Just Purchased

[Moshi]

Hey guys! Just found out about these forums, seems like a great place!

I just bought a 1997 Honda Passport 2WD LX, was in great shape, had 105k miles, and the owner went to the same mechanic I do!

He was really kind and sympathetic towards me being a hard-working student, and gave me the car for $3500. Compared to the bluebook, this seems like an ok price?

My main question is, am I in for a a really bad ride in regards to gas mileage? And are there any major things I should be looking out for in the 1997 model?

Thanks in advance for any input or advice!

[Ramblin Fever]

Hello,

Welcome! I have the exact same rig, only it's a Rodeo. Not sure if you got the 3.2L V6, or the 2.2 4-cylinder.

I have the 3.2L V6 and so I'll give you info on what I know.

I average 17-19 mpg town & 19-24 open highway - it does vary and appears to be effected by whether or not your foot is heavy, head on wind, etc.

I'm the original owner, and I've always kept tabs on my miles per gallon and use that for assistance in deciding whether or not air filter's dirty, clogged fuel filter, etc.

But, in general, at 100K I'd find out if the timing belt, water pump, and tensioner have been changed. If not, I would do it soon, and do all 3 items while you're in there. The recommended (per manual) change is 60K miles, however some people have gone as long as 80-100K miles with very little wear showing on the belt.

I personally wouldn't push past 100K, if that water pump goes out and goes unnoticed, that will kill the 3.2L being all aluminum.

I thoroughly believe the 3.2L V6 is a terrific engine, it's very bulletproof, but be very cautious in making sure your radiator, thermostat, water pump, etc is working efficiently. Don't allow it to overheat.

These engines are also famous for the "Valve tick", don't know the whole true specifics of it, as I've only once or twice experienced the issue in 130K miles. Just be sure to change your oil/filter every 3K miles, do NOT go over 4K without an oil change - these engines are very partial to frequent oil changes, and they will run LOTS better.

Another thing is your tranny, with an automatic make sure you change that fluid every 25-30K miles, this along with 3K oil changes, and 20-30K mile radiator flushes covers the heart of these puppies.

Otherwise change out the spark plugs if they haven't been done.

I don't know anything about the 2.2L, with the exception that I believe it requires more frequent maintenance.

[Moshi]

Hey Ramblin!

Wow thanks so much for the thorough reply!

Yes it is also the V6 3.2L, and it looks like the timing belt, water pump, and the service record says "engine bolt??" (maybe thats the tensioner?) were replaced at 74k miles 4 years ago. Recently had the alternator replaced a few weeks ago.

The service records look pretty thorough with regular oil and fluid changes, and I will take your advice on being very prompt and timely on it!

I'm going to have to check on the spark plugs, how often would you say these need to be replaced on this car?

Thank you again so much for the help!

[Moshi]

Oh! and another thing, i noticed two buttons called Power and Winter mode? And when I press them the lights turn on near the odometer displays! Isn't that something found on 4WD cars? Why would a 2WD have it?

[Dober89]

Power mode just adjusts the shift points of the transmission so it holds gears longer and accelerates a bit better.

Winter mode starts the transmission off in 3rd gear to try to avoid wheel spin in very slipper conditions.

[Ramblin Fever]

Hey Moshi,

I take it you have the auto too. Let me tell you, those two features are fantastic for a 2WD vehicle.

Winter Mode (i.e. 3rd gear start) only works if you have the vehicle in "D", and let me tell you, it's gotten me out of some slippery situations!

I bought this rig when I lived in the desert - never truely thought I'd need another 4WD, still had 1st Rodeo a, 91 V6 4x4 - anyhow, long story short I've had this truck in more places then most 4WD's will ever see and it's done it all and more without complaint, and most importantly without tearing up the land. And well, I now live back in Colorado, in the mountains and this 4x2 out performs most 4x4's on the road.

Word of advise, don't doubt her!

