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Last post on May 02, 2013 at 7:16 AM
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Isuzu Trooper Forum.
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Isuzu Trooper, SUV
#11318 of 11964 Possible new owner with question
by tburkett
Jul 12, 2006 (2:46 pm)
Looking at a 1999 Trooper, with 100K miles. Excellent shape and runs great. No ticking...
Is there anything else I should be looking for? This will be my third Isuzu in a row, had a 2000 Amigo, then a 2002 Axiom XS... looking to sell the Axiom and get something "cheaper". I have always loved the Trooper!! I just need some reliable basic transportation with plenty of room.
I am aware of the major Isuzu issues, lack of dealers, etc...
Any other issues I should be looking for??? Any advice is welcome.
Thanks in advance,
Tim-
#11319 of 11964 Re: Possible new owner with question [tburkett]
by boxtrooper
Jul 13, 2006 (6:11 am)
When I purchased my third Trooper it was the first time a bought a used one. I found huge differences in the suspension and transmission performance in different copies of the same year Trooper.
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1.) Stay away from a Trooper that looks beat inside, because that means they probably have not done the maintenance.
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2.) See if all the tires are the same type and size, sleazy tire selection to save a buck also means they probably have not done the maintenance.
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3.) If the suspension feels worn out and the handling is very sloppy the Trooper has seen some very hard use. Do a good evaluation before buying, then upgrade using an OME or similar suspension upgrade kit.
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4.) Have a mechanic that you hire for $100 to $200 do a thourough check out of the new Trooper, this way you know what you are getting, remember engine/transmission replacement are far too expensive for a used car, unless you are emotioanlly attached to it.
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5.) If you buy it, have all the fluids changed right away. Do the 90K maintenance includes oils for engine, trans, xfer case, 4wd or TOD selector, power steering, front diff, rear diff, and engine coolant. I would also add a full flush of the brake master cylinder and lines. I did all of this on my 2001 Trooper when bought it had 30K miles. I have had 63K trouble free miles and am doing the 90K maintenance today. Doing the service might identify issued to take care of before they become a problem.
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Ask this discussion to tell you of particualar issued for your model. example on my 2001 the intake manifold gaskets are prone to crack, so check for the cracking and change them before dirt is sucked into the engine.
#11320 of 11964 Re: Water Pump Change [ingman]
by atfdmike
Jul 13, 2006 (7:13 am)
Hi, Yes, you will have to remove the harmonic balancer to change the water pump. You will also need to remove the timing belt, and now is a good time to replace that if ithas not been done, the belt life is 60,ooo miles. If you are even half way to that, I would change it. You will also have to release the automatic tensioner for the belt. Note how it is removed so that you can reinstall properly. The trickiest part of your job is that the belt and timing marks on the timing gears are critical, and must be correct when performing the work. While you are doing this, it would help to put reference marks with a paint stick or marker on each gear pulley and the cylinder head so that when you replace the belt, the gears will be in the right place. The new belt will be marked for the direction of travel and have an indicator on it for timing placement. If you have already done all this, great. If not, In a couple days I can email you excerpts from manual, but you may not want to wait that long. One resource, not free, is advanceautoparts.com, where you can purchase online access to a manual. If you wait until next Monday, I, or another forum member, can email you the manual instructions.
To hold the balancer, a strap wrench will help if you have one. If not, I have used a piece of half inch rope and made a tourniqet with a screw driver on the balancer to hold it. You may need a balancer remover to pull the balancer off of the crankshaft. Be careful not to hammer or pry the balancer, as it can be damaged. There is an alignment groove and key that you will need to keep track of once you remove the balancer. Good luck. Let us know how you do!
