Isuzu Dmax Owners [continued]

[tomtom]

Another thing sirs, what are the usual stuff that are maintained in a 2004/05 Dmax? Used to own a 1993 Isuzu pick up. I'm not that acquainted with the difference of maintenance compared to the Dmax.

Thanks

[rna800]

Just to give you guys an update.

So I brought my truck to the dealer for observation as to why I heard again the rattling, buzzing, whining sound which I know for a fact are coming from the timing gear/chain.

Since the mechanic had already heard that noise and he knew that the tensioner was the one causing that sound, he was firm that my timing gear and chain cannot get loose in just a year and they are very fine.

He asked me what engine oil did I use, I said Motul CRDI Specific 5W40. He said that he thinks 5W40 is thin and I should use a 15W40. I said, I have used Royal Purple oil 0W40 before and never had problem. He wasn't sure what to say but he said that it must be the oil.

Later in the afternoon I followed up through phone. He said that he changed the oil to Isuzu Genuine Motor Oil aka IGMO and it's 15W40. He checked the oil (Motul) and he said that when the engine gets hot, the oil looked so thin. So I asked the condition, he said he had been test driving it and so far the sound hasn't recurred. In short, the engine oil, which is now 15w40 can lubricate the tensioner better.

I went to the dealer today and same thing, we talked especially on the oil. I asked, "why would it matter, the 5w, if it's 5w or 15w if we don't have winter here? Isn't it that what matters is the 40 since that is the temp when hot?" He said that I am correct but sometimes especially in our climate and the age of the vehicle, 5w is kinda thin and it's not enough to lubricate the parts.

I am still observing the truck and so far after more than 150 kms, after different driving styles, I haven't heard those sounds. And I really noticed that the vibration has significantly improved, it has lesser vibration now.

I am not sure though, what else did they do but as per the mechanic, he just changed the oil. The best part, it was free.

I will update you, guys, on my finding. If those sounds will not recur, I think it will be safe for me to say that Motul CRDI Specific 5w40 is not a suitable oil for my Dmax. I have used RP oil before and never had problems. I have been using 15w40 but there was one time that Speedyfix ran out of 15w40 and all they had was the 0w40 so that is what I used and I never had a problem.

Otherwise, if those sounds recur, there must be really wrong or that is the achilles heel of the engine of Iteq. So I will wait and see what happens.

[rna800]

*tomtom: Sir, I suggest better get the 07 and above models since that is already the Global Dmax and it is already commonrail which means that the engine has a better acceleration and performance.

I have zero knowledge on the 4JH1 engine so I can't help you there. But if you will backread on the thread, sir d_mac's 4JH1 had a 300k+ kilometers on it and he claimed that the engine and tranny were still OEM.

M/T will yield a better consumption than the A/T.

The usual stuff that you need to maintain on the Dmax, regardless of the year should be regular change oil, oil filter, fuel filter. Then the rest, like the fluids, air filter, etc, just follow the service booklet or I think every 25k kilometers.

[tomtom]

*tomtom: Sir, I suggest better get the 07 and above models since that is already the Global Dmax and it is already commonrail which means that the engine has a better acceleration and performance.

I have zero knowledge on the 4JH1 engine so I can't help you there. But if you will backread on the thread, sir d_mac's 4JH1 had a 300k+ kilometers on it and he claimed that the engine and tranny were still OEM.

M/T will yield a better consumption than the A/T.

The usual stuff that you need to maintain on the Dmax, regardless of the year should be regular change oil, oil filter, fuel filter. Then the rest, like the fluids, air filter, etc, just follow the service booklet or I think every 25k kilometers.

Thanks sir rna800. The big problem for me to get a 07 model or better is the budget. If I may ask, what is the difference performance for Dmax engines prior to 2007? I have been reading in the thread that the svr and egr are common problems as well when the mil lights on the dashboard? Is this normal? I mean is it unavoidable to encounter this problem? Thinking that the cost to replace it also not that cheap.

Can you also give me tips on what to check prior to purchasing a 2nd hand Dmax.

Thanks so much.

[rna800]

Sir tomtom, starting 07, that is when they introduced the Global Dmax with the Direct Diesel Injection Iteq Engine. It means that it runs on a commonrail diesel engine already. The engine is 4JJ1. Then the one that we have right now is 4JK1.

I don't know the technical terms but if you have driven a diesel engine with commonrail engine, you will feel right away the difference in terms of power and acceleration as compared to a non commonrail engine. It accelerates like a gasoline engine. Hindi yan katulad ng diesel engine noon na mabagal ang acceleration, mausok, maingay. Ngayon mas refined na. If you said you used to own a '93 Isuzu pick up, sobrang light years ang difference niyan.

