Engine failure poll?

[coachreed]

Another thing to throw into the question of motors... Isn't the Honda Passport really a Rodeo? Does it use the Isuzu engine? And if they do, do they have any problems with their motor? I would be curious to know how many different plants make the 3.5L motor... and if there is ANY corolation of problems to motors made at a particular plant.

Spazz... your gonna have problems squeezing that motor into the VX... it is narrower than the LS1 but it is also longer to accomodate the distributor... unlike the LS1 which is distributorless... the LS1 is gonna be a tight fit as it is and might end up getting the radiator relocated to the front side of the core support... not sure about that yet, but maybe.

TTYL!

Coach... I mean Randy (I often forget who I really am)

Undergoing LS1 Conversion as we speak!
Click Image to Visit My Website!

[Doc]

50,000 miles up no problems so far. Actually, with the exception of the CD changer which has now just swallowed all the CD's that were in it, and refuses to work anymore, nothing has gone wrong anywhere on the whole vehicle yet.

[james1vx]

mine 99 siver came up with an engine knock last week. was backing up and hit a snow bank in truck stalled right out. started it up and the knock started. the truck runs like nothing is wrong with it smooth idle and noise goes away when you give it a little gas not sure what to do nearest dealer is a 100 mile away.has 78,000 on it. any ideas?

[AREA 51]

Did you check to see if the snowbank kinked your exh. pipe?

[JAFO]

All I have to say is as far as 4X4 SUV companies go, if you disclude Isuzu who do you have left? Jeep and LandRover. And if you want to talk problems...

Else I would take a Hummer H1 or military HUMVEE but who can aford one.

[wareagle]

HAve there really been 24 seperate engine failures that VX owners have posted on this board? Given the relatively small member base, this is an incredibly high %.

Also, were the engines that failed consuming oil at time of failure? Was low oil to blame?

I'm looking at buying either an '01 VX and an '01 Trooper for a 32 mile daily commute. I used to own the '01 trooper that I'm looking at, and it consumed no oil. The VX is reported to consume some oil at highway speeds.

[Eckstream]

I have a '00 Ironman and just suffered a blown motor..... The original owner I just found out replaced the motor at 25,000mi and now Im replacing it at 51,000mi.... Both myself and the original owner kept the truck in tip top shape as we both did synthetic changes every 2,500mi..... I never had problems keeping the oil in the motor. I was told the reason my motor is blown is because the 3.5L V6 had a top end oil problem.... Oil is not getting to the top of the #3 cylinder and it seizes.... of course the motor is still running so it snaps the connecting rod( this would be the tapping noise everyone hears). Isuzu is replacing my motor under warranty and setting me up with a stronger oil pump(to get the oil up to that #3 cylinder) and making some mods to my head to allow the oil to flow better. Ive had the pcv valve problem and dont think it has anythin to do with your motor blowing( just stalling and check engine light coming on). What worries me is the fact my warranty ends at 75,000 mi..... If my motor blows on schedule again Ill be buying one. I talked to the dealership about maybe getting something new because of these problems but was only offered 9k for a trade in! I bought it new a yr 1/2 ago for $19,000..... What a rip off. I think my next vehicle will rely on a japanese manufacturer since Ive had no luck with american motors. Anyway I take extremely good care of my VX and drive it gently so this proves there is a design flaw in the motor and no one is immune to this problem.

[Thejerseyfish]

You can make that 6 engines to seven. I have a 99 currently with 108k, at about 40k the engine went kerplunk. They told me that I threw a rod and that the oil res was empty. Found this odd considering since temp never went up, just had oil changed a week prior and had checked the oil 1 day before knock began. Luckily this occured just after 9/11, like the next day. They tried to say it was my fault, and since I mostly changed the oil myself since I got it I could provide no oil change reciepts except for the ones that I had done in the winter months. However "Due to the recent circumstances of 9/11 we will replce the engine for you." It sounds crazy but their reasoning was that since the market plummeted after 9/11 they wanted to keep up good relations and so fixed. Personaly I think that it was due to the fact that I told them that I would sue if they didn't. Since then haven't had a problem with the engine except for a list thats about a mile long, Mass airflow sensor, check engine light off and on, intake manifold gasket, just to name a few. I love the car but hate the ridiculous problems that come with it.

Owner of the car you love to hate but just can't
Randon

[GoIsuzu]

I'm currently dealing with three customers who are having problems with internal oil consumption on the 3.5L. Of those three, one is a VX still under warranty when the oil consumption monitoring was started. Just a couple days ago we got the go-ahead to start the actual process of dropping a new long block under the hood.

If you have an older 3.5L the rule of thumb is to check your oil every time you fill up. If you find you're often low on oil and your vehicle is still under warranty* I'd suggest calling your local Isuzu dealership and get the ball rolling. The process could take weeks or months, depending on the rate of oil consumption and how often you drive the vehicle.

* Remember that if you're the second owner of the vehicle and not immediate family of the original owner your warranty coverage is cut in half. For example, as a second owner of my Isuzu my 120,000 mile/10 year powertrain warranty is reduced to 60,000/5 years. Which means my Isuzu is no longer covered under warranty, though it would be if I were the original owner.

[mrtew]

...If you have an older 3.5L the rule of thumb is to check your oil every time you fill up. ...

Always good advice, of course, but from the stories I've heard the loss of oil is sudden and catastrophic, not something you'd catch like that... people say one day it's fine and the next day blammo. Right?

I'm hoping, like everyone else, that these are just normal random explosions that happen to a certain tiny percentage of all cars and we only know about them because we are so tighly knit and such prolific writers, but you can never have too much info when you're trying to protect a vehicle as beloved as most of ours are.

[majork]

I have a ninety-nine with 142,000...its used a modest amount of oil since it was at 8000 miles....about a 1/8 quart every 1000-1200 miles...

I made sure over that time to keep it topped off......but I have not noted any knocking or tapping

assuming a non-defective engine, with synthetic use since day one...how long would these engines normally maintain peak performance before needing a rebuild

What about upgrading the oil pump and the head to improve oil flow...are these parts available?

[brianboru]

Hi,
Rod knock just started last night - 1999 with 61k mi. So, where do I get an engine and how bad is it going to hurt (my wallet)? I would be REALLY upset except ths is one of the best and most fun of all the vehicles I have owned.
Also is it possible to drop the oil pan to actually check out the damaged rod?
Thanks,
Brian

[VX_PA]

Brian, that's sad to hear. I'm not sure how much a new engine will run you. It seems that the prices have gone up since I replaced mine a few years ago. You should be able to pull the oil pan and notice the damage to the rod if it is bad. You may have to turn the cam to check all the rods thouroughly though. Good luck to you and sorry to hear about your misfortune.

[WyldWeasel]

I'm curious about Majork's question, as well. Would replacing the oil pump with a beefier one fix (or at least mitigate) this engine failure issue? Are there any other mods that could be considered preventative maintenence?

[GoIsuzu]

Another thing to throw into the question of motors... Isn't the Honda Passport really a Rodeo? Does it use the Isuzu engine? And if they do, do they have any problems with their motor? I would be curious to know how many different plants make the 3.5L motor... and if there is ANY corolation of problems to motors made at a particular plant.

1) It's not the plant, it's the motor design.

2) The Passport is the same thing. I've yet to run into a Passport in our shop that gives us any problems when using Isuzu special tools or diagnostic equipment. I can reprogram a Passport with Isuzu's diagnostic software and Isuzu's (err, GM's) diagnostic scanner recognizes the Passport as a Rodeo with full diagnostic capability.