Trooper 3.1TD Engine Heater

(rnf2)

throttle/rpm

That is also my experience. On top of doing flip-all, it is prone to failure. Best disabled or not experimented with IMHO.

Huw

rumour - found

The Trooper is certainly not in a class of 'unreliable vehicles'. Neither is it in a class of 'most reliable vehicles'. It is a so-so vehicle which does the job reasonably competently on the whole. There is certainly an issue with those engines which, *if* it goes wrong, is an absolute pig to repair properly. There is also the issue of spare parts prices which have historically been a complete rip-off compared to most competitors. Like most vehicles, it is far from perfect and it has both good and bad points. On the whole it is nothing to get excited about one way or another and that is what most owners want and why they are satisfied with it.

My personal plus points are the space and ride quality. Minus points are relatively high fuel consumption [3.1diesel] long term reliability of minor components and their repair cost. Ours has become rather troublesome after 80,000 miles with electric windows and switches [window and various dash] all failing plus ABS and aircon probs. Suspension parts on the whole last well except for those rear spring assister rubbers which are strewn like dead hedgehogs around the countryside. The chassis is also prone to rust badly. The body is excellent. Serviceability of the 3.1 engine is appalling as any mechanic or diy-oil-changer will point out.

Huw

message

Yes the picture is as you describe [I haven't looked at mine in months] but its function in a 3.1 is as I describe it.

Huw

Could be. However, the proof of the pudding is if you just hop over to the car and, with a cold engine, make sure the switch is in the off position, then start the engine with ventilation heater in cold and blower 'on' in second speed condition. Then just turn the cabin temperature dial up towards maximum 'hot' i.e. to the end of the red zone. As you reach the last eighth of the dial the engine idle speed should increase and heat should be generated at the vent outlets within a minute or so. Try it and see.

Try it again later with a cold engine and the switch with engine picture 'on'.

Huw

The heater fan doesn't have a "second speed". It has "Off", "Automatic" or continously variable.

the end of the red

I've just been out in the Trooper - it's first start of the day.

I tried the fan switch on "Auto" and also on maximum; the "Quick warm up" switch on & also off; the heater control at 22degC and also at the top. For the first minute or two, it wasn't obvious that any of these had an effect (apart from setting the fan switch on max blows lots of cold air).

After maybe a mile or so, the coolant temp must have been high enough to generate some heat anyway (though it could have been the ceramic heater - who knows) and there was warm air with the temp control at max, with the "Quick warm up" switch either on or off.

I've no evidence so far that the "Quick warm up switch" does anything at all. Maybe we need some really cold weather, so it'll take longer for the engine to start to warm up & the switch's effect may be more obvious.

Cheers Andrew Kay

Waxoyling the chassis is high on my priority list.

Cheers Andrew

I have waxoyled my chassis three times with black Waxoyl and it still rusts 'round the rear wheels and fuel tank. The last time was a year ago when I cleaned the rear area thoroughly by pressure washer. The Trooper had its trailer hitch turned upside down, a large chain joined it to a hydraulic loader and the rear was raised until the front bumper touched the ground. It was found that this lift was sufficient to clean and wax about 2/3 of the chassis in relative comfort. From new, it is advantageous to plug the holes in the chassis nearest to and facing the wheel area to stop water and shit entering the chassis and rusting it out from the inside. This is after waxing the inner box section.

Still rusts though.

Huw

"Automatic" or

enough to

I suspect you are twiddling too many gnobs too quickly.

anything at

obvious.

A cold morning would probably suffice at this time of year. Don't bother with the switch with the engine on it until you have a clear idea of whether the cabin electric fire works without it. If heat is evident at the vents [with heat dial on hot] within a mile or a mile and a half, then it will be the electric heater. The same type of thing, though not necessarily an electric fire, is fitted to many direct injection diesels because they take up to five miles to heat the water in the cooling system to provide cabin heat. Most manufacturers just do not mention it any more.

Huw

That was my point too, I don't need the fluff. Best vehicle I ever bought.

Same here, -oh and I'd also need LHD and a sunroof.. :-/

dogs up Lathkill Dale (Gorgeous) ,.;:?!! -:) a bit of punctuation lol

Anyway the group seems to have arrived at the right conclusion over the exhaust restrictor cum engine heater thingy

Isn't a solenoid an inductor therefore the symbol is correct !!, however depends on which countries standard you are working with

Huw advises that the 2.8 was a direct injection engine cant argue but I'm a bit surprised !!!

The worst areas for rust in my experience are within the pressed & welded front & rear cross members they are crap!!

Have no real problems with basic service work Oil change is a doddle compared with some of the engines we have to service !!

I have driven a 3.0 a number of times & yes first impressions are I must one of these, my big concern is the reliability particularly the problem with fuel diluting the lube oil we have had to repair /rebuild more engines than I care to remember with this problem & I'm talking major failures e.g. cranks engine blocks rods, in fact on some failures the only recoverable parts were not worth recovering oil pressure sender & when a 16/20 v developing in excess of 3500 Hp engine breaks loose you don't want to be standing to close.

The moral of it all is never buy the first release of any product thats ground breaking. Isuzu are a fine company normally associated with a good or better than average product. Their trucks were driving around the Middle East in their thousands when I first worked out there over 25 years ago & were those are those conditions tough, they quickly sort out the good from the bad with hindsight they should have put more up front into the development but then they were under pressure I suppose from the marketing boys!!!!

