98 isuzu trooper buring oil excessively

[rodeo02]

Originally Posted by brancher

..Oh, by the way, Rodeo02, what you say may be true for a few folks, but by and large it's a bunch of crap. No one should have to check oil with every tank of gas, nor should a car with reasonable maintenance have to be 'second-guessed' after any interstate trip...

I agree- but your particular engine would have cratered if you didn't check yours. All I'm saying is, if you know your 3.2/3.5 uses *some* oil, you better check it often, especially on long/fast/hot hywy trips.

Originally Posted by brancher

..So, You're saying to clean out the oil drain holes? With Magic Mystery Oil? What if I do that, then go back to synthetic - say, 0W30 or something - should I expect to keep this thing cleaned out forever?

Dunno. Try it. Over the years MANY owners have come to these boards complaining of oil usage, then you never hear from them again. I've not had this problem with my 'zu's (yet ), so I have not needed to experiment. Currently we have 3 in the family an '02 and '03 rodeo and a 2002 trooper.

G/luck
Joel

[brancher]

"agree- but your particular engine would have cratered if you didn't check yours. All I'm saying is, if you know your 3.2/3.5 uses *some* oil, you better check it often, especially on long/fast/hot hywy trips."

Point Taken. And thanks for the reply. I've been monitoring my truck since laste week, but will be travelling about 650 miles in a couple of weeks - weekend trip - and that'll be the acid test.

I'll let you guys know the outcome. Meanwhile, I think I'll call the Isuzu folks and try to get some consideration, but I don't have a high confidence level about that. (boy, I REALLY don't want to have to buy another truck.....)

Take care - be safe.

[rodeo02]

Thanks brancher. Hope it works out for you & you get some more years out of your truck.
G/luck
Joel

[amigo-2k]

Over the past 5 or so years of reading and posting on these type of Isuzu boards, I have seen way to many blown engine/mega oil eater posts. Keep the EGR, PCV, EGR tube and rings (with Chevron Techron or sea foam) clean. Keep in mind of the 1qt/1k spec in your manual. Where is that oil going if there is a spec like that? Carbon build up. So keep the inners clean an you'll keep on Troop'en for a long time.




http://www.geocities.com/endre_rl/isuzufaq.htm#faq4

My truck seems to use a lot of oil, why?

Oil usage. Yep Isuzu states that 1qt/1000miles is within spec. So the key is to keep an eye on your oil. The most common ways to decrease your oil consumption is to clean your EGR valve and tube, EGR port (behind the intake butterfly) (link to a how to clean the EGR), replace the PCV valve. Also, trying to keep the rings clean (add Chevron Techron Concentrate® every 3k, and once a year add a half can of Sea Foam® to the oil (following the directions). Dirty rings (holes in the rings) are the main cause for oil usage. The 98-mid00 have fewer and smaller drain holes in the rings as compared to the 93-97 3.2L rings. The second part of 2000 Isuzu put in rings with more and bigger holes, but there still seems to be many 2000-2002 Isuzu’s that use oil.

Oil usage commonly increases while driving the truck hard, including during highway interstate conditions. If your taking a cross country trip, check your oil every time you fill up with gas.

If you take many short trips with your truck, make sure you change the oil at least every 3k. If you don’t run the truck (or any vehicle) at least 30 minutes every time it is started up the oil breakdown products are not able to boil off and can cause sludgeing (which can clog those oil rings).

The Isuzu service bulletin regarding excessive oil consumption (> 1qt per
1000 miles) is service bulletin # IB00-01-5002.
As for Oil useage, I was reading my CD manual last night, and it stated the following reasons for increased oil consumption: 1. Dirty EGR (system) 2. Dirty PCV 3. Carbon up piston rings 4. Long highway trip 5. Towing

[milehighedge]

Simply put the vehicle has a poor track record for oil consumption and engine issues.

This is not a Geo Metro it is an SUV and the manufacturer had a history at building a real work horse and the trooper engine is not up to par.

There has been way to many people with similar or even the same problem which makes a very strong case that it is the vehicle not the owner.

Other then that the average production quality, stability and expected reliability of the engine is poor if you consider the numerous times this have been discussed. It is unfortunate because any vehicle depends on a good or even great engine and in this SUV with many other strong points can not make up for the frustrations that so many of us “lemon engine” owners have been through.

Be wary and be educated, I am sure some of the engines produced or driven have not all been worked hard as they are suppose to live up to. Like I said before this vehicle is not some basic gas with wheels the Trooper is an SUV which should live up to such.

One last thing is I almost like the Trooper and what it potentially has to offer if the engine was more reliable.

[rutherejr]

Originally Posted by gdfarrell

I have a 1999 Isuzu Trooper S which has been burning oil at a rate of approximately 1 Qt for every 700 miles. I first noticed this when the vehicle oil light came on a about 20,000 miles and I had to replace of 4 quarts of oil. Since then I've had rings replaced with no significant improvement and have been back and forth to the dealer more times than I can count. I should have checked the web earlier for similar stories but I now waking up to this. I'm now at 48k miles and out of warranty due to age.

