Need oil advise: 97 Isuzu Rodeo V6

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Hello, I've been lurking for quite a while now and done a lot of researching; but there's not too many Isuzu owners posting on this board.

Any which way, need advise from you oil guys/gals; I have the 3.2L V6 SOHC with 141K happy miles. The engine does not burn oil, nor does it rightly require more then 1/4qt per 3K miles.

I am the original owner, minus 11K put on by being a dealer demo vehicle. Truck has always had every 3K OCI with Havoline 10w-30 and Isuzu filter.

Recently truck has begin to have the famous Isuzu "tick", lovely hydraulic lifters coming to sing
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. Not too loud, in fact, much quieter then others, but it's still there.

From my researching here, it doesn't seem that the 3.2/3.5L's like the Mobil 1 oils too well.

My plan was to switch to Rotella 5w-40 synthetic, as another poster "Geoff" I believe, has done with his Trooper.

I have no leaks, no other complaints. This truck does see a LOT of the I-70/Eisenhower tunnel corridor, it pulls a boat, and is the daily driver as well, 30 miles twice a day mostly stop/go traffic.

Truck gets roughly 1K miles per month, with at least 300 of that highway miles - used to be more.

Any and all thoughts/reply's are welcome.
 
Hi,

Try some high Mileage oil in 10-30 it and see how it goes.

Pennzoil, Castrol or Quaker state all make some good HM oils.

Oh, by the way....
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Take care, Bill
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Thank you for the welcome.

I actually forgot to mention that I tried the high mileage oil in Havoline 10w-30, made the ticking louder. I don't know why, though.

I now have it on 5w-30 Havoline, the ticking got softer again, but I'd like to eliminate the cause of the "ticking" - if possible, not just dampen the sound.

My goal is to keep this engine running as clean and for as long as possible, I like this truck.
 
My mom has a 96 trooper that has the tick come and go but otherwise has been very reliable even through some very tough situations.
150k with nothing but a starter replaced at 130k and the timing belt.
When i got my license 5 years ago thats what i drove for awlie so thats what i mean by tuff conditions as i did drive a little hard being 16 at the time.
The first 11k of its life it had various dinos and got switched to amsoil s2k 0w30 and used that until about 50k and i decided i got tired of mail ordering it and started using M1 tri synthetic 5w30 and it eventually deploped the tick by around 90k.
I hate to do it but the only thing i knew of at the time to keep it quiet was to add restore to the M1 and that kept it quiet and i like restore but dont like adding it to 5 buck a quart oil!!!
I found this site and heard nothing but good about that great green elixer and picked some of that up and without any additves it was quiet!! Ran about three 3k intervals with that and came across some free maxlife sythetic and decided to try it and it kept it quiet for about 1000 miles and now the tick has returned but its not as bad as it could be but its still there.
Im debating on what to try next and will probably try the new GC unless i come across some old stock.
 
Wish that I had heard about the GC (and the elves)while it was in mass production.

Thing is, synthetic oils were still somewhat debatable 8 yrs ago, and I'd always had good luck with Havoline, so that's what she got.

Can't complain about the oil quality, it's seen this truck through some trying times. But I wish now that I had gone the synthetic route as it seems things may not be as clean
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as they should be?

These Isuzu's are sure troopers
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alright, I've had two myself and have loved em; however "ticky"
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they may be.
 
quote:

Originally posted by MarkC:
Have you tried Auto-Rx yet?

No I haven't.

I'm not against the idea, but, I was wondering if there were other alternatives as well?

I've been thinking that my engine shouldn't be that bad, then again I don't know for sure. Nothing internally on this engine has ever had to be worked on, I have no idea what may be inside.
 
Hey fever, I got an Isuzu Rodeo 1993 SOHC 24 3.2L. Right now im running my first phase of auto-rx and so far Im pleased with the results. I was looking into deep cleaning those hydraulic lifters and so far it has been 2 weeks and no tick.

I want to let you know im running mobil1 5k miles right now and I plan on sticking with it. My rinse phase of course will be plain havoline without any additives, im glad im not alone in this board with my Isuzu Rodeo
 
quote:

Originally posted by rauljimenez:
Hey fever, I got an Isuzu Rodeo 1993 SOHC 24 3.2L. Right now im running my first phase of auto-rx and so far Im pleased with the results. I was looking into deep cleaning those hydraulic lifters and so far it has been 2 weeks and no tick.

I want to let you know im running mobil1 5k miles right now and I plan on sticking with it. My rinse phase of course will be plain havoline without any additives, im glad im not alone in this board with my Isuzu Rodeo


Nope you're definitely not alone
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How many miles you got on your rig?

Couple ??? Which Mobil 1 are you running, and which oil are you planning to run long-term?

Have you always ran synthetic?
 
My father-in-law has a '96 Trooper. It's been ticking for the last 40,000 miles or so. It currently has 185K on the clock and runs great.

