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Isuzu Rodeo

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Comments

  • ryanendresryanendres Member Posts: 122
    Keep us informed on this ... Mine still does this every now and then on 89 octane. The response from Corp. Isuzu is that this is normal.
    -Ryan
  • gte463fgte463f Member Posts: 3
    On my '01 Rodeo 3.2, it knocks like a fool during medium and heavy acceleration (hills, passing, etc.). I'm bringing her in for a different problem this week and am going to see what they say about the knocking.
  • adellaroadellaro Member Posts: 3
    Okay. I did my research and decided to get the Monroe Matics. They were 'okay' for about 2000 miles. One got busted and started leaking fluid. They're cheap enough so I decided to try out the Sensatracs. Again, they were good for awhile. They seem okay at eye inspection but the ride is rough. At first I thought it was just me, but I had a friend that commented on how rough the truck rides (I didn't mention anything to them beforehand). I don't understand why 1. the factory shocks (which I believe are Koni's) suck. 2. Any replacement shock can't have a very long life on this truck. Any suggestions? Money isn't an extreme concern as I would like to at least 'enjoy' driving my truck, but I'm tired of spending the time on replacing these shocks. One thing to note. I took the advice of another poster (don't remember if it was here or somewhere else) and went with the recommended tire pressure (as indicated on the door panel) of 26psi. The ride is about 20% better with that adjustment, but nowhere near to what I'd like it to be. I don't remember feeling every little bump in the road when I first got the truck, and I've been back to the dealer several times with no luck. My feelings (as far as the dealer is concerned) is to avoid them if at all possible. I'm perfectly willing and able to do most of the work myself. They certainly can't be trusted to do as good a job and to be as anal as I am with my car. Any suggestions on what to do? I love the truck, but it's not very enjoyable when I have to feel every little imperfection in the road. I'm looking for the best possible feel on a regular road. I don't off-road, so that's not a concern. Thanks.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The best bet is the Rancho 9000s. They are adjustable from very soft to very hard. I run them in my Trooper and find that the various settings:

    Setting 1 = Lincoln Town Car Ride
    Setting 3 = Normal everyday Riding, firm yet good ride
    Setting 4 = Agressive highway driving/spirited rides
    Setting 5 = Rock Hard for Off-roading and towing heavy trailers

    Another option which is pricey is Bilstiens, they are probably the best shocks when money isn't an issue. The originals are Tokico shocks and non-gas charged on NA models.

    -mike
  • zman21zman21 Member Posts: 46
    keep us informed. i have a 2000 V6 & a 2001 I4 plus a 2001 Trroper.
  • tommcnabbtommcnabb Member Posts: 15
    I have the V6 in my 2001 Rodeo.
  • swagakswagak Member Posts: 6
    Howdy partners! Swagak here. Long time reader, first time poster. Good to see you all.
    I'd like to thank everybody for their posts over the past 6 months...the information was very useful in my car buying experience. Me and the little woman bought a 2000 Honda Passport EX a few weeks ago. I know, I know...we should have bought a 2001 Rodeo. Well, we tried to get a sweet LS 4WD, but it was a little bit out of our price range. We dealt with St. Charles Isuzu and they only went down to $23,500 for the LS 4WD. We got the Passport (loaded w/everything) for $18,500. Only problem...39K miles (D'OH!!!). Runs like a champ, though.
    Enough with the intro. I'd like to ask a couple questions. Wanta hear it, here it go!
    1. We're thinking about getting the Monroe Matic shocks. A place here in St. Louis will install them for $150...guaranteed for life. Do you think we should do it?...we don't off road that much. The Rancho's are out of our price range.
    2. We're trying to figure out if the power-lock/power window buttons on the driver and passenger doors are supposed to illuminate when the headlights are on. They're very hard to see while night driving...plus the passenger side vanity mirror light (on the visor) is a little flaky. We're thinking that there may be an electrical problem. Any ideas? The manual is not very helpful.

    Thanks,
    Swagak.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Welcome to the boards and glad to see you finally take the plunge! We hope to hear a lot more about your experiences!

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Vanity light will only come on when the headlights or parking lights are on. The locks are not illuminated, only the driver's power window button is illuminated.

    Hope this helps.

    -mike
  • swagakswagak Member Posts: 6
    Hey Paisano!...that's-a spicy post! Risposta grande il mio amico!
    Now I won't try to get the dealer to fix the problem. They'd probably try...since I bought the Passport from a Chevy dealer. "Uhhh...hey Charlie! Why don't we just slap a flashlight in there and sew 'er up!"

    Thanks Mike! By the way...I admire your loyalty and devotion to Isuzu products. I don't know much about Isuzu...but I'm sure they like having you as a customer.
    Arrivederci!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The only reason I'm so dedicated to them is cause I'm very hard on my vehicles, and my '97 rodeo took such a punishment for 120K miles and never missed a beat and looked like new when I sold it that I had to get another Isuzu, so far the 2000 Trooper has been outstanding.

    -mike
  • jakemmjakemm Member Posts: 3
    Have any of you run your Rodeos in the sand much? The majority of my off-roading is done at the beach. My first couple of tries with the Rodeo ('99 LS) have been a little less than confidence building.

    I'm trying to find a relatively painless way to get an additional 1" or 2" of ground clearance. I'm running the stock 15" wheels and tires. The gas tank and spare tire become pretty effective plows in "sugar" sand. Next thing you know, you're digging sand away from the undercarriage.

    Let me know how any of you have solved this problem.

    Thanks, Jake
  • ryanendresryanendres Member Posts: 122
    If you only want a 1-1.5 inch lift you can buy some spring spacers ($20.00) at an autoparts store, and crank up the front torsion bars a bit.


    If you want a 3-4 inch lift you need to replace the shocks (150-300) and new springs (140-180) and again crank the T-bars ... Link: http://www.outdoorwire.com/4x4/isuzu/tech/amigolift/?


    As for off roading in the sand ... did you air down? Running at 15-18 Lbs will make the world of difference.


    As for the rear tire you could relocate it to the roof via a roof rack. Or on the days that you run the sand drop the spare and carry it in the truck.


    Good luck!

    -Ryan

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Beat me to it. Basically take off the tire from the bottom, air down to 17-18psi. You can also get higher profile tires to help as well. And the suspension stuff he mentioned is right on.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    I'll answer over in the Offroad section since others might visit and have input there.
  • jakemmjakemm Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the inputs.

    After having gone through lots of what-ifs (wheels/tires, lifting), decided on going with 30x9.50s. This will net 1/2" of clearance without adversely affecting too many other things.

    Spare tire is going in the back while on the sand.

    Found that an outfit called Calmini has a 3" lift kit for the Rodeo. I'm going to skip that for now, but I may take a look at the spring spacer and torsion bar arrangement. Actually, I had considered air shocks to be able to selectively raise and lower it according to conditions.

    I'll let you know how the 30x9.50's do when I get back.

    Thanks, Jake
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'm not a big fan of their customer service. Quite poor IMHO. I use them as a last resort place to get isuzu stuff.

    -mike
  • billk16billk16 Member Posts: 1
    my 1998 rodeo v-6 3.2 engine seized @ 21000 miles, failure said to be from no oil. never did an oil light come on, check engine light was on, but 4th time light was on and dealer said if driving o.k. just come in whenever to fix it.Replaced with used 98 rodeo engine w/18000 miles on it. 50000 miles later spark plug shot through head. I have read on many sites of engine failure on these trucks, any input would help.
  • Boris2Boris2 Member Posts: 177
    Anybody have any experience with Winter Tires on Rodeo ? I found that there is not much choice with 245/70-16. There is pretty much only one type of studdable tire offered (WinterMaster) and about 3 different brands of studless tires (all of which are kind of expensive). I was thinking about going with 245/75-16 instead, but some guy at Big-O tires told me that it might not be a good idea to raise that vehicle even more.

    Salesmen and Discount Tire told me That WinterMaster is a great tire except it's a little noisy, but I had this tires on my Prizm for one season and was completely dissatisfied with them. If I go with 245/75-16 I can get Winter King studdable tires which I also had on Prizm and was very happy with.
    I can't say I'm a big fan of studless winter tires, but I didn't have that much experience with them, so any suggestions would be appreciated.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    But at tire rack there are 4 tires listed:

    BridgestoneWinter Dueler DM-Z2
    Size:245/70-16
    Availability:
    In Stock $102 Winter

    Dunlop
    Grandtrek SJ4
    Size:245/70-16
    Availability:
    In Stock $83 Winter

    Michelin
    4X4 Alpin
    Size:245/70-16
    Availability:
    In Stock $95 Winter

    WinterMasterPlus
    Size:245/70-16
    Availability:
    In Stock $64

    -mike
  • Boris2Boris2 Member Posts: 177
    WinterMaster is the only studdable tire among all of these. I don't know if it's such a good idea to go with studless tire, even though I've heard a lot of people are happy with them.

