Personally, I'm bringing my Trooper to my dealer for everthing, including oil changes. The don't charge excessively, and I figure any business they get can only be good for them.
They just built a new showroom for Isuzu, and I know they sell a ton of Rodeos still, so maybe they'll be okay. The Rodeo is a great buy.
You should be ok. The dealers around here are all add-ons, ie: They sell other makes models, and barely if at all have an Isuzu sign, let alone floor space etc. The problem is that a dealer that only services Isuzus, is a liability for Isuzu, not a money maker, they are cutting ones who don't sell their products because that's where Isuzu makes it's $
point? Like I already noted I would be no better off resale wise (once you add back in the savings in purchase price) if I had bought a 4runner instead of my Trooper in 99. This is pretty much your 4 year figure and I am comparing versus a Toyota which historically have very high resale values - http://applications.edmunds.com/reviews/list/top10/99269/article- .html
What vehicle are you comparing to that makes the Trooper such a dog? Or, are you missing the fact that almost ALL used vehicles are at historic lows versus new car prices?
I have a isuzu trooper 99 and just replace the belt (by dealer) four months ago. I live in Minnesota and recently I heard weird sound when startup the engine and it is very likely from the belt when it loose. Does the belt's tighness have automatic adjusted wheel? If not how easy to tighten it? I heard about apply oil to the belt in winter to help reduce sound, is it true?
The serpentine belt has a tensioning pulley on a spring-loaded arm. No tightening should be necessary. It is fairly foolproof, unless the pulley bearing is going bad. Of course the bearings on all the driven systems would be equally suspect for bearing failure (alternator, power steering pump, AC compressor, water pump).
What makes you think it is the belt? When the weather turns very cold you will hear all kinds of noises from your vehicle that you didn't hear before...
I don't see repairing Troopers that much of a problem. If you live in or near a large city, there are probably specialty repair shops that can do as good or better job than Isuzu dealers. In Raleigh, N.C., for example, there is an excellent private repair shop with many years of successful work.
Compared to finding parts for Alfa's, Peugeots, MG's, etc., getting parts for Troopers should be very easy. I have restored 4 MGB's and have found there is still a strong pipeline of parts. I once owned a Peugeot and sold it prematurely when I learned that Peugeot would be leaving the U.S market. I later discovered there were several active Peugeot repair shops within driving distance and which are still in operation.
There are a ton of Troopers on the road so there will need to be parts suppliers and repair shops for a long time. As cheap as Troopers are becoming, if your motor/tranny goes bad, it shouldn't be difficult to buy another whole vehicle just to get those parts.
Where do you get your stats on "a ton of troopers" I'd reasonably say there are about 50K 3.5L troopers on the road, maybe 70K if you stretch it. That doesn't leave a whole lot of "spare parts" nor a pipeline for companies to bring in parts. I'll check with my parts distributor (national OEM parts distributor) on parts availability for the Troopers to verify. The other thing is since the troopers are pretty reliable, there isn't gonna be a whole lot of demand for parts so there is a good chance no one will stock em (pugs and alfas were known for poor repair rates, so there was a demand for parts).
For the past few weeks, I've been having trouble getting my 2000 (~64000m) going in the morning. First start in cold weather will more often than not crank and die, second start will get it going right away. Typically, it starts without a hitch for the rest of the day.
I've tried the "fuel line" fix mentioned previously in the group (turn key to "on" for a few seconds before starting), but that doesn't seem to have an effect. Had the 60k service done just before it turned over, had all standard maintenances previous. It's had a recent oil change, and I added Fuel Injector cleaner a couple of weeks ago. The only major work done previously has been the two recalls and the IMGs. I took it to a local shop to test the battery, starter and alternator, and all of them tested fine; I'm asking here hoping to avoid leaving it overnight at the dealers to try and duplicate the problem.
Anyone had something similar? Should I check the plugs (I thought they were 100,000m)? Any help would be appreciated.
It's clear you've lost your enthusiasm for the Trooper.
Compared to the number of MGBs, Triumphs, and hundreds of other obsolete cars for which you can still buy parts, there are LOTS of Troopers. It's easy for a rebuilder to rebuild starters, alternators and trannys, even motors.
I have a motor in my boat that was built in 1967. The block was no longer manufactured starting in 1978, I think. There are still tons of parts available for it.
I've experienced this with my Trooper - along with lots of other vehicles I've owned during "transition" weather. Fine when it's 20 degrees, fine when it's 60 degrees, but in that 30-40 degree range, it's not so great.
I've never thought to do anything about it. I've always thought of it as the computer having a hard time adjusting to Winter. :0)
Bad fuel pressure regulators are common on Troopers, but your symptoms are not classic for a bad FPR (normally you would experience an extended starter crank before she fires up). Still, might be worth a check.
I wouldn't think the plugs have anything to do with this problem.
Not retail, you don't want to see the retail on them....
Toyota $294 Isuzu $612
Now the Toyota unit is Bosh, and the Isuzu is "Genuine" which effects the price I'm sure, but unfortunately there is no available Bosh unit for the Isuzu, so you are forced to go with the Genuine one.
I am sure dealer would be more expensive; but if you have the time, you could order online and they ship PDQ. Send them the old one and get credited $54. YMMV
I hope I don't need any parts for a while. I am at 107K on 2000 Trooper. I have only done brakes, timing belt, shocks and other normal fluid stuff. No "gotcha" repairs yet. I did hear a "clacking" sound the other day that could be some kind of pulley bearing. Once I got to interstate speed though it went away. Cheers!
I'm in agreement that Troop parts availability at a reasonable price can be obtained from many sources even at the local level. With the fewer expected repairs on a Troop over other vehicles, you could cough-up a few extra $$$'s for a part & still be ahead. Also, I see 1 or more Troops on the road every day where I live. I've also owned my share of '60's British sports cars (Triumphs, modified Spridget, MGB) & parts availability wasn't much of a problem including having parts rebuilt...time was an issue on occasion, though. However, my '70 Rover 3500s & '75 Saab 99 EMS were the exception & presented some P&D problems until I found a friend at a large parts wholesaler. Parts availability for my Gen III SHO were still good until I traded it last week for my FXT. Only 20,000 V8 SHO's were produced w/ many special components in a 3 year run so I'm not concerned until it's time to be. Maybe I'm just used to owning orphans...
I don't think there will be shortness of Isuzu parts anytime soon. www.allhyundaiisuzuparts.com is a good source, they even sell parts for those early 90's Isuzu CARS. Searches at www.car-parts.com also yields substantial amount of easily obtainable parts. Granted these part are not brand new but they are the "Genuine" Isuzu parts.
Went thru this just a little while ago and posted my take on it all. My 01 TOD has almost since day one surged when starting in the morning - it progressively had gotten worse to the point of stalling - once started it ran fine for the rest of the day - just the first start and sometimes later in the day if the Trooper sat for a few hours on very cold days (30 deg). The dealer had to keep the vehicle overnight(2) - but gave me a loaner. They suspected the fuel pressure regulator bypass leaking into the fuel intake. They removed the factory 3" hose and installed a clear piece of tubing that was maybe 8" in lenght - they had to make a coil for it to fit. The idea was to see if fuel was visible in the line indicating a leaking FPR - never saw any fuel but the surging completely stopped - Trooper started better than it ever had. So they replace the FPR and installed the original factory bypass tube - well gues what - it still surged - so I decided to remove the tubing and inspect it for cracks - maybe air was leaking into the system and not fuel. The tubing showed small spider type crack around each end - so I cut off about 1/8" from each end and reinstalled the tubing - surging gone. The tube is located right up next to the firewall coming out of the back side of the FPR - it just pulls off at both ends - its sort of a preshaped extended bent C shape tube - hope this helps
About that alternator - I would think that there is a lot of commonality between Trooper and Rodeo parts - I am surprised that a rebuilt alternator for a Rodeo can't be found and used. I've used rebuilt alternators before and never had a problem - and they sure are less expensive. Usually what goes out on an alternator are the brushes - and I have re-installed new brushes on worn alternators before - that may not be an option for Isuzu Anyway, agree that it is discouraging that dealers are dropping the line - read where the 3.5 in the Rodeo and Ascender now has direct cylinder injection for 250 hp. They sure don't advertise it. I looked at a Kia Sorento in the mall the other day - I was impressed - ladder frame, heated mirrors, two speed transfer case, V6. 4 wheel discs and side airbags - $23K not bad.