These engines are tough--probably one of the toughest designs in existence.

Another Rodeo I'm familiar with has that same engine. I could have bought that thing for 1000 dollars. It had been rolled over into a ditch. The right side was dented up quite a bit. The engine had been allowed to run with the vehicle on its side for several minutes. That was at 150K miles. After that incident, it developed the tick. That's when it was offered to me for 1000 dollars. I should have taken it, because it's got 210,000 miles on it now, with no additional work! It ticks, but I guess you could say it's like a Timex--it "keeps on ticking."
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My father-in-law has run Castrol GTX 10W40 in his since new.

Dan
 
Thank you for the story; love hearing about the "true" Isuzu's. They're becoming a rarity, it seems.

This thing still runs like a bat out of H$$$, have no complaints there - just want to make sure it's getting lubricated efficiently.
 
Welcome RamblinFever!

Maybe try Valvoline MaxLife 10-30. Its supposed to have 15% PAO syn, though not marketed as a SynBlend. It's way better than their "All-Climate" oil.

I have used it before many times, though now have a small stash of the Syn Version.

Wal-Mart has it now in 5qt jugs on sale for $8.98.

Not bad, b/c most of the time it's $2.50 a quart at most auto parts stores.

I can only assume your Isuzu has a "clean" engine, with the frequent quality OCI regime.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Ramblin Fever:

quote:

Originally posted by rauljimenez:
Hey fever, I got an Isuzu Rodeo 1993 SOHC 24 3.2L. Right now im running my first phase of auto-rx and so far Im pleased with the results. I was looking into deep cleaning those hydraulic lifters and so far it has been 2 weeks and no tick.

I want to let you know im running mobil1 5k miles right now and I plan on sticking with it. My rinse phase of course will be plain havoline without any additives, im glad im not alone in this board with my Isuzu Rodeo


Nope you're definitely not alone
cheers.gif


How many miles you got on your rig?

Couple ??? Which Mobil 1 are you running, and which oil are you planning to run long-term?

Have you always ran synthetic?


I got 85k miles on my rig. I'm running regular Mobil 1 dino oil , the one that says 5000 miles. I've never tried synthethic on my rig but as soon as Im done cleaning it with ARX I might either stay with mobil 1 5000 or move to mobil1 synthethic.
 
85K? That's IT!

Man, your's is just a baby.

Gonna fill her up tomorrow with the Rotella 5w-40, finally found a Walmart that has plenty in stock
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I can't begin to tell you how long and hard I looked for this stuff today
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Went to 5 Autozones, 3 Advanced Auto's, 3 Checkers, 2 Walmarts, never once thinking of the Walmart just 3 miles from the house
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Wanted to make sure that I could find a consistant supply.

Thanks for all of the responses, it's very truly appreciated.
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Rambling : never tried Rotella 5w-40 on my Rodeo but I have seen numerous post swearing by it , it is a good oil.

The only thing bad about this rig is basically I got a hard starting problem I haven't been able to fix , but is truly a baby for me
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draggin this older post back up because i'm on the "prowel" with the search function to find others like me with the infamous isuzu tick and what oils/addatives might fix it.

Sorry to highjack a thread- but i don't feel too bad because at the same time I am giving this thread a second chance, lol.

Ok- I've done the Engine Restore... it removed the tick for about 8k, then it came back.

I've done, 5W30 weights, and 20W50 weights, and everthing in between. (mostly name brand dinos with short OCIs(2-3k).(also some diesel oils latally)

I've done a karoseen flush, a gold eagle flush, and recently, a sea foam flush- the seafoam was the only flush that- made a notable improvement in visable buildup when looking through the oil fill hole.

My tick started at about 150k, tried restore at about 155k, went away till about 163k with restore. (restore was used right after a gold eagle flush, with a Mobil syn-blend high milage oil for the first time, used again for several OCs in various other oils)

I'm at 174k now.. The engine runs pretty strong yet, and *feels* like it has a lot of life left in it, asside from that awfull ticking.


So- my options for my next OC-
1. Havoline 5W30 dino, with a cleaning phase of ARX, followed by a rinsing phase of the same oil. followed by switching to Mobil 1 T&SUV (hate to pay big bucks for oil on this thing, but i'm starting to reconsider latally)
2. Switching to a 0W30 Mobil 1 for a few OCIs (like the TSB suggests trying for this issue, that has shown decent results for some isuzu owners), untill the tick clears up then going to M1 T&SUV.
3. going back to "engine restore" combined with possibly a high milage formulated oil. (valvoline maxlife probably).
4. Trying Valvoline oil addative with moly, to see if a pile of moly might bolster up the noise making parts a bit.


Financially speaking, I really need this engine to last me till at least next summer (over 200k by then). given the ideas I have going through my head above- what would be the best? I'm assuming most will suggest the ARX+havoline followed by T&SUV.
 
You didn't hyjack the thread at all - us Isuzu owners are few and far between and it's great to hear from another fellow "Airwolf".

