I need advice!!!

I have a '98 Rodeo. I had to replace the engine about 3 months ago because it blew on me - little did I know that these things were such oil guzzlers. Anyway, it still burns oil like crazy. Few questions -- what type of oil should I be using? Is there any kind that is better for these types of engines? I just checked the oil today and the dipstick was clear - this is scary stuff. I added some Penzoil 10W-30, but I am wondering if there are any specific brands or types that may help my engine performance. For those of you who have endured this, how often do you check your oil? Thanks! Jamie

Check the oil every 1000 miles. Manufacturer states 1qt. / 1000 miles is acceptable.

I've personally noticed that certain brands of oil burn off faster, regardless of them all being 10W/30, regular crude oil.

I do not use Synthetic.

My current rig has never actually "burned" oil, at least not in the amounts I've seen/heard other Rodeo's do. However few things I've noticed over the course of 7yrs and 123K miles.

City driving, my truck uses almost no oil in 3K miles.

Consistant driving between 55-65mph, "mine" uses very little in 3K miles, not even enough to add.

Driving between 70-75mph, consistantly, I'll usually have to add 1/2qt in 3K miles.

However, these amounts are affected by the "brand" of oil I use. For the first 75K miles, I solely used Havoline 10W/30.

For some odd reason, I wanted to investigate and try different oils of the same weight, i.e. Castor, Valvoline, Chevron, and a few others that I can't remember.

Each of the oils were given same driving conditions, same length, over the course of a few years. To not cause a problem, however, or mis-interpretation, I'd use the same brand of oil for several changes, new filter every time. And I've always come back to Havoline being the best for my truck; I burn very little with it in comparison to the others.

Castor oil seems to be the worst for me; I will burn a full quart in 2K miles - it just doesn't hold up for me.

I've heard, however, that I'm one of the lucky individuals who ended up with a non-burning, non-ticking engine. So this may not be the answer you're looking for.

Ramblin Fever,
Your Rodeo is also a 3.2 SOHC, right? My understanding is that this is a much more serious issue with the DOHC and in particular '98 through '00, until Isuzu got around to modifying the oil channels around the piston rings in '01. I've heard some of these DOHCs burn a ton of oil and others almost none at all. I, however, am at the 1000mi per quart rate, so I guess I can consider myself lucky.

From my FAQ link below:


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

jhellen- per isuzu, you can safely use up to a 20w-50 motor oil for temps above 10degF for the 1998+ 3.2L. :uhoh: They do consume oil during long hywy runs, so check your dipstick at every fill-up on long high speed trips. Also make sure your PCV valve & line and breather line are clear and your EGR system & throttle body is clean (use Ryan's/ amigo2K site :smile: ). If all the above is free/clear & she runs good, I'd experiment with some heavier motor oils.
G/luck
Joel

Stay away from Pennzoil and Fram filters. Both are garbage. I use Napa's private label which is Valvoline and my 94 w/ 118k doesn't burn any oil and Napa filters which are made by Wix.

cat fuzz, why do you say fram filters are crap??

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html#fram

oil filter study.

use fram if you want. I'm sticking with AC delco oil filters.

I've been using Champion labs filters for several years. They seem to be fine. Champion labs makes the Super Tech at WalMart and sell for $2. AutoZone sells the Champion labs filter under the STP label but are a dollar more.

However, I also pay attention to where its made. The Champion labs filter for a GMC Safari I had was made in Mexico, so I chose to run an ACDelco instead. The filters for my Civic and Rodeo are US made (at least for now :cool: ) :screwy: