What do you know about Isuzu Diesel Pickups?

[HeavyHauler]

Hey fellas, I'm in the position to by a '87 Isuzu pickup with the 2. 2 diesel in it. It's naturally aspirated - no turbo - low miles, and manual transmission.



Does anybody have any direct experience with these trucks? I've heard good things and bad about them. Some say they've heard that the turbo models will fall apart around 60,000. Anybody know anything about fuel economy, parts availability, and uprateability? How hard they are to work on?



Thanks for the help.

 

[bkroupa]

My x boss has had his since new, he's 6'5" & you couldn't force him to sell it.

I've driven it a few times, mileage is in the mid to high 30's. I've seen him haul his 18' trailer with a 9n tractor & brush hog many times to go mow his pasture ~50 mile round trip. Other than being slow, it's a great little truck.

 

[GFrance]

My neigbor where I used to live used one at his minning claim. He worked it real hard,hauling barrels of fuel for his equipment,oil, cat parts, etc. I'm talking rough terrain, thru the creeks, up steep hills. It just amazed me at what that little p/u took. I havn't been up on that mountain in years but I wouldn't be surprised if he was still driving it.

 

[bmoeller]

If I'm not mistaken, Ford used the same engine in the Ranger during the '80s for a few years. Neighbor had one in his Ranger. I got to use it when I did chores for him while they were on vaction. Nice combo.

 

[JUeckert]

If I'm not mistaken, Ford used the same engine in the Ranger during the '80s for a few years. Neighbor had one in his Ranger. I got to use it when I did chores for him while they were on vaction. Nice combo.

bm,you are mistaken,ford used a mazda diesel in the 80's rangers,or {courriers} as they were called,im told it was a design copy of a perkins engine. the 80"s chey s-10 trucks,or {luvs} used the little 2. 2 isuzu diesel. i have one in a 82 model luv,by the end of the year it will have 400k on it,with no major probs. .

 

[bmoeller]

I thought I might have been wrong on the brand of engine. It's been a long time since I've driven/seen it. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Nickaru]

I drove an Isuzu diesel pickup many years ago as a company vehicle. I drove it about 130 miles each way daily. It was good on mileage, but since it was a non-turbo unit it was a DOG. Gutless wonder.

 

[JoeBioDiesel]

I used to wrench on them at an Isuzu delaer. They are pretty bulletproof. I drove one for 300,000 hard miles. I maintained it well, but drove it hard on a 1k mile/week commute. I sold it two years ago with the bed rotting off it. The guy is driving it still as a winter rat on a 260 mile/day ride. Oddly enough we started it today to move it in his barn so I can store my boat there for the winter. Started right up after sitting since spring. If they made them today I'd buy one as a commuter vehicle. Noly left me stranded once, when the water pump shaft broke, ruining my radiator.

Parts are still available. When you get it, CHANGE THE TIMING BELT. It is often neglected. Have fun getting the crank bolt loose . It's an easy job except for that. I remove the radiator to do it.



Joe

 

[HeavyHauler]

Thanks for all the help guys - it seems like 300,000 is the magic number. The bodies are either falling apart or they need some work by then. It looks like I'm gonna have to look elsewhere though, the truck I was looking at is out of the price range aside from the fact that it's 1000 miles away. If I can find one around here though, I'm gonna snatch it up.

 

[JHerr]

I have had experience with a 1984 Chevy S-10 with the same 2. 2 liter Isuzu in a work truck. Never did anything to the engine in the 170,000 miles that we drove it.



Yes the truck was molasses slow, but it got about 32 mpg on the highway. We bought an extra "2. 2 Diesel" badge and put it on the tailgate so people would understand why the truck was so slow.



We sold the truck to a local tractor dealership for a crazy high price... we had two people in a bidding war. Last I knew it was still being used with 240,000 on it.



Its a crying shame that there isn't anything on the market to replace it... yet.



Hey Daimler-Chrysler, you've got the Dakota and the Detroit Diesel 4. 0 V6... what's the problem?

 

[jrobinson2]

Any of you guys complaining about "slow" drive one with an auto trans :-laf :-laf I've got one on the farm with an auto that usually has about 600 lbs of stuff in the bed and it redefines the words "slow" "slug" and "dog" just mash the throttle to the floor and hold it there untill you get were your going :-laf I like the little truck as long as someone else is driving it, it gets good milage and has been fairly reliable for a twenty year old truck but is kinda expensive to work on if it has a problem. So far its needed a starter, water pump, alternator, fuel selenoid, glow plugs and a power steering pump, most of these parts were more expensive than comparable parts on small gas pickups but I think the fuel economy more than offsets the difference. I would definetly buy another one if I could find one in decent shape

Jared

 

[JHerr]

Amen to the parts costs. I think that oil filters were around $35. 00 and that was back in 1992.