1988 Isuzu Trooper Review: One of the Most Overlooked 4x4s?
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- čas přidán 3. 07. 2024
- Joe Isuzu once claimed that the Trooper would be one of the most popular 4x4 options well into the 21st century. He lied. When's the last time you've actually seen an Isuzu Trooper motoring on down the road? Chances are it has been a significantly long time. I'm here to shine a light on this absolutely fantastic truck, in the hopes that other folks will get motivated to bring more of them back to life. #isuzu #4x4 #carreview
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
You will not believe me if I told you how I found this video. I actually searched for "ISUZU BIGHORN 2.6 PETROL" and this came up. I wanted to see this engine because I wanted to have an idea how it performed and to see how underpowered it was. Needless to say, you answered all my questions with your video and did a whole lot more than I could have hoped for. I am over the moon! For those wondering why you would love this vehicle - they couldn't understand. The Isuzu Trooper with 2.6 engine is exactly what the world misses today - a straightforward, no nonsense, simple and uncomplicated utilitarian workhorse whose real value is in its utility and reliability. The ability to maintain and service this truck without help or complicated tools is priceless. I love it!!
Absolutely well stated. These kinda trucks are an absolute finite quantity. A delicious sample of simplicity and rugged utility. Basically, this is what a truck should be.
I still drive my 93 rodeo (australia) 2.6 as my daily 480 thousand kms
I relocated to Costa Rica this month from Tennessee, and I just bought a 1987 Trooper II with 330K on it, rough, but ready, driving it every day up and down the side of Volcano Miravelles from my apartment in town to my property on the mountain where Im building a house. The gravel and dirt road is a straight up goat trail on the side of a mountain and this old bastard rocks it out! Its held together with luck and prayers, but it seems unstoppable as long as you aren't in a hurry. I love it.
That sounds like an adventure every day. I like how rugged these trucks are…but you’re spot on with the slowness. Damn fine machines.
@@autoobsessivegarage "damn fine machines" - you spelled damn time machines wrong. :p
Got a 1990 Isuzu Irmscher 2.8lt with 85 000klms only .
Owned it for about 16 yrs....like new.
Love it .
That’s awesome. Sounds like a super reliable truck and an old friend at this point.
Ive got a mint 87 here in new zealand with the 2.8l diesel 4jb1t. I absolutely love it
Jealous of the diesel power plants. These trucks deserve way more attention.
I have a 4jb1-t aswell, is this prefered over the petrol types?
mannn there's just something about vintage trucks that these modern ones simply do not have regardless of whatever they offer. GREAT video!
Thank you very much.
So damn true…and they will never make trucks like this ever again.
@@autoobsessivegarage yeahh sadly
I have a 86' Trooper (called Jackaroo here in Australia) - it is a great 4WD - I have done a lot of 4WD in old landcruisers and the Troopers are way under-rated - I have taken the Trooper up some tricky 4WD tracks with road tyres, where Landcruisers were stuck - the trouble with the landcruisers is that are too heavy. There are still many Troopers from the 90's around the area I live, and they all still look great, in good condition.
czcams.com/video/DQjpSBj2rrU/video.html and czcams.com/video/JQ01zpzk63g/video.html
I did honestly love my 100 Series Lmd Cruiser, but the visibility in the trooper is far superior. Agreed on the weight. It’s a perfectly sized off-roader.
My 89 was 1000 bucks 5 years ago, and it has never left me stranded or stuck on the mountain forest roads
This was my first car, an 88 4 door 5 speed that may parents handed down to me. Same color, too. The Trooper got me through high school and college and off to my first job. By then it was 13 years old and had more than done its job. Mine did have AC and a radio though!
Everything you’ve said is how I remember it. The off the line grunt was actually okay (the 4:56 gears helped a lot) but it was merely acceptable on the highway, at best. The steering required ridiculous correction. I later switched from 31/10.50 tires on 15x8 inch wheels to 30/9.5 on 15x7 and it actually helped the steering quite a bit.
