Should I get a Trooper?

[datrupr]

If you can find a manual Trooper go for it. However, they are very rare in the years you are looking for. However, the auto trans in the Trooper has proven to be a pretty stout unit. The down side is it is a bit under sized for extremely heavy loads, but if you do not plan on doing a lot of heavy towing, it should not be a problem, and it is also a sealed unit, so you can not check the level and condition of the fluid without dropping the pan. But other than that, with regular maintenance you should not have any problems with the auto.

 

[xman]

The manual transmission on the 4WD Trooper does not have the TOD feature like the 4WD Autos do. I think the TOD feature is cool and nice to have especially during winter. For those of you with that feature is it something I should look for on a Trooper. I like to get a manual but I won't get the TOD feature and the ability to have full time 4WD on and off road.

 

[bigreen505]

I'm withholding judgement on the TOD for the moment, but I have to say that it did not inspire too much confidence in me. It engages too late and in many situations you need proactive traction, not reative traction, like when changing lanes. The advantage of TOD is that you can have 4WD when you are driving in mixed road conditions (snow, slush, wet, dry bits and some gravel) when the surface is changing fast enough that flipping in and out of 4wd gets draining or you're not sure what the conditions are driving around a turn or over a bridge (bridges freeze before road).

I have had a part time system for years and always wished for a full time option, like Jeep's Selec-Trac, but I'm not totally sure TOD is it.

In full disclosure I have only been in snow once with the Trooper. It is a new vehicle to me and I am still learning how to drive it, tires are close to half worn (10/32) and are not a tire I am familiar with, and the snow was unusually heavy and wet with temperatures close to freezing. Still, it did not inspire confidence and changing lanes was scary at best because the front end would get pushed out about 20 degrees before the TOD system would send power there and pull it back. I was driving about 35-45 mph and I would say 55-70 mph would have been a reasonable speed for the conditions. Also, the tires I have on the truck now are 285's, which IMO is way too wide for a winter conditions tire relative to the weight of the truck.

 

[xman]

I spoke with the seller of the 01 Trooper and it does have the oil burning issue. He has to put in about a quart of oil every 1000 miles. He also stated that the clutch chatters and would have to be replaced with an estimated repair cost of about $700. I have read that an oil additive product called "Seafoam" will help with the burning oil problem. Anyone try that? Does anyone know where I can buy parts (Clutch) online for the Trooper?

 

[cruiser guy]

My opinion on any oil additive product, especially when they are supposed to "fix" problems like oil burning is pretty low.
You can add all these things but they are designed to either plug leaks or whatever, They CANNOT distinguish if it's a designed narrow restriction than needs to be open or an oil leak that it needs to "fix". It is known that products like "Stop Leak" can plug up heaters and other items unintentionally.
I've heard that "Seafoam" is more of an engine cleaner, still not something that will see the interior of any engine of mine!

 

[xman]

I will pass on this Trooper. I don't like the burning oil issue!

 

[bigreen505]

Definitely use your Spidey sense, but I would be less concerned about a Trooper that the owner says burns oil then one that the owner says is fine because he/she hasn't checked.

If you are so concerned about the problem, find one with a new engine (what I did) or do a little more research about the manufacturing date that Isuzu solved the problem and confine your search to those dates (what I really wanted to do). Like I PM'd you, I think the date was 9/2001, but definitely confirm that for yourself. I think the difference is the design of the piston rings.

 

[xman]

The seller was honest on the telephone and disclosed the problems with his Trooper. He was asking $7000 for it and from the pics he sent me it looked in good condition.

 

[datrupr]

All 98 to early 01 Troopers have the oil consumption issue. It is a design flaw in the engine. Seafoam is not an additive, is an engine cleaner, and it is a short term "fix", but the problem will come back. The solution is to buy a late 01-02 Trooper where Isuzu fixed the drain back problem of the earlier 3.5 engines. And, 1 quart every 1000 to 1500 miles is about norm, and you can strech that out by using sythetic 5w30 oil. If the owner knows about the problem, and alerts you to it, then I would not be concerned, all Isuzu 3.5's of this vintage (hell, even the 3.2's) have the same oil consupmtion issue. I check my oil every fill up and top it off about every third tank (about 1200 miles). As for the TOD, I did not think you could get it with the manual tranny, but I am not sure it is all that great of a system to begin with. I do not have TOD, but I read on the "planet" all the time about guys doing the "TOD mod", where they basically eliminate the TOD system for the traditonal part time system anyway. But, it is all about personal preference. I think parts for the clutch could be sourced fairly inexpensively almost anywhere also, just shop around a bit. The big problem with Isuzu Manual transmissions is not the clutches themselves, it is the hydraulics. My old Rodeo lasted 175K on the original clutch, but I had to have the hydraulics replaced twice, it is the same system in the Troopers, you may want to look into that as well. Keep up the search, and let us know what you find.