#11321 of 11964 Re: 02 Trooper 138k Check engine light and reduced power light... [spdracr4
by koboko
Jul 13, 2006 (4:43 pm)
Hi, i just went thru exactly the same problem. it turned out to be a bad accelerator pedal sensor (remember this car has drive-by-wire). the part cost like $160, plus another $100 for labor. wasnt a cheap fix. dont waste time messing with catalytic converters or other stuff, this is an electrical problem. have autozone pull a code for you, that way you'll know for sure. good luck!
#11322 of 11964 '01 Trooper A/C getting weak . . .
by silverghost
Jul 23, 2006 (3:51 pm)
Anyone have any experience servicing the Auto-Climate Control on an '01 Trooper? Mine (w/65K) has gotten to the point of running flat-out 100% of the time, with only marginal cooling effect. My guess is that the refrigerant level is low, so I'm driving with no A/C for the moment to avoid damaging the compressor until I can have it checked out.
I had an Audi that developed a $1300 leak in the evaporator core at 50K. I'm hoping that's not the case with my Trooper.
#11323 of 11964 To buy or not to buy??
by laparka55
Jul 25, 2006 (9:33 pm)
Hi all,
I owned a sweet '92 Trooper for 12 years before I foolishly sold it....now I am looking at a 2000 limited 4wd at a local shop down the street with 62K. They are asking 10500 which I think is high. Reading the posts, I am hesitant to buy -- transmissions, timing belts, oil consumption, ect. I've gathered quite a bit of helpful information from posts, but are there red flags I might check that would indicate whether to avoid this Trooper. Also, carfax showed it was a lease vehicle -- could this mean a rental?? I thought i read something about specific features of rental fleet vehicles??
Any suggestions are appreciated...
Thanks, Scott
#11324 of 11964 Re: To buy or not to buy?? [laparka55]
by atfdmike
Jul 26, 2006 (3:02 am)
Hi, You can also check out value at www.kbb.com. I ran a quick check and the value you show is in the ballpark.
One big consideration for me would be how readily you can get service AND parts given Isuzu's departure from the American market. I have a 94 which my son drives, and I too like the older models, but they are not without their problems too. Manufacturers are only required to service emission parts and warranty parts for 10 years after discontinuance of a vehicle, so factor that in too!
Good luck.
#11325 of 11964 Re: To buy or not to buy?? [atfdmike]
by steve_ HOST
Jul 26, 2006 (8:51 am)
I think the rule is that parts need to be available for the warranty period to comply with UCC regs (I've read all sorts of opinions about this over the years here, so if you have a link I'd love to see it, since I've never found a definitive one. Or maybe I've forgotten it, lol).
Even if there's no legal requirement, parts for 30 year old obscure models seem easy enough to find. Daewoo owners were very concerned when parts dried up, but that shortage only lasted a few months.
#11326 of 11964 Yet Another How To Avoid Buying a Bad Used Trooper
by bradesp
Jul 30, 2006 (10:25 am)
If I'm looking at buying a 2000, 2001 or 2002 Trooper. Can you recommend which you would buy and why? Obviously the newer models and lower mileage are obvious candidates, but what about comparing these three years in terms of durabilty and known problems that have been occuring between the 50k and 100K and beyond mileage levels.
It seems the Tranny is the biggest risk with these vehicles??
Thanks!
#11327 of 11964 2001 Trooper Vacuum Leak?
by lampro
Aug 02, 2006 (9:03 pm)
Greetings. I own a 2001 Trooper that has begun missing at idle -intermittently. The onset of the problem coincided with the rear door lock (most distant) having trouble "unlocking." I am guessing this is probably a vacuum leak - probably at the intake manifold gasket which is apparently a common problem with this engine. My vehicle is used hard off and on road but maintained well. I live in a remote location, dealers and diagnostic apparatus are difficult to access and so far have done all my own engine work on this vehicle. So, cutting to the chase - does anyone have any ideas for confirming the problem short of popping the manifold off and looking? Trying not to create work for myself when not necessary. Any ideas appreciated.
105K miles
new timing belt, plugs
Thanks,
Tim