I eventually gave it back to my parents but the rust started to get it and the drivers door eventually stopped working. And we have clutch slave cylinder problems we couldn’t quite fix. But man was it a reliable truck and as my first, it’s my favorite!
Epic story. These things were really built like tanks and pretty affordable to keep running. I love how it feels like a simpler machine…and for that, it’s a better truck in my opinion than modern options.
@@autoobsessivegarage Agreed. My parents bought it in '88 because it was cheaper than the Jeep Cherokee, which is what they wanted. The durability was just a bonus, Isuzu was pretty new at that time so no one realized how tough these trucks would be through the years. It was also surprisingly comfortable for such a stripped down truck, at least for that era.
Someday I'd like to find that final of the 5 speed Troopers, which were the '98-2000 ones with the bigger 3.5 V6.
I bought a1984 Trooper for $500. After a summer of restoration, it has become my everyday driver.
Heck yeah! What all did it need?
We had 2.2 diesel trooper model year 84.My father bought new. 65hp without turbo.Greetings from Finland.
Hello there. Those diesels were pretty tough little engines and could have a very long life if maintained. Sounds like it was a great truck.
The engine and gearbox lasted but the body rusted.@@autoobsessivegarage
Just landed an 88 in Florida
4 door/stick/AC/4cyl for my kids first truck.
Hell of a first truck! Congrats!
Nice ride, my friend. Happy to see that Toaster sticker on the back window!
How can you drive a Trooper and not have that sticker?
I just picked up a 1987 for $1500. 2.3 carbureted 5 speed. It's gutless but that makes it fun to drives.
Heck yeah, congrats. Great to hear that more of these trucks are out there driving around.
My isuzu trooper was a 1987 with 295,000 original miles when I used it as a trade in during 2010, I wish I never did that. It was given to me spitting and sputtering with 275k but I redid the exhaust and tune up, tinted the windows and had did a round headlight conversion. It almost looked like a G wagon with the bumper it had, it was such a sweet truck and I learned a lot of mechanical things working on it. I see 2-3 every day in great condition just parked.
They are simple and approachable to work on. It’s a very capable truck that’s not too challenging to keep on the road as they are mechanically quite basic. Love these trucks.
Nice. Back in the 90's i had a '86 Isuzu Pu'p truck 2wd. love it, This past September 2023, i bought a '86 Isuzu Trooper II 2 door 4x4 with the cool 5speed trans and 2.3 L 4 banger with a Weber carb conversion. It has a rusty frame but not rotted as it is in the rust belt but the body is good. Still working out the bugs but runs good. I hated it at first but now i'm starting to like it.
They have an endearing personality don’t they? Such tough trucks.
I have an 88 Trooper 4dr 5 spd. Rebuilt the engine and cooling sys. Luv my Troopy
Hard not to love these rugged trucks.
Such a cool looking design
Really stands out in today’s sea of curvy crossovers. This is how an SUV should look.
Going to pick up an ‘89 4-door 5-speed for the girl next week. It’ll match my ‘88 5-speed 4Runner!
Now that’s a killer combo! Heck yeah man.
I've got 3 !! 1989 Holden Jackaroo's. two auto and the other 5 speed manual. I love them
Heck of a fleet man! Jackaroo is a way better name than Trooper.
One of them is called Trooper by me. It Was missing the jackaroo badges, and Trooper badges were easier to get from the usa !! @@autoobsessivegarage
I had one of these a few years ago, in the same color :) Mine was a 4 door tho, and with a turbo diesel (they mostly sold the diesel version of it here in Norway) Great, and really sollid built car :)
Sounds like a very solid truck. I’d love to get a diesel powered one.
I have a 1990 trooper in the same color. 5spd 4x4. Not as clean as yours but I love it.
Nice! They are easy to love.
I dont know why i remember all this bazaar info, but anyway hear it is.
1984/1985 was the 1.9L 4speed years, only years to have a mid ship 13 gal fuel tank, all other years tank is behind rear axil.
1986/1987 was the first 5sp year and 2.3L engine, and mostly 86 a turbo version of the 2.2L diesel the isuzu pup got. Supposedly about 8,000 came to north America.