    Anybody got any experience with studless (or studable) tires on an SUV or Rodeo in particular.

    I got a quote for $396 from local Discount Tire store for a set of WinterKings (245/75-16), studs, labor and warranty certificates (lifetime road hazard). It seems like a reasonable deal except I'm still debating if I should go with studs and get 75 instead of 70 or go with studless (more expensive, less road noise, original size).
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    In most states they are either illegal, or only legal on snow covered roads, this means they aren't likely to be a common item found in a lot of tire places. Your best bet is to check in your local area for studded tires since they are non-existent in most of the country.

    -mike
  • Boris2Boris2 Member Posts: 177
    As far as I remember, based on the AAA report that I've read somewhere, studded tires are legal pretty much everywhere except Hawaii and Florida. I wouldn't on it because I don't know how old that report was. Pretty much everything you can even think about is legal here in Colorado :-))) You can use chains here, you can use studded tires all year round, etc.
    We just got some more fresh snow here today and tonight I'll do a test drive to see how the stock Brigestones perform on the snow. For some reason I don't think they'll do good, which means within the next couple of days I'll definitely need to decide what kind of tires I'm going to have to get for myself.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    In NY/NJ/PA/CT I know it's illegal to use studs on any street that is not snow covered, which is pretty much every street within a few hours of snowfall. So you could use studs but you could only drive on em for a few hrs between snowfall and snowplow. :( I guess things are different out West.

    -mike
  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    I used to live in Summit County and a friend of mine got a ticket for having studs on in May, even though there was still quite a bit of snow around, just not on the roads.

    Jim
  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    Ya know, after sleeping on it (and checking out the CDOT website for confirmation) I think the law may be vague on actual dates for approved use of studded tires in Colorado. I think my friend got his ticket because of dangerous equipment or something like that. I think he may have slid into someone and the state patrol found a way to work the studded snow tires into the equation. I know that there is a general consensus that it's not good manners to have studded tires on after the snow has melted off the paved surfaces.

    Jim

    P.S. Congratulations to Paisan for winning an autocross in his Subaru XT6! He beat some good competition.
  • Boris2Boris2 Member Posts: 177
    Well, probably Colorado is pretty much the only state where they can require you to have chains in July if you feel like going to the mountain pass :-)

    Anyways, we got quite a lot of snow yesterday and I took a test drive to find out if the stock Brigestones are any good. Well, they did a very decent job. The breaking distance is still longer than on a car with any tires (winter or all season) but it's twice heavier than most of the cars :-) The handling and traction, on the other hand, was much better than I expected so I probably stay with original tires for a while. That's my first SUV and yesterday i got a full understanding what 4WD actually means... :-) I think I'll get a set of snow chains and put them in the trunk just in case though.
    One thing that kind of turns me out about the studded snows that they offer in this size is that they all (it's actually only two brands) are car-like tires. I had them in different size on my prizm and even considering the size 245//75-16 the thread design is pretty much the same. I don't know if they are going to be any good for a truck.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It was nice to win an auto-x. Too bad I don't have a nice 2.2l Turbo Legacy to do it with. Hee hee

