recal of 98 onwards bighorns and wizards

[geeves]

Someone on NZ4wd forum found this on the Wellington Dompost website It sounds like good news for NZ owners of these.


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Recall alert - your Isuzu could blow
05 February 2005

More than 800 Isuzu Bighorn and Wizard vehicles are being recalled because of fears that their diesel engines could blow up.


Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association chief executive David Vinsen said an injector fault meant the vehicles were at risk of compression ignition.

"Compression ignition makes it physically impossible to stop the motor running. The motor builds up speed until it eventually blows," he said.

"If the car is in motion it will start going faster and faster and the only way to stop it is to put the gear in neutral and coast to the side of the road."

Such a scenario could be a problem for an inexperienced driver, Mr Vinsen said. "Trying to brake will not work."

Isuzu in Japan had agreed to supply free replacement parts but customers would have to pay for fitting, he said.

The parts deal was struck with the manufacturer after Holden, Isuzu's agent in New Zealand, refused to initiate the recall or take responsible for fixing the fault, Mr Vinsen said. The affected cars are used vehicles imported into New Zealand by companies other than Holden.

AdvertisementAdvertisementThe association had received the replacement parts and would notify owners of affected vehicles next week.

[Andrew]

I have been in touch with the Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association (Inc). in regards to this issue..

Please find below a copy of an email i got today:

[glow=red,2,300]The recall only applies to 1998 to 2000 vehicles with the "4JX1" 3 litre diesel engine. We have a database on which Isuzu Japan has identified vehicles reworked in Japan and those still to be reworked.

Owners of vehicles within the chassis number range can send an e-mail to [e-mail] quoting the chassis number of the vehicle, the range of vehicles affected is as shown in the following table.

Make
Model
Model Code
Chassis number range

Isuzu
Bighorn
KH-UBS73DW
UBS73DW-7200006 to 7200275

Isuzu
Bighorn
KH-UBS73GW
UBS73GW-7200038 to 7210744

Isuzu
Wizard
KH-UES73FW
UES73FW-4100076 to 4114528

Isuzu
MU
KH-UES73EW
UES73EW-4100080 to 4114665



The chassis number can be found on the manufacturers plate attached to the engine bulkhead/firewall or on the chassis behind the right rear wheel.

All owners of affected vehicle will be contacted by mail as soon as we have worked out the logistics of repair with Holden NZ at a meeting this week.

The IMVDA has worked with ISUZU Motors of Japan to procure the parts necessary for the recall as a service to owners of vehicles in New Zealand and will not be responsible for any costs involved on individual vehicle rectification.

Best regards,

Malcolm Yorston,
Membership Services Manager,
Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association (Inc).

Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

www.imvda.co.nz
[/glow]
If you go down this path and have any problems please contact me and I will take the issue up with the IMVDA on your behalf.

We are in the process of building a good raport with these people so I would like any issues to be handled via myself.

Thanks
Andrew

[morpheus]

This wouldnt be the same thing i posted about 6 months ago or is this a new recall

clubisuzu.proboards29.com/index.cgi?board=Engine&action=display&thread=1092207907

[CraigO]

Yes I think this is the same fault.

I know we want to stay on the right side of the IMVDA. But as they refuse to pay for the fitting for the replacement parts it could be an option for individuals to lay a complaint under the consumer guarantees act - "The vehicle being fill for use" to recover this cost.

This fault was first published on the Isuzu site on the 23 July 2003 so a known fault for any vehicle sold after this date in NZ.

I bought my wagon before this date so have less chance of winning?

[Andrew]

The advise we gave when this first appeared was to approach the dealer you purchased the vehicle from.

Our advise is that you have good grounds under the Consumer Act to have the job done by the dealer as it was a well know issue within the industry.

Lets see what happens in the next few days as discussions have not been completed in regards to the fitting on the parts.

[geeves]

I dont think the dealers or imvda can be blamed for any of this They have been working hard to get even this solution Its our beloved manufacturer that has been draging its heels. Untill 6 months ago Holden wouldnt even admit a problem existed so there was no way of getting it fixed Then they were able to fix ones sold new by Holden NZ but you can see there point of veiw on the imports as Holden is not part of Isuzu unlike other brands where the local agent is mostly owned by the parent company.Its good that Isuzu is suppliing the parts now The big question is will warrentee companyies pay for the labour as a mod or will the owner.
Isuzu Japan has known about this since 2002
Its good to see somthing happening

[Andrew]

Correction....