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1987 is a mix of the early and late gen1 drive trains, and first square headlight year, or as i call it, the black sheep year.
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1989 was also a special year, only gen1 RS models to make it to north America, its a short wheel base 2 door.
The automatic with the 2.6L engine, is a Asian Warner box found in many toyota trucks and Lexus rear drive cars to name a few.
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Whereas The automatic transmission used with the gm 2.8L v6 is a 4L30-e made by gm. After 1991 it was the only automatic available and is very much known for poping its guts in terms of short life between overhauls.
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There is a small following of foke that have imported the 4JB1-TC 2.8L engine from Japan and swapped American gas troopers over to diesel.
There very u-neek in that there fully macanical fuel systems, its best described as driving a street legal tractor. But with the odd ability to rev up to about 4,000 rpms when getting up to speed.
Usually for the troopers 1992 and up, imported 4JG2-TC engines are used as they have a little more power. But not quite the staggering resemblance to a tractor engine.
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Having personal experience with the 1986 2.2 diesels with 60hp.
The JDM 2.8s are lightyears ahead in performance. With near 100hp LOL
there ability to run used veg oil or bio diesel being completely free of computers, for the right person, is also a major advantage.
Awesome details and thanks for sharing! This truck has some serious variations over its run.
@@autoobsessivegarage the one thing ill add is, there was no sales of them before 84.
84 was the first year of them in north America.
I bought a 91 2.6 15 years ago has 338k now runs like new even pull car hauler with it bought 5 more since ol lady has one too best vehicle ever
Awesome to see you keeping them operational. So many have rotted away. Sounds like quite the Trooper fleet you got there.
greetings from germany ! yes, you are right ,the trooper is overlooked and in germany seldom.
we germans drive diesel, by the way. the 2,8 turbodiesel is a great machine.
Hello to you as well. It's a very overlooked truck that is very dependable and looks great. I'd love to have one with that diesel engine.
@@autoobsessivegarage are diesel engine in the USA avialable, for the trooper ?
The Trooper II is different then the previous Trooper.
87 1/2 and earlier has a different engine and a much heavier frame. Put yes, by appearances they are the same other than the headlights.
I had four, 88,89,90,92, at one time, 2 now.
There are many on the road and in top condition can garner $10k to $15k.
If the one being tested were an RS model it would be worth a premium price.
You sir are an experienced trooper subject matter expert!
The RS is cool with its shorter wheel base.
You are incorrect. The trooper 2 is no different. I have an 89 trooper and an 89 trooper 2. They are the same vehicle. The trooper 2 was just shipped to the USA without a backseat, so it could be called a truck for tax/tariff purposes.
The Trooper and Trooper 2 are both considered first-generation troopers along with the round headlight models.
My friend use to have one in 2002
I really hope that truck is still on the road.
Great Trooper you have. What size rubber are you running?
Some meaty 265/85/15 tires. Toyo Open Country. Great trail tire with solid road performance as well.
Had a 1990 it was great with AC , automatic 4door 157.000
Sounds really well equipped.
We daily drive my girlfriend’s 89 trooper 4 door 5 speed
Heck yeah! What motor does it have?
@@autoobsessivegarage 2.6L no balls but she does amazing. They really are hidden gems
is the 2.3 same realiable?
2.3 is a solid motor. Just carbureted and a little less power. I prefer the 2.6.
Can i know the paint color code?
Sure thing, it's 1113P1 or 806 Spectra Red.
@@autoobsessivegarage thank you
Sounds like the fan clutch is locked up., that will slow you down.
Fan clutch working just fine…if not she would get real toasty driving up any hills. She’s just slow and awesome.
PHUCK yes ❤ truck things. Found an 2.8diesel mu ( amigo to you yankies) from the same era, they don't build em like they used to. ❤
The Amigo was sweet as hell, and diesel power is always a bonus. Agreed on they don’t build em like they used to.
should never have sold it
Same way with many of my vehicles, wish I could keep them all.