New to forum - just bought a 97 Rodeo

[2000izusu]

misfires historically get worse under load. you said it is a 97 so it should be obd II. that means you should be able to pull a code with a code reader. that should point you in the right direction. sputtering also could be a dirty throttle body, so take a look at that also.

shuddering in a transmission is a symptom of not enough friction modifier in the trans fluid. another words worn out fluid. but you mentioned slipping also? is it free reving up when it is shuddering? if so the trans might be done, but it would not hurt it to inspect the filter and change the fluid.

it could be starving for fluid from a clogged filter? but that is also not good because the filter abviously aren't suppose to clog. they are something like 30-40 micron media filter (glorified rock catchers). it is definately worth a pan drop and fluid and filter change to see if anything clears up!

does the trans act up more when it is warm? or all the time?

[98se5speed]

Yeah, definitely going to get the codes to see if it points me in any logical direction. But a fresh set of plugs is a good idea regardless, since these are probably quite old.

As for the trans, I'll have to pay better attention to its behavior. From what I've noticed so far (only driven it 2 days total) it seems to sorta free-spin as if it's in neutral when it's cold (sometimes), and act somewhat normal when warmed up, unless you apply a good amount of power, then it shudders like crazy. If you're easy on it when warm, it'll take off very smooth, and if you let it sneak into 2nd, it acts totally normal after that. I was considering a fluid change to see if it helps at all, but sorta figured that might just be a waste of fluid. What does it drain with a pan drop, 4-5 quarts? Better than nothing I guess. Possibly worth a try before yanking it out.

Thanks for the tips.

[2000izusu]

Originally Posted by 98se5speed

From what I've noticed so far (only driven it 2 days total) it seems to sorta free-spin as if it's in neutral when it's cold (sometimes), and act somewhat normal when warmed up,

good! that means their is hope. alot of transmissions get what they call morning sickness when they get older. meaning when it is below 20 degrees out and you go to take off in the morning all the old internal seals are all constricted and not allowing the proper pressures to the right passages in the valve body. but when the temp of the atf comes up and the seals plump back up the problem goes away! not a problem if you idle (warm it up) it in the morning before you leave. all three of my old camrys did it and i put 100,000 miles on one that did, over 5 years.

Originally Posted by 98se5speed

unless you apply a good amount of power, then it shudders like crazy. If you're easy on it when warm, it'll take off very smooth, and if you let it sneak into 2nd, it acts totally normal after that.

remember fords shuddering problem with the 4r70e (crown vic) in the early 90's. they shuddered going into over drive when the merc/dex III wore its friction modifiers out. solution? ford dumped a bottle of friction modifier (additive) into the transmission to make the problem go away. their long term fix was to come out with mercon V (which has a higher friction modifier content and is semi-synthetic).
in your case the cause of your first gear shudder can be 1) not enough pressure on the clutch pack? 2)or it can be not enough friction modifier in the old fluid? and you always start with the cheapest solution first!
but until you sort this out i would drive it easy in first gear so it doesn't shudder.

Originally Posted by 98se5speed

I was considering a fluid change to see if it helps at all, but sorta figured that might just be a waste of fluid. What does it drain with a pan drop, 4-5 quarts?
Thanks for the tips.

at my local walmart supertech merc/dex III is $2.67 a quart. i used it for 5 years in my 2000 izusu (back then it was $1.77 a quart).

i forget how much a drain took because you have to pump it back in with the car running, it can get messy and you spill a little. but it can't be more than 4-5 quarts? how about you measure the amount drained, thats what i doo on all my current vehicles, and it takes the guess work out of the refill. mike

[98se5speed]

Thanks so much for the detailed reply. That sux you have to pump it in while running. A friend of mine had to do this process on his 2003 Audi A4 not long ago, he said it totally sukked. Worth a try though. I need to yank the speed sensor (I think the gear wore out), so that'll drain a good amount of my ATF too.

