Anyone Own a late 90's Isuzu Rodeo or Trooper?

[Stumpy]

Anyone own or have any experience with a late 90's Trooper or Rodeo, 4WD, V6? Looking for a semi-beater class
SUV to take hunting and pull a smaller cargo trailer. I know the auto tranny is a GM that has a less than stellar rep but that
is most likely from no filter and fluid changes. The 4WD systems seem bulletproof. Any experience with the 3.2 V6?

 

[ctechbob]

I bought a 97 Rodeo brand new back in the day. Motor was solid, except for HLA tick that was mitigated with 0W30 oils.

The 4L30 was a turd on was on the way out when I traded it in with 70k on it for my 2003 Accord.

That's what would scare me the most, being able to find someone to rebuild that trans.

 

[Chris142]

I'd assume that some parts are hard to source

 

[ripcord]

I had a 96 Rodeo with 4wd, the 3.2 and a manual transmission. It was an OK vehicle. The engine used a quart of oil every 1000k miles from 70K miles to over 200K. The oil pressure gauge read a little low so I ran 15w-40 in it. I finally parked it due to a leaky heater core that I didn't want to fix. I gave it to my dad who fixed it and later passed if off to a nephew. It ran several more years until it was traded off.

One thing I did not like was how squirrelly it got when braking hard at freeway speed. I thought I was going to roll it once when panic stopping from about 70 when a car sideswiped another in front of me. Luckily I didn't have to swerve or I would have.

Another negative was while in 4wd with good BFGoodrich AllTerrain T/A tires on snow, it wanted to pull straight through the turns regardless of the steering input.

 

[Passport1]

My neighbor had a Trooper. Nice truck till the tin worm killed it. Looked just like this one.

Bring a Trailer

 

[Oro_O]

I have a 1998 Acura SLX, which is a dressed Trooper of the last gen. I bought it as a temporary replacement for a 100 series Land Cruiser about 13 years ago. That I still have it says how I feel about it. It does a lot right, thought it’s not quite a Land Cruiser, certainly. For utility use, I’d much prefer a Trooper/SLX over a Rodeo/Passport (Honda version) for the space and towing capacity. The Troopers are very over-braked, with a ladder frame and make a great tow platform - I’ve towed horses with it a fair bit, and the tow rating is quite conservative.

The trans issues are usually because of getting low on fluid. They are really sensitive to fill volume and can’t stand to lose much fluid. There is an accumulator cover on one side that can leak in rust belt areas - that does a lot in. Mine got low because of a bad drain bolt gasket after a service and burned the 3rd clutch. I rebuilt it myself. If you see one with a trans working properly, just service it and fix any leaks, then you’ll be good.

The 3.2 engines are adequate but not exciting. They have poor mileage but have no real vices. The 3.5s are a bit better in power but not in mileage, they came out in 98 along with a facelift on the Troopers. The 3.5s have a design defect of too little oil return drains on the piston skirt, leading to clogging and rings sticking, then higher consumption. This does not happen much if a good oil or the correct 10w-30 weight is used and changed regularly. I’ve corrected mine over time with use of ester oil additives and taken it from bad oil burning to acceptable, with it still continuing downward.

The model forum, planetisuzoo.com is a good bunch. I am a mod there and you can go there for advice and info. I have not been very active there lately and need to check in more regularly and help out, to be honest.

This is my SLX and I simply can’t bring myself to sell it. I’ve though many times about trading up to 100 LandCruiser or a good Jag-powered L322 Range Rover, but I just can’t part with the Trooper/SLX.

The late Trooper/SLX models have a distinctly different grille and that’s how you can know the year range and if you are looking at a 3.2 or 3.5, like this (98 with 3.5 and new front end). This is lifted ~2” so it may look a little different. There are really no differences between the SLX and the Trooper other than a slightly nicer interior - very slight.

I should also add this has 193k miles on it and with mild suspension mods and regular maintenance, runs and looks good, drives nicely. They are quality built vehicles on the higher-end of 90s / early 00s Japanese quality. If they had not been twisted into using the 4L30E instead of the Aisin the engineers wanted to use, they would be up there with 4Runners of the vintage in esteem (Isuzu was tied up with GM at the time and GM forced the 4L30E on them vs out-sourcing to Aisin/Toyota).

 

[4WD]

I had a 96 Rodeo with 4wd, the 3.2 and a manual transmission. It was an OK vehicle. The engine used used a quart of oil every 1000k miles from 70K miles to over 200K. The oil pressure gauge read a little low so I ran 15w-40 in it. I finally parked it due to a leaky heater core that I didn't want to fix. I gave it to my dad who fixed it and later passed if off to a nephew. It ran several more years until it was traded off.

One thing I did not like was how squirrelly it got when braking hard at freeway speed. I thought I was going to roll it once when panic stopping from about 70 when a car sideswiped another in front of me. Luckily I didn't have to swerve or I would have.

