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Before my SC was installed it use to come off frequently. One time I was putting it back on I was twisting it so much that I got a blister on my freakin index finger! I did get a wrench back there, in enough to make VERY small turns, but enough to tighten it so it wouldn't loosen anymore.
Now that the SC has been installed I have had no problems with it what-so-ever.
i almost had that index finger blister too !!! ouch!
to get it threaded up on there I had to reach up under there "palm up" and turn it 1/2 turn at a time until i coulcn;t turn it anymore.
then i got my 22 mm and got about 1/4-1/3 turn at a time. once you get it going, you'lll get a little bit of a turn and then flip the wrench over and another little bit of a turn, etc. also, those two tubes coming down on the side of the EGR tube are in the way, but they have alittle bit of give to them.
definitely not fun, but it worked. just give the vx plenty of time to cool off and be patient.
update: checked the oil this weekend and the level was off of the dipstick after 750 miles. i took it into the dealership today and they checked it and topped it off. they stated that it took 1 quart.
my experience is with the oil at that level on the dipstick, it'll take about 1.5 qts, but i wasn't going to argue over it.
so now i'm looking at 1 qt used in 750 miles with 250 more miles to go during the "oil consumption monitoring."
i'll update you all at the 1000 mile mark when i take it back to the dealership with more than 1 qt/1000 mile used. (i'm predicting the future here guys) ;)
joe
update: took the VX in last Monday after another 318 miles and it used 3/4 of a quart. service manager asked for my oil change info and i gave him all of the receipts that i had for oil changes and misc qts for topping off fluid.
i am waiting for him to speak to the regional isuzu rep to let me know what they are going to do. current mileage = 51,343 miles
another update: service manager is supposed to speak to isuzu rep today about oil consumption. right before i exit the highway on my way to wokr this morning, CEL comes on and "Check Trans" light starts flashing.
roadside assist didn't have a tow co in the area, so dealership came and picked it up on a flatbed.
VX is now sitting at dealership awaiting isuzu rep to advise on oil consumption problem and trans problem.
thanks goodness this happend at 51k and not 61k :D
i'll keep you all posted.
joe
did the trans go into limp-home mode? (stay in third gear)?
Whens the last time you cleaned the EGR?
I read about the "Backup Mode" in the owners manual, but no it did not seem like it was in third.Quote:
Originally posted by Maugan_VX
did the trans go into limp-home mode? (stay in third gear)?
Whens the last time you cleaned the EGR?
I have never cleaned the EGR. I made sure to replace the PCV (actually, the dealership did that) and I ran the Chevron Techron concentrate once.
Once I charted the oil usage and saw how bad it was getting, I decided to take it to the dealership and let them handle it.
I have no problem with actually cleaning the EGR myself, but I didn't want to do anything wrong and have the dealership try to blame me for it, especially with how close I am to the drivetrain warranty expiring.
But now that I think of it... Should I have to go through all of that on a vehicle with only 51k that is driven mostly on the highway with at least 89 octane and is well-maintained? :confused:
Either way, my main reason for not cleaning the EGR was fear of finger-pointing by the dealership.
now that you mention it, it would be hard to document that you actually cleaned the EGR. I mean all you need is a can of carb cleaner.
Interesting, someone should call isuzu and ask about it. I DO know that they are ok with you changing your oil as long as you have receipts to prove it.
Oh and in my extensive experience with the 4L30E, the light starts flashing when either the fluid is to low and it starts overheating (although theres supposed to be an trans overheat light for that) or when there are electrical issues in the vehicle. Ever messed with the alternator? Aftermarket stereo?
like i said, i was just playing it safe. after the warranty is out i'll probably check and clean the EGR regularly eve if just as cheap insurance.
i will admit that having to do this does kind of piss me of though. oh well, i guess that's just the price we have to pay for owner this unique vehicle.
as for the oil changes: after they monitored the oil consumption and saw that it was using at least twice their "allowed" amount (2 qts per 1000 miles, actually, 1.75 qts in 750 miles) the first thing they asked me for was receipts for oil changes.
if you're changing your own oil, definitely keep good records just in case. (at least until the warranty expires)
never messed with the alternator... i did replace the battery about a month ago (actually, I got one at wal-mart and let them change it).Quote:
Originally posted by Maugan_VX
Oh and in my extensive experience with the 4L30E, the light starts flashing when either the fluid is to low and it starts overheating (although theres supposed to be an trans overheat light for that) or when there are electrical issues in the vehicle. Ever messed with the alternator? Aftermarket stereo?
i just put a pioneer head-unit in last friday night... how would this cause a problem with the trans? :confused:
well a new headunit isn't going to cause it to trip. When the voltage gets to low for the solenoids they throw a code and the lights come on.