Ploggo

dogs up Lathkill Dale (Gorgeous) ,.;:?!! -:) a bit of punctuation lol

Anyway the group seems to have arrived at the right conclusion over the exhaust restrictor cum engine heater thingy

Isn't a solenoid an inductor therefore the symbol is correct !!, however depends on which countries standard you are working with

Huw advises that the 2.8 was a direct injection engine cant argue but I'm a bit surprised !!!

The worst areas for rust in my experience are within the pressed & welded front & rear cross members they are crap!!

Have no real problems with basic service work Oil change is a doddle compared with some of the engines we have to service !!

I have driven a 3.0 a number of times & yes first impressions are I must one of these, my big concern is the reliability particularly the problem with fuel diluting the lube oil we have had to repair /rebuild more engines than I care to remember with this problem & I'm talking major failures e.g. cranks engine blocks rods, in fact on some failures the only recoverable parts were not worth recovering oil pressure sender & when a 16/20 v developing in excess of 3500 Hp engine breaks loose you don't want to be standing to close.

The moral of it all is never buy the first release of any product thats ground breaking. Isuzu are a fine company normally associated with a good or better than average product. Their trucks were driving around the Middle East in their thousands when I first worked out there over 25 years ago & were those are those conditions tough, they quickly sort out the good from the bad with hindsight they should have put more up front into the development but then they were under pressure I suppose from the marketing boys!!!!

Ploggo

dogs up Lathkill Dale (Gorgeous) ,.;:?!! -:) a bit of punctuation lol

Anyway the group seems to have arrived at the right conclusion over the exhaust restrictor cum engine heater thingy

Isn't a solenoid an inductor therefore the symbol is correct !!, however depends on which countries standard you are working with

Huw advises that the 2.8 was a direct injection engine cant argue but I'm a bit surprised !!!

The worst areas for rust in my experience are within the pressed & welded front & rear cross members they are crap!!

Have no real problems with basic service work Oil change is a doddle compared with some of the engines we have to service !!

I have driven a 3.0 a number of times & yes first impressions are I must one of these, my big concern is the reliability particularly the problem with fuel diluting the lube oil we have had to repair /rebuild more engines than I care to remember with this problem & I'm talking major failures e.g. cranks engine blocks rods, in fact on some failures the only recoverable parts were not worth recovering oil pressure sender & when a 16/20 v developing in excess of 5000 Hp engine breaks loose you don't want to be standing to close.

The moral of it all is never buy the first release of any product thats ground breaking. Isuzu are a fine company normally associated with a good or better than average product. Their trucks were driving around the Middle East in their thousands when I first worked out there over 25 years ago & were those are those conditions tough, they quickly sort out the good from the bad with hindsight they should have put more up front into the development but then they were under pressure I suppose from the marketing boys!!!!

Ploggo

ideas?

including

service

It was close though :-)

I was surprised in '91 when they launched the indirect 3.1 after several years with a technically more advanced direct injection. I assumed that it was to provide a more refined and quiet passenger environment.

Plenty of wax on mine. These crossmembers are not prone to road wash as is the wheelarch area so the waxoyl just lasts longer.

No problem draining the oil. It's the filter that pees me off. No matter what you do, the oil runs down the slanted filter, down my arms and onto the diff area. Belt adjustment is also a pig.

problem with

engines than

recoverable

Not the best engine that 3.0. We can agree on that. It does go well in most vehicles though.

Huw

LOL!

Mine HAS been very reliable up to now (55K km).

An issue for which Trooper diesels exactly? You have the 3.1, I have the '99 3.0 common rail.

That seems to be a universal problem with Isuzu.

I'm satisfied with it because I never had such a reliable vehicle before. Oil consumption could be a bit lower and the service by Opel is expensive. Roomy? It is, but I could use another inch or two between my knees and the dash..

In the UK you get coastal air everywhere. :-/ In the middle of the Continent I only have to deal with salted roads in winter.

Definitely not the morris minor generation of cars..

Which model Trooper do you have Andrew? My '99 Monterey diesel also has the fan blower dial divided into 5 speeds.

Around Rotarua you just park it over a geyser in winter? :-/

It was first reg on 1/1/2000 and is a LWB Citation with 3.0D engine

Cheers Andrew

following

Good. By far the most of them are.

certainly an

Yours. The 3.1 is entirely straightforward to repair.

Don't get me wrong, I'm satisfied, though not excited by mine. It is certainly not the most reliable vehicle I have owned, although it is about average for Japanese vehicles. Toyota has been consistently the most reliable with the added bonus of half reasonable parts. No vehicle is perfectly reliable in my experience though I have had no major failures in the ISUZU other than wearing parts. One Toyota did once have an injector pump failure which left me stranded.

points

reliability

spring

Salt on the roads already. I live on the coast so I get salt air every time the wind blows.

Huw

appalling as

following

certainly an

Oh, and you do not have a 3.0 common rail. It is a 3.0 unit-injector engine using Caterpillar high pressure 'oil over fuel' unit pump injectors. A similar system is used by VW/Audi and Land Rover [in the TD5 only].

Huw