Holden NZ ( G.M ) - which is Isuzu... knew about the issue over 12 months ago...

Their stand has always been they would fix any affected vehicle purchased from one of their dealers.

Isuzu would also fix any vehicle still in Japan.......

Dealers also knew of this issue, why would they say anything when the Consumers Act should make them pay for the fix ?

As I said before.. watch this space for further developments..

[CraigO]

Hi

Here is an update.

I emailed Malcolm Yorston ([e-mail]) to confirm if my wagon was one of the effected vehicles and to see what my next actions were. I included my contact details and address.

His return email confirmed the wagon is effected and that they were posting out the parts which arrived a couple of days later. The email included a disclaimer from IMVDA & Holden for the labour costs of the repairs.

I have contacted the dealer who sold me the vehicle and they have come to the party for the labour costs.

If you have to take things further here are some links which may help you.

Consumer affairs
www.consumeraffairs.govt.nz/consumerinfo/motorvehicles/mv-problems/index.html

Dog & Lemon Guide Site - Isuzu Recalls
dogandlemon.com/recall/make.php?make=ISUZU

Here is a letter I had already typed to the dealer just incase

Isuzu xxxxxxxx, VIN/Chassis xxxxxxxx

I bought the above Isuzu xxxxxx from your business on xxxxxx. This vehicle sold to me has defects.

The 0-Rings which surround the fuel injectors do not have sufficient heat resistance. The seal efficiency deteriants well within the expected life span of the engine. Fuel then has the opportunity to mix with the motor oil which scours the bores and bearings. Oil from the motors pan can also enter the engines cylinders putting the vehicle at risk of compression ignition.

The IMVDA has acknowledged this Isuzu xxxxxx has this injector/O-ring defect. Isuzu via the IMVDA have supplied the required replacement parts free of charge.

I have enclosed copies of the following documents
1. Vehicle Offer and Sale Agreement.
2. Email from Malcolm Yorston, Membership Services Manager, IMVDA posted on the www.clubisuzu.wellington.net.nz/. This email lists details of the affected vehicles.
3. An email from Malcolm Yorston to me acknowledging my Isuzu xxxxxx is one of the affected vehicles.

I understand I am entitled to expect the things I buy are of acceptable quality. I am sure you will agree that in view of the above problems the Isuzu xxxxxx was not of a reasonable standard.

I am prepared to accept a repair of the Isuzu xxxxxx at no cost to me. If repairs can be completed quickly and effectively I will consider the matter settled.

Please telephone me to arrange for the repair to be carried out. I consider seven days to be a fair time to have the Isuzu xxxxxx back in full working order.


If needed please use this letter.

Cheers

[geeves]

sounds like an excelent result

[Andrew]

Well done...

Nice to see its all starting to come together...

[CraigO]

Yes it is a good result for me.

I was lucky the company I bought the vehicle off came to the party straight away without having to be forced. Other dealers could be a lot more obstructive and make ya go all the way with the Fair Trading Act. Or the dealer may have moved on since selling the vehicle. I feel for the dealers as they more than likely did not know anything about this when they imported the vehicles.

It should be a lot more straight forward. Holden copped out on this one where at least they have a moral obligation. If you look in the phone book listed under Holden is Isuzu, go figure.

Holden NZ is owned by Holden OZ, who in turn is owned by GM, who owns a piece of Isuzu. GM was very happy to collect the profit from the sale of the vehicle. You have to ask yourself, is the management of Holden morally corrupt? I.e. would walk across the road to piss on them.

Could someone who has an effected Mu, Wizard, or Bighorn go to Fairgo? The only way to force Holden is bad publicity.

Also what got me was the reply from IMVDA. It said once I received the parts go to a Holden dealer to have the repairs done.

[Roscoe]

The Wizard that I have just purchased was in the affected number range but as it turned out, it was done in Japan prior to shipping. The dealer that I purchased it from had already agreed to cover the labour but in the end, that wasnt required.

Im still keeping a close eye on the oil level though

cheers

[CraigO]

Hi, Here’s a further update

I took my wagon in for the repairs and all works, well I didn’t have any symptoms before so can’t judge the before and after.

I used Holden. I would rather "you know what" on Holden than use them but that is who the dealer requested. Now remember word of mouth is a great weapon. Tell everyone you meet what you think of Holden.