The deal will read the codes from the computer and let you know whats up.
ok, cool. i know it is installed properly. i used a plug in type harness and connected that into the head unit so that the stock wiring harness is safe. :D the install went very well.
as for the trans fluid: the dealership checked the trans about 12,000 miles ago. i had them do the 30,000 mile service at about 40,000 since i could not find the service records from the previous owner and i wanted to play it safe.
at that time they said the trans fluid looked great and did not need changed until 60k. i even had a case of Amsoil Syn ATF in the back in case it needed done (it's now sitting in my garage awaiting the 60k mile mark and service).
thanks for the info/advice Maugan.
i'll keep you guys posted on what they find out about the trans and the oil consumption.
Check your Isuzu Vehicross service manual ( CD) under Excessive oil consumption. When you find any reference to cleaning the EGR valve under remedy please let me know. PVC Valve YES, EGR NO-EGR only shows up under emissions control. For those of you that are not mechanics perhaps the dealer will clean it for you under your emissions warranty but don't bet on it.
For those of you burning your fingers, try checking the EGR nut on every weekend before starting out, less burned fingers that way.
There are no TSBs that addresss excessive oil consumption with the possible exception of IB02-01-S004 which deals with the proper setting of Piston Rings
My Point being if the EGR really is causing the oil consumption problem then Isuzu should be held responsible, especially when your vehicle passes Emission Control checks.
Bob F
Just thought I'd tack my recent experience on this thread, although I see the last post is almost a year old.
I guess I could sum everything up - VX owner - 10 days and counting, miles driven ~840 and counting, oil used - 3 quarts and counting.
More specifically - Just got back from the first interstate trip in the new VX. Checked the oil before leaving home and it was right on the top hole of the dipstick. So we make the first 350 mile leg of the journey and I had some time to kill, so "just for the heck of it" decided to check the oil again - GOOD F-ING THING! - No oil on the dipstick and it took 1-1/2 quarts to bring it back up to full! I remembered reading about the PCV valve on the forums, so I drop the $3 and 3 minutes to change that out also.
We do a little "around town" driving over the next couple of days then set out on the return trip. Got home late last night and I checked the oil this morning - SAME THING! Wind up putting in my remaining 1/2 quart from the first add and another full quart just to bring the oil back up to slightly below the full hole. I could probably crack open a fourth quart and add a few more oz. to get up to full.
This thing is literally using as much oil as my 2 stroke engines! 1-1/2 quarts every tank of gas - work out the numbers and it is pretty close to 50:1 which is the same premix that my jet skis use. It is kind of strange, though - you never see any blue smoke and the spark plugs looked perfectly healthy (checked all of that on the original test drive) I don't see any outward clues that the engine is an oil burner, except the oil just disappears (no real leaks either).
So I guess the big question is - Has anyone actually stopped the oil burning on one of these engines? I've read about the motor flushes, PCV, EGR, etc but does any of that actually work?
At this point I don't know what to do. I love the VX, got a ton of compliments on it, but with this oil consumption, I'd literally have to carry a case of oil in the back to dump in nearly 2 quarts at every gas stop.
It is still within the 3-mo 3000 mile powertrain warranty from the dealer. Don't know if it will cover oil burning or not but I may have to call and find out.
Any thoughts on the oil burning??
Thanks
Corey
Corey- In Feb, 2004, at about 60k my VX was burning oil way worse than I was comfortable with. At its worst (Highway driving), I was loosing about 1 quart every 700 miles. On average, about a quart every 1000. I changed out the PCV valve and later cleaned the EGR and have continued to monitor oil and periodically replace the PCV valve. I've now got 82,000 miles on the truck and am loosing about 1 quart consistently every 2000 miles. I can live with this.
You, however, have a warranty. I'd definetly think about talking to the dealer about it while you have the chance.
Any thoughts, you ask? Yeah, here's one... BRING IT BACK TO THE DEALER!!!
Dude, you have a HUGE oil burning problem and a warranty. Use the latter to avoid getting stuck with the former.
Look, the previous owner obviously knew it had a problem and dumped it before the engine blew on him. Don't get stuck with the same problem.
And don't let the dealer BS you on the oil burning not being a drivetrain problem. Oil burning is not much of a problem in itself, but it IS a symptom of an engine problem, and last time I checked, the engine was part of the drivetrain.
Don't think that a case of oil in the back is going to "solve" anything! There is something very wrong in that engine that won't get solved by a good supply of oil.
They may try to figure out what's wrong with it and fix it, or they may just ask to take it back from you rather than lose money on a huge repair or engine replacement. That may suck, but you're not going to get any compliments on it when it's sitting by the side of the road with a seized engine! If it's a terminal problem, give it back to them and find another one in better shape. Yours is rare, but it's not the only VX on the market, either.
Good luck Corey!
I too am in the midst of an oil consumption problem. I'm using about a quart every 500 miles. My VX is still under factory warranty so I'm having an oil consumption test being done by the dealer. I was already approved for a new motor when the service mgr. skipped with my paperwork (Go Isuzu site member). I don't much care for the new dealership that is doing the test now but if it gets me a new motor I'll put up with their rudeness. But just be sure to keep on top of checking your oil because if you're not under warranty you'll be buying a new one yourself!
i have been losing a quart per 3000 miles.about 2 months ago i cleaned the egr and replaced the pcv valve. the egr valve was sticking. i did an oil change 1000 miles ago and the oil has not gone down at all.i will keep monitoring and post results. shawn
See if your warranty will let you go to an Isuzu dealer and get on the oil consumption monitoring program. With your loss rate, it shouldn't take long to determine that there is a problem.
It doesn't sound good though.
Just wanted to update the continuing saga - (don't know if it's better to post a new thread or keep it all under this one?)
Shortly after the earlier posting on the forum, I called the dealer and explained everything to him (guess I should point out that this deal was through Auto Exchange, not through a "regular" car dealer or an Isuzu dealer. But so far, they have been good to deal with - knock on wood!
Anyway, we had a nice civil conversation. I explained that I never saw any leaks, smoke, black plugs, or signs the oil was getting out of the engine, it always ran good and averaged 18.5MPG for the trip (mostly 75MPH interstate w/ AC running) but had to add the three quarts in about 750 miles of driving. He ask me to document everything on paper and drive it the rest of this week to document if it needed more oil, then said to get in touch with him on Monday and give him all the docs and he would see what they can do to get it taken care of.
So pretty much in a holding pattern right now and waiting to see what their "taken care of" will amount to. Part of me is wanting them to agree to just swap vehicles back and consider the transaction null and void (I'd still probably look for some other VX) The other part is hoping that they would agree to refund a couple thousand off the purchase price for a replacement engine. (Been doing some reading on the 3.5L DI!)
Will keep everyone posted on the progress.
Corey
:wtfr:
My wife's '01 hit 4400 miles since I changed over to Mobile 1. Yesterday, I took it to have the oil changed. Pulled out the dipstick and nothing registered but a wad of sludge on the tip. I had a full engine flush and refilled with Mobile 1. As noted by others in this thread, there was no sign of oil burning or leaking over the past few months.
I immediately checked the '99. 3000 miles since change over to Mobile 1. Again, only a drip on the tip of the dipstick. I took it in today and had a minor oil flush (they did not have enough product to do the drain/flush/drain procedure). There was a different manager there today. He told me that the Isuzu 3.5 was known to need frequent PCV valve changes to prevent excessive oil burn. He told me there were several oil starved Isuzu engine failures he knew of and one instance where Isuzu had to replace the engine (No news to us but it was interesting he knew of the problem and history). I changed the PCV valve right away and came home to search our site to confirm his advice. First hit was this thread. Thank you VehiCROSS.info. It appears that this oil burn problem is common and another issue for me to monitor. As a result of this new education, I have a few questions for the community.
1. Is one brand/design PCV valve better than another? The oil change manager told me that he heard that there was one design that would fit/was specified for our engine but did not perform properly, but he could not be more specific.
2. I thought that Mobile 1 would not break down and create much sludge. Would the sludge be coming from left over petroleum oil in the engine?
3. If our engines are running fine, show no signs of oil burn out the exhaust, no leaks, or even plug fouling, where is the oil going? Several quarts synthetic carried through the PCV seems hard to imagine?
4. A few members have recently made some very long trips in their VXs. I was wondering if they experienced noteable oil burn - or is this problem more common with stop and go driving?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
I haven't experienced any excessive oil loss, but I do have a preference when it comes to PCV valves.
The purolator PV1061 is the free floating ball type, rather than being spring loaded.It has a nice rattle to it when shaken, & should be easier to clean/re-use than a spring loaded type.
Also, I check the oil EVERY time I fill gas...just in case.
Ldub
On your PCV valve question, I have seen (and purchased) two different types - the first is a one piece design that mimics the OEM one, the second is two pieces. I bought the two piece unit (at Pep Boys - I think), because that's all they had. I started throwing "Lean on bank 1" codes not long after. The light would come on, then go off. Took it to the dealer twice, spent $68 to find out the PCV valve was sucking air sometimes because of the 2 piece design. Bought the one piece design and the problem stopped.
