 if it were the LS. For the S model with all the features mentioned, price should be more like 15,000.
Who's got a link to those OME springs?? Continue hunting, there's bargins out there to be found!!
What's the difference if you lift it via spacers or via OME coils? It will still be lifted. My milaged didn't change a stitch when I went to the OME coils mine lift it about 1.5-2" over stock height.
Perhaps they did lie. Another possible, though still annoying, explanation is that someone thought it was 4WD even though they didn't know for sure. I'm not excusing that, but it could have been sloppiness or something instead of intentional deception.
A suspension lift will allow a person to mount larger (taller) tires as it will create more clearance between the tire and the wheelwell. However you are correct that if you don't replace the bumpstops with taller ones, you run the risk of rubbing your tires with the vehicle body (inside of wheelwell) when your suspension bottoms out. I believe your OME springs though are progressive rate springs, which basically means the more they compress, the more energy (or pressure) it takes to compress them. This information comes from OME/ARB, the end result is that with progressive springs your suspension theoretically won't bottom out as easily thus less chance of your tires rubbing.
I modified Jeeps some years ago, and I'll tell you the safest way to lift a vehicle is a suspension lift, also this is the preferred means to gain clearance for larger tires. Coil spacers are fine as long as you don't go with too tall of spacers, 1" to 3" should be safe.
I believe your OME springs though are progressive rate springs, which basically means the more they compress, the more energy (or pressure) it takes to compress them. This information comes from OME/ARB, the end result is that with progressive springs your suspension theoretically won't bottom out as easily thus less chance of your tires rubbing.
Well if you are offroading you will fully compress your vehicle no matter what, and at that point you'll be cursing the OMEs if you go into it thinking they'll let you mount larger tires w/o modifying the bump stops. With that said, I love mine, I keep mine at a slight rake so that when I have my tools and boat trailer on the back it doesn't sag.
I'd do OMEs first for $120 then do the spacers later on.
Exactly what I stated in the beginning of my post. The only way to be sure that your tires won't rub is to modify your bumpstops, that is install taller bumpstops or add a spacer between your bumpstops and the mounting point. Though the original question was, will suspension lifts allow you to install larger tires? The answer is YES. You must increase clearance between your vehicle's body and tire to allow for taller tires. Three ways to accomplish this: 1. Suspension lift 2. Body lift 3. Trim your wheel wells to allow for larger tires --Spacer lifts fall between body and suspension lifts
Stiffer and taller springs will allow for taller tires and will reduce the chances of your suspension bottoming out. That said, I would not recommend installing a suspension lift and taller tires without modifying your bumpstops--that is the only way to be sure that you won't rub your tires. One consideration with that is that by lengthing your bumpstops you are reducing the travel of your suspension upwards.
And several others on here have also stated another shortcoming when installing taller tires and that is the accompanying power loss. The taller tires may look nice, but when it comes to hauling people, gear and/or towing, the power loss caused by the taller tires will be sorely felt.
Many people have posted their experiences with installing taller tires on Troopers. The consensus seems to be that up to 265/75 are no problem with fit, rubbing and minimal (read acceptable) power loss. Many have fit 285/75s on Troopers with no suspension lift and minor rubbing off-road, though with that size tire most owners do lift their Troopers. With 285s and larger power loss is much more noticeable.
I have not noticed any sag with my 99. Mike, your tires are also 1" taller than stock, that could account for the 2.5" height difference? I found the stock height on my truck was about 33 5/8" to the wheel wells consistently for the last 2 years. I didn't really measure the first year.
I'm home briefly between trips but thanks for the advice which has all panned out.
- Trooper runs great and gets 18 mpg ave. on highways and secondary roads - Oil consumption is about 1/2 quart per 3000 miles (yes, I've put on 3000 miles in two weeks) - Hidden Hitch mounted easily - Hoppy wiring harness works perfectly
Still need to sort out the CB antenna when I get a chance. Mike, do you think the rear wing can take the flex load of that antenna? It doesn't look very strong but maybe I'm mistaken.
