05 Rodeo - motor origins?

[bang-thud-thump]

Gidday. 3.0l turbo diesel Rodeo query -

This motor in the 05 Rodeo before they went CRDI - is it the 3.1 Bighorn or old 2.8 bored out?

http://www.317.co.nz/vehicle_images.asp ... _number=16

I have read they are crap but not sure if people mean these motors. From what i have read here the 2.8 was a corker and from experience in days gone by ( pulling them out for the reco man to fix) the 3.1 is crap.

Cheers as ever

[tltourer]

Not sure if you can generalise, manufacturers make many tweaks to engines and vehicles, so making a judgement on a motor based on an older model may not relevant. I'd probably search forums for problems with rodeo's.

There is always a bad story about any motor, theres driving a motor hard and theres out right abuse so you need to take stories with a grain of salt.

I had one guy complain his "new" 12 valve telstar was a piece of crap, turns out he thought changing the oil and servicing was a con so personally Im surprised he got the 70,000 km out of it he did. We took out the sump plug and nothing came out, so we removed the pan and to be fair, there was oil in it, it just wasnt a liquid anymore.

[tltourer]

My "internet research" I found the least engine problems reported with Rodeo and Triton and most engine problems with Navara and Hilux....but then you will also notice that the Navara and Hilux are by far the most common on the road and lots of owners say they have never had a problem with them.

Some stuff on the Internet is pure Hokum, my truck got a bad review because the guy felt the steering wheel was too many turns lock to lock. I think the average motor journalist is a plonker, reviewing trucks based on wether he would like to take it shopping in new market and if the cup holder fits his triple chai latte and raybans. Wheres the credibility?

[Marco Polo]

You should find it is a 4JH1 which is direct injected and very closely related to the old 2.8 4JB1. In fact even the 4JG2 3.1 is closeley related too. The difference is in the heads and injector pumps.
The 4JH1 is good motor, but it's old tech with manual tappets etc so requires more regular attention than more modern designs.
For the record, I have had great reliability from the 3.1 also (the "crap" one)
Like any engine, neglect and abuse kills. No engine likes to be cooked.

[Cameron]

good wagons. not the fastest but they're reliable.

[bang-thud-thump]

Cheers for the info.

I take nothing from road testers, only owners. A critic is just someone with negative comments by definition eh.

I realise there will be mixed experiences but the 3.1 was terrible in my experience. Pop goes the wallet.
Maintenance is obviously important with all vehicles.

The reason I ask here is I was all set on an SUV but we really need a ute for versatility so a bloody 4x4 DC ute it is - not cheap!
Im looking at options at the mo.

[y60 safari driver]

i was a holden mechanic for 7 years, the RA rodeos were great trucks and the 4jh1 was a noisy under powered but very strong reliable motor, main issue they had was the egr valve played up and caused them to block the cat converter (solved by blanking egr and knocking out cat) the crap bighorn motor was the 4jx1 which is a 3.0ltr

[bang-thud-thump]

Noisy - I can live with that. Loud hillbilly music drowns it out. Rattling injectors work with banjos

Underpowered - We have a NA TD27 Navarra so the bar sits on or under the ground in the power stakes. I can eat a sammie between 0-50km/h.

Reliable - thats me all day! Im a happy ex mechanic changing oil etc as needed, not putting new bits on and spending a fortune to largely drive to and from work (sadly!).

Cheers for that. Just need to get a decent trade and we are sorted.
Nice SUV for the missus next. Soft roader though.

[mudgripz]

The 3.0 motor to avoid is not the 4JH1 - it is the 4JX1. Not, from memory, a motor put into the isuzus brought into NZ by Isuzu here, but many trucks came in with this motor as Jap imports.

It is a real dud which gave all sorts of sensor problems, and can confirm diesel shops and even isuzu agents often won't service them now.

The 2.8TD is a beauty, the 3.1 quite good, and I believe the latest Dmax donk is also doing well.

[bang-thud-thump]

Cheers Mud.
I should have bought your truck back when it was for sale. oh well. Hindsight eh.