The Trooper has an easy to work on layout under the hood. I think that matters a lot for long term owners that might keep their Troopers for extended periods when they are considered classics or antiques and the work is done at home. .. Alternator: I would look into an aftermarket super alternator that might be adapted to fit and provide much larger output to run that air compressor or even get an alternator / welder kit. Then take advantage of the Trooper having a straight forward layout engine compartment and bolt it on yourself. .. 2000 Trooper hard starting four years later..... sounds like the battery is near end of life to me, I'd change it out for an AGM battery without waiting for it to completely fail, starting with a failing battery is hard on the starter.
Fortunately there is a Napa regional warehouse not far from my house, and they have a store open until midnight...if they don't have it, nobody else will either.
Didn't Isuzu abandon cars and small trucks years ago? Have those people had trouble getting parts?
Even if Isuzu totally abandons passenger vehicles, FWIW I don't think we will be in serious trouble. There is still money to be made selling parts. Isuzu would either continue to make the parts themselves or sell off the rights/facilities to some other company. Thus, OEM parts will likely remain available, at least the somewhat common ones.
However even if this is not the case, all the common parts I can think of (e.g. hoses, belts, plugs, filters, rotors, brakes, etc.) are now also made by aftermarket companies. In addition, as already noted other parts can be repaired (e.g. alternator) or bought at recyclers (e.g. coil packs).
About the only effect I see is if something major goes. It indeed could be too expensive to try and repair such an item. For example, if you get in a fender bender the repair versus replacement value could result in a lot of Troopers being prematurely totaled.
I doubt Isuzu is a computer company making their own ECUs. I also doubt that even today if you had a bad ECU you would get a new one from a dealer. Instead most people would go to a recycler.
Like I noted my guess is that most OEM parts can continue to be made or found used. No doubt I could be wrong.
Well yeah if your trooper = 2nd, 3rd, 4th car, or you are a car nut. I was talking more in the broad sense of the entire population.
How many troopers are in the bone yards though? I don't buy the "Get one from a recycler" since the pool of 3.5 troopers is pretty small to begin with, and they are reliable, you won't see em in the graveyards too quickly.
Paisan I think I have a different take than you in two major areas. First I don't believe Isuzu makes many of their own component parts. I think they get most of their parts elsewhere (with the exception of sheet metal) and concentrate on design and assembly (heaven knows they know nothing about marketing) . Second you seem to think that once a manufacturer goes out of business all their facilities and those of their subcontractors disappear (or at least they stop making such products).
I on the other hand think as the car company swirls slowly down the drain they will sell their parts business and/or the exisiting subcontractors will either buy the rights to sell products they already make or inherit them by default. If this is true, and Isuzu relies heavily on sub-contractors, most of the parts can therefore continue to be made and marketed. For example if Borg Warner or Delphi can make money selling products to Isuzu surely they can make the same or more money selling to dealers.
As to the scarcity of 3.5s in junk yards, your logic cuts two ways. It can make parts hard to get but then at the same time demand should be low. Given the historic high quality of Troopers I am betting that the natural supply due to wrecks will far exceed the demand due to failures.
I feel your brown study in your last post. Firstly, I'd say that wouldn't want to compare absolutely different countries and their distribution systems (that's absent here in RF, he-he). We don't have official Isuzu sales since 2002. However there are a lot of shops and warehouses where I can get any OEM or aftermarket part even for such a rare truck as Trooper. The prices can be compared to Toyota official dealers. At the same time I feel myself better thinking that my Forester has 3year/62K miles warranty and Subaru expands its dealership more and more. Just wanted you stayed on the board with your excellent experience.
