Well, it happened... BANG.

[VehiP&J]

PCV valve is being changed tonight, oildoes get changed every 3,000. But still It will allways be in the back of my head. Don't get me wrong it is not going to stop me from buying another vx (or at least i doubt it will stop me) when i get rid of the car i am selling now. That will make 2 VX's in the driveway

[Joe_Black]

VERY good advice Dallas! With 2 VX's and an '01 Trooper to take care of I just buy every PCV on the rack (usually only 4 or 5 those stingy bastards!) so I have 'em on hand. All 3 recently came due for oil changes at the same time, talk about planetary alignment! 15 quarts Mobil-1, 3 Mobil-1 filters, 3 PCV valves... Visa, it's everywhere you need to be lubed!;pg; I do love those 5-quart Mobil-1 jugs at Wal-Mart! Perfect for the 3.5L owner!

Really though folks, Isuzu is known for their exceptional build quality and longevity. The IronMan I just purchased a few months ago had 99,500 miles on it and I didn't even blink at flying out to Houston and driving it 1200 miles back to Florida. With the exception of the Dragon and '01 Trooper every Isuzu I've owned had close to 200,000 miles before I got something else. Maintenance problems? Sure, a few: water pump, bad battery, starter, fuel pump, head gasket, AC drier... all spread out over the vehicles over the years. Normal stuff.

It's truly unfortunate some of our family have had the issues they've encountered, probably due to some material defect as Isuzus are typically very resilient even to poor maintenance. Considering the 3.5 V6 is used in several years worth of the Trooper, Axiom and others, the percentage of failure is pretty low for a mass-produced item. Take care of what you've got and be supportive of our stricken family members.:yesg:

[visconte]

My Gran always said you can worry and fret but why do it? They might say your engine is gonna fail but the sky could fall too - don't let them in flame you as anita say, life is too good and short and the engine is too good too.

Meanwhile life is too short to worry about these things, for those who are SO excited and upset that their crank is gonna fail just sit back, have a smoke or a drink to relax or whatever, watch a good movie [Dr Strangelove highly recommend] play with the cat or the kids but don't let 'em rile you! If you wanna get mad get mad at Isuzu or get an atorney - just do something POSITIVE there is waaaaaay to much negativism not productive channeled!

[Dallas4u]

Hey Vis... I actually agree (to a point)! Wow...

All you can do is do what you do. By that I mean, change the oil using documented maintenance scheduling. Change the PCV valve often. Doing the normal service items on schedule or before schedule... if it is going to happen, it is going to happen.

Luckily most of us owners don't have any problems to speak of.

[billh23]

Sweet! I just got a call from the dealership, they are going to cover the repair fully! On top of all of that, they had most of the parts in stock, so they are going to start the work immediately and I should have my truck back by Tuesday! I guess I'm pretty excited, it should be sweet to have a brand new engine. I hope whatever defect they originally had, got fixed in this new block. Thanks for the encourgement guys! It's still to be determined what the long-term plan for the VX is, but for now its going to be back on the road!!

PS -- the dealership is Lupient Isuzu in Golden Valley MN. THey have been wonderful to deal with.. much nicer then any of the domestic dealerships I've dealt with in the past.

[doubleadesign]

I need to get my paper work in order. receipts and such. though they seem to keep forgetting I have an extended warranty on top of whatever Isuzu warranty there may be left. Also, the tone of the voice changed when they realizzed I bought the vehicle there and they put on the first few thousand miles. I plan on having the same news about my engine. Yeah!

[billh23]

Read your extended warranty closely! Mine doesn't cover me until the factory warranty expires.. meaning, anything covered under my powertrain warranty isn't protected by my extended warranty until it runs out (6/60,000).

[Lease-V-cross]

Now I'm biting my fingernails!
My is running fine (knock on wood) and I'm currently at 54,000. I still have full warranty coverage til the end of my lease, but who knows if something like that would be covered.
I guess to be safe, I shouldn't take it off-road anymore, huh?

That's like putting a Eagle in a cage!

[Green Dragon]

Originally posted by Lease-V-cross

I guess to be safe, I shouldn't take it off-road anymore, huh?

That's like putting a Eagle in a cage!

What has being off- road to do with it?

Bob

[Triathlete]

What has being off- road to do with it?

I agree with Bob! The engine has no way of determining the difference between dirt or pavement. If its running, its running. My VX sees plenty of off road use and has over 75,000 problem free mile on its odometer. (Knock on wood )

[doubleadesign]

so far so good. The new engine is on it's way. Still getting my paperwork in order. They said they'd like to get it back to me on friday!!!! it was the first valve that malfunctioned. I'll get the whole lowdown tomorrow.

[Chopper]

They are'nt supplying this engine "Pro Rata"? Suprising that you get a new heart, without consideration for the milage on the old one. Irration and inconvienience factor? Good for you brother... Good luck with the transplant!!!!!

[billh23]

You're getting a new engine because a valve malfunctioned? I'm surprised they didn't do a valve job or at the most swap out the heads.

[t2p]

???
.
maybe 'first valve' referred to 'first cylinder' .....
.
#1 cylinder ......... #1 cylinder rod bearing .......... ???

[doubleadesign]

Sorry. First cylinder blew. the bearings were shot. I stopped by this morning to get my free rental. They were taking the engine out when I came by. It's weird and kinda cool at the same time. I kinda wish I could watch the whole process like students watch surgery in progress. New engines run about 7 grand so I'm glad it was covered (surprisingly under the origional warranty). my extended warranty kicked in for the rental. the old one will go back to Isuzu for testing. I wish I could tag along for that too! FYI I was told the new engine will only be covered by the origional warranties. So, I'm not getting a new one for this engine. If you had a day left that's all it would be covered for. that sucks.