The SCV, EGR, those parts will wear out in the future regardless of how much you take care of your vehicle. They put those for the emission stuff so that a vehicle will not produce too much carbon dioxide. Maganda nga siya for mother earth, ung engine naman natin ang magsa suffer. I don't know if the 4JH1 engine has those pero the diesel engine of yesteryears ay wala niyan. Kaya ung mga mechanic na sanay sa lumang diesel engine, possibleng hindi nila alam kung ano yang SCV and EGR. Ung mechanic ko nga sabi sakin, "Ano yang EGR? Wala yan, tanggalin mo na yan!"hehe

When the MIL/CEL lit up or shows up on your dash, it is not normal. It only means something in your engine is not working properly. Accompanied with that is the car runs rough, heavy and choking. Only a scanner can determine what is causing it.

The only way, I wouldn't say to avoid, but more of to prolong their life, is to take precautionary measures. Changing the oil and oil filter, fuel filter, using a good quality oil, using a Euro IV diesel, those are some of the things that you could do to prolong them.

Now you can go the distance if you want to by doing the EGR blanking. That means blocking the EGR valve to prevent soot build up in it and in the intake manifold. Some even said that the performance even got better. For the SCV, there is no such thing.

For the price, it depends. For SCV, it cost me 8k+ if I recall it correctly. For EGR, it is more than 19k+. Sounds expensive, right? The SCV, per Central Diesel, they said that they cannot clean it and the only solution is to replace. But for the EGR, they can clean it. That is what I did. Instead of paying 19k+ for EGR replacement, I only paid 4k+ I think for the scan and cleaning. If you could find a cheaper service station that does cleaning, much better.

Prior to purchasing a 2nd hand Dmax, look at the condition of the vehicle and see if it somewhat pairs up with the mileage. Mag duda ka kung medyo mababa ang reading pero mukhang lamog lamog na ang katawan. Then check for the service record. Mas maganda kung meron niyan para at least you know how they treated the car in terms of maintaining it. Baka pabaya ung owner. You will also know kung tampered ba ung odometer. Then test drive. Feel the interior kung ok pa. The most important is how it runs. Dapat hindi magaspang, mabigat, hindi mausok, ok ang transmission. The shocks, bushings, do they squeak. Fluid levels, ok pa ba. Are the tires still good, any busted lights. Hindi ba nalubog sa baha. Yan mga yan. Siyempre the paperworks, baka carnap.hehe

[Onix Caro]

the isuzu casa here in davao does egr blanking (condemn) if the customer so prefers...

[rna800]

*Onix Caro: Wow, it is my first time to hear that a dealer offers such service even if they are not voting for it. They, IPC dealers that I have called, don't even clean the EGR. All of those people from different dealers whom I talked with told me that I couldn't clean it and replacement is the only way hence I went and looked for shops that offer it.

Good for that dealer. I wonder who will carry the burden if something happens to the engine and they find out that the EGR is blanked? On the part of the customer, all the owner wants is to prevent the EGR from malfunctioning. On the part of the dealer, that is not in the book but they still installed it coz the customers prefers. Oh well, they can remove it anyway.

[Onix Caro]

i got the info from a very reliable source from the Isuzu dealer here in Davao..il ask him how much they charge and the warranty against the possibility of it affecting engine performance which i think would not .. Blocking the EGR will certainly stop the soot from the exhaust clogging up the inlet manifold. so its actually good..downside is in other countries it is against the law to change the way the vehicle’s emission control systems function.

[d_mac]

hinDMAXsiado owner pa din tayo....

Habang tumatagal lalo kong nagugustuhan si 3.0 Ddi-iTEQ manual-tranny. No regrets. Metro Manila traffic pati = no sweat, no complaints, no drama, no kieme ahihi

Di pa rin ako nagpapalit ng freno even after 6 years now, maging clutch lining and everything na hardware maliban sa shock absorbers nang mag-upgrade ako, isang headlight bulb at rear light bulb. The usual maintenance stuff lang ginagawa. Ang oil ko ngayon ay ordinary nalang made by Mobil pa din - IGMO (Isuzu Genuine Motor Oil) SAE 40. Mura na at mukhang mas hiyang si hinDMAXsiado ko. Masigpaw pa rin at malakas sa akyatan, walang nagbago at gumanda pa nga si long-stroke D-max hehe

[TheGreenThing]

Guys my mechanic accidentally broke my fuel filter housing.. maybidea kayo kung magkano and available kaya sa casa saan branch? Thanks
Model 2010 dmax
Your inputs will be very much appreciated.

[d_mac]

Guys my mechanic accidentally broke my fuel filter housing.. maybidea kayo kung magkano and available kaya sa casa saan branch? Thanks
Model 2010 dmax
Your inputs will be very much appreciated.