Don't worry, I'm still here, and still hoping that things pickup. Just a bit bummed by Isuzu dropping dealers in my area so quickly. My trooper will be around me or my family for a long while (and I'll probably have to repair it for my dad when it's out of warranty). Not to mention I still run http://Isuzu-suvs.com
Thanks Steve. If it has automatic tension adjustment wheel then I don't have to worry. About the sound, it is hard to explain what is sound like and why it is not from other components, I just know it from the belt. When I had other vehicle, I tighten the belt to resolve it.
It looks like this topic is about wrapped up. Responding to paisan's comment about the number of Troopers on the road, I admit to not having precise numbers to point to. I do enounter Troopers on a daily basis when driving around my local towns of Henderson and Raleigh, N.C. It is not at all unusual to see 4-5 Troopers during an afternoon shopping trip. I even find myself parking next Troopers in parking lots. In fact, I see Troopers nearly everywhere I go. In some parts of the country, however, I recognize there are few Troopers and dealers. Fortunately, that is not the case in my area.
You'll have to break out the calculator to get actual figures, but it will generate realistic numbers. My numbers show @1000 units a month, based on YTD 2002 figures, which would be inline with what Mikey was saying about 3.5L units out there 1998/2002 = 60 mos. X 1000 units/MO. = 60K paisan Dec 15, 2003 1:39pm Hmmm....could Mikey be an actual Isuzu employee, or is he REALLY Joe Isuzu;)
I was crossing traffic a few days ago and hit the driveway pretty hard as I entered a shopping center. Now I've got a metal to metal squeal from the left front wheel. It varies with a little steering input... figure I killed the bearing. Anybody replace the front wheel bearing themselves or should I just take it to a shop?
I live in Oklahoma City, and I can't swing a dead cat without hitting a Rodeo or Passport. They are everywhere, and all years, also. I know at least 6 other sailors who also own these makes. There is still 2 Isuzu dealers here, although their lots are mostly geared towards other makers. As for Troopers, I see a few, but not nearly as many as the Rodeo & Passport. I actually see quite a few Montero & Montero Sport around here, too.
You will also need an alignment and to check the steering linkage. .. I think it is not too bad to do the bearings yourself. I did it on my 1984 Trooper with autohubs years ago. Be sure to get the right grease if you have autolocking hubs since the grease being too stiff will cause dificulty in disengaging the hubs and too thin will of course not lube well etc... I know because I used too stiff a grease, and went back in there in winter to change it. I never changed my own grease after that. .. At the same time as greasing the front hubs you can get the front disc brake pads changed since they will be removed on the way there is not extra work involved. Trooper disc brake pads often last up to 100K miles, so get the genuine Isuzu brake pads, they are something that Isuzu did right.
My '98 trooper has over 60K miles and I just had the brakes checked. The mechanic said they measured like they were brand new!
Is there anything special about the process of the bearing swap? If I do need to have it done by a shop would I be better off taking to the stealer.. er dealer to make sure it's done right or would a good independent import shop be able to take care of it?
I figured I'd find some info on the web about changing the bearing but found nothing anywhere!
I have one near me that I can highly recommend either to visit if you are close or call if you are not http://www.creechimports.com/ I suggest you find one like this near you. Creech has a monthly newsletter and an office in the waiting area for customers to make the best of their time.
Well I may have killed the whole lack of parts theory last night. I went to Autozone and found a rear wiper for my Trooper...they had tons of them on the rack!
You do have to remove the spare. I tried turning the truck off with the wiper at its high point, didn't cut it.
I'd probably see 10 Troopers and 25 Rodeos in a day of average driving. I live in a town of ~200k people so that's pretty good for Isuzu.
