Intake Manifold Gasket Again?

[bjayjohnson]

Hello,
I have a 2001 Isuzu Trooper with about seventy thousand miles. Thirty thousand miles ago the intake manifold gasket went bad and was replaced at the dealership under warranty.

About two weeks ago, the same symptoms that occurred then started happening again. Erratic idle, then the check engine light came on, and now it also occasionally stalls. When these problems started happening again, I also did hear a high pitched whistle while the vehicle was at idle.

We just called the dealer and made an appoinment for tomorrow. Before I go in, I would like to hear from you all as to what the problem might be. Is it possible for the intake manifold gasket to fail a second time?

Right after the gasket was replaced the first time, I started to use Fuel Power with every fillup. When my supply of Fuel Power ran out about two and half months ago, I continued to use 89 octane gas from Shell without the fuel treatment.

The dealership told us on the phone that if it was the gasket again it would not be covered under the warranty since it was already replaced once. Does this make sense? Like I said earlier, is it possible for the gasket to fail a second time? If not, what other ideas could you give me as to what the cause might be?
Thanks,
Bobby

[Canucklehead]

Originally Posted by bjayjohnson

The dealership told us on the phone that if it was the gasket again it would not be covered under the warranty since it was already replaced once. Does this make sense?

I would call Isuzu Customer service (1-800-255-6727) and get clarification on the dealer's warranty policy. I for one am under the impression that for as long as your vehicle is under warranty and a part fails (through no fault of the owner) the dealer replaces it for free, regardless of whether or not it was replaced previously.

[amigo-2k]

if you are the 1st owner you are covered for 120k or 10yr.

If I was the guess why it went bad is because it wasn't torqued right.

[rodeo02]

Originally Posted by bjayjohnson

..The dealership told us on the phone that if it was the gasket again it would not be covered under the warranty since it was already replaced once..

Total BS. Seals and gaskets are covered for 10/120 no matter how many times they fail. Most dealer service depts will give you a hard time if you don't have a service history with them, but they are obligated to do warranty work.

G/luck
Joel

[bjayjohnson]

Hello,
I just wanted to provide an update on how our visit to the dealership went and also to thank Joel, Ryan, and Steve for taking the time to repond to my post.

After reading their replies and going to Isuzu's website to confirm the 10 year/120,000 mile warranty, I went into the dealership Wednesday feeling a little more confident.

After pulling the codes, the service manager I was dealing with came in and told me that the problem was the intake manifold gaskets. He also said that engine's coolant was leaking into the combustion chambers through the leak. He also told me that since the Trooper was not under warranty it would cost me about $305 to fix. I then told him that I believed that it still was under warranty. I also told him not do any additional work until I had called the Isuzu customer service center to confirm this.

It was still too early in the morning for the customer service center to be open. However, I barely had time to hang up my cell phone before he came back into the room I was in and admitted to me that he had made a mistake. He said that he called the Isuzu rep he deals with and he also talked with two of the service technicians in the dealership. He said that the gasket is covered under the 10 year/ 120,000 mile warranty and it would be replaced at no charge to me. The "excuse" he told me was that he was temporarily on loan from the Honda dealership across the street and was unfamiliar with Isuzu's warranty policy.

All I can say is that it really payed off to take the time do a little research before heading in to the dealership. Between the gentleman I mentioned above and the service lady who told me that the warranty only covered one repair to the intake manifold gaskets, I could have easily been misled into paying for a repair that was not my responsibility. Thanks again to Joel, Ryan, and Steve for helping my out with my problem.

Bobby

[bjayjohnson]

Sorry for the grammar mistakes in my last post.

Bobby

[amigo-2k]

Another happy customer! Gotta love the internet! and Isuzu's 10yr/120k warranty!

[2001isuzutrooper]

Originally Posted by bjayjohnson

Hello,
I have a 2001 Isuzu Trooper with about seventy thousand miles. Thirty thousand miles ago the intake manifold gasket went bad and was replaced at the dealership under warranty.

About two weeks ago, the same symptoms that occurred then started happening again. Erratic idle, then the check engine light came on, and now it also occasionally stalls. When these problems started happening again, I also did hear a high pitched whistle while the vehicle was at idle.

We just called the dealer and made an appoinment for tomorrow. Before I go in, I would like to hear from you all as to what the problem might be. Is it possible for the intake manifold gasket to fail a second time?

Right after the gasket was replaced the first time, I started to use Fuel Power with every fillup. When my supply of Fuel Power ran out about two and half months ago, I continued to use 89 octane gas from Shell without the fuel treatment.

The dealership told us on the phone that if it was the gasket again it would not be covered under the warranty since it was already replaced once. Does this make sense? Like I said earlier, is it possible for the gasket to fail a second time? If not, what other ideas could you give me as to what the cause might be?
Thanks,
Bobby

did you get new plugs before it blew? i just had my 60000 tune up and they replaced the desnos with bosh and then 4000 miles later the gasket blew.

[Bugsbomb]

Guys:
I have a 2002 Isuzu Rodeo Sport 3.2L V6 4x4 with 75,000 on it now. I have had the Intake Manifold Gaskets replaced 4 times. At 35K, 47K, 61K, and last week at 75K. The first two replacements were under the bumper to bumper warranty and the last two were under the 10yr/120mile drive train warranty. Do not let someone tell you this is not Warranty Work!!

The gasket is fairly cheap ABS plastic. I live in Minnesota, so as this gasket heats up and cools down so often, it eventually becomes brittle and breaks causing the blowout. The mechanic said this is one of the most problematic issues with this make and model. He went on to say that I would be back again in another 12-15K with the same issue again.

Symptoms are always the same. Car has problems idleing, then will begin to stall at stop lights. The check engine light comes on and eventually when this gasket blows the check engine light begins to Flash On and Off. Once the check engine light begins to flash on and off, you only have so many miles left (mechanic told me 20-30 miles) before you cause major engine damage.

Hope this helps people with the same issues that I've had!!

[Bugsbomb]

More and More models are getting out of warranty, so here is the DIY fix for this problem.

http://isuzufaq.ibctech.ca/#faq5

[metomwhou]

Lucky you guys! I'm in germany and the OPEL dealerships do not recognize the isuzu warranty. This cost me about $400 dollars a few months ago.

[SLDThompson]

Was wondering if anyone else is still suffering with the intake manifold gaskets and/or the ABS system? I had the gasket replaced under warranty in '03, and the ABS in '06. My 10 year warranty ran out in '08, and of course they both failed again at only 63,000 miles. When I called Isuzu about these issues I was basically told I was out of luck. Yesterday I received a safety recall in the mail concerning excessive corrosion that they are willing to repair...so why not these other ongoing issues?