The dealer is just now fessing up to the fact that this is a known problem. If I had known earlier I would have stopped hitting my head against the wall.

Hello . You need to read my post on Trooper recall. What do you mean that the dealer is just noe fessing up that is is a known problem. Do you have any names of People/Business etc. that I could contact about this?
Please read my post, Jackie! or contact me via email ljpecha@centurytel.net
thanks, rutherejr!!

[peterllo]

Originally Posted by agoulet

Mine burned through around 4 qts in less than 1500kms. Problem is that the engine seized on me....yes, seized. No oil pressure light ever came on and i've had it for less than a month. Bought it from a dealer and because it's a 2000, i still qualify under 100k powertrain. Don't know if they'll pay for a new engine yet, still awaiting an answer. One thing for sure, this is a very common problem and i've found many posts and a service bulleting to this effect. It looks like it's either a small problem or no problem at all on some 3.5s, or it's a huge problem that results in engine damage or worse. The post below is right about isuzu's decision to change something based on an oil consumption test, which i would do pronto if i were you. Some of us didn't get the chance...

I hope it gets resolved since i really do love that truck. e-mail me if you'd like those other posts on various boards as well as service bulletin #s.

cheers

Yes the valve cover gaskets, specifically the plug tube gaskets have a tendancy to leak. Isuzu's fix in '96 was redesigned plug boots. Your best bet is to pull the covers and reseal them. The repair tends to last 50k or so.

My '95 (bought new) has 150k on it and is on its' second replacement of the gaskets. This will take take of your problem but not necessarily eliminate the oil consumption issues. Mines burns a qt every 1000 miles.

[Isuzuoil]

I too am having high oil consumption problems on my 99 Trooper. About a quart every 400 miles or so. I have 90k miles on now. The oil consumption has been going on for a year or so. I have replaced the pcv, used techron, and seafoam yesterday. I am going to see if there is any improvement. I would like to replace the egr valve too. I got a quote from a auto parts store for $99 for the egr valve alone. Is replacing the egr difficult? I haven't had any luck getting a repair manual for the 99 Trooper. The truck has been great otherwise.

Originally Posted by rodeo02

Unfortunately high oil consumption is a common issue with mostly 1998-1999 isuzu 3.2 & 3.5L engines. If you research other isuzu sites, you'll see the suspected cause is inadequate drain-back holes in the oil control rings. The consumption seems to be mostly an annoyance & doesnt effect performance or reliabilty. Old design has something like 4 holes, new design has 10+ holes. On the old design, oil gets trapped above the ring(s) and burns off in the cylinder. Gets worse as the vehicle ages & the rings get dirty with age. If you are still under warranty, Isuzu will replace the short block if they determine oil consumption is over 1qt/1000miles. Make sure your PCV system is clean to keep crank-case pressure down. If it was my truck, I'd pull the spark plugs & soak the cylinders w/ an upper cylinder cleaner like marvel mystery oil, seafoam, etc..etc. I'd run a product like auto-rx (auto-rx.com) and maybe run a HIGH detergency oil for cleaning purposes. Check a website: bobistheoilguy.com. If you can clean those rings out to get them to drain the oil again, your consumption should drop. G/luck
Joel

[Isuzuoil]

I have a 99 Trooper S with 90k. I have the same oil consumption problems. The exhaust pipe is sooty black with oil. I use a quart every 400 miles or so. Yesterday I replaced the PCV, and used Techron in the gas, and Sea foam in the oil. How long do I keep the sea foam in the oil? The can does not specify any time at all. I will be monitoring oil consumption for any changes. I want to look into the egr. I don't know much about it other than they tend to get clogged up with carbon and contribute to oil consumption. I am looking for any tips or advice on this. I received a quote of $99 for a egr valve. Reasonable? Is the egr accessable? Do the egr valve, tube, and port all have to be looked at and cleaned? Does the egr valve need to be replaced or just cleaned? I haven't found any information on the egr. I can't find a service manual for the later troopers. They all seem to stop at 1996.

Originally Posted by amigo-2k

Over the past 5 or so years of reading and posting on these type of Isuzu boards, I have seen way to many blown engine/mega oil eater posts. Keep the EGR, PCV, EGR tube and rings (with Chevron Techron or sea foam) clean. Keep in mind of the 1qt/1k spec in your manual. Where is that oil going if there is a spec like that? Carbon build up. So keep the inners clean an you'll keep on Troop'en for a long time.




http://www.geocities.com/endre_rl/isuzufaq.htm#faq4

My truck seems to use a lot of oil, why?

Oil usage. Yep Isuzu states that 1qt/1000miles is within spec. So the key is to keep an eye on your oil. The most common ways to decrease your oil consumption is to clean your EGR valve and tube, EGR port (behind the intake butterfly) (link to a how to clean the EGR), replace the PCV valve. Also, trying to keep the rings clean (add Chevron Techron Concentrate® every 3k, and once a year add a half can of Sea Foam® to the oil (following the directions). Dirty rings (holes in the rings) are the main cause for oil usage. The 98-mid00 have fewer and smaller drain holes in the rings as compared to the 93-97 3.2L rings. The second part of 2000 Isuzu put in rings with more and bigger holes, but there still seems to be many 2000-2002 Isuzu’s that use oil.