    -mike
  • g159g159 Member Posts: 23
    The advantage of modern snow tires is soft rubber that stays in contact with the road better at low temperature. You want a tire with lots of sipes, those little cuts along the tread blocks perpendicular to the direction of rotation. Most any snow tire would be great. Or you could get a more off road/snow oriented tire like the Goodyear wrangler at/s. Even consumer reports thinks that snow tires on a suv are overkill, although I personally don't.
  • dchoppdchopp Member Posts: 256
    For the record the use of studded snow tires is permisable in the state of Pa.from Nov 1st thru April 15th regardless if the roads are snow covered or dry.
  • tjackisutjackisu Member Posts: 2
    After two new sets of tires in a period of about 8 weeks(2 different models), an alignment, two balances (one by the dealership and one by firestone who put the new tires on, and a front brake job, I am still experiencing vibration in my steering wheel at 50 mph or higher. Dealership says there is no problem with the suspension although their is a leak around the pinion gasket. Dealership also says that three of my four new Dueler HL's are bad and are not able to be brought within balancing specifications. Firestone is willing to change tires out again with a smaller size 245/70R16 which is what the truck calls for although when I bought it it had 245/75R16 and I never had a problem with them. After the dealership did their high speed balance it does ride better but there is still vibration which is annoying. Do you think it will make a difference if I put a smaller tire on my truck. What could the problem be? What would you do at this point? Is it really probable that I have been sold two sets of bad tires even though they were brand new.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    You need to use a Hunter balancing machine. It's a fairly well documented factoid that '98&'99 Rodeos were poorly balanced rims. This will not be fixed by a run of the mill balancing machine.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    I had my new TOYO A/Ts put on and on a long trip found them to be out of balance. I took the trooper back and told them. They pulled the tires off the rims reset them by turning them with respect to the rim and rebalanced. Plus, they told me they were not optimally balanced as they were.

    Generally, a heavier tire with thicker tread is harder to balance, and sometimes a tire replacement is necessary.

    I'm not a fan of Fstones, since I dumped my stock 684s at 20k miles due to cracking. But the 684s were well balanced. That larger size should not make a difference.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Just had my Pirelli Scorpion AT 275-70-16s mounted at Costco for $9/tire. They are all perfectly balanced. I believe they used the Hunter 9XXX machine and it worked out well.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    Some places don't make the effort to get it right the 1st time, which is what happened in my case. They are balanced perfectly now, after I complained.

    BTW Paisan, how do you like the new tires? Do you have white letters out?
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    Just read your other posts on the trooper page. Are the white letters out though?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I went black side out, not a big fan of white letters.

    -mike
  • bgabrielbgabriel Member Posts: 7
    Hi- been reading for awhile, first post. About Shocks...yes, I know they've been covered a thousand times but I have a 2000 LSE which supposedly has "intelligent suspension". I'm not impressed. To me, it is squishy with a lot of lean and bounce. Now bear in mind that I drove a 3/4 ton diesel pickup daily for 5 years prior to getting the Rodeo so I was used to a very stiff ride and feeling every bump in the road.

    The issues I have with the Rodeo are:

    1. A slight vibration - not in the steering wheel but in the vehicle overall. I notice it when I sing along (badly) with the radio and my voice vibrates. Now this may have happened in the diesel as well, but it was kind of hard to hear or feel anything above the engine noise so I didn't notice it. It could be the tires. I've mentioned this to the dealer and they say it's the tires not being *perfectly* round and if a perfectly round tire could be found, the Rodeo's ride would be perfect(?).
    2. Bounce and lean on turns. It often feels like I don't have full control of the vehicle and I feel like I'm wandering all over the road. It is easier over bumps, railroad tracks, etc. than the truck, however. I want a stiffer ride but then again I don't want to be thrown to the opposite side of the car when I hit a bump like I was in the truck.

    I do not go off road, except my gravel driveway and the occasional curb hopping in traffic so that is not an issue. I'm just hoping for a firmer, smoother, more controlled ride. Given this, which shock - Monroe SensaTrak, MonroeMatic, or Ranchos (or something else) would be best for me and would any be better than these supposed "intelligent" shocks on it now? I seem to recall reading a post that implied the intelligent suspension solved the problems associated with the Rodeo ride.

    Thanks for your help.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    If money wasn't a concern, I'd go with Bilstien shocks in your situation. They are pricey but deliver the best on-road ride. The stock shocks are still non-gas shocks and therefor do not deliver a good firm ride. I have my Trooper shocks here that I took out at 10K miles and they are shot. The 2nd best shocks in your situation would be Rancho 9000s since they are adjustable from rock hard to lincoln soft, these are what I have, for towing and offroading I stiffen them up, for normal driving I soften themm a bit.

    -mike
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    We're glad you finally decided to join in the fun, bgabriel, and we hope to hear a lot more from you!

