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I'll get the brakes checked out. The problem is that none of the brake places will want to deal with OEM pads - they make most of their money on parts that they use. Dealers will charge about $250+ per axle. Is there anything special I need to know about changing rear brakes on Rodeo by myself? Last time I changed brakes by myself was on '89 Tercel, and they were drum brakes.
Is there anything special I need to keep in mind as I'm dealing with ABS brakes?
There are no good manuals for this car. The only manual I found covered Rodeos from '91 (I think) to 2004 and their sample vehicle was a '97 rodeo (I think 2WD).
Just out of curiousity I called one of the local dealers here and they told me that the price to for a brake job will be about 2 hours of labor ($105/hour) for each axle + parts. Don't think I'll use them :-)
Any suggestions on where I can get a used engine.
When I took it in, i complained that the steering wheel pulsates when brakes are applied at high speed and about that squeaking noise I've already mentioned in this forum. I also suggested the take an extra look at rear brakes for that noise. When they called back they said that the front rotors need to be turned (well, duh...) and, therefore, the pads need to be replaced for $159 + $50 rotors + $50 grease packs. They didn't find anything wrong with the rear brakes but he said that he didn't hear any sounds coming from it. I asked him if he got a chance to test drive it and he said no.
Hmm... Getting frustrated, I asked him to put it back together and test drive it and let me know. After two hours, I called him myself and he said that he did hear the sound (he also said that he just didn't hear first time but did drive it. Hmm...) but didn't know where it was coming from. His guess was it might be coming from e-brake system, but they didn't check it out as they normally don't do it as part of the brake inspection as it's unlikely that it will go bad. When asked if it's possible that the drums or the pads in that system are worn, he said “Yes, but unlikely.” When asked if it may be not aligned, he told me the same thing, while still admitting that's the only possible place the sound might be coming from. He refused to check it as, as he claimed, they didn't have enough time and too many cars in line (they had my truck there for 4 hours at that time).
When I picked it up and looked at the “suggestions” that were listed in the estimate I noticed they “suggested” I change the shocks and serpentine belt. The belt didn't surprise me too much (except the price tag on it was $115: $50 labor and $65 parts), but shocks did. When asked, he explained that shocks are fine, not leaking or anything but “they” recommend replacing them. I wondered who “they” and his answer was: “Dealers and other such places”. I don't remember seeing “replace shocks” in my maintenance schedule for $60K mi. In fact, i don't remember seeing it in ANY scheduled maintenance plan for any vehicle.
So, basically, the results of my brake inspection are as follows: they didn't feel like messing too much with the brakes to check it out completely even though the possible problem area was determined.
They found a $300 problem(front brakes) which the found sufficient to pay for their time.
They tried to sell me unnecessary parts with the most ridiculous reason.
AND the overshot dealers prices by a good portion on the belt. (dealer wants $30 for the belt and $50 labor).
The rear parking brake is a separate drum-in disc design that doesn't effect changing the pads, nor the rotors.
-mike
On 4WD i should have 2 differentials, right? Are the plugs (drain and fill) located so that it's relatively easy to find them? Any special tools I'll need to drain and refill that? Anything I need to keep in mind as far as being extra caution when doing it?
Oh, the truck is '01 Rodeo 4WD.
Question, I have read here the timing belt can wait til 100k, but then I know the suggested by the owner manual is 75-90k. I am about to make the annual trip to Florida for the Holidays but should I be worried about braking down? Should I change it before the trip?
Any adive she seems to be using oil some, i just put in some slick 50 to see if that will help. Anyone else have this problem and solved it?
Thanks.
M
I am looking at buying my 17 year old daughter a 1995 Isuzu Rodeo with 106,000 miles but don't know anything about them. I was told that the factory rod bearing go out around 100,000 miles other than that I have not been able to learn much about them.
so I am asking you all are they reliable,any problems I should know about, would it make a good vehicle for my daughter?
Thanks for you help.
Carl
Teen Driver Safety Series - Part Four: A Car for Your Teen
Steve, Host
The hydraulic lifters on these engines tend to tick, so on-time oil changes are a must. Also, many of these engines burn (lose) oil and if your teenager doesn't keep her eye on it, you could end up with a siezed engine. Mine loses about 1/2 quart every 3k miles. I've heard some lose 1 quart every 1k miles.
With 101K miles, make sure the timing belt and water pump have been replaced, otherwise expect to pay an additional $600 to $1000 to make that happen. Make sure the transmission fluid has been replaced in the past.
Overall, I like the vehicle a lot. The thing that will make your experience as good as mine rests on how well that vehicle has been maintained. Safety wise, frontal crash test results on this vehicle wasn't very good. On the other hand, this Suv handles better than many other suvs, in my opinion. But, with any SUV there is a roll-over risk which you should consider given a teenager, with teenager-judgements, will be driving. I only get around 15mpg in city driving and maybe 17 in highway driving. That's something to consider too.
Also note that Isuzu vehicles have very low resale value so shop around, you may be able to pick up a newer rodeo than you expect.
Thanks,
Carl
I bought a 97 4WD 3.2L Rodeo in 99 with 23K. (Always loved the body style). After reading through the post here, it was nice to find that "problems" I have are shared by many others.
I have a little over 200,000 on mine now.
Leaks oil like a sieve, fuel gauge is off, wind noise, lifter tick, oil pressure up and down, stripped lug nuts, out of round steel wheels .