I have to say the dealer, Orix, have been nothing but excellent over this. When I phoned Orix I was prepared to flex the “Fair Trading Act” muscle. I had already prepared to go through the process of laying a complaint but they fronted straight away. After I phoned it took a day for my message to get to the right person but within the week the work was done.

When I delivered the wagon their were 2 other Isuzu’s there for the same thing and both were paying for the repairs themselves?

Cheers

[morpheus]

After not hearing anything from the dealer I emailed Malcom and got a reply that said i had one of the affected wizards.
He sent me the parts and i see that it is not just the oring but the whole sleeve as well that needs to be replaced.
I went to see the dealer and he said that they submitted all the chassis numbers and they did not get a reply that my wizard was affected, I told him that i had the parts already and that i would take it to ebbets to fix and just send him the bill but he said to bring the vehicle to him and he would do it as he had done it before, now comes the scary part, when i queried him about it he said its just an oring replacement and doesnt take long. I told him the parts i have included the sleeves with instructions on how to use a special tool to remove them. he seemed a bit taken back by this and asked if the instructions were in english
What would lassie do

These are the same people that fixed a loose CV boot with a plastic zip tie

[geeves]

At the very least I would be demanding a diesel specialist do the job but from what Ive heard most diesel specialists send you to Holden. If the specialists are scared of them would you trust a probably unqualified dealer to do it. If you do have to let the dealer do the job I would be descreatly marking the relevent bolts and checking the marks afterwards.
The message from Andrew at no 2 in this thread might have some relevance in this case.
The 4jx1 engine is not one for amaturs to play with.
Out of interest has anyone seen the labour bill for this job?

[CraigO]

Morpheus, Did you have to change your undies after that conversation with the dealer. Scary stuff

I would suggest you formalise your request with the dealer. He sounds like a cowboy so not to be trusted.

In my posting above (post no 8 or my 2nd post) there is a layout of the letter you can send to the dealer. Alter it to say that the work be done by a qualified diesel mechanic or at a Holden service centre. If the email from Malcolm is the same as mine it would say take the wagon to Holden so put this in the letter.

This dealer sounds like he uses the “do nothing until you really have to type” methodology so be prepared to use the Fair Trading act. See my same post for the link to Consumer Affairs.

Or you could turn up at the business on Saturday morning with a big sign and see how fast he acts. Plus it would be a lot faster than going through Consumer Affairs. You could also go to Fairgo or at lease tell him you are.

When I had the work done I asked for a copy of the invoice so down the track I could prove that the work had been done. The copy has not turned up as yet but it has only been a week. From reading the instructions which came with the parts and what I gathered from the person at the counter at Holden it does take 2 to 3 hours.

Also out of internet - How many here have the 4JX1 engines?

Cheers

[Roscoe]

Gday, Mine was done by Isuzu in japan prior to being imported here so I dont need to worry about it.

Ref where to get it done, I agree with geeves but there are special tools involved which Holden have so I spose that forces the issue a bit.

As to cost, Isuzu supply the new "O" rings free of charge and I was told the time for the repair is around 5 hrs so that should come to about $250 approx.

I havnt heard anything about the sleeves unless they are concerned that the old rings have grooved the sleeves slightly. Was only told the rings needed doing if applicable.

[Roscoe]

Gday CraigO, Just curios, Ive got a blank spot as such when I throttle up from idle, The revs jump from idle to around 1400 rpm with nothing in between, if Im very carefull and move the pedal to find that blank spot, the revs hunt up and down with no movement of the pedal.
other than that , it runs fine, just wondering if anyone else had struck this.

Cheers

[morpheus]

I spoke to a guy at Ebbet holden last year and i think he said in the range of $250-300 for the labour only
Just went thru the kit and this is what it contains
2 x oil pipe gasket
1 x inl pipe gasket
1 x t/v gaskit
4 x injector gasket
4 x inj nozzel gasket (copper)
4 x nozzel gasket
4 x nozzel sleeves

the sleeve has 2 o rings on it, above and below the fuel holes. these must also be prone to failure so they are replacing them too

[earlchao]

Thanks for all of your informaiton. I am the first of very few to own 4jx1 since 1999. Therefore I have heard of all the dramas of this engine and tried my best to please it till now.

Back to subject, the cause of engine surge was found. It is the sticky throttle valve. I cleaned it and the problem was gone! Why? I don't know.

Cheers!