Check either with the Isuzu-Yuchengco outlets like Isuzu Commonwealth or Isuzu-Inteco branches like Isuzu Quezon Ave. or North Edsa (bandang Balintawak market).

Yung mechanic mo sir, personal mechanic siguro as i understand it, and he's not from any Isuzu shop, di ba sir?

Goodluck sir.

[TheGreenThing]

Yeah hindi kasi sha sanay sa isuzu and I wasnt able to supervise him nung ginagawa niya. Ginamitan kasi niya ng chain type opener. Madugo ba yun? Thanks much

[sotel]

Yeah hindi kasi sha sanay sa isuzu and I wasnt able to supervise him nung ginagawa niya. Ginamitan kasi niya ng chain type opener. Madugo ba yun? Thanks much

ok lang naman gamitan ng kadena sir ganun naman ginagamit nila sa casa

[ChoyJo]

Guys my mechanic accidentally broke my fuel filter housing.. maybidea kayo kung magkano and available kaya sa casa saan branch? Thanks
Model 2010 dmax
Your inputs will be very much appreciated.

WALCO sa BANAUE.. Nasa 1k mahigit siguro presyo nyan..

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Re: D-Max/Alterra Issues

Good Thing nandyan lang si Rna para sumagot.. Kudos sir.. Pati ka d-mac..

Lurker mode lang ako madalas dito.. Since nasasagot naman halos ng tama lahat ng tanong.. Hehe

[Atty.Don]

Anybody having issues with the brakes of the all new dmax? squeaking on heavy braking.. or worse, locking..

Also, sudden braking causing the car to rattle.. Is this also the case for other dmax owners out there?

I just hope that this is not the ABS malfunctioning

[rna800]

Hi guys!

Here is my update from my last post on June 14.

It has been a week of observation and I really, really made sure to drive my Dmax to the max and to prove the Isuzu mechanic wrong that the solution was to change the oil in my truck which was the Motul CRDI Specific 5w40 to IGMO 15w40. My mind made me wanna believe that the timing gear/chain is making those sound and they need to be replaced again in just after a year which I found so ridiculous thus made me say it is the engine's Achilles heel.

I wanted to observe it for a week and put some real miles in it to make sure that the fix was not just by luck and chance. So after a week and traveled close to 500 kms, after driving it with different styles, the sound didn't recur anymore. Take note that before, the mechanic just lubricated the tensioner but didn't replace the oil. That same night I heard those sounds and they just won't go away each time I used the truck. Now they are gone.

I called the Isuzu mechanic and asked what else did he do aside from changing the oil coz I couldn't make the sound recur as if he changed a part also, he said that he just changed the oil coz he really thinks that the 5w40 is too thin. And if ever they replaced a part, they will charge me for it.

So the mechanic was right. Natawa nga siya sakin kasi ako daw pinipilit kong palabasin ung tunog kahit ayos na ung Dmax ko habang may mga ibang tao na namomroblema kung paano ang solution para maalis ung tunog ng kanila.hehe

Anyway, I am so happy coz I didn't spend a single centavo coz they changed the oil for free. Un lang I am going to have it changed after 3k kms baka kung anong oil pa yan. He just told me na kung gusto kong gumamit ng ibang brand, 15w40 lang dapat ang gamitin ko kasi lower than 15w, masyadong manipis and hindi niya kayang ilubricate ng mabuti ang tensioner kaya lumalabas ung mga tunog na un.

[rna800]

*d_mac: Kumusta na ba ang buhay natin, sir? Long time no post.hehe

Good to know that ok na ok padin ang Dmax, I mean, hinDmaxsiado mo even after 6 years.

Sa akin may mga problems here and there pero lahat naman ay naayos and hindi naman matindi. Ang maganda ay naayos ng free.hehe

[rna800]

*TheGreenThing: Sad to hear on what happened to your Dmax, sir. Sana ayos na siya by now. Wala akong idea sa housing pero just call the dealership, hopefully they have that part.

Sa dealership ko kasi yan pinapapalitan. Change oil and oil filter lang ang pinapagawa ko sa labas.

[rna800]

*ChoyJo: I am glad to be of help.

Magpost din kayo ng experiences niyo sa Dmax or Alterra? niyo and the solutions to the problems. Para makatulong din in case we will face those problems in the future.

[rna800]

*Atty.Don: Isn't it that yours has ABS? It shouldn't lock. Squeaking, sometimes it's normal especially when the pad gets wet but it will eventually go away.

What do you mean by sudden braking causing the car to rattle? Do you mean that let's say you are traveling 60 kph and you slammed on the brake, not pumping it, you will hear that sharp krrrrrrggggrgrgrgrgr sound? If that's the sound that you heard, that was your ABS working. It sounds strange and feels like something sh*t happened to your brake pedal and a cable snapped and grinding your disc brakes.