This is my praise part,
I drive close to 450 miles a week and have never been left stranded by my Rodeo. With the mileage she does, there is no way that things will not wear out. Third set of tires, 4th set of shocks, 3rd set of brake pads, 3rd set of drive belts, gallons of oil.
In all this, I have yet to replace any major componants of the chassis, body, engine etc.
Some of the things I do to cope with the quirks:
Oils leaks, I give up. I was using Mobil One, a bit pricey to keep the lifter quite, so I use a bit a Marvel Mystery Oil when I refill the oil when its low. If it starts up ticking, I shut it off and restart it, most of the time that fixes it.
I go by the odometer rather then the fuel gauge, I get 19 miles to the gallon no matter what and I know how much fuel I have used.
Mechanics have checked the oil pressure dilemma and scratched their heads. As long as I am checking the oil, I stop worrying about it. My thought is; how could it have pressure with the leaks?? Flow through oil system!!
I had my tire dealership I deal with paranoid about not using hand tools when installing the tires. After replacing at least 12 different lug nuts and studs and them buying them, they make sure they do it right. They are not cheap.
I finally put on Trooper alloy wheels. The original steel wheels were getting to the point where the tires couldn't be balanced. Great decision, smooth as glass.
More of my story,
I recently had the timing belt, tensioner and the water pump etc replaced while it was opened up. My friend who did the work assures me it could drive across the country. I believe it! He said that as long as I could live with the leaks,(the underside will never rust) and the tick, the engine should last quite awhile longer. The exterior and interior are in great shape.
He mentioned there was a crate engine from GM that had a bit more guts that could be dropped in. Anyone heard of that? I haven't pursued it in depth with him yet.
I am not the best preventative maintenance guy and I don't follow a perfect maintenance schedule. For that, my Rodeo has been very forgiving to me. Maybe mine was built on a Weds or something.
Thanks for letting me bend an ear or two. I really had not thought about a forum to share experiences with over the years. Glad I got here!
My main problem I guess now is that in this state we are required to get a smog test before we sell a vehicle and it will not pass smog with the oil light coming on.
Good luck!
tidester, host
you could even go to
15-50 if need be.
-mike
On the other hand, there are "hundreds" of engine reman/rebuild companies that say nothing about that, and will sell you a remanufactured engine.
With 200,000 miles on my Rodeo, I would like to start thinking about a new heart for her.
So, any ideas or knowledge about this? Rebuild the engine I have, a used engine or a remanufactured engine? Thanks...
Try asking over in Got a Quick, Technical Question? too.
Steve, Host
Below is the site URL that got me started (confused) on this.
www.rebuilt-auto-engines.com
It appears that some engines are OK to use a reman engine and others a used engine. Even the 02 Explorer shows that it should be replaced with a used rather than a reman. engine.
The 6VD1 in the 97 Rodeo happens to show used.
I also have a 91 Isuzu pick-up, 235,000 miles, and it shows that a reman engine is OK to use.
As I had mentioned, this was the only site that talks about weather to use one or the other. No other sites I have looked at mention it.
I will post my question on the other site and let you know if I come up with anything.
Thanks and Happy new year! pjs
This is the response from Mr_Shiftright.
Good common sense. pjs
It's worth paying attention to that. There are definitely some engines that have not had a great rate of success with over-boring. Personally I don't see the sense in putting a brand new engine in such an old (mileage-wise) vehicle, since the rest of the car still has 200K on it and other major components are at risk.
You might be able to buy an entire, very decent lower mileage 97 Rodeo for close the price of an expertly built engine. Figure a used engine, by the time you've done everything necessary "while we're in there", is a $2,500 proposition at least.
Steve, Host
for four shocks.What i notice until now that the shocks is to hard,when it hit a bump or pot hole i dont feel the bounce it feels like the old one.Im suspecting that they put different shock in it not the monroe or maybe monroe matic plus is not a good shock after all.What do you guys think?
Does anybody know where it's located and what's implied to replace it?
Another thing is the fuel filter. I can probably locate it, but with EFI I better bleed the pressure somehow before I disconnect it - otherwise, I'll probably end up covered in gasoline (unpleasant experience from changing the fuel filter on '89 Maxima). Anybody got any ideas on how to do that?
BTW, it looks like Haynes doesn't make any books for '01 models. The only book I was able to find covers all Rodeos from '89 to '02. Needless to say, I couldn't find much of usefull information. There're gotta be Tech CDs that mechanics use, but I couldn't find anything like that for sale. Any ideas?
2. To relieve fuel pressure from the system, remove the fuel pump fuse from the fuse panel in the engine compartment. Crank the engine over for 30 seconds. Also, remove the gas cap and negative battery cable (just in case).
3. The factory manuals the isuzu mechanics use are the helm manuals. Sometimes you can find them on ebay. Or, go to the Helm website (helminc.com)
I forgot to reply to the posts concerning bumpy rides on Rodeo. Yes, if you lower your tire pressure it will make the ride softer. However, your gas/mileage will suffer and the tires will wear off sooner. I know Isuzu recommends lower tire pressure than Discount Tires put in, but I'd rather have better gas/mileage, better handling and less wear on the tires. That's just my opinion though.
I did try to lower the pressure when I was 4WDing on sand and I forgot to inflate the tires after that. I can't say I was too happy with the nandling I got.
check engine light has been coming on intermittently, plus my gas mileage has dropped to 10 mpg. My mechanics have been unable to find a problem (with the computer sensor). Other than that it runs fine. Therefore, I am looking at a 2001 to replace it, unless someone knows a possible fix. Any suggestions, or is it time to replace?
TIA.