Received my results from my oil consumption test.... my new motor is on order!! If any are having oil loss problems I suggest you get it in to a dealer if it's still under warranty and maybe you'll be getting a new one too!
Offroad VX - Congratulations! It's about time Isuzu has had to foot a nice bill for some of our troubles.
TechnoPope - Neither of my VXs have had any oil consumption issues *knock*knock*, both were city drivers prior to making the long haul up north. I'm curious about the oil flush and fill procedure you mentioned -it sounds like a good way to stir up trouble. Whenever I has switched a vehicle over to synthetic (either Royal Purple or Mobil 1), I have changed the oil(s) like normal. I simply reduced to interval from 5k to 3k miles for the first few changes. I never actually tried to 'flush' anything from the engine. I do change the oil immediately after the car has been driven and the oil is scalding hot (a leftover anality from my Bimmer days) -this seems to take more of the sludge-producing mung out of the engine with each change.
You may want to look into the Seafoam engine cleaners that have been touted on here, it may be that your wife's VX might have lived its previous life dining on Quaker State.
I use only Purolater filters and PCVs if this matters.
Oh, and stay away from the Midas on Riverside Dr.
EDIT: I have been crediting the wrong person for doing the research on the oil-pumping phenomena. Green Dragon has found the relevent articles, which can be located within this thread:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...ht=oil+pumping
It's funny that I resurrect this thread, only to post some bad news right behind my earlier (positive) post.
Last night, (during a snowstorm no less), the wife's Dragon started burning oil.
Well, to be exact, I checked the oil 300 miles ago (at fillup) and it was AOK, but last night, there was NOTHING on the dipstick. 1.5 quarts later and it was alright. That's some pretty heavy usage, even for a VX I figure.
Well, here's what happened, and I suspect that I might not be the only one out there.
While adding the first quart of oil, I noticed a slight amount of smoke/steam rising from the vicinity of the EGR valve -hmm, says I. I have the wife pour in the other .5 quart while I jam my head/hand/flashlight into the little nook at the left rear of the engine bay.
We use a very light (0W) synthetic oil, so it's difficult to see -but there is a leak. It's a small cut/tear in the valve cover gasket, at the rear corner of the cover. When the engine is started, and placed under load, the oil pressure forces a small but steady stream of oil out of this breach and right onto the exhaust manifold/EGR pipe/valve where it is immediately vaporized. Very little smell, and almost no smoke. This leak went from nothing to serious in just a few minutes I figure.
This is a 38k mile VX with an excellent service history. No work has been done to the heads/valve covers since it left Japan.
excellent sleuthing... thank you for sharing what you found.
My diagnosis was just confirmed.
The nearest Isuzu dealer is 400ish miles away, so I took it to an "authorized Isuzu service center" here in Fairbanks.
The tech there states: "she's leakin' pretty good" (at the valve cover gasket).
The leak is nearly INVISIBLE as well. You really have to get in just the right position to even detect it. The stream is small, and only travels about 1.5 inches before it is burned off. The design of the valve cover seal is such that a small tear will become a major leak very quickly.
I advise all drivers who are experiencing excessive oil consumption, or who have suddenly lost 1+ quarts of oil to check their valve cover gaskets thoroughly. This is not the only problem with the motor, but at least it's something detectable and easy enough to repair.
The new gasket is on order and covered by warranty. YeeHaa.
I think this is an important enough post that it should be placed on the front page of the site so everyone will see it even after days go by and the thread moves down the list. What ya' think? Scott?
Ha be glad your 400 miles away from this dealership as they will fight to the death trying not to cover anything. Heck I just went there to see if they had a bolt for the front drive shaft since mine is stripped and didn't want to put it back in. They didn't have any there but would gladly order me one from Japan, "Would you like to pay for second day shipping?" :rolleyes: . What would happen if they stripped that bolt while it was being serviced? (throw it back in there for you to never get it out)Quote:
Originally Posted by mbeach
Just picked her up from the shop.
Leaking valve cover gasket -warranty
Leaking coolant at intake manifold gasket -warranty
Leaking coolant at heater tube -warranty
Isuzu was actually alright to deal with, it was the 'local' dealer (same one AlaskaVX was referring to) that seemed to be the rusty bolt. I have to work through them to get anything done locally.
Again, as a reminder, CHECK THOSE VALVE COVERS!
Glad to hear you got that resolved! I bet it was hard to see the leak with that 0W in there!
Here's a good kit for finding all kinds of automotive leaks in any vehicle the easy way: UV Tracer Kit
OUTSTANDING!!! I too have experienced this issue and now have something to look for, other than...."oh, it's just something this engine does".
Thanks (man I love this board)