Another negative was while in 4wd with good BFGoodrich AllTerrain T/A tires on snow, it wanted to pull straight through the turns regardless of the steering input.

Saw one roll turning at an intersection in Dallas - guy trying to beat the light a bit too hard - nobody hurt …

 

[Oro_O]

…

One thing I did not like was how squirrelly it got when braking hard at freeway speed. I thought I was going to roll it once when panic stopping from about 70 when a car sideswiped another in front of me. Luckily I didn't have to swerve or I would have.

…

This was very likely because of worn sway bar bushings. They get like that when that happens. Very sensitive to slop in the sway bar.

A very common mod is to install PU sway bar bushings and then this does not happen.

 

[hank2]

My wife had a '97 Rodeo which was the last year of the longer wheelbase, with SOHC 3.2 lt. I believe it was purchased in 2001 with about 50k on it. It made it to about 2008 when it had to be junked for frame rust through. At about 160k miles and still ran and drove well.

I was once told (can't verify) that the frames were the same as the bad Toyota and Nissan trucks and all made by Isuzu. Ours rotted out in the area of the rear axle.

Nver had any trouble with the auto trans. Lucky, I guess. I believe I had done one pan drop and filter change.

We had a couple of problems with the vacuum actuated slider in the front axle to shift between 4wd and 2wd going out. After one very silly overcharge at a horrendous dealer for what should have been a low-priced fix, I dealt with myself the next time. Sourced one of the few sets of applicable splined manual lockout hubs left (Warn maybe?) and permanently locked the axle slider on 4wd. There was conveniently a threaded hole to insert a bolt to prevent any chance of it moving. Using 4wd now involved stopping, getting out and twisting the hub dials.

Rear axle was a good Dana 44 and I believe the front was one of the GM diffs. Gearing was pretty short, 4.30's, I think. Compared to the legions of other mid to full sized real SUV's with push rod engines, it spun the rpms' up at highway speed. 70 mph was enough. Ours got multiple sets of some cheap Walmart Uniroyal all terrain tires. They may have actually been snow tires. They did well.

The SOHC 3.2 was reliable, but did burn oil on a light basis. This engine has most or all coolant passages for the engine running externally. Not so great, especially the ones buried under the intake. It did have a light valve train tick. It consistently did 17-18 mpg and would do about 21 on long highway use.

Parts availability must be very difficult by now. Even when Rodeo's were current, you were at the mercy of factory parts for much.

From what I remember, the earlier sohc Izuzu 3.2 had a better reliability record than the downsized '98 and on models with DOHC engines. My F-I-L had the newer model Rodeo and had repeated problems.

 

[Oro_O]

…

I was once told (can't verify) that the frames were the same as the bad Toyota and Nissan trucks and all made by Isuzu. Ours rotted out in the area of the rear axle.

I don’t *think* that they made those frames; can’t swear to it. They have the same rust issues comparable to other Japanese vehicles of the time but not the very bad issues like the Tacoma and that Toyota fiasco.

…

We had a couple of problems with the vacuum actuated slider in the front axle to shift between 4wd and 2wd going out. After one very silly overcharge at a horrendous dealer for what should have been a low-priced fix, I dealt with myself the next time. Sourced one of the few sets of applicable splined manual lockout hubs left (Warn maybe?) and permanently locked the axle slider on 4wd. There was conveniently a threaded hole to insert a bolt to prevent any chance of it moving. Using 4wd now involved stopping, getting out and twisting the hub dials.

That actuator is known to seize in rust-prone areas, especially if not exercised often. It’s an easy DIY fix to free it up if it happens, usually.

The manual-switching hubs is a great mod, like you described. One of the first things I did after refreshing the suspension. You can use take-off OE Aisin units from early Troopers (that is what I did), Warne aftermarket, or Aisin now offers them directly at a reasonable price. They are 27 spline vs. 24 spline like on Toyotas, so while otherwise identical, you cannot raid old Toyotas for the older OE Aisin hubs. This saves wear and tear on the front axles and lightens the steering nicely. You can actually adjust the steering gear in the box and tighten it to take up slack (there is an external adjuster bolt on the steering box). Some slight mods like this and it can drive relatively nicely.

Rear axle was a good Dana 44 and I believe the front was one of the GM diffs. Gearing was pretty short, 4.30's, I think. Compared to the legions of other mid to full sized real SUV's with push rod engines, it spun the rpms' up at highway speed. 70 mph was enough. Ours got multiple sets of some cheap Walmart Uniroyal all terrain tires. They may have actually been snow tires. They did well.
…

It is actually a 12-bolt Isuzu corporate unit, but it is a near-clone of Dana so it is often mistaken for one. They are robust, especially later ones. The more dressed Troopers and all SLXs got an LSD, which is nice. I don’t think that was as common on the Rodeo. The “44” you are thinking of is the transfer case; it is a very robust Borg-Warner 44 type. 44xx, I can’t recall the exact sub-type.