Oil usage commonly increases while driving the truck hard, including during highway interstate conditions. If your taking a cross country trip, check your oil every time you fill up with gas.

If you take many short trips with your truck, make sure you change the oil at least every 3k. If you don’t run the truck (or any vehicle) at least 30 minutes every time it is started up the oil breakdown products are not able to boil off and can cause sludgeing (which can clog those oil rings).

The Isuzu service bulletin regarding excessive oil consumption (> 1qt per
1000 miles) is service bulletin # IB00-01-5002.
As for Oil useage, I was reading my CD manual last night, and it stated the following reasons for increased oil consumption: 1. Dirty EGR (system) 2. Dirty PCV 3. Carbon up piston rings 4. Long highway trip 5. Towing

[amigo-2k]

link on how to clean the EGR:

http://www.geocities.com/endre_rl/isuzufaq.htm#faq1

You need to clean the EGR, and the EGR port. The line above should help a bunch. It is an easy DIY 30 min job that costs 1 can of carb cleaner.

as for the Manual you can purchase the Helm CD manual for about 125 bucks or you can download one for the Isuzu VX (which has the same engine, drivetrain, TOD system, just a different body) for free here:

http://www.tonemonday.com/vxparts.html

Scroll to the bottom of the page.

I'm doing my sea foam tonight. Some do it for 10 miles or some, some do it for 500 miles. It will be my first time and I'm thinking 500 miles should do it.

-Ryan

[zzyzx2004]

I have 98 trooper which has the same "oil burinng" problem. The guy at oil change place told me that using Synthetic oil might help, but it costs about twice as much. They are aware of this problem with trooper also.
I'm topping off every 500 miles. You can ask the oil changing station if they do free top-offs, which gonna save a lot trouble and money for you.

[amigo-2k]

Synthetic oil is only going to cost you more.

Clean the EGR and PCV and the piston rings and all will be well.
-ryan

[rodeo02]

Ryan is right. Run whatever oil makes you feel good (synthetic or conventional), but you are wasting money running synthetic unless you go well beyond 3mo/3000mile oil changes, or your vehicle requires synthetic per owners manual (newer Corvettes, etc).
G/luck
Joel

[Isuzuoil]

I have a 99 Trooper with 91K miles. Does anyone have any recommendations, or insights in servicing troopers?I had the excessive oil consumption too. About a quart every 500 miles. Luckily I check my oil at least once a week. I remidied it by cleaning the engine with sea foam, and an engine oil flush cleaner. I also used another product called Greased Lightning engine cleaner in the fuel. The oil consumption seems to have gone away. I had changed the oil in the truck every 4-5k miles up to now. I am going to start changing it every 2-3k from now on and keep a close eye on consumption . The truck has been absolutely reliable otherwise. In 90k miles I have only replaced the tires and brake pads at 4 years and 80k miles, and a battery at 5 years and 90k. Nothing else. Not a squeak, rattle or any other sign anything is wrong. Starts every time and never misses a beat. The owners manual shows that the spark plugs and timing belt need to be changed at 100k. Anything to watch out for? I hope to keep the Trooper for another 90k miles and want to make sure its taken care of. Any insights would be appreciated.

[k2c3m4]

Try running Castrol GTX RX SUPER 15-40. It's for diesels, so you can expect it to really clean the engine, including the rings.

Now this won't fix the ring problem completely, but it might help. Run the RX for the usual maintenance period or shorter if the oil starts to get very dirty. Keep using it until the oil starts to look reasonable between services, then you can switch to Mobil 1 15-50 synthetic, assuming the consumption has dropped, othewise stick with the RX or GTX 20-50 (non RX).

As far as I'm concerned I believe that Isuzu should be brought to justice for this situation, as they are very aware of the problem they have caused for Late model Rodeo and Trooper owners, so if anyone knows of a good product liability lawyer speak up and maybe we can start a class action law suit to collectively address these issues.

BTW I have a 1992 3.2 DOC Trooper, which doesn't burn a drop of oil between oil changes, however, at 140K miles it has started to show it's age, so I'm now looking for a later model. Now that being said, I sure as hell don't want to throw my money away on a Newer Trooper while the folks at Isuzu continue to ignore the problem, so I'm trying to find a good low mileage 1996-97 4x4 3.2 Trooper Limited or LS with DOC, no rust, heated seats and accident free, located somewhere along the Eastern seaboard.

As an added note, late model exhaust manifold heat shields (two bolt style) can rust around the mounting bolts leading to a premature failure, resulting in the shield becoming loose and getting lodged between the manifold and the brake lines on the passenger side and the manifold and steering column linkage on the drivers side, now that's gotta be considered an NTSB safety issue.