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs
  • tjackisutjackisu Member Posts: 2
    When I took my 96 Rodeo to Isuzu they did tell me that while no tire is really perfectly round, mine were so unround that the couldn't balance them within specifications. I'm assuming they used the Hunter machine because the service tech explained to me that it was a very expensive piece of equipment and that not every one had it. It gave me a print out of the position of the weights and told me whether or not my rims and tires passed or failed. One tire passed, one was marginal, two failed and all rims passed. When I bought the truck in February of 2000, it had 47000 miles and had Firestone Dueler APT tires size 245/75R16. I loved them. I guess I'll just have to live with the vibration and hope maybe it works itself out.
  • gads3gads3 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 2001 Rodeo LS. As per normal, I am unhappy with the shocks, and maybe I need new springs as well. When I had my '95 rodeo, I installed Monroe gas shocks and Good Year Wranglers (the largest size for a 15" wheel), and the car rode like a dream (for a truck)on and off road.
    Currently, Monroe says they do not make shocks for the Rodeo 2001. Apparently, the design changed. Only the replacement shcoks are available from Isuzu. Is there another brand? These Isuzu shocks SUCK! It really makes it a drag to drive the car, if not plain unsafe! Also, I read that tire pressure changes might help. I have standard P245-70R16- Bridgestone. Can wait to get a size wider tire. Noisier, but more stable.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I don't think there has been any changes to the shocks on the rodeos. I believe that the manufacturers just haven't updated their catalogs yet.

    -mike
  • gpm5gpm5 Member Posts: 785
    I would not live with that! If they can't balance the tires do to them being to far off, they are JUNK. Make them take them back and get another brand. The vibration will not work itself out and could end up damaging your truck.
  • bgabrielbgabriel Member Posts: 7
    Thanks for the suggestions. I have a question. What exactly is the Intelligent Suspension? Is it in the shocks themselves or will it still exist when I replace the shocks? Others have been happy with the Monroe shocks - are you saying they are an improvement over the regular Rodeo suspension but not the ISC? (Jeez, how bad is the ride in the "non-intelligent" Rodeos??) Also, how long should one expect the stock shocks to last? I have 16000 miles on the truck and don't really want to replace the shocks until it's necessary.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    ISC changes the valving of the shocks in the rear, it continually changes em. They re-programmed em for 2001 and they should be much better in the 01 as opposed to the 00 models. I personally would change out the fronts first and see how it rides, I'll be the problem is the front non-gas shocks. The rears should last like 50-100K miles, the fronts though 10K and they are shot.

    -mike
  • bgabrielbgabriel Member Posts: 7
    That sounds like a plan. I think I'll put the Bilsteins on the front now (or when I find a job - tis the season for layoffs) and, if that does the trick, replace the rear when I get new tires in a couple of years. Thanks.
  • urchin34urchin34 Member Posts: 70
    Paisan - you said 10K for the front shocks. Does that mean I should expect to be replacing them every year? Would that be the same with the upgrades?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The stock shocks they put on the US bound/US built vehicles are crappy Tokico Hydrolic shocks. They wear out in the first 10K miles. Once you upgrade they'll last probably another 50K->100K like normal shocks. The ISC ones should last 50K-100K because they are gas charged.

    -mike
  • Boris2Boris2 Member Posts: 177
    tjackisu, I don't know if it could be the case with your Rodeo, but I had similar problem on my Prizm. I replaced the original Firestones that it came with at around 20K primarily because of the bad vibration. Instead, I bought a set of Assuro's (Big-O brand) and the problem dissappeared for a while. At around 50K it started again. I did a total of about 10 ballances + 2 allignments. Took it to various shops several times, had the front tires replaced but nothing seemed to fix the problem. However, I took it for regular brake inspection to Brakes Plus and also told them about this issue. They suggested I replace the front rotors. I never did so (sold the car before I decided to change the rotors), but it seems completely reasonable. I'm not sure when was the last time you had you rotors machined or replaced, but I had almost 70K mi on my Prizm when I sold it with ORIGINAL brakes - pads, rotors and drums. It could easily be the case with your Rodeo - the rotors are pretty heavy and if they are bended it might easiliy cause the vibration. A lot of shops might not even notice the bending if it's very slight, but it can still cause the vibration.
    Hope this helps.
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