As far as the cost of parts go, I had a '85 turbodiesel Jetta that was very expensive to work on. It had a special alternator that also ran the RPM gauge (Forget about finding a rebuilt one). The top radiator hose was $125. A set of pistons and rings were $750. Just for the pistons and rings! Not installed! And that was an aftermarket price. I kept the old hose, prayed the alternator would never go out and put the old pistons back in with a set of $30 rings and filled it up with 50 weight racing oil. That worked well for a few years until a valve spring broke and caused a big mess. I was cruising around 80 on the interstate when that happened. Blew a hole right through cylinder #1. You could still start and drive it, but it sounded like someone walking around with 50 quarters in their pocket ;^)
An excellent DIY article used to be available on the web. IIRC it was for the bearing repack on an Isuzu Amigo but the procedure was almost identical for my 99 Trooper. In summary, it is not rocket science. However it is not intuitively obvious either. If you are a complete novice the writup may raise more questions than it answers. The process also does take a tool or two (or creative thinking) that a novice may not have.
Like Boxtrooper said if you hit something hard enough to damage a bearing you may have damaged something else. That being the case my advice is to get to a shop and have them take a look. ANY good front end shop should be able to diagnose and do the needed work. As an overkill step you may want to remind them that you have disc brakes (e.g. take a special grease) and that Isuzu uses a different method to set the bearing preload. No doubt any good shop knows this. However even a good shop can get in a hurry and make a mistake. A FRIENDLY reminder just seems like good insurance to me.
There are about 5 Trooper's including mine within 1-2 miles of my house (all post 1992 design change) and I see 2 others in my lot at work. There are a few older (pre-1992) that are also in my hood.
I discussed the matter with the service advisor and decided to take it in this morning. Since the bearing pack was probably 30K miles overdue I decided to let them do that and inspect the front end as part of the process.
On the way over there wasn't a sound from the wheel (of course!). He said the bearings seemed fine. A pebble scraping on the rotor is my best guess at this point... at least I can cart my 3 year old around without worry now.
A seal had to be replaced as part of the service ($17.56?) so the out the door total was $144.63.
Comments
They just built a new showroom for Isuzu, and I know they sell a ton of Rodeos still, so maybe they'll be okay. The Rodeo is a great buy.
-mike
What vehicle are you comparing to that makes the Trooper such a dog? Or, are you missing the fact that almost ALL used vehicles are at historic lows versus new car prices?
Does the belt's tighness have automatic adjusted wheel? If not how easy to tighten it?
I heard about apply oil to the belt in winter to help reduce sound, is it true?
What makes you think it is the belt? When the weather turns very cold you will hear all kinds of noises from your vehicle that you didn't hear before...
Steve in Minnesota
Compared to finding parts for Alfa's, Peugeots, MG's, etc., getting parts for Troopers should be very easy. I have restored 4 MGB's and have found there is still a strong pipeline of parts. I once owned a Peugeot and sold it prematurely when I learned that Peugeot would be leaving the U.S market. I later discovered there were several active Peugeot repair shops within driving distance and which are still in operation.
There are a ton of Troopers on the road so there will need to be parts suppliers and repair shops for a long time. As cheap as Troopers are becoming, if your motor/tranny goes bad, it shouldn't be difficult to buy another whole vehicle just to get those parts.
-mike
For the past few weeks, I've been having trouble getting my 2000 (~64000m) going in the morning. First start in cold weather will more often than not crank and die, second start will get it going right away. Typically, it starts without a hitch for the rest of the day.
I've tried the "fuel line" fix mentioned previously in the group (turn key to "on" for a few seconds before starting), but that doesn't seem to have an effect. Had the 60k service done just before it turned over, had all standard maintenances previous. It's had a recent oil change, and I added Fuel Injector cleaner a couple of weeks ago. The only major work done previously has been the two recalls and the IMGs. I took it to a local shop to test the battery, starter and alternator, and all of them tested fine; I'm asking here hoping to avoid leaving it overnight at the dealers to try and duplicate the problem.
Anyone had something similar? Should I check the plugs (I thought they were 100,000m)? Any help would be appreciated.
Dave
Compared to the number of MGBs, Triumphs, and hundreds of other obsolete cars for which you can still buy parts, there are LOTS of Troopers. It's easy for a rebuilder to rebuild starters, alternators and trannys, even motors.
I have a motor in my boat that was built in 1967. The block was no longer manufactured starting in 1978, I think. There are still tons of parts available for it.
I've never thought to do anything about it. I've always thought of it as the computer having a hard time adjusting to Winter. :0)
I wouldn't think the plugs have anything to do with this problem.
Here is an example...
2000 4Runner V6 4wd Alternator: $132
2000 Trooper V6 4wd Alternator: $459 (with a wait for it to come into the parts distributor)
-mike
Toyota $294
Isuzu $612
Now the Toyota unit is Bosh, and the Isuzu is "Genuine" which effects the price I'm sure, but unfortunately there is no available Bosh unit for the Isuzu, so you are forced to go with the Genuine one.
-mike
2000 Trooper Alternator - Reman/Nippondenso
$197.79 + $54 (core charge)= $251.79
I am sure dealer would be more expensive; but if you have the time, you could order online and they ship PDQ. Send them the old one and get credited $54. YMMV
I hope I don't need any parts for a while. I am at 107K on 2000 Trooper. I have only done brakes, timing belt, shocks and other normal fluid stuff. No "gotcha" repairs yet. I did hear a "clacking" sound the other day that could be some kind of pulley bearing. Once I got to interstate speed though it went away. Cheers!
I've also owned my share of '60's British sports cars (Triumphs, modified Spridget, MGB) & parts availability wasn't much of a problem including having parts rebuilt...time was an issue on occasion, though. However, my '70 Rover 3500s & '75 Saab 99 EMS were the exception & presented some P&D problems until I found a friend at a large parts wholesaler. Parts availability for my Gen III SHO were still good until I traded it last week for my FXT. Only 20,000 V8 SHO's were produced w/ many special components in a 3 year run so I'm not concerned until it's time to be. Maybe I'm just used to owning orphans...
Thanks for the posts about parts availability.
About that alternator - I would think that there is a lot of commonality between Trooper and Rodeo parts - I am surprised that a rebuilt alternator for a Rodeo can't be found and used. I've used rebuilt alternators before and never had a problem - and they sure are less expensive. Usually what goes out on an alternator are the brushes - and I have re-installed new brushes on worn alternators before - that may not be an option for Isuzu
Anyway, agree that it is discouraging that dealers are dropping the line - read where the 3.5 in the Rodeo and Ascender now has direct cylinder injection for 250 hp. They sure don't advertise it.
I looked at a Kia Sorento in the mall the other day - I was impressed - ladder frame, heated mirrors, two speed transfer case, V6. 4 wheel discs and side airbags - $23K not bad.
..
Alternator: I would look into an aftermarket super alternator that might be adapted to fit and provide much larger output to run that air compressor or even get an alternator / welder kit. Then take advantage of the Trooper having a straight forward layout engine compartment and bolt it on yourself.
..
2000 Trooper hard starting four years later..... sounds like the battery is near end of life to me, I'd change it out for an AGM battery without waiting for it to completely fail, starting with a failing battery is hard on the starter.
Even if Isuzu totally abandons passenger vehicles, FWIW I don't think we will be in serious trouble. There is still money to be made selling parts. Isuzu would either continue to make the parts themselves or sell off the rights/facilities to some other company. Thus, OEM parts will likely remain available, at least the somewhat common ones.
However even if this is not the case, all the common parts I can think of (e.g. hoses, belts, plugs, filters, rotors, brakes, etc.) are now also made by aftermarket companies. In addition, as already noted other parts can be repaired
(e.g. alternator) or bought at recyclers (e.g. coil packs).
About the only effect I see is if something major goes. It indeed could be too expensive to try and repair such an item. For example, if you get in a fender bender the repair versus replacement value could result in a lot of Troopers being prematurely totaled.
Or other proprietary items.
Hoses, brakes, even alternators etc are fairly universal, but what about an ECU? Sensors? etc. etc.
