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PostPosted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 5:05 pm 
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Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 5:55 pm
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Well, I might be able to pick up on a free Isuzu Rodeo in a couple of months. I'm not sure I want to do it or not, but it's a '92, 2 wheel drive, 2.6, 5 speed with 147k miles on it. I don't know much about it beyond that. Tires look bald in the picture I've seen.

So according to the friend who owns it, the motor turns 3/4 of the way and stops. Obviously this is a non-running example. :) So I've been doing some speculation based on some experience working in my Dad's shop, and my main theory right now is a broken timing belt resulting in a bent valve. The engine turns 3/4 of the way or so and stops when it hits the valve. I've seen it happen on a Toyota once when the owner let it go long past the timing belt interval. I looked around on the internet and saw that the 2.6 has an application for a timing belt, which surprised me because I had previously thought they utilized a timing chain. I also know these engines have a propensity for blowing head gaskets- the only 2.6 Isuzus I ever saw were unfortunately in my younger days, and as I recall, both ended up eating head gaskets. I don't know if this is related to the present situation, but for a plan of attack for fixing the engine, I would say a refurb cylinder head, timing belt, and head gasket would probably be good ideas if the head is going to come off anyway...

Your general thoughts are appreciated. I'm generally not a huge Isuzu fan, and neither is my dad. The Trooper is a really tough little truck, and the V6 is a pretty reliable engine from my experience. I've seen ball joints on a Trooper go 120k before needing replacement- an amazing feat even on an example that is mostly driven on the road. The Rodeo/Passport was never at the top of our list though. Cutomers had them and they always seemed to have things go wrong with them. Window regulators, climate control problems, the V6 is kind of unrefined and the ride is worse than a Toyota pickup. They all seemed to go a pretty long way, but usually they were far from trouble free...

I'm mostly starting this discussion as a friendly talk though. One of the biggest problems with these free or $100 projects is that the vehicles are seldom worth all that you put into them. Suppose I can do a refurb cylinder head, head gasket, and timing belt for $400 on my own. I probably have the skills for it, and if not, I can enlist the help of my dad and/or brother who do for the cost of some Mountain Dew. But once that's done, you could just as easily start the engine and discover a rod knock, leaking radiator, and failing power stearing pump. And getting new tires is quite likely to reveal uppper and lower ball joints failing on both sides as well as toasted front brakes and a left outer tie rod failure. Even at cost and using cheaper NAPA parts through a wholesale account, I easily just listed off a grand of parts or more besides the initial $400 lowball for the head work. The fact is a little 2 wheel drive 4 cylinder Rodeo just isn't worth $1400 or even close to that. I saw a Ranger project that a customer wanted my Dad to put together again swell to a $6,000 bill. It was almost a wash with the KBB value of just buying one that fricken ran! So in a few months, if I am an eligible recipient, I might or might not take the truck, depending on how I feel about it once I see it in person.


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