Anyhow I use Power Mode whenever I'm hitting a big hill, it not only gives that extra higher RPM boost upon take off's (which I hardly ever use it for), but I do greatly use it when climbing up I-70 through the Great Divide. If you've ever been here, you'll know what I mean when I say mountains/big hills; the Power Mode is something I push just before starting up another big climb.

When that button is pushed, it may not necessarily kick it down into the lower gear right then, however, it will "know" when to do it and what gear it should kick it to. Important thing, on a steep climb, is leave that Power mode ON, it will greatly save the wear/tear on your tranny, as it will know when to kick the gears for you.

Simply put, I use my power mode primarily for mountain driving, period - I don't ever use it in town, there's no point.

Spark plugs, I'll be honest, they're NOT easy to change - if you've looked in that hood, I'm sure you'll understand. I believe mine have been done 3 times in 130K miles.

Keep us posted how it goes, I love hearing from other 97'n'ers!

[Moshi]

That sounds fantastic! I tried out Power Mode today for a little bit when I wanted some extra juice from higher RPMs like you said, and it made the car feel a lot like a sedan or coupe. It seems to be one smart tranny!

A really scary thing happened today though

I was going on the freeway when I got a "coasting" feeling a few times. Then I exited the freeway on the way to work and as I was traveling at around 30-40mph I got that coasting feeling again. I suddenly noticed that pushing the gas didn't have a response and all my dashboard lights came on as if I had just started the car. I had to pull over to the side and restart the car, which started just fine.

The battery seems to be fairly new, the alternator replaced a few weeks ago, and the battery voltage seemed to be giving off around 14 volts which seems normal. I don't know what else could cause that to happen?

I called the previous owner of the car (it's been 1 day since I bought it) and he said that he never had such a problem, and that truly this was a case of problems that occur right when you change ownership, as if the Passport was angry or something. He told me to go get it checked out, and that he would help pay for whatever it might be, which I thought it was a nice gesture. I'm pretty worried though as to what I will find.

[Ramblin Fever]

"Coasting" - I'm assuming you're suggesting it died while in mid-speed?

It's possible, reason I say that, is I was sitting at a red light one day several months back, light turned green, I touched the gas pedal (I'm a light foot) and truck was dead, and same as you, all lights came on. There was no warning that it was going to die, no shaking, no idle issues, it was just running and then dead. I too, was very concerned, I've maintained this puppy by the book, and then some.

Turns out at the time, that one of my driving belts was badly cracked and caused it to die - something I knew was up and coming on maintenance.

This particular engine/year has 3 driving belts, not including the timing belt, assuming you have A/C as I do, the timing belt appears to hold out for 80-100K miles, however the driving belts seem fairly worn out within 25-30K miles. Sometimes it feels as if I'm replacing them almost exactly within a 1 1/2yrs, and I change all 3 at once. This scenerio that I encountered was almost 2yrs to the day since I'd last changed them, so I knew they were getting up there.

Even if this guy changed those belts within the last 20K or so, get them checked, make sure they're not loose, and if any of them show cracking, replace all 3 - it's not too bad cost wise. In fact the belts are cheap, and fantasticly cheap if you can change them yourself.

The fact that he's willing to help pay, leads me to believe that he (unlike thousands of other people/sellers) really took care of that rig and doesn't believe it's of anything super major.

I doubt that it's anything major either, probably just something "weird" - but hey, welcome to the Isuzu world! These trucks, knocking on wood, hardly ever have something majorly wrong, it's usually just something you wouldn't even suspect.

One question for you though, do you know which/what kind of alternator he replaced it with? Reason I ask, is these trucks are VERY picky about their alternators - they need to have very good, clean voltage power, or they will mis-behave in ways you never thought possible!

And they, in particular, tend to eat up most remanufactored Alt's within a few weeks, months - the ONLY one's I recommend are either from the dealership ($$$) or BOSCH. I've had horrible luck with anything from Checker, Napa, etc.

Seriously, keep me posted!

[rodeo02]

Originally Posted by Moshi

... the alternator replaced a few weeks ago, and the battery voltage seemed to be giving off around 14 volts which seems normal....

