Engine Gone?!; Clueless as to what I should do, please read!

[RomeoJunior]

Asking this question a little differently than most, so as to not scare any knowledgeable people off with my long, sad song. The 2nd post sums up what went wrong... what I'm really after tho is finding out what I should do.

They're saying the engine is about gone. They dont even want to change the oil on it. 150,000mi,...what should I DO??? I have a college student's budget,..should I check junkyards and risk buying a used engine (i'm sure there's a good # of them in Orlando and Miami)? I dont trust buying major things from just about anyone. Should I cut my losses and move on to another car? Please help, any advice is appreciated.

[RomeoJunior]

Well for starters yes I have done a pretty good search on engine problems here as well as on the internet, but I'm going to need a bit of advice fromsome of you more car-savvy people.

I'm a pretty smart guy (booksmart that is), but I wont even come hereto act as though I know more than I do about cars, which is next tonothing, as implied in the title.



To cut to the chase, we had a $900 repair on our car (a 1999 Isuzu Rodeo V6), mainly because itkept overheating and we wanted to get 'everything' fixed before I droveoff 500 miles to college. Actually, let me not leave out that this was after we paid an Isuzu service guy a good amount and had bought a radiator & had it nstalled. Well, shortly after I got up there, the carwas still overheating and running low on coolant (because of the longdrive? I dunno). We had just had the major $900 service done at 140,000mi, just 2weeks before I left, and when i got up there i didnt really go anywhereand stayed on campus.

We complained to them, but I unwisely did not take it to another dealer to see what was up. Had to top it off with coolant at least 4 times since October. When I would press on the gas, I noticed the studdering in the car, and didnt know what it was, especially since no oil light was on. Well turns out there wasnt much, if any oil, and I topped that off. Had to do so twice more,...since, including last week when I heard the studdering sound (again, no engine light!).

Took it to the Orlando dealership, since I cant get back to the original Miami dealership, and they're saying the engine is messed up. The dealership in Miami, even tho we contacted them shortly after they did their service, said they aren't going to honor the coolant problem or anything else because it should've been seen about (not that easy when u're takin 17 credits). I know,...lesson learned, now it's a little urgent that I invest in looking for a new car or making some decisions on this one, so any advice is appreciated!

[rodeo02]

Ummm.. I'm gonna throw one out there & assume you are referring to an isuzu rodeo engine? What year rodeo? What engine? Regardless, a used engine & labor will be in the thousands of dollars, like $2-$4K range. A new isuzu engine out of the crate is like $5K alone. Is your rodeo worth it? Why are they telling you your engine is *gone*?

Joel

[RomeoJunior]

Originally Posted by rodeo02

Ummm.. I'm gonna throw one out there & assume you are referring to an isuzu rodeo engine? What year rodeo? What engine? Regardless, a used engine & labor will be in the thousands of dollars, like $2-$4K range. A new isuzu engine out of the crate is like $5K alone. Is your rodeo worth it? Why are they telling you your engine is *gone*?

Joel

Exactly,..is it worth it? That's something I need to figure out. There's a little ding on the front left side, it's not scratched up or anything but it could use a new paint job. The interior has 150,000 miles on it too. After investing a good 27,000 or more tho, the answer should be a resounding "yes",...but I'm not so sure. On the other hand, I dont want someone else's piece of junk with a low budget (I'll shell out 7,000 if it was a guaranteed great deal, i guess, but I want an SUV).

Perhaps we're going to suggest they install the engine for us, but I'm fairly sure isuzu dealers will only install their own parts (can anyone verify so i dont ask them a stupid question?) I think I was kinda cheated out of a good portion of that $900 when there were bigger problems, but no use crying over spilled milk I guess.

I also realize that just as with doctors, 2nd opinions are always important. That's why I've came here,... I mean, OTOH, how often is it that a certified average size Isuzu dealership tells you your engine is dead if it isin't?

[amigo-2k]

I would have it leak check to determine where the water is going. It could be something as simple as a bad head gasket (I've read a couple of time about head gaskets letting loose on 99's) and thermostat.

[directory]

first of all--you need to not take it to a dealership for service...it ussually costs double the actual amount. this is an exaggeration either.

a brand new engine will cost $5500 from the dealer (they only buy it for $2500--and yes, i have a confirmed document the shows me this)

go to a mechanic and have it leak tested for another opinion.

[RomeoJunior]

Originally Posted by RomeoJunior

Asking this question a little differently than most, so as to not scare any knowledgeable people off with my long, sad song. The 2nd post sums up what went wrong... what I'm really after tho is finding out what I should do.

They're saying the engine is about gone. They dont even want to change the oil on it. 150,000mi,...what should I DO??? I have a college student's budget,..should I check junkyards and risk buying a used engine (i'm sure there's a good # of them in Orlando and Miami)? I dont trust buying major things from just about anyone. Should I cut my losses and move on to another car? Please help, any advice is appreciated.

leak checked,...thanks alot guys. Unless there are any other suggestions on what I should do or where to take this, I'll just come back and check on this one after that's been done.

Other than burning out the oil and the coolant w/in the last yr. or so, I've never really had any major probs with it.

[marcre]

Unless I missed it, what year rodeo and what engine are in it?

Nobody can tell you what to do, it has to be up to you. It is going to be expensive to fix, get a price on it and see if it is reasonable.

Me personally, I'd probably cut my losses and go with something else. A new engine is a big deal and there seems like too many problems can arise if they do not do the install correctly.


marc

[directory]

Originally Posted by marcre

Me personally, I'd probably cut my losses and go with something else.

he means buy another isuzu...

then you can use your old one for parts!

[marcre]

Originally Posted by directory

he means buy another isuzu...

then you can use your old one for parts!

I do love My Rodeo, I've loved all of my cars that I've had.


But, there are a couple of things that I just hate about the Rodeo as well.
1. oil consumption
2. gas mileage

neither of these things are horrible, nor would they cause me to sell it, but if something happened like what happened to the original poster, I may look in a different direction. Truth is, there's a ton of cool vehicles out there. Around here, Rodeo's are becomming a rarity in the classifieds. Even if I wanted one, it may be tought to get one.

Another thing that scares me about the Isuzu's is you never know if the previous owner kept up on the maintenance. They don't deal with abuse well and if the owner didn't keep an eye on the oil, you may be in trouble.

with all that said, I love this truck and I hope nothing bad happens to it, I want to keep it around for a long time.


marc

[RomeoJunior]

It's a V6 99' engine, SL.

Actually tho marcre, the main thing I WANT people to do on this issue is tell me what to do (ie, advice). It goes without saying that in the end the decision is mine.


I dont quite know what is a good deal or price to go with and what kind of things Rodeo owners really do or have done to circumvent this $5000 dilemma, which is why I'm here. So if you have any questions or experiences on this issue, please keep the replies comin. Otherwise, I'll be getting a leak check and guess I'll go from there.



Does anyone know or have a good idea why the oil light wasn't coming on when it was low on oil?

[marcre]

I've never had to purchase an engine, but to put a new engine in a vehicle that is ~seven years old doesn't seem worth it. Also, a used engine comes with too much uncertainty. If you can get everything done for a couple thousand, that wouldn't be bad, but still. I would look at prices and also keep an eye out for a used vehicle as well.

marc

[Ramblin Fever]

I can tell you from experience (but not on the Rodeo) that sometimes it's just not worth shelling the money out for a new engine on an old vehicle.

We have an '85 Toyota p-up that we had to put a new engine in 6yrs ago from a chronic overheating issue (temp gauge never registered hot though) - at the time, it was cheaper to put a new engine into it, then it was to find another small p-up with the same capabilities.

Looking back, I still believe we did do the right thing as we still came out ahead - by replacing the engine rather then the vehicle; only thing is, is if you put $4-5k dollars into the new engine, insurance doesn't care. And if you get into an accident, you still only get blue-book, not blue-book plus new engine.

You have to weigh pro's/con's, AND you also have to look at whether or not that vehicle is overall suited to your needs.

Problem is, is you can also save that money and spend $7k on another "older" SUV - you won't find anything less then 70k miles at that price - and 2yrs down the line, who's to say you won't have the same problem with another engine.

ANY engine can overheat; but Isuzu's are known for being oil users.

I have 153k on my '97 engine, and if I blew the headgasket - as long as I caught it before overheating took place - I'd fix it for sure.

If I were to worp the block - I don't know what I'd do; for one I LOVE the truck and it's completely suitable for my needs, not too big, not too small. It's paid for and it's fully loaded.

But the downside is - it's a 4x2 and I would like a little more ummph!

But, you can't have everything.

[bishop242]

Wow... tough situation!
Im with Marcre on this one. Cut your losses and try to get as much as you can for your broken Zu. Do your research and put your money into something reliable with lower miles. I've heard way too many stories of people being driven crazy by "gremlins" after installing a rebuilt engine.

I guess there might be a chance your engine could be repaired.... What did they say exactly is wrong with your engine?

My 91 trooper w/110,000 miles was diagnosed as "engine croaked" with a blown head gasket when I bought it (for parts). Just for grins I cleaned and flushed the coolant system, used a $20 head gasket in a bottle repair kit, changed the plugs then flushed the oil twice with an engine flush type product and re-filled with 3/12 quarts of synthetic blend and 1 quart of Lucas oil treatment. The trooper has run like a champ for 6000 miles now without a hint of problem.

[Cat Fuzz]

Get......a......second......opinion!



Maybe even a third! There are dealers out there who will screw you over and independant shops too.