As for the engine... I didn't have a very good commute home last night. She fired right up, felt pretty good for my first 1-2 miles, but after that, she would spit and sputter and nearly die if I gave it any more than just a feather's touch of throttle off idle. I stopped at Autozone, got the CEL codes read, and all that came up was the damm speed sensor. I was hoping for something like TPS or cylinder misfire, something engine-related. I told the younger guy who came out to check my codes, and he said "well, I'd give some fuel injector cleaner a try, this one Lucas product seems to work well in my truck." Poured about 3/4 of it in (I had about 3/4 tank of gas) and off I went. Well, it was running AWFUL leaving the parts store, so bad that I didn't want to risk driving it home ~7 miles. I limped her over to my friend's engine shop just a 1/2 mile away, and went in for a couple beers. After 2 of em (I believe that keeps me under the legal limit), I decided to just try and limp her home (streets were snow covered, so everyone was going slow anyways). Well, she sputtered and nearly died 1 block away, but then seemed to get progressively better the further I went. I stayed easy on her so as to not push my luck, but once I got out to a country road where no one was around, I pressed the gas down a bit and had no stumbling at all. Perhaps that fuel injector cleaner worked its magic that quickly? I seriously doubt it, but who knows.

I would have more to report today, but I drove the wife's car to take it in and get the CEL checked on it (03 Vibe). I knew it was the catalytic converter code (P0420), since it came on this past summer and I just reset the light. However, she thinks it's the "engine soon to blow up" light, so I got an earful when I told her I planned to spend the evening investigating my poorly running Rodeo. Maybe I'll take a look at it this weekend... Ah, married life.

[98se5speed]

Well, I got my plugs swapped over the weekend, not a bad job. 3 cylinders had pretty bad oil in the tubes, but nothing that appeared it would have an effect on how it ran. I cleaned em out as best I could, didn't have time to yank the valve covers and replace the o-rings. So I took her out for a test drive, and right off the bat it did seem like it was idling and running smoother. However, about 3 minutes into my test drive, it started sputtering again. I stopped a couple miles down the road (my hood wasn't latched fully) and as I was dealing with that, I noticed 2 pin-holes in my upper radiator hose. Whatever, not a big deal. However, what was a big deal was me discovering a waterfall (and I mean waterfall) of gas pouring off the back of the gas tank after I got it home. I just put that damm gas tank in (used from the yard, but seemingly in great shape, from a TX rust-free vehicle). It seems that all 3 hoses from the pump/sender point forward, and I know all of those were in good shape.

Main problem is that this massive leakage is random. The first time I filled the tank, I had gas spilling everywhere. Stopped the gas pump, waited a bit, the leakage stopped. Figured it had to be the fill tube. Well, now it's obvious that it's something pressurized with the amount of leakage I had over the weekend. I have no clue what I could have done wrong putting the tank in, it's 3 hoses that are all obviously different in size (meaning, I think the chances of me connecting them to the truck incorrectly is very small). Guess I'll probably end up partially dropping the tank to see if I can see what is leaking. Nothing like pouring gas all over to fix a problem! So tired of the smell!

[2000izusu]

hopefully one of the hoses isn't tight? that would be the easiest fix. you would think you would have an evap code with that big of a leak?

maybe this is related to the sputtering (loss of fuel pressure)?

[98se5speed]

We shall see. All 3 are definitely tight with zero leaks at the frame rail where they attach to the truck. However, I couldn't see well enough to figure out what was going on at the other end of those hoses, at the pump. Guess I will tonight.

At this point, I'm definitely thinking the loss of fuel pressure is the cause of the sputtering problem. Guess I'll solve the leak and go from there...

Sadly these issues just as I start driving the truck sure are deflating my interest in it. Hopefully after another round of fixes, she'll be road-worthy and get me back in the saddle. Right now, all I'm thinking about is getting it running and selling it before it requires more big work. Gotta stay strong though, I knew it needed a lot of work when I bought it...

[2000izusu]

keep the faith.
$650 for something that runs is unheard of, around here 650 would get you a non-running car, so your doing good!

[98se5speed]

Yeah, I'm trying to stay strong.I fired it up tonite, no leaking. Pulled outside, backed it into the garage, looked for leaks, nada. Turned it off, looked more, nada. Went about cleaning up the garage a bit before diving in to looking more, keep smelling gas. Finally turn around and look at the floor, gas dripping all over behind the truck. Mind you, its been 30 mins since it was running. Leak appears to be coming from somewhere behind the rear bumper, up high where I can't see the actual source. There is what appears to be a rubber hose heading in that direction, so that's where I'll start. Bummer is... That means the leak had nothing to do w the gas tank in the first place. However, the one I removed had some excessive rust around the sender, and evidence of leakage there too. All for the best I guess, and only about $20 for the junkyard tank. Just wish I had dealt with this actual leak while the tank was out!

[98se5speed]

Well 2000isuzu, I imagine you'll stumble on it anyways, but here's a new thread I started after my fuel system discoveries this evening:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...39#post6092739