-mike
Like I noted my guess is that most OEM parts can continue to be made or found used. No doubt I could be wrong.
How many troopers are in the bone yards though? I don't buy the "Get one from a recycler" since the pool of 3.5 troopers is pretty small to begin with, and they are reliable, you won't see em in the graveyards too quickly.
Ah who knows.
-mike
-mike
I on the other hand think as the car company swirls slowly down the drain they will sell their parts business and/or the exisiting subcontractors will either buy the rights to sell products they already make or inherit them by default. If this is true, and Isuzu relies heavily on sub-contractors, most of the parts can therefore continue to be made and marketed. For example if Borg Warner or Delphi can make money selling products to Isuzu surely they can make the same or more money selling to dealers.
As to the scarcity of 3.5s in junk yards, your logic cuts two ways. It can make parts hard to get but then at the same time demand should be low. Given the historic high quality of Troopers I am betting that the natural supply due to wrecks will far exceed the demand due to failures.
Only time will tell who is right.
It's an interesting term.
-mike
It was just an interesting phrase and I thought it was a translation thing.
Thanks
And you can't spit without hitting a Rodeo.
Hmmm....could Mikey be an actual Isuzu employee, or is he REALLY Joe Isuzu;)
http://www.autosite.com/editoria/asmr/svsuv.asp
There is still 2 Isuzu dealers here, although their lots are mostly geared towards other makers.
As for Troopers, I see a few, but not nearly as many as the Rodeo & Passport.
I actually see quite a few Montero & Montero Sport around here, too.
-mike
..
I think it is not too bad to do the bearings yourself. I did it on my 1984 Trooper with autohubs years ago. Be sure to get the right grease if you have autolocking hubs since the grease being too stiff will cause dificulty in disengaging the hubs and too thin will of course not lube well etc... I know because I used too stiff a grease, and went back in there in winter to change it. I never changed my own grease after that.
..
At the same time as greasing the front hubs you can get the front disc brake pads changed since they will be removed on the way there is not extra work involved. Trooper disc brake pads often last up to 100K miles, so get the genuine Isuzu brake pads, they are something that Isuzu did right.
Is there anything special about the process of the bearing swap? If I do need to have it done by a shop would I be better off taking to the stealer.. er dealer to make sure it's done right or would a good independent import shop be able to take care of it?
I figured I'd find some info on the web about changing the bearing but found nothing anywhere!
http://www.creechimports.com/
I suggest you find one like this near you. Creech has a monthly newsletter and an office in the waiting area for customers to make the best of their time.
You do have to remove the spare. I tried turning the truck off with the wiper at its high point, didn't cut it.
As far as the cost of parts go, I had a '85 turbodiesel Jetta that was very expensive to work on. It had a special alternator that also ran the RPM gauge (Forget about finding a rebuilt one). The top radiator hose was $125. A set of pistons and rings were $750. Just for the pistons and rings! Not installed! And that was an aftermarket price. I kept the old hose, prayed the alternator would never go out and put the old pistons back in with a set of $30 rings and filled it up with 50 weight racing oil. That worked well for a few years until a valve spring broke and caused a big mess. I was cruising around 80 on the interstate when that happened. Blew a hole right through cylinder #1. You could still start and drive it, but it sounded like someone walking around with 50 quarters in their pocket ;^)
Like Boxtrooper said if you hit something hard enough to damage a bearing you may have damaged something else. That being the case my advice is to get to a shop and have them take a look. ANY good front end shop should be able to diagnose and do the needed work. As an overkill step you may want to remind them that you have disc brakes (e.g. take a special grease) and that Isuzu uses a different method to set the bearing preload. No doubt any good shop knows this. However even a good shop can get in a hurry and make a mistake. A FRIENDLY reminder just seems like good insurance to me.
On the way over there wasn't a sound from the wheel (of course!). He said the bearings seemed fine. A pebble scraping on the rotor is my best guess at this point... at least I can cart my 3 year old around without worry now.
A seal had to be replaced as part of the service ($17.56?) so the out the door total was $144.63.