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Comments
We picked the best quote (like $9000 off or something) and on the way there we decided to stop to actually test drive the vehicle for the first time in some other place (Atlanta Horton Isuzu or something like that) whose Internet guy came pretty close to matching the original quote.
Since he was busy we decided to talk to a "regular" salesperson who took us for a test drive and stuff. They were loaded with Troopers back then and I asked him for the best price that he was willing to offer. The dude looked so serious when he showed me a laughable deal that I don't think even included rebates or anything. I told him that the price was ridiculous and we decided to walk away. He then called the owner/manager who was the biggest salesperson jerk I've ever met. They did not BUDGE a cent on the price (oh yeah, they would include a cruise) and his only justification for the hot demand was the fact that 2002s were in such short supply and 2003s were about to arrive from the ports. I was speechless, walked away, and bought my current Trooper 1 hour later from Pugmire :-)
-mike
I drive a '01 Trooper S with 20k on it. Since the Denver tech & telecom market has fallen on hard times, I had to take a job that's a 67-mile round trip from my house, and I get to drive through the worst traffic Denver has to offer.
In trying to come up with ways to improve my gas mileage - short of installing a sail on the roof or trading it in for a moped - I've been thinking about dropping in a K&N filter and installing a dual exhaust system with larger-diameter pipes and free-flowing mufflers. (A fun side benefit would be adding a lovely 'rumble' to the Trooper.)
I waded through the past 900+ posts here, plus I checked isuzu-suvs.com, but couldn't find any mention of anyone performing exhaust modifications on their Trooper.
So I'll throw this out to the group here. Has anyone done this sort of thing before, or heard of someone doing it? Would reducing the backpressure screw anything up? Is this a complete waste of time and money in anyone's opinion?
As much as I'd like to make these changes, if it turns out they'll actually shorten the life of my engine, no way will I go through with them.
Finally, on an unrelated side note, I'm definitely upgrading the horn, maybe dropping in one of those $15 "Highway Blasters" you get at JC Whitney. The horn on this vehicle sounds like something out of a Honda Civic - doesn't quite match the Trooper's size.
Thanks in advance for any input.
EZ
Here are a few tips...
I got the Hella Triple Trumpet Horns from susquehana motorsports. Great horns, have had them 3 years now w/o problems. I wired them in parrallel to the stockers so they work great. Pics at my site http://isuzu-suvs.com I can give you some tips ont he install too.
As for MPG:
Adding a K&N reduced my milege but gave me more kick. Same would hold true for a dual exhaust/larger muffler system. Basically it will let air flow more freely but IMHO will decrease MPG rather than Increase it.
-mike
Did you replace the existing stock filter in the air filter box with the K&N filter, or did you replace the whole assembly with one of those filtercharger kits?
So you got less mileage when you made this change. Huh! I've talked to other folks who say their mileage increased when they made this change (along with receiving a small HP boost). Interesting.
Thanks for the info!
ez
It was a minor drop .5->1mpg and increase in power >4000 RPMs.
-mike
And your opinion isn't humble, Paisan. :-)
I wonder if more street oriented tires would help a little. I can't imagine it being worth changing, though, unless yours are completely worn out.
I think basically engine displacement and aerodynamics and vehicle mass dictate mileage.
Oh, slowing down will help. At 60 I can get just about 20 on the highway. At 70, it's more like 18. (Once again, you can see how my approach to driving varies from Paisan's. I consider it an option to drive at about 60.)
Street oriented tires would definitely help, in addition to a light foot and high tire pressures.
And yes, I mash the pedal all the time
-mike
Wasn't there some talk about a "Powervault" muffler, with some dyno tests from a Vehicross?
Bottom line is, you can buy alot of gas for the cost of an upgraded exhaust (unless you need new exhaust anyway). Of course, with a new exhaust you DO get the benefit of the rumble... ;-)
-mike
99, 22,000 miles, pampered, can't figure this one out.
I had mine replaced shortly after I bought my trooper.
-mike
Was this the first time either of you used TOD? Did you buy used?
I have noticed a slightly more delay/jerkiness in operation, but it still works well. I use mine in rain, deep snow and offroad a lot. I only have 30,000 miles so far on my 1999.
When in TOD, it sounds like the vehicle is in a 'lower' gear when I coast to a stop - its sort of a 'whining' noise. This would seem normal in 4WD, but I just never noticed it before a few months ago.
Any thoughts?????
'99 S 48,000 Tulsa
P.S. Just got back from New Zealand and there are a ton of "Bighorns" there!!