Probably can't hear it in your own rig, while driving it - but have you heard another older Rodeo, 97 & previous years coming up the street or getting on the highway and getting the RPM's up? To me it sounds similar to "Airwolf".

I love the sound an Isuzu makes - aside from the "TICKING", which, thankfully, only appears while an Isuzu is idleing.

For the most part!

Ok, on to the scoop - my .02, back off the engine flushes, or you may end up with even more issues. On a vehicle you plan to keep running good and strong, and is running strong, minus the tick, I wouldn't be gambling with oil flushes that could inadvertinally cause bearing issues by harsh chemicals loosening gunk that can become pretty thick in the sump.

It "may" be ok to do once in a while, but I surely wouldn't be doing it more than once every 5-6 oil changes, and I wouldn't be using more then one product within a short amount of time.

I personally did one round, a 10 minute drive with 1/2 can of seafoam added to a high mileage 10w-30 oil - in retrospect, at the time, I swear it made the tick louder. But I think it's because it was just annoying me.

Others had told me to do a 2nd round, like a follow-up treatment at the end of the next OCI, I chose not to. I just didn't feel comfortable with it loosening up a bunch of gunk all at once and having it circulate through the bearings, even if it were to be dumped in 5-10 minutes.

When my tick 1st started, I thought it was this big major issue, and granted I've only been dealing with it for 6-7K miles now, it started between 138-141K miles. But after reading a few other Isuzu boards and doing research around town, it appears to be more of a nuisance than a mechanical failure issue.

To give you a bit of history on my rig, it's only seen Havoline 10w-30 dino oil & Isuzu filters since 11K miles with 3K OCI's.

Never burned, never leaked, never been opened up, so I have no clue what's inside. My truck uses 1/4 qt in 3K miles and the oil is darker at 3K miles but it takes it at least 2K miles to get darker.

Around the time the tick started is right after I let an Advanced Auto tech talk me into trying the high mileage 10w-30 Havoline oil, within 10-15 miles is when all the ticking started.

It got REALLY loud after 2-300 miles, so I dumped it, maybe the wrong thing to do, but I felt that parts were not getting enough lubrication. Just before I dumped it, I did the 1 & only seafoam treatment for 10-15 minutes.

After that I tried a few rounds of different oils - just for curiousity, Rotella 5w-40 (the best), GC 0w-30 (the worst) and now I'm on Havoline synthetic 10w-30, 2nd best to the Rotella.

The only reason I switched off from the Rotella is the oil wreaked horribly of fuel - the whole sump smelled like fuel and the truck was taking on this burnt charcoal aroma.

I emailed Rotella with no response, so I'm not all that happy with their customer service.

Personally, I too have thought about running the Mobil 1 0w-30 for a few OCI's (if I can ever find the 0w-30); then switching to Mobil 1's 10w-30, indefinitely.

But, what I'm going to do 1st, is wait til towards the end of this OCI with the Havoline synthetic, then dump in a 1/2 bottle of MMO into the fuel tank and run it through the last 1K miles of the OCI. I have a half notion to believe my tick is morely from carbon build up, and the reason I say that is this truck has seen it's share of idling, much more so in this last year.

If that quiets the ticking down even more so, I'll stay with the Havoline. One other thing to note, is make sure you're not using the Fram filters, they can make the ticking worse.

I wouldn't mess with any more engine flushes for now, but I'd surely be curious to see what Mobil 1 could do - it seems a lot of Isuzu owners from another board have had good luck, but I have heard it can take a while, one guy reported 9K miles, another guy said the tick comes back with every fresh OCI, using Mobil 1, but then goes away again after 4-500 miles, so don't lose faith too soon.

If this Marvel Mystery oil - I'll give it 3 rounds in the gas tank, but I will NOT use it in the oil - doesn't show an improvement, I will switch to Mobil 1 and call it as good as I can ever get it at that point.

Keep me posted.
 
I switched away from fram filters about 10k ago when I first started getting "serious" about my choices in oil and filters. I've been running Purolators with oil I plan on short OCIs with, Pure-One filters on oil I want to get 3k or more out of, and occassional motorcraft just for the heck of it.

I noticed an immediate slight change in the noise(slightly quieter) when I switched away from "junk" filters to "good" filters.


As far as the flushes go- I think you are right about overdoing it, i'm going to cut it out for awhile. Only "flush" I think I would be willing to try is ARX at this point.. Almost every flush I have done has seemed to be followed up by more noise. Though the seafoam didn't seem to make much difference- maybe less noisy now. probably just my phsyc messin with me.
 
You know, weird thing I've discovered today, with the cooler temps - Thursday - my ticking is non-existent.

Seems weird, don't it??
 
Just letting you guys know that since I did my first ARX treatment, right now on the rinse phase, the ticking is almost non-existant. I had a valve stem seal problem that caused it to burn a bit of oil in the morning and everything is cool now.
 
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