Questioning the whole thing!

[new2isuzu]

Ok so all i ever wanted was to get into off roading ever since I was old enough to play with toys it was always 4x4's

I came to NZ a few years ago from the UK and just recently decided to sell the crappy Holden and get a truck! It's a manual, diesel LWB 89 bighorn (I can't afford anything else)!

Super happy of course, even though it's super slow I love the feeling of being in it, the sound it makes and the way it drives..

But I have had nothing but problems from the word go and today it tried to kill me on the motorway

I don't want to go back to driving cars...My wife loves it and when we take the kids and dog to the beach we can cross a small river and get absolute privacy..

I have to drive the Rimutaka hill every day and it's much safer and cheaper...

I love everything about it but i just can't deal nor afford the constant problems...Alternator/Turbo/strange noises/oil leaks/power steering leaks/ and the most dangerous.... yet suspected wheel bearing problem that's what nearly killed me on the motorway the front tyre rumbles like mad when turning to the right only...it sounds like a flat tyre, it's insane!

Anyway I have a friend who's a bit of a mechanic and he's helping me work through all the problems...I just don't think it's ever going to get easier and the warrent is due next week AWESOME!

I'm sad!

[geeves]

Ive posted about wheel bearings in your other post Anouther posibility is a delaminating tyre.
I would be tempted to not do anything till after the wof. Then you know more about everything thats wrong and can budget to fix or give up and sell as is. In saying this though that wheel bearing sound needs to be investigated and if as bad as it seems not be driven on.
The only good news is that everything you fix shouldnt break again.
They are good cars but if the previous owner neglected things then someone has to pay the price. If you got it cheap then consider the repairs as part of the purchase and it might still work out good value for money.

[Demonic]

I hear ya new2isuzu, I bought my Mu on the 24th last year and have been working on it every second weekend to get it all in a working condition, its cost be a bit in parts and a few trips to pickies, and Alans place (cheers to alan for his help), but tomorrow it goes in for it warrent check, Hopefully it will pass but if it doesnt there wont be much left to do.

Best to find out what is wrong and whether it is worth fixing($$$ wise) or whether it is just better to sell and get something more mechanically sound.
If you do keep it get jobs in one area done in one hit, IE: CV boot + ball joint + brakes on front drivers side for example. No point doing a CV one week then following week the balljoint, it will cost you at the mechanics.

Anyway, Its hard work but will be worth it in the end (I hope)

[bozza72]

Yep goto agree with the coments above, i bought my 93 Mu for $3.500 then spent nearly $2.000 doing all the basic stuff As the last owner had let it go ie all the belts changed + changed all fluids, brake pads & front bearings, i now service it properly and the only prob i have had is the alternator & a leaky power steering pump, only you can work out if its cost efective for you.

also you could always bring it to Red Rocks this weekend and let us all take a look, then park up & jump a ride around with one of us i have some room in my mu for passengers.

[geeves]

To give an idea of what this will be worth all fixed up. Turners quote an auction estimate for your wagon of 2500. If you got it cheap you can afford to spend the difference between the 2 prices without loosing money but haveing to keep it on the road while doing this could end up an expensive way to do things.

[elysian]

I paid $9000 for my MU , in the last 2 years, I've spent about $6000 on getting things fixed and replaced as the previous owner(s) treated the MU like a race car =/ and from the 1st oil change i did when i got it home, the previous owner didn't change the oil for awhile as it was a thick black sludge .. since then it's been changed every 5000 - 5500 km's ..

looks like the previous owner had jumped stuff in the MU, as the suspension was on it's last legs and the upper control arms were bent/deformed , the alternator was only chargering to 12.4 volts .. so had all this fixed ( approx $4.5k) and since the only problems i've had since was the steering box seal gave up on a trail ( $900 to fix/replace) and last week the power steering bracket bolts sheared off ( approx $200 in bits to fix myself) .. and the usual $50-60 for oil and filter on oil changes ..

[mudgrip4]

Few thoughts I'd offer from years of offroading - might help.

First - these 4x4s are already 15 to 20 years old when we buy them, and we are paying only a few grand for them in NZ - not $50,000 for a new one. And at this stage in their lifespans with round 200,000ks plus on the clock there are plenty of seals and parts wearing out. This is to be expected. The motors, box, drivetrain, diffs etc are good, but all the addons need replacing on any older vehicle, including isuzus.