I bought a set of Rancho RS 9000's for my 2000 S a week or so ago and finally got around to installing them last evening. Took about 2 1/2 hours and several knuckle busters, swear words, etc., but I finally got em on.
I think there's already a writeup on this on Paisans site so I'll just add a few points / tips here. Taking the old shocks off was the hard part. The fronts have a long winded threaded rod on top that I had to fight every inch of the way. Access is relatively easy over the top of the front tire. I cleaned them with a wire brush and sprayed them with a penetrating spray before tackling them. Had to hold the top of the rod with a small crescent to keep it from turning while I worked the nut with a combination wrench. It took a while. Every nut on the old shocks felt like it was welded on and there's not a lot of clearance for wrenching. Wasn't able to use air wrenches because of clearance problems.
I have a full complement of tools, solid intermediate mechanical skills, and have changed lots of shocks. By the time I was done with this job I was thinking I would have been smarter to have taken it into a shop.
One particularly exasperating problem - the boots kept popping off the top of the shock while I was expanding the shock up into the top bracket. Took forever and some elbow grease to get them back on without taking the shock back off the vehicle.
One tool that helped a lot - a slender pry bar with a point on one end. I used it to align the shocks with the holes in the brackets - so the bolts would go through.
Another good idea. When you get the original bolts out, wire brush them and spray them good, then run the nut up and down the both until it turns free. Will make it much easier to reinstall.
Lastly, I wish I would have powerwashed the areas around the shocks before working on them. I was filthy by the time I was done from rubbing against all the tight places on the underside of the Trooper.
After all that I can't wait to get out and try the new shocks!
I seem to remember you saying you had put some different bulbs other than stock, in your headlights. They were a higher wattage as I recall. What number bulb were they? Where did you get them? I'm trying to get a little brighter light out of mine. I like some of the more WHITE or almost BLUE looking lights, but would settle for a little more candlepower from a standard bulb.
I've run the PIAA 9004s that don't actually have more wattage, but are "super white" they were ok.
I run currently some cheesy blue ones in 80/100w variety and have been pretty happy with them for almost 2 years. In the fogs I run 100w H3s from Walmart.
So far so good. It's been on for a few weeks now w/o issue. The spoiler is pretty strong, unless you plan on doing 125mph for hours on end or running off-road trails at 40-50mph hitting tree branches it should be fine. Range was outrageous at almost 5 miles with that v. 3 miles max with my magnetic one.
Since new, my '99 has had an annoying rattle from the rear tailgate on uneven/rough roads, incl. paved roads. After several false starts, I finally isolated the cause - it was from the large rear door. On the bottom of the door is a white nylon wedge mounted on a sliding gizmo. The gizmo is mounted onto the bottom of the door with two small bolts, easy to get to. I assume this is to PREVENT rattling and also provide support to the heavy door.
I finally found the source of the rattle by removing this device completely - voila, the rattle was gone. Now, how to fix it with the gizmo in place? I just replaced the wimpy stock spring with a much heavier spring that I found in a hardware store. This heavier spring pushes the white nylon block more firmly into position. Rattle is gone, at least on the rough paved roads we have in the neighborhood. Haven't tried it offroad yet.
Cost - about $2 for the new spring and several hours of trying to figure out the problem.
This simple repair has made the ride much quieter and more pleasant.
Anyone else have this problem? I hope my fix helps you out.
Also, I put wheel bearing grease on the spring & slide pin which cured the rattle. The rattle hasn't come back in over a year now. Your solution would be more permanent, however.
I use Sylvania 9004XV "extra vision". They are only $10-15. The light is much whiter and brighter than stock. They don't illuminate much (if any) further, but the area is lit up better with white light, the stock dull yellow was OK to poor.
A lot of the problem with the lights is the reflectors, they don't have a very good beam pattern. So I believe you will get a little better with 80/100, but it may not justify the cost?