Parts availability must be very difficult by now. Even when Rodeo's were current, you were at the mercy of factory parts for much.
…

Not really a problem IME. Most consumable parts are generic enough across other makes/models you can order maintenance parts easily, just off RockAuto or other places. For something special or unique that might break, there are lots in salvage yards and you can go pull something yourself or orderonline via carpartsfinder.com or those other salvage yard meta-directories.

Another parts/technical aspect is that the national tech manager for Isuzu/Acura from the late 80s to early 00s was very instrumental afterwards in building an internet support network, mainly via planetisuzoo.com. His name was Jerry Lemond and sadly he passed just a few years ago. He took a lot of parts inventory from Isuzu corporate with him and helped people that way for a long time, and with technical advice and history. He was incredibly generous and helpful to the auto community in his retirement that way. He aided me in rebuilding my transmission, in fact. I don’t know who now has his parts, there was discussion about who would try to pick up the slack but I should check in and find out. The forum has a lot of knowledge and access to parts, technical know-how, etc. and is a real aid to anyone who can not sort something out on their own. So from that perspective, I would not shy away from ownership for fear of a “dead” brand. Parts and online support are out there if someone wants to go ask for them.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I had both a 1996 and a 2001 Trooper, LS trim I believe. Both were purchased with less than 70K miles. The 2001 was in better condition and had a documented service history, the 1996 did not and I bought it at a bargain price from a VA Beach used car dealer. The 2001 was bulletproof and I sold it for almost what I paid for it after three years of driving. The 1996 was handed down to my young adult son, who rode it hard for two years, including driving on NC beaches, until the transmission went out. My mistake: I never knew if or when the A/T had been serviced before I bought it. I had it replaced for less than $2,000 and sold it shortly thereafter. Neither Trooper engine ever used oil, and both just got regular engine maintenance. I really liked the 2001, but I retired and replaced it with my 2007 Ridgeline.

 

[Stumpy]

Thanks for all the input. Yeah, I have seen some real lightly used Troopers from that era on Facebook recently. I do love that square body style. May go that route instead of the Rodeo. I knew they used Dana 44's which the off-roaders really like and some Isuzu owners I have met were RABID in their ownership and the off road abilities of their trucks.

 

[ripcord]

My wife had a '97 Rodeo which was the last year of the longer wheelbase, with SOHC 3.2 lt. I believe it was purchased in 2001 with about 50k on it. It made it to about 2008 when it had to be junked for frame rust through. At about 160k miles and still ran and drove well.

I was once told (can't verify) that the frames were the same as the bad Toyota and Nissan trucks and all made by Isuzu. Ours rotted out in the area of the rear axle.

Nver had any trouble with the auto trans. Lucky, I guess. I believe I had done one pan drop and filter change.

We had a couple of problems with the vacuum actuated slider in the front axle to shift between 4wd and 2wd going out. After one very silly overcharge at a horrendous dealer for what should have been a low-priced fix, I dealt with myself the next time. Sourced one of the few sets of applicable splined manual lockout hubs left (Warn maybe?) and permanently locked the axle slider on 4wd. There was conveniently a threaded hole to insert a bolt to prevent any chance of it moving. Using 4wd now involved stopping, getting out and twisting the hub dials.

Rear axle was a good Dana 44 and I believe the front was one of the GM diffs. Gearing was pretty short, 4.30's, I think. Compared to the legions of other mid to full sized real SUV's with push rod engines, it spun the rpms' up at highway speed. 70 mph was enough. Ours got multiple sets of some cheap Walmart Uniroyal all terrain tires. They may have actually been snow tires. They did well.

The SOHC 3.2 was reliable, but did burn oil on a light basis. This engine has most or all coolant passages for the engine running externally. Not so great, especially the ones buried under the intake. It did have a light valve train tick. It consistently did 17-18 mpg and would do about 21 on long highway use.

Parts availability must be very difficult by now. Even when Rodeo's were current, you were at the mercy of factory parts for much.

From what I remember, the earlier sohc Izuzu 3.2 had a better reliability record than the downsized '98 and on models with DOHC engines. My F-I-L had the newer model Rodeo and had repeated problems.

Oh, yeah, forgot about that. I spent a weekend pulling the intake off just to reach a .50c o-ring that sealed a coolant pipe that ran on top of the engine. This was at about 170k miles. While I was in that far, I decided to pull the heads and have the valve seals replaced to try to stem the oil burning as it smoked a bit at startup. I was surprised to see beautiful crosshatching on the cylinder walls still. New valve seals did bupkis for slowing oil usage, BTW.

 

[fantastic]

I'll throw out blazers, cherokee, & suzuki grand vitara's for more options.