Was an OEM alternator used? or a parts store reman? If a non-OEM alternator was used, I'd bet this is your problem. You need to check volts across the battery with the truck idling to verify proper system voltage. (no more or less than 14v) Don't go by the gauge on the dash.
G/luck
Joel

[Moshi]

Man you guys are awesome! I wish I could find a way to thank you guys, and I appreciate your warm welcome into the Isuzu world.

I'm going to go to the mechanic tommorrow and ask what kind of alternator was put in. I looked inside the engine bay and it was the only shiny brand new looking part!

How easy is it to change a driving belt? Do you think its something that someone could maybe do with the car manual and a lot of time on a weekend? Or maybe if I don't know what I'm doing it's best to let the mechanic do it?

So far it hasn't died or went out while mid-speed after that one time yesterday morning.

Two new observations:

1. When I'm cruising maybe around 30-40mph and I let go of the gas and just go for a while, i noticed my RPM drops to around 1k! I've never seen this on a car before! Is this some kind of smart gas saving feature?

2. Whoa whats with the gas meter on this car?? I filled up to a full tank, and after about 60 miles the meter dropped all the way down to just a tad over half. Then later it went back up a bit to about 3/4th and now im at 100 miles and its still slightly a bit over half. Its kind of a suspense thriller to see how far I'm going to be able to go on this tank.

Thanks again for all the help!

[Ramblin Fever]

Like I said, "Welcome to the Isuzu world" - these trucks are unlike anything you've driven before; personally I love it that they're "different"!

Observation #1 - no big deal, it is very common, at least it has been on my truck for almost 8yrs now, to let go of that gas pedal at a medium speed for a few seconds and it will drop to a low RPM. You hit it on the head, this particular year and the 96 Rodeo's/Passports, are VERY gas pedal tricky. It takes a bit to get used to.

With my truck, you can't just moderately push the pedal and "creep", nope, it likes to give it some good juice. And likewise, I could be creeping along through a parking lot and just barely let off the gas and it wants to stop rather then roll.

I can tell you, my 91 Rodeo wasn't this way - which did make it a lot easier when backing up to hook on the boat. If only it had had the same engine power.

Observation #2 - I get that occasionally. Sometimes it comes on worse after allowing the tank to drop real low in the cooler time of year. I did have this particular item, fuel sensor in the tank, I believe replaced under warranty right after I bought the truck.

However, I've caused the problem to come and go on occasion since. First thing to try is to keep that tank FULL, or at least over half, if it's running good/clean you should average close to 130 miles to half a tank (in town).

Do not let it go below half for several fill ups, and also try adding a product called "HEET", you'll find it at Walmart. This is a water remover and will remove any water/condensation from your tank. I would definitely use it if your temps have fallen below 32 degrees or if that truck wasn't driven at least 2-3 times a week before you bought it.

I haven't had problems with mine in a few years now, but I'm VERY adament about not letting it get below half or at least a 1/4th of a tank.

I personally couldn't tell you on the belts, my Dad did change one set out for me about 2yrs after I first got the truck. This is a guy who mechanically worked on vehicles as a hobby, when I was a kid, he totally rebuilt two Challengers, a Beetle, and meticulously maintained 2 Chevy V8 Big block trucks to last well into their 300K miles.

He'd said he'd never worked on a more difficult set-up then what he'd seen inside my engine bay. He did the belts and they worked great, but it wasn't something he was thrilled with having done.

To this day, I take my truck to an Import mechanic who just happens to be my Dad's high-school buddy. He is the only guy I "trust" to work on this truck, there are MANY mechanics/places that don't know much about these trucks and they will cause you problems.

Needless to say, I've chosen to do my own oil/filter, and maintain my other fluids, and with my Dad's help, we service the wheel bearings, brakes and that kind of stuff, when needed. Not often. Anything inside that engine bay, and it goes to Vern.

Others here have had good success at following the manual, and I too have it, but I have no problems paying Vern the labor for my piece of mind.