I usually hit that area with slick 50 once or twice a year. That keeps it quiet. A stronger spring is an interesting idea. I will have to check that out.
Now I can enjoy the ride. The OME springs changed the "feel" of the ride from heavy truck like to lighter more agile. What I liked most about my 1984 Trooper-II was how light and responsive it seemed eager to go places. My first impression of my 1995.5 was heavier more effort shifter and overall feel was heavier. With OME springs and RedLineOil synthetic manual transmission oil my 1995.5 feels lighter more eager to go places.
So, if anyone is "on the fence" about the OME springs of the RedLineOil synthetic manual transmission oil, don't hesitate these are simple and inexpensive and they are significant upgrades. If I bought a new Trooper I would put these in at the time of first or second oil change.
second tank...12 MPG with the 265/70. I only do short trips, but I got 14 before with the same driving. So I guess it is down slightly with the new tires.
Pls tell me more about these synthetic oil for manaual transmission. Mine a 1997 3.1 diesel. Do you think the "lightness" has a lot to do with this oil? Thanks
Comments
Also - I'd go to that dealer that has $6000 off and offer him 8000 off - forget swaping that engine - Troopers are selling here in Alabama - 3 on the dealers lot earlier this week - this morning one left = S 2wd.- He also had 6000 off painted on window. When I go down to pick mine up I'll ask what they would sell one for = TOD LS or S.
If you're hoping for leather, then you will be disappointed.
Sorry
-mike
-mike
http://www.courtesychevy.com/shop.html
Jim
edit: go to pre-owned, choose isuzu, and search inventory, it's the only isuzu there. LS, 23k miles, sunroof, etc.
Jim
How do I know?
1) Antenna on fender
2) 2-tone
3) no fogs
4) rims
5) black mirrors
6) body color b-pillar
7) No "limited" or "LS" on the C-pillar
8) Clear tail turn signals
Woodgrain is easily added.
If it's a factory roof, I believe in 2000 the S had the moonroof as an option. 2001->2002 the moonroor wasn't an option on the S models.
-mike
-mike
Jim
Jim
-mike
JimmyP1, sorry to give you all the bad news on that Trooper, dude. It would have been a reasonable buy at 18000 if it were the LS. For the S model with all the features mentioned, price should be more like 15,000.
Who's got a link to those OME springs??
Continue hunting, there's bargins out there to be found!!
-mike
Perhaps they did lie. Another possible, though still annoying, explanation is that someone thought it was 4WD even though they didn't know for sure. I'm not excusing that, but it could have been sloppiness or something instead of intentional deception.
I modified Jeeps some years ago, and I'll tell you the safest way to lift a vehicle is a suspension lift, also this is the preferred means to gain clearance for larger tires. Coil spacers are fine as long as you don't go with too tall of spacers, 1" to 3" should be safe.
-mike
Well if you are offroading you will fully compress your vehicle no matter what, and at that point you'll be cursing the OMEs if you go into it thinking they'll let you mount larger tires w/o modifying the bump stops. With that said, I love mine, I keep mine at a slight rake so that when I have my tools and boat trailer on the back it doesn't sag.
I'd do OMEs first for $120 then do the spacers later on.
-mike
1. Suspension lift
2. Body lift
3. Trim your wheel wells to allow for larger tires
--Spacer lifts fall between body and suspension lifts
Stiffer and taller springs will allow for taller tires and will reduce the chances of your suspension bottoming out. That said, I would not recommend installing a suspension lift and taller tires without modifying your bumpstops--that is the only way to be sure that you won't rub your tires. One consideration with that is that by lengthing your bumpstops you are reducing the travel of your suspension upwards.
And several others on here have also stated another shortcoming when installing taller tires and that is the accompanying power loss. The taller tires may look nice, but when it comes to hauling people, gear and/or towing, the power loss caused by the taller tires will be sorely felt.