-mike
Our 98 Trooper has 75k miles. Still running the stock shocks. On several occasions, the ABS has kicked in at a time when I didn't expect it to - i.e. when it didn't seem necessary. My guess is that this is at least partly related to the fact that the OEM shocks are worn out, which seems a safe bet since the shocks have over 75,000 miles on them and most of the miles have been logged on Michigan's horrible roads.
This is another good 'reason' I can give my wife for why we should replace the shocks on our Trooper. Unfortunately, it will need to wait a couple months due to the other big $$ maintenance work we just paid for.
Can paisan or anyone else explain why worn-out shocks would cause the ABS to engage prematurely?
-mike
With a Trooper you are trying to push a big box down the road and that means you use quite a bit of gas. My advice is to keep it maintained well (especially proper tire pressure), consider synthetic lubes and use a light foot. Just my $.02.
So I don't think I'll be making any modifications of such magnitude to my vehicle. Good maintenance and slowing down seem to be sensible suggestions, although I'm sure I'll be getting some dirty looks when I do 60 down the 75mph freeways here. Maybe when the current muffler rusts out or needs replacing, I'll throw on something more free-flowing.
Until that time, though, there's plenty of improvements and maintenance tasks to keep me busy, like this sporadic "Check Engine" light that comes on periodically. I'm debating between taking it into the dealer for expensive diagnosis and possible repairs, versus spending $1.50 for a good roll of electrician's tape and taping over the light so I don't see it anymore.
EZ
Tom
My "CHECK TOD" light came on. I took my truck to the dealer. They said there were not any stored codes so they had to perform a step-by-step trouble shooting process ($128). Although not very convincing they told me that they disconnected the sensors and found both to be bad. I thought the problem may some type of common communication link. I do not have electrical schematics.
I use TOD all of the time on wet and icy roads. The problem light occurred the day AFTER a long road trip. TOD is not currently working.
Again, I drive a '99 with around 75K miles. The truck is not abused but I have been pulling a fiberglass bass boat for the past two seasons.
On another note:
Hey Paisan,
I smell a blue bow-tie fan on the ascender board. What's your guess?
Now, I have accidentally pushed the TOD switch instead of the Cruise control before. Isuzu could have placed that in a different location. Especially since typically a person uses cruise when going over 60MPH which is the speed they advice not activating TOD. I don't think I have done that though.
Also, if you have a plugging EGR you may want to review other recent posts here and at ITOG about this being an important engine cooling component and how a compromised one may contribute to high oil loss levels.
http://forums.vmag.com/suvtrooper0199/messages/8162.html
Lee
After this long trip was it cold and damp? I found that my Check TOD started acting up when it was damp then cold the next few days. The sensors or wiring got wet and froze and caused problems. They replaced my sensors and I never had a problem after that. I usually drive with TOD engaged on any day that is less than a perfect sunny day.
-mike
You might also want to clean or replace your PCV every 25k miles of so. A dirty one can lead to problems other than just emission CELs. This job is very cheap and easy. The Maintenance thread has covered this topic recently so check there if you don't know how to DIY.
Just want to get an idea of what this might cost me if the TOD sensors on our 98 Trooper ever go bad. I'm hoping we're at reduced risk since our Trooper sees lighter use (no offroading, no underwater driving, no 100mph TOD engagements, etc.) than most.
Is there any preventative maintenance that can be done? is it water invasion?
-mike
What happens that causes them to need replacing -- Do they wear out, break, become contaminated (by dirt, water) or rust, etc.?
-mike
Michigan is one of the states that's too cheap to use sand instead of road salt to combat snowy/icy roads. I do try to get the truck washed fairly often and pay $1-2 extra for the underbody wash, but no more than every week or 2.
Hopefully, TOD sensor problems isn't something that happens to ALL Troopers.
zuri4me
-mike
1) I've heard plenty of complaints from tall folks that the driver's seat doesn't move back far enough for adequate legroom.
2) Overall, folks seem to like the actual comfort of the seat. Possible exception is those folks with a Trooper S model whose vehicles lack an armrest on the inside arm.
3) What kind of problem are you having? Not enough room, seats too firm, no armrests, etc. I'm 5'9" and my wife's 5'5". We are both "well padded" but not fat. We like the seats in our 98 Trooper w/Performance Package (basically an LS).
The Isuzu TOD system is similar to Ford's ControlTrac (which is also a Borg Warner system). Do Explorer's in the US have problems with speed sensors?
Also, are the people experiencing problems with TOD sensors limited to those that live in snow areas where salt is used?
I'm 6'3" and do not have the seats all the way back - I think there is plenty of legroom. The Trooper is not a Sports Car and seating is more 'chair' like.
Have leather seats.
I nixed the "S" model originally because it had no armrests.