Second - some have not been well maintained and its very important to check every detail of condition before buying - e.g. steering box, rear main, pinion, crank, master cylinder seals etc.

Third - 4wding is VERY tough on all vehicles. Its a high maintenance and expensive sport for many as the extra pressure on parts/seals causes them to need replacing much more often. This applies to any make of truck. Had a friend who spent $5000 in maintenance on a terrano in one year, and a toyota owner who parted with $20,000 in 2 years. The bills for new jeep owners can be massive.

Some things to do to help this are:

Don't always use new replacement parts. E.g. my steering box seals have just gone but am buying a good secondhand box for $100 and will be all fitted and adjusted for $150 total. Should last for years - did so in last truck. This instead of $500-900 for major fix. My trucks always end up with quite a few replacement parts - but then the whole truck is 20 years old.

Find someone - a friendly mechanic who can do the maintenance at cheap rates, (if you can't do it yourself) or the bills at $65-80ph are going to hurt. I probably wouldn't own another 4x4 if I did not have a diesel mechanic friend.

Drive to your wallet! This is really important. There are tons of times when you can go round a deep muddy water hole or some other obstacle and avoid doing alternators,radiators, wheelbearings,cvs etc. How and where you drive the truck will determine to a fair extent how big your maintenance bill is. You can still do serious challenges but with sensible track choice and driving you can cut your bills from offroading right down. Watch on club trips - the old hands are often far more cautious than newbies. My offroading used to cost $2500+ a year - but all costs on my latest truck for a year ( incl about 20 4x4 tracks) totals $700, which includes wofs, oil changes etc. The driver can make a hell of a difference.

If you are super keen and want to throw the truck around a bit, causing alot more wear and tear - invest in a little cheapie car. I ran a little mitsi for a couple of years and left the truck in the shed. The purchase price of a wee runabout (1500) and its maintenance was less than the cost of running the truck continually as a daily driver.

Finally - some trucks just work out cheaper to run than others. My present truck better than my last one that had lower ks!. Do all the checking you can, but there's still an element of luck to it.

Hope this helps a bit

[new2isuzu]

Well it certainly feels better knowing that I'm not alone

The noise turned out to be that one of the studs on the rear wheel had snapped, and two nuts had loosend...Just damn lucky it didn't fall off on me! As the noise seemed to be coming from the front I neglected the rear

I went to pickapart and got a nice decent set ($2 each) woot!

Of course as one door closes another opens...On the way up the rimutakas on the way home, the handbrake light came on a few times when hard cornering...brake fluid perhaps? Oh and I now have no bloody windscreen wipers either grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

bozza I'm gutted I didn't log on sooner, would of loved the trip...I hope it all went well! Next time DEFINATLY!! hopefully I'll be able to join in then


I did get it VERY cheap, and thankfully my mechanicy friend does all the work with me!

I made a nutty decision recently...so I quit my job and started uni! Not recommended when you got 2 babies lol...basically I'm brassick..literally i can't drive it anywhere for ages as I can't afford the $13 to put a litre of oil in....Depressing!! lol

Oh well I guess I just gotta plug away at it...get the windscreen motor fixed, whatever is causing the handbrake light issue keep topping it up with oil and power steering fluid!!...and chuck it in for a warrent asap

Thankyou though...I do feel a lot better about all this!

[mudgrip4]

The handbrake light can come on if the little rubber cup in the brake fluid reservoir top is not sitting correctly - ie if it is flattened. Needs to be convex - rounded out. If not, light can come o for this reason. RE wipers, check fuse first.

[geeves]

Apart from the useual brake light issues check the handbrake. If the handle binds as the oil dres out it doesnt return home and the light stays on. A few drops of oil fixes

[francesco]

Really like the advice here, can someone do a FAQ for the new forum.

[geeves]

FAQ is starting but will be a long project

[geeves]

I know the loose rear wheel nut thing. It happened to me 6 years ago. Unfortuanatly I ignored it for 5km after which I couldnt ignore as the wheel overtook me at 100kph.