Many people have posted their experiences with installing taller tires on Troopers. The consensus seems to be that up to 265/75 are no problem with fit, rubbing and minimal (read acceptable) power loss. Many have fit 285/75s on Troopers with no suspension lift and minor rubbing off-road, though with that size tire most owners do lift their Troopers. With 285s and larger power loss is much more noticeable.
-mike
- Trooper runs great and gets 18 mpg ave. on highways and secondary roads
- Oil consumption is about 1/2 quart per 3000 miles (yes, I've put on 3000 miles in two weeks)
- Hidden Hitch mounted easily
- Hoppy wiring harness works perfectly
Still need to sort out the CB antenna when I get a chance. Mike, do you think the rear wing can take the flex load of that antenna? It doesn't look very strong but maybe I'm mistaken.
Again, thanks to all
Sean Reid
I think there's already a writeup on this on Paisans site so I'll just add a few points / tips here. Taking the old shocks off was the hard part. The fronts have a long winded threaded rod on top that I had to fight every inch of the way. Access is relatively easy over the top of the front tire. I cleaned them with a wire brush and sprayed them with a penetrating spray before tackling them. Had to hold the top of the rod with a small crescent to keep it from turning while I worked the nut with a combination wrench. It took a while. Every nut on the old shocks felt like it was welded on and there's not a lot of clearance for wrenching. Wasn't able to use air wrenches because of clearance problems.
I have a full complement of tools, solid intermediate mechanical skills, and have changed lots of shocks. By the time I was done with this job I was thinking I would have been smarter to have taken it into a shop.
One particularly exasperating problem - the boots kept popping off the top of the shock while I was expanding the shock up into the top bracket. Took forever and some elbow grease to get them back on without taking the shock back off the vehicle.
One tool that helped a lot - a slender pry bar with a point on one end. I used it to align the shocks with the holes in the brackets - so the bolts would go through.
Another good idea. When you get the original bolts out, wire brush them and spray them good, then run the nut up and down the both until it turns free. Will make it much easier to reinstall.
Lastly, I wish I would have powerwashed the areas around the shocks before working on them. I was filthy by the time I was done from rubbing against all the tight places on the underside of the Trooper.
After all that I can't wait to get out and try the new shocks!
That's what I was expecting to read, c'mon! Get out there, on and off road!
Jim
I run currently some cheesy blue ones in 80/100w variety and have been pretty happy with them for almost 2 years. In the fogs I run 100w H3s from Walmart.
-mike
-mike
I finally found the source of the rattle by removing this device completely - voila, the rattle was gone. Now, how to fix it with the gizmo in place? I just replaced the wimpy stock spring with a much heavier spring that I found in a hardware store. This heavier spring pushes the white nylon block more firmly into position. Rattle is gone, at least on the rough paved roads we have in the neighborhood. Haven't tried it offroad yet.
Cost - about $2 for the new spring and several hours of trying to figure out the problem.
This simple repair has made the ride much quieter and more pleasant.
Anyone else have this problem? I hope my fix helps you out.
offroader
-mike
A Nissan Patrol (98 model) with a 6" lift from 4WD Systems.
A lot of the problem with the lights is the reflectors, they don't have a very good beam pattern. So I believe you will get a little better with 80/100, but it may not justify the cost?
Now I can enjoy the ride. The OME springs changed the "feel" of the ride from heavy truck like to lighter more agile. What I liked most about my 1984 Trooper-II was how light and responsive it seemed eager to go places. My first impression of my 1995.5 was heavier more effort shifter and overall feel was heavier. With OME springs and RedLineOil synthetic manual transmission oil my 1995.5 feels lighter more eager to go places.
So, if anyone is "on the fence" about the OME springs of the RedLineOil synthetic manual transmission oil, don't hesitate these are simple and inexpensive and they are significant upgrades. If I bought a new Trooper I would put these in at the time of first or second oil change.
Dyslexics of the world, UNTIE! :-)
tidester
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