Bighorn in Zimbabwe ( help please!)

[smcaro]

Hi,

just joined the club and I own a 94 Bighorn Automatic 3.1TD in ZImbabwe! Everything goes wrong with this car and Isuzu says that it is not supposed to be here so they wont help with service and maintenance books!

1) 95.000 kms and changed gear box ( imported from NZ by previous owner) and turbo and intercooler units.

2) Cannot manage it to accelerate!! It takes ages to get to 80 kms and absolute max is 120 kms ( downhill full load and plenty of space)

3) after 5 weeks in the ( Toyota) shop ( no ISUZU around), I have no ABS. Now the brakes make a grinding noise if the abs is engaged. I have to cheat it into the ABS not working, this way:

- We all sit in the car and close all doors
- We lock doors while sitting inside
- Unlock doors
- Start engine and hope ABS light ( yellow) stays on. Then ABS doesn´t work but brakes do. If yellow lights turns off, stop the engine and start again.

I bought the car cause I had a manual one same year ( opel Monterey) bought in Spain and used in Morocco from 94 to 98 and didn´t remember any problems with it, but this one !!!!!!!

Any help or hints? I plan on travelling all the way to Cape Town and back and I know the easy answer is not to take this car along, but it is the only one I have for the moment!

Thanks in Advance

SMC

[smcaro]

Well nobody seems to answer, time difference I hope??

I´ll do it myself:

1.- Electrical problem seems to be a faulty ABS sensor or maybe the Anti-theft. Does anybody have the part number and specs for the ABS sensors in my 94 Diesel Bighorn long by Lotus? ( which according to Isuzu is NOT supposed to be in Africa so they won´t help).

2.- The power ( no power) problem. I read somewhere in the forum that the wrong oil can affect this??? It seems unbelievable since I had a manual car with the same 3.1TD engine also from 94 but bought new in Morocco and NEVER had a single problem.

Please any help or suggestion will be most welcome. I do feel lonely here with the Bighorn in Africa!

SMC

[geeves]

Time differance will be part of it everyones only just getting to there pcs around now. A couple of quick yhoughts although Im no mechanic.
Abs causeing brakes to grind sounds strange but if the brakes work if you can trick the sensors then a short term answer might be to either pull the fuse for the ABS (if this is only for abs) or disconect the wheel sensors. I didnt realise the 94 modles had ABS its maybe a factory option. This is only a short term answer maybe someone else can come up with somthing better.
No power First thing to do would be check that the turbo is boosting If not check for a air or exhaust blockage, bad waste gate or bad turbo ( in order of cost). If this is ok then check compresion, injectors, injector pump,tappets. The issue of thick oil only applies to the 3.0 engine from 98 onwards.Anouther thought which also relates to the abs is are the brakes binding This is best checked by takeing it for a 2 - 3 km run then stop and see if the wheels get hot.
This engine is fairly standard so with the exception of getting parts most diesel mechanics shouldnt have to much trouble working it out. For parts if you cant get them closer ie South Africa try www.4x4isuzu.com here in NZ

[smcaro]

Thanks a lot for the reply.

1.- Yes, what I am doing is tricking the relay into not working. For some reason this seems to be connected to the anti-theft. So basically if the ABS works, then I assume the sensor is faulty and preventing the brakes from working, hence the grinding noise. So if the lights stays on, then ABS doesn´t work and normal braking techniques apply ( I think this is a new problem).

2.- On the power, I have changed the turbo so that cannot be the problem. Actually the situation got a bit better, but it still is hard to move my Bighorn! Compression also seems ok.

On the spare parts, I doubt I will be getting them in South Africa. I will try though because I am driving dow next week. I also need the timing belt I presume ( 96.000 kms now). If not, I will give the URl you sent me a shot in NZ. I know the previous owner had the gearbox sent over from NZ, so that could be a possible choice.

In any case, thanx a lot and all the Best for these holidays!! I am dooing a lot of reading in your forum.

SMC

[craigs]

Try the guys at www.isuzuoffroad.co.za. This is the website for the newly established Isuzu club is SA. I am sure someone on the forum will be able to help you. I would have thought that the Bighorn and Trooper, which is sold is SA, would share the same spare parts mechanically.

I am sure there will be a friendly Isuzu dealer just over the border who would take a look for you. If all else fails, leave it parked in Jo-burg somewhere, it'll get nicked and you can take the insurance money.

Good luck

[caffa]

Not a bad link. Just joined the forum. Decided to use a different nick. Even though it is spelt differently and means something completely different, thought it might be a good idea ... ;D

[craigs]

Probably the politically correct thing to do... The new name is quite descriptive I think... ;D

[smcaro]

UPDATE INFORMATION:

Thanks guys for the help. Well my Bighorn USED to be 3.1 TD which is NOT sold in SA. Anyways, on the way down to Pretoria it broke the crankshaft!!! Remember me saying EVRYTHING goes wrong with this car.

So I found a guy who changed the engine for 3000 US dollars for a used reman 2.8 keeping my turbo and intercoller. Car is smoother and a lot faster!! Also makes MUCH MORE NOISE! In any case, he did not put in the fuel pump with the connections for the auto gearbox, so the car is back down with him this week, but if the engine and automatic gearbox get to like each other and communicate I might, just might, have a car that actually works!

Santiago

[smcaro]

UPDATE INFORMATION 2 for those of you who read me:

The car is still down in Jburg. Gearbox is slipping now. A "specialist" is telling me by phone that he is 90% sure that it is the Torque switch ( or pump, since phone lines are so bad in Zim) in the gearbox that is not sending enough lubircating oil into the box. He will check it next week.

SO the saga of this piece of junk goes on and on... Remember I started with a 3.1 TD auto 94 Bighorn in December and have since changed the turbo, the whole engine ( for a 2.8 D) and it seems that I still am not going to have a workable car. And me only wishing for 4 wheels to drive me around. What was I thinking about???


Any sympathy and/or advice is very welcome. And no, selling the sh*t is not an option, up in Harare it is far too well known to be bought by ay sensible person, and having Zim registration it is not possible to sell it in SA.

[geeves]

Every brand has the occasional lemon but in your case I would suspect that that car has had substantional abuse/ bad maint by previous owners. Add to that the fact that Jap imports are notorious for having the speedos wound back (Ive heard of nice examples here with 80000km but a maint history with last service done at 360000km)
You havnt said if the ABS is fixed yet Anouther gearbox would be 1000ish Might it be better to cut the losses and walk away You might be able to get a partial refund on the engine but otherwise wreckers might give you somthing.

[smcaro]

Thanks geeves for your reply. No, the ABS is not repaired yet but I get along fine with it now, so it has gone WAYYYYYYYYYYY back in my list of worries.

On the gearbox, if they cannot get it to work I will either suggest that the guy install a reman MANUAL one on the car and see, or maybe you are right and I should cut my losses. Problem is that getting another car here is complicated and expensive and besides I paid 5.500 euros for it and have since spent about 6.000 US dollars on it, so losses they are indeed!!!

Now everytime I cross someone in an Isuzu pickup which here are very very common I stare at them full of envy!!

Regards
Santiago