1999 Isuzu Trooper engine and engine cooling problems

“99 ISUZU TROOPER 3.5 ENGINE BURNS OIL EXCESSIVELY. I AM ORIGINAL OWNER AND REGULARLY SERVICED PER OWNERS MANUAL. AT 50K MILES, ENGINE OIL LIGHT TURNED ON 2,500 MILES AFTER OIL CHANGE AND WAS OVER 4 QTS LOW. ENGINE NOW AT 60K MI AND BURNING APPROX. 1 QT PER 600-700 MILES. SEEMS TO BE COMMON ENGINE DEFECT KNOWN BY MECHANICS AND OWNERS, BUT ISUZU UNWILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE PROBLEM. THOUGH MONITORING CONSTANTLY, I AM JUST WAITING FOR SIGNIFICANT ENGINE FAILURE. *TR”

“I GET FREQUENT OIL CHANGES IN MY 99 ISUZU TROOPER AND HAD JUST GOTTEN ONE LAST MONTH. I HAD AT LEAST 2700 MILES BEFORE MY NEXT ONE. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AND I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM MY HOOD AND ALL MY DASH LIGHTS CAME ON LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE. I PULLED OVER AND FOUND OUT THAT MY ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. I CALLED THE FIRE DEPT TO PUT IT OUT AND GOT IT TOWED TO MY HOUSE TO LATER FIND OUT THAT THE PISTON HAD GOT THROWN FROM THE ENGINE BECAUSE IT LOCKED UP DUE TO NO OIL GETTING TO THAT PISTON. SO NOW I HAVE TO GET A NEW ENGINE WHICH COST ABOUT THE SAME AS THE CAR. *TR”

“I TOOK MY '99 ISUZU TROOPER TO GET AN OIL CHANGE, AND 3 WEEKS LATER THE OIL LIGHT TURNED ON. I WENT TO THE ISUZU DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR AND AFTER CHECKING THE OIL, THEY NOTICED THAT THERE ARE LESS THAN A LITER IN THE ENGINE. THEY FILLED IT AND ADDED A CONDITIONER TELLING ME THAT THAT SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. A FEW MONTHS LATER, DRIVING BACK FROM A TRIP, THE ENGINE BEGAN KNOCKING AND THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. MOMENTS LATER I LOST POWER (RPMS) AND PULLED THE CAR OVER. THE MECHANIC WHO LOOKED AT MY CAR TOLD ME (AND THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY A CONSUMER REPORT WEBSITE) THAT '99 TROOPERS OFTEN HAVE "UNEXPLAINED LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE RESULTING IN THE ENGINE SEIZING." THE CAR NOW NEEDS A NEW ENGINE (APPROX 4000-9000 DOLLARS) OR A NEW CAR. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE OR DEFECT. *TR”

“ENGINE DIES WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. FROM 5 MPH TO 60 MPH. DIES WHILE TURNING, THEN STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP. ALMOST BEEN IN A FEW ACCIDENTS. HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES THIS SUMMER. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. *AK ENGINE ALSO BURNS 1QT OIL EVER 1,000 MILES.”

“SOMETIME IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR, THE ENGINE FAILED ON OUR 1999 ISUZU TROOPER, POSSIBLY DUE TO LOW OIL. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR SYMPTOMS OF ANY KIND - VEHICLE JUST QUIT ON ROUTE 95 IN MANSFIELD WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME FROM BOWLING. CAR WAS TOWED TO LOCAL GARAGE, WHERE THEY CONFIRMED THAT ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED - IN FACT, THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER HAD LITERALLY PICKED PIECES UP FROM THE PAVEMENT UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. UPON SEARCHING FOR A NEW ENGINE, WE DISCOVERED THAT THEY WERE NOT EASY TO FIND UNLESS PURCHASED DIRECTLY FROM ISUZU, AND ACCORDING TO CONSUMER AFFAIRS WEBSITE, THIS IS PRIMARILY BECAUSE THIS TYPE OF FAILURE IS COMMON AMONG ISUZUS MANUFACTURED IN LATE 1990'S/EARLY 2000'S. OUR REGULAR MECHANIC, AND SEVERAL OTHERS QUESTIONED, CONFIRMED THAT THE ISUZU'S WERE NOTORIOUS FOR THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. BOTTOM LINE, IT WOULD COST US $5000-$6000 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, WHICH IS ABOUT WHAT WE OWED ON THE CAR. *NM”

“FROM THE TIME I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS ONLY A COUPLE YEARS OLD, EVERY TIME I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE, THEY SAID IT WAS ALMOST EMPTY OF OIL. I BROUGHT IT IN TO A DEALER SEVERAL TIMES SINCE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. THEY COULD NEVER FIND THE REASON FOR IT BURNING OIL. EVERY DEALER SAID IT WAS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE ISUZU, BUT THEY COULD NOT FIX IT BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. *JB”