Jackaroo fuel economy

[fivestones]

Hi fellow forum readers.
I own a 1999 3.5 ltr V6 Jackaroo. I primarily bought this vehicle to regularly tow a 2.2 tonne boat which it does amicably. Of all vehicles I have owned during my 30 years of driving I would have to rate the Jackaroo as on e of the best. My one criticism is its fule economy. Around town it uses about 16.5 litres per 100kms. On a trip this comes down to about 13 littres per 100kms. When towing I've been too scared to do the figures but I'd say it's up around 25 litres per 100kms.
With the price of petrol in Oz going through the roof I am looking at alternatives and wondered what the real fuel economy of the 3.0 litre turbo diesel Jackaroo is. Could someone please enlighten me.
I'd further appreciate some feedback on the diesel version of the Jackaroo. The petrol engine is sensational. Is the diesel as good?
Cheers,
David

[geeves]

In therory the 3.0 isuzu diesel is a magic engine which driven easily will achieve 8.5l/100km or even less and with 120kw an lashings of torque will tow your boat even better than the petrol.Ecconomy on diesels does not suffer as quickly when you up the weight so the drop in ecconomy when you hook up the boat will not be as pronounced.
Unfortunately life was not kind to the 4jx1 engine and it has a couple of potentially nasty faults although if you choose carefully they shouldnt be a problem.
First if buying any diesel engined vehicle do get a mechanics report from a reputable diesel mechanic and check the maintenance history. This applies to all diesels but more so this engine.
First issue The injectors have a fault that can absolutly kill the engine and if you are unlucky it will try and kill you as well. This was the subject of a recall which does fix the problem. Do not even consider any car that has not had this recall on the injectors done. Its not worth the gamble. If the injectors fail they let diesel into the sump which will score the bores and bearings but also it can reenter the engine causeing the engine to run away probably with you in the drivers seat trying to stop.
Second issue These engines work best with a very thin oil (0w40) which is only available as a synthetic so costs a bit more to service. If you let the local garage service it and they put there normal oil in you will have problems starting in cool weather. Also these are a complicated engine with a brain as powerfull as your pc. If anything serious happens the local hic town mechanic aint going to be able to fix it.
One other minor issue that has caught a few people out. The glow plugs stay on till the engine is nearly warmed up. This is to reduce emmissions and works very well but the glow plugs take 90 amps which means if you do lots of very short runs you can flatten the battery
Once the injectors are fixed and as long as the engine is maintained to the letter of the handbook they will last 400000km or more but neglect them at your peril

[geeves]

One other thing A search on the 3.5 v6 shows a lot of vehicles having problems with oil consumption. Do keep an eye on your oil level.

[bigfoot]

Thanks Geeves, now I know why I'm having to put my battery on a charger every couple of weeks. Didn't know about the glow plugs staying on so long. I only have a short drive to work, so that explains it! Cheers!

[bigfoot]

Fivestones, I get about 8-9 litres per 100km on a trip, I guess about 11 or so round town, and I admit I have a slightly heavy right foot. I have a wizard with the 4jx1 diesel. Geeve's comments about the injectors and the required oil are exactly right, although a 5-30 or 5-40 oil is OK as well. Towing increases the fuel useage by 2 or 3 litres per 100 in my experience, but I haven't done a lot of heavy towing, just an occasional